Christmastime Cheer?

[Mikayla1]

OK, I know that I shouldn't complain, cause in a way I am doing what I am about to complain about, but.....

I can not stand all these pissing and moaning store clerks who just seem like it would KILL them to smile or say thank you! I mean, come on people! I have worked retail before -many years of it. I worked at Toys R Us during Christmas - you don't get much more hectic than that! Anyway, I always, and I mean ALWAