I was at work today - in a shop. I was so traumatised I had to lie down

[saltirehangingonachristmastree]

For 3 hours when I got back. It was awful, 4 hours non stop on a till (not my job actually)and people are so rude. Some are pretty thick as well. if it says "2 for £5.00" on Rennie 72 packs then thats what it means. It doesn't mean "Pick any 2 pack of indegestion tablets you feel like and expect to get them for £5.00 and then shout at Saltire when she tells you it actually costs £6.05"

MiL works at waitrose and came home shaking yesterday after all the abuse she's had to put up with. She works on the ciggy kiosk doing lottery etc. People were bringing fully loaded trolleys to her kiosk in an attempt to jump the queues at the tills.

dp's working today at Borders - she's come home increasingly knackered over the past couple of weeks - should think today's going to be a nightmare...

DH working in a shop today too. in fact the only day off he has is Xmas day hideous. I was temping in a shop two Christmases ago. Feel sorry for you Saltire, nothing like working in a shop to put you off Christmas from November!

DG - the apins are quite bad, which probablt doesn't help with how I'm feeling mentally!. I know some shop assistants can be rude - i work with some, but when I try and be polite and helpful to customers then they throw it back in your face it's annoying. i ahd a woman the other day who didn't speak to me at all, just nodded or shook her head in response to ym questions.
Starting at 10 today - got to get there first though.

I probably will end up taking something from DS2's pile of stuff, I can't be bothered to go shopping. I started a thread the other day about how so many of our relatives were supposed to be sending money and expecting me to go and get something for the DSes. Well step MIla nd PIl are paying a cheque into our acocunt today and BIL, DH's nan and his great Nans money hasn't arrived so tough luck, I'm waiting to get things after christmas now. They know when it is, they have had a whole year to get organised

Im always nice to shop assistants, they must have the patience of a saint to get through the christmas period, all the assistants i've come across have been very helpful and friendly, but then maybe thats because I don't give them a hard time and can actually smile.

Saltire sorry for the hijack just wanted to say thankyou for the lovely box of gifts you sent us they arrived on Saturday they were lovely and very much appreciated
Hope you and yours have a very merry Christmas xxxxxxxxx

Before DS I worked in shops and worked every Christmas for about 8 years. Christmas Eve was the worst as the sales would always be starting on Boxing Day which meant that after closing on Christmas Eve all the sale stuff would have to be priced and the shop made up for the sale. It would take HOURS and we would never get paid any extra for it. As manager I would always let the staff go home at some point so was always there by myself until gone 9pm.

There are some horrid staff but they can't outstrip the customers. I don't see many shop staff threatening customers. Some guy said he was going to punch me in the face because I wouldn't refund his game for him. I was 7 months obviously pregnant at the time. He wiped shelves and shelves clear of games on his way out, all over the floor.

It is miserable for everyone, being out shopping and also working at Christmas but spare a thought for the staff that you might be treating like something on the bottom of your shoe.

I was a saturday girl at Harrods in my teens (I know - ponce) and I worked Christmas and the sales. You have never seen anything like it! Grown women having fistfights over discounted towels!

one year whilst working in a supermarket one woman was so vile to me that I helped her pack her shopping and whilst doing this I squashed the living daylights out of her bread and pushed my fingers through her fruit cake - childish I know but I would have loved to see her face when she unpacked it at the other end.

OOOO yes worked in retail in a posh shop as a student. hated most of awwww alright some of the public
i experienced
fighting shouting swearing
tussles

.............LOL and that was the public at sale time

my faveourite fuckwit dumb query overhead next to me in the queue was
"excuse me ypu have overcharged me! these four rolls were 25p each it says rolls are four for £1"fwink]

I survived today as well,and my goodness it was busy. 4 hours solid on a till! My back is really sore and I have a pain shooting down my right leg as well.

saltirehangingonachristmastree poor you well thank god you finished now

I always try to be nice to the cashiers, the poor girl in tescos yesterday looked washed out but smiled cheerfully at me anyway when I asked if she was being paid extra for the christmas shift. She said they weren't, despite there being massive massive cues of mega harassed people, at least 7 trollies to each till.

Last week in asda some nasty woman called me a fat bitch for getting in her way as she tried to bash her way through shoppers in the veg section. Some people are just arseholes.