To hate customers

[rahjama]

Somewhat lighthearted.

Working in hospitality/retail, what things do customers do that really, really annoy you when you're working? I'll start

• Booking for 6 people and then saying "Hope it's okay we're now a party of 194"

• Paying in cash but they're 1-20p short. "Can you cover it?" No I cannot

• Sitting on tables that are dirty/unset/in the process of being cleaned when there are clean and set tables literally next to them. Then complaining about the lack of cutlery.

• Buying the cheapest pint, saying it's flat/doesn't taste right, then swapping for the most expensive pint.

• Picking up an allergen menu and then saying "is this all you do?" No that's all we do GLUTEN FREE it says at the top!!!!!!!!!

I just meant that the banned op for the McDonald's thread was on a wind up , but I've no doubt that it's happened to staff and how customers behave is horrible and nasty and rude and I am ashamed that people can be so nasty to anyone just doing their job :(
There isn't any need to be like this.

I think everyone should work in retail/hospitality as a rite of passage. It might stop some people being so nasty and rude.

Absolutely this! Forget national conscription but everyone regardless of class/background needs to spend at least a few months front and centre of a fast-food chain, department store etc to learn one or two things.

I hate to be 'that person' but I'm a nanny to an autistic child that really wouldn't eat anything on the menu. I bring his lunch with us, I purchase from the cafe for myself and I've never been told about it. I'd hope no one would, but I wouldn't leave. Quite often we plan a full day out and going home for lunch isn't an option.

That said in a good restaurant you mark on the order who has ordered it what, using a seating plan every colleague is familiar with- customers are there to enjoy themselves so they will forget and we should accommodate!!

Yes I agree with this, sometimes I might change my mind last minute before ordering and if someone else has ordered something that I was going to and I'm mid-conversation it might take me a minute to think

Asking "where is the sale section" when you're stood in front of it makes me wonder if you can manage wiping your own arse, too.

I've done that sometimes, I do have the 'decency' to admit to my foolishness though.

I've done
15 years call centre
A year care work
8 years in pubs/shops/restaurants
Can I have a medal now?

Worst is
Can I take your car registration?
I don't know it
Ok, your postcode?
I've just moved. Can't you find me from my name?
I'll try it, sure!
It's smith

no, I can't

Oh and when you ask someone to repeat something

Customer "mumbles letter"
Me "is that F for foxtrot or S for Sierra?"
Customer "mumbles letter still but somehow shouts it too"
Me "yeah. No clue. F like fox or S like sugar"
Customer "shouts letter louder"

Mate you sound like you're in a tunnel, on speakerphone with the worlds worst signal, I don't care if you say F for fuck as long as I can actually hear you so please enunciate what the F you are saying

This thread is brilliant! I could fill up several pages with my experience.

I used to work in a betting shop and it was hell on earth in that time I was spat at twice! Verbally abused on a daily basis called a cunt, slag, bitch, whore etc and threatened with violence after closing time when customers either lost or couldn't get their own way. Then there were those who tried to con me into paying them out and getting pissed off when I didn't fall for it and then threatening to make a complaint about me (I used to give them customer services number 🤣). Then there were the dirty sods who were grubby and would hand me dirty grubby money one customer even sneezed and coughed into his hand that had the cash then he handed it to me 🤮 I used to keep anti bac soap and wipes in my till draw!

But the most annoying were the customers who didn't like what I'd told them and demanded to see the manager only to be told the exact same thing I told them by the manager!

Some used to accuse us of "fixing the machines" and jinxing their bets when they lost and actually demanded their money back.

What used to really piss me off though was when workers in the pubs or other shops would come in my shop asking for £50 or more in coins and when I said we didn't have enough they'd rudely reply "you're a betting shop you HAVE to have change" I used to sarcastically reply "Where's the sign that says post office?" Their response "there isn't one" me "Yeah because we aren't a post office walk down there for change if you need it" one had the cheek to reply they couldn't be bothered so I said "well I can't be bothered to count £50 in change either and nor do I have to" then I went back to my break 🤣🤣

Bus driver.

Customers with coins in there mouth which they then place in the cash tray covered in hockle. Enjoy your walk.

Customer smoking, denies he is, there is only me and him on the bus.Had loads of aggro over the years from smokers.

Regular 6am punter with a 20 quid note, every day hoping for a free ride. Entire float gone in the first transaction.. He stopped that with me the day I gave him 18 quid in change in coppers. Not sure where the punters imagine drivers can produce change from, out of our arse? Not so bad now with card payments.

Passenger complaint that I had not waited at the bus stop for her and I had given her the wrong change. One or the other madam, can't be both.

Passenger compliant that my bus had broken down and I must have known when she got on that it was going to break down.

Spat at and bricked more times than I can remember.

95% of people are ok but you don't remember them, it's the remaining 5% that ruin it.

No one should have to work with the public.

DH always uses a money belt now, as he’s had his wallet stolen so many times. I do sometimes feel a bit embarrassed standing with him while he is rummaging for his bank card in his trousers.

During lockdown there was a Facebook video of a Spanish woman being moaned at for not having mask on in a shop , so she whipped off her very skimpy underwear and used that ( after a lot of arguing!)
I can imagine that working with the public anywhere really can be a nightmare , people are so rude.

