Customers expect us to know if other shops in the area sell certain items

[Auburngal]

When at work, when a customer asks where is x or do we sell x. If we know that we don’t sell x either from experience or looking at the shelves where you expect to find the product.

If we don’t sell the item in question, customer asks “do you know if (name of shop in the area) sells it?” When we say we don’t know, a few customers have flipped. We don’t know the inventory of each shop. Unless we buy the product or seen it in that shop, we haven’t got a clue.

So why do customers presume that we know what other shops in the area sell?

The one I had yesterday was something pet related. I don’t have pets so I don’t go down the pet aisle of section

I do get quite annoyed at the google thing as it's quite clear the whole world hasn't gone over to google yet . So stop trying to make it true , there is the age thing , the disability thing there are probably many reasons people have not gone over yet and it's not for any of us to say why and to make people's already hard lives harder ! Leave them be !

But do you think if you asked a staff member in b&m which toaster was best, they would know anything about said toasters?

Currys is an electricals store so yes of course they should know what they're selling. Same if you worked in say a health food shop, you'd be trained on what the different supplements were but otherwise, no.

@Auburngal , so many of us have asked what do you mean by "Flipped", are you going to enlighten us?

I mean today ,where my husband works, a young lad let his pup of the lead and the pup ran to greet a complete stranger, and dirtied the mans shirt. Now that man did "flip" as in f'ing and blinding and using the C word threatening to put the young lads lights out, my DH had to intervene. Is that what you mean by "flip"?

No it's not unreasonable for a customer to ask where something is but you would expect them to try looking for it first and not take 2 steps into a shop and ask.

As I said before, I look for items and only if I can't find them do I ask a member of staff. Staff have other jobs to do not keep escorting customers to different parts of the shop. When did people become so lazy and entitled?

Also when you have a number of customers asking where things are and the shop is large so the time taking them to the relevant section and then getting back to shelf filling adds up it's annoying plus you get a bollocking at the end of the evening because you haven't had the time to get all your stock out

I really don't think it's lazy or entitled to go into a shop and ask where something is

I wouldn't be rude if they didn't know, but I might presume that they could have some knowledge, yes. Maybe not in a discount store like B&M, but in any slightly higher end store I would hope to get a little help and not just someone shrugging their shoulders. I honestly don't know why people work retail at all if they are so unhelpful to customers.

Fine if only a couple of customers ask where an item is but what if many do and you only have a certain amount of time to do your work? As I said, I was a shelf filler so was meant to get all my stock out in the time I was working but that was often not possible because of interruptions from customers.

On the very rare occasion I have asked where an item is I am quite happy to be given an aisle number as I can read numbers and don't believe in taking up an assistant's time.

@ssd in retail and customer services which I have worked a combined 23/24 years at, the bad customers overshadow the nicer ones.

Even on the local spotted groups on FB, it’s full of people posting “what time does (shop in area) close”

People who kick off at us for not knowing what other shops (not the larger supermarkets of my employer) sell are pathetic idiots. 95% of my colleagues live or used to live in the town of my store is. I tend not to shop in the shops on my days off/holiday as always need stuff that the larger stores sell and we don’t.

Just to step into a shop and immediately ask? That is definitely lazy and entitled. Why the hell would you do that?

It's normal to go into a shop and look for an item you want. If you can't find it then ask.

There are some very weird entitled people. Maybe they think they should have servants!

Pretty sure shop assistants have more things to do then show lazy people where everything is

Fine if only a couple of customers ask where an item is but what if many do and you only have a certain amount of time to do your work?

It's just part of working retail. The shelves can be stacked on the next shift or the following day.

Bugger ever becoming newly disabled in this country 🙄.They'll have your guts for garters in this country .

Another day, another annoying customer at work eh @Auburngal

Rishi should have suggested that all youths spend a year in retail or hospitality rather than military service, and that I could get behind!

When a customer asks where a product is when have a basket or trolley and I glance at their shopping. “The (product) is opposite the cheese crackers you have picked up”

The worst time to ask supermarket workers questions is when they putting out eggs. Don’t ask me why the eggs are in cases of the flimsiest cardboard which are not taped at the bottom. As seen it myself at another store, bottom came undone whilst shop assistant was putting out eggs whilst answering a question to a customer. About 80 eggs smashed.

