There is nothing positive to achieve from being vile towards retail staff. Why act this way?

[uihd]

Yesterday evening I bought a few items from a supermarket on the way home from work. There were some customers being very rude and disrespectful towards the staff. It has got worse in the past 5 years.

Why do people think it’s ok to act like this? What do they want to achieve with this attitude? Do they realise that people are leaving retail and avoiding looking for work in the retail sector due to their behaviour?

Nothing positive can be achieved from acting like this. If people get a kick out of this, they are just pathetic people.

The staff in supermarkets have no control over
. Prices
. Stock availability
. Products that have been discontinued. Both in store stop selling it and brand stops making it
. Staffing issues
. The number of self checkouts installed
. The law
. Company policies
. Lottery rules

I have done my share in working in retail. Never I want to do that again

Who are these 5% who says it’s ok to be rude and vile towards retail staff?

These will be the ones that go to self service tills scan 1 item then put there entire shopping in the bagging area then continue to try and scan stuff at the speed of light which won’t work
than say machine are shit and they shouldn’t have to do the supermarkets job for them

When im queen of the world I'm going to make this law 👸

I wholeheartedly agree, not just with retail though, anything customer facing.

NHS
Teachers / school staff
Emergency Services
Vets
Retail
Workmen / especially Road fixers

People are leaving the profession in droves and I would never work in retail again.

When prices go up every April you will get cafe customers moaning their coffee is more expensive (happened to me)

IME the people who are vile to retail staff, nursing staff etc are people who’s default setting is being vile to people, it’s an effort not to be vile to people, so it’s more that there’s no benefit in it for them to be nice. Nice takes work, vile is easier, nothing particularly bad happens when they are vile. Managers don’t throw customers out. Large companies can’t easily ban customers for just being rude. No negatives happen for being rude. They also don’t get better service or cheaper prices or a better range of products if they are nice, so why bother? What’s in it for them to be nice?

Once you accept a lot of the general population are only nice in order to get something, it makes more sense.

I think this too.
I work in a dental practice and we’ve all found that patients are much more demanding and rude since Covid!

"Large companies can’t easily ban customers for just being rude."

Yes they can!

I can think of many instances of both the supermarket and other customer service jobs where people have been banned for their rudeness and racist/sexist comments too

My daughter works in a coffee shop at a castle. The majority of visitors are older (retirement age).

Most folk are lovely but many are not!

She is 21, her brother 18, both are polite.

It is NOT age it is personality. Some people are just RUDE 🤷‍♀️

I believe this could be because some elder people think as they are old, they feel they need superior treatment.

Also noticed a correlation between rudeness and reluctance to adopt new technology

Absolutely where i work there has been customers banned for behaviour. People need to remember this when shopping dont think nothing will happen

Most definitely. I can actually tell if people have worked in retail/hospitality. They tend to be more patient and understanding about stuff. I genuinely think that it teaches people a lot.

It feels that since the pandemic people are a little less patient and kind. I have noticed this in driving too.

Unfortunately, it also feels that the ‘cost of living’ crisis is also making individuals less pleasant to each other.

I have worked in retail, social care and now online. Sadly, some people are unpleasant. I ‘love bomb’ people and won’t get drawn into THEIR miserable/bad treatment of others 😉

Especially if you don't drive. Plus if buses are not good for reliability, taking you to other places with supermarkets.

Also if you banned from stores, you are banned from doing online shopping - delivery and click n collect.

General public behaviour has really declined over the last few years, it's really depressing.

Yes, and it's inexcusable. However, so.too has service. So many retail/bank staff have forgotyen the words please and thank you or a smile. Teachers sometimes speak to.parents as though they are 8 and the tone of some NHS staff is awful.

It works both ways.

I work in a public facing role. I have noticed a decline in patience and kindness since COVID... coincidence with timing and was always going downhill? Not sure, but definitely noticed a difference since then. In fact during COVID it wa6si stressful at work. People being demanding and not understanding new protocols. I always thought it brought out either the best in people, or if they were already bastards, just made things worse! I find age no bearing either.
Bit off topic but same with entitlement, is driving and parking. Nobody gives a shit anymore!
Was talking to a blind client(with guide dog and 100% blind). We were having a chat, and I asked her opinion as she said someone in a car had actually ran into her, but she never found out who it was as they drove off (I mean wtf?!). People are constantly parking over the tactiles on pedestrian crossings making it harder.
Client says recently she came out of her gate where she usually crosses, with tactiles on the floor, and there was a car parked there. She said she was walking round the car placing her hands on the car to help her round, when a neighbour saw and asked if she was ok and should he ask the guy to move his car. An idiot was sat in this car and just letting her struggle round!! Bonkers.
She's definitely noticed an increase. So have I, and it's just wearing. We only notice if we've had nice clients in, as it makes your day so much nicer.

Worked in both retail and a call centre when I was young, and people on the phone are far worse. I think it's because they feel anonymous over the phone. This was years and years ago so unfortunately seems to have always been the case.

I work in an insurance related field and people's insurance policies have been cancelled for being abusive (usually repeatedly) to call centre staff over the phone. So there are repercussions.

They do it because they are a bit dim.

You really have no clue do you

Hopefully making it more difficult to buy any insurance

I get that some people want to dismiss comments about the need for more training. That doesn't mean that the comments are actually wrong, though.

Every single person i ve seen being rude to shop staff has been older, 50 plus.

Usually, not always, male.

Same with road rage incidents, more often than not, men.

Life is no more fast paced or stressed than before, people just like to think it is, as it excuses how they act.