Serving behind the hot drink counter of a very busy department store cafe, asking "tea or coffee" and hearing "yes". WHICH ONE??? By the end of a Saturday I could happily have thrown the tea at them. If really lucky you could spend the day answering the "what is the soup of the day" hordes that all missed the signs at the door, at the start of the queue and again RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM on the counter.

Both beat being out on the floor though, on a Saturday afternoon you knew at least three times some feral troll would threaten you because you could not magic an empty table out of thin air. The same trolls would also be the ones clicking their fingers to have a table cleaned within a micro-second of sitting down, despite seeing all staff were busy.

I liked that job - but it convinced me people should have to pass a basic manners and sense test to be allowed out. I 100% agree with the people that say it should be a form of national service.

Serving behind the hot drink counter of a very busy department store cafe, asking "tea or coffee" and hearing "yes". WHICH ONE??? By the end of a Saturday I could happily have thrown the tea at them. If really lucky you could spend the day answering the "what is the soup of the day" hordes that all missed the signs at the door, at the start of the queue and again RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM on the counter.

Both beat being out on the floor though, on a Saturday afternoon you knew at least three times some feral troll would threaten you because you could not magic an empty table out of thin air. The same trolls would also be the ones clicking their fingers to have a table cleaned within a micro-second of sitting down, despite seeing all staff were busy.

I liked that job - but it convinced me people should have to pass a basic manners and sense test to be allowed out. I 100% agree with the people that say it should be a form of national service.

Oops sorry two posts! Now I'm the annoying one...

Sometimes I have been known to faff a bit in places ( especially busy hot drink counters or in places like subway where you need to be fast at ordering and precise , not always easy as we age!)
McDonald's hot drinks are great and inexpensive and the ordering screens are fab , makes life a bit easier for me.
I'm never rude or horrible though. I've worked in retail etc and its an eye opener.

I work at McDonald’s and have done for the last 6 years (customer care)

in that time I’ve been sworn at,shouted at,sexually assaulted 3 times (last one was yesterday),groped,spat at,looked down on,laughed at,complained about because they’ve had to wait 3 seconds,I’ve had money pulled out of sweaty areas of clothing,punched,a knife pulled on me twice and much,much more

teenagers get a bad rap but it’s mainly ‘older’ people that are the worst-at least 99% of the teens are lovely people (I’ve had the odd nasty one but they get banned)

im doing my best to serve people-and I suffer with arthritis so I’m not that fast on my feet-but I do try

its a hard job-it takes it’s toll but some people really take the piss

(huge thank you to the lovely people-of which there are many)

Rainbow , that is just dreadful :( your only doing your job , what is it with people ?
There isn't need for people to be like this is there ? Soon places like McDonald's and so on will need security as pubs do.

Believe me, it wasn’t a money belt - I was unfortunate enough to get a very good view!

yes, this! It might be hard to believe but lots of people rarely get prescriptions. The first time I needed one I didn't know whether it was sorted by name, DOB, the surgery it came from, the date it was prescribed, the medication I was getting, etc..., so yeah, I did just say 'I've got a prescription.'

tbh lots of the problems with customer service (staff and customers) could easily be solved by just communicating better rather than expecting to know what each other wants/needs. For the staff member the customer is their 100th person that day so they get sick of repeating what seems like the bleeding obvious (because they've done it so many times) again and again. For the customer this could be their first time to that shop/buying that item/ordering a particular way (e.g. click and collect) so they need to be prompted and walked through elements of the interaction. Similarly because the customer is only focussed on themselves as an individual and what they need, they don't realise they are just one of many to the poor waiter/retail assistant etc who has heard their lame joke or answered the same question xxx times before.

I thought of this thread today as I stood queuing in Primark and some guy was kicking off at the poor harassed looking woman behind the till about getting a refund for some bedding. Of course he had no receipt, the woman was trying to find the sale on the system and during the few minutes I was waiting he changed his version of when he came in and bought it two times, the woman looked like she wanted to tell him just to fuck off and I had every sympathy with her. He was still there arguing when I had been served at the next till and left, no idea if he got his refund or not but his attitude to the staff was appalling, just no need to behave like that.

Booking for 10 people then announcing they are all paying separately!

Primark man probably didn't have a receipt because they had previously been stolen goods or something similar :( sounds dodgy anyway

Oh no it’s one of these threads, I may be here all night! I manage a school uniform store. People will walk past what they need to ask you to get it for them. Or they’ll say I need a blazer. When I say what size I get I don’t know that’s your job. Ok, you just walked past the rail, they are there to TRY ON.
Customers don’t appear to have manners, I am told ‘get me this’ all the time and have people clicking at me.
I’ve had a customer call me a bitch, kick off because I wouldn’t change a £6 bag someone had had for over a year and people asking for discount because they have more than one child. They then kick off that I won’t give them a discount. I’m sorry you had more than one child I didn’t realise that was my fault!
i hate humans!

I’ll see your 10 and raise you 30. Fuckers.

When people come to event nights, (live music, comedy, sport events) and ask for the volume to be turned down.
No, people have paid good money for the atmosphere, come back tomorrow. Or literally any other day.