It really isn't lazy and entitled to ask a shop assistant for help.

Yes, if I was looking for a specific item I would of course ask for help.

And as someone who worked retail for 10 years, it was absolutely normal for customers to come in and ask if we had X or Y instead of wasting their time wandering around for ages and then ending up having to ask anyway.

It's grim isn't it?

Imagine working in a shop and getting pissed off because a customer has the audacity to ask you for help, lol.

Seriously is no wonder you have customers "flipping" on you if thats how you answer them ( whatever "flipping" means as you seem to be ignoring that question )

Would it not be better and say, "they are in aisle number blah blah, same aisle as the cheese crackers " in a cheery voice? You are still pointing out that they have already been down that aisle without being rude about it

I'm genuinely surprised people haven't complained about you with your awful attitude to your customers.
If you spoke to me like you appear to speak to every customer who expects you to do your job, I certainly would.
Do you not receive any kind of staff training on how to speak to people? You certainly need some.

And how in the name of fuck does a customer asking you a question make them responsible for you breaking 80 eggs?

And by the way I'm not just talking about people who are maybe older and have become physically disabled .I .m talking about younger people also have become more disabled more disabled doesn't mean someone who is visibly in a wheelchair .

There’s life beyond shops you know Auburngal, you sure do talk about them a lot.

I'm surprised there wasn't a thread about me when I asked in all innocence in Asda where the school clothes were, just as my eyes looked slightly to the left and I was right in front of them.

We both laughed at my moment of not properly looking.

The other thing is that the same stores don't have the same layout in each branch, so I have to try and remember where the cereal aisle is in store A as it is in a completely different place to store B.

You can tell who has never worked in retail here.
I did it for about 8 years when I was younger (first job was Tesco) and then in Asda throughout uni. Oh my christ.
Please stop with the “you shouldn’t work in retail” stuff. Honestly, if the current lot quit for a new lot of staff, they’d gradually get worn down by it all as well, because customers don’t stop -
being entitled
being rude
belittling you (god some LOVE trying to make you feel small)
being shouty
assuming you know EVERYTHING
trying to scam you
make sexual/lewd comments.

The ones I remember
“why have the tea bags gone up 20p” spat at me through gritted teeth. How the fuck should I know, and I’m a checkout girl, who absolutely makes none of those decisions. Surely everyone knows that!?

Angry man at 5am whilst I stacked shelves “why isn’t the fish counter open, it should be open, this is ridiculous” as I held 2 tubs of clover in my hand. He demanded a manager over a fish counter at 5am.

Being stared at by about 50 ANGRY people throughout the day at a check out on Christmas Eve because it’s my fault everyone chose to leave their shopping until Christmas fecking eve. Then came the comments when I was serving them. One was “if you got yourself a proper job then you wouldn’t have to have me in your face would you”

“Nice boobs love” (had that a few times, or similar, in my buttoned up top!)

I offered to help someone pack, and got asked “why, do you think I’m disabled or incapable?”

I was followed in the car park once by an angry man, who was pissed off I didn’t give him £5 off a BBQ.

Honestly, customers can be HORRIFIC, and it wears down even the most patient of people.

Customers that shout at shop staff, are simply, bullies.

Seen too many shop assistants in tears when I have been in shops, shopping. Even one shop assistant in tears is one too many.

Shop staff have the right to refuse to serve rude, horrible customers.

Retail workers are leaving left right and centre mainly because of the customers disrespectful behaviour.

I work in retail & get this all the time, some customers can actually be quite aggressive when don’t sell a certain item as if it’s your fault it’s not sold there, along the lines of ‘well where can I buy it then?’ Followed by huffing & puffing, we have a lot of Eastern European customers in our store & they whip out their phone then proceed to talk to google translate, they don’t understand a word of English & have to gesture to them we don’t sell the item they are looking for.

We live in a small area where the shops pass business to each other. If you can't get something in one they'll literally ring along to see if someone else has it at times or will suggest a neighbouring shop. I mean I get it if get blow because you can't tell them for definite but at least try and learn what other local.bhsi esses sell and make an effort for your customers.

This thread is like a big game of spot the arsehole!

Worked in hospitality and retail and had it in both. One particular one is people ordering an item.we don't have on the menu and saying that they can have it at X pub so why not here. Because they (say) a wetherspoons and we are (say) Greene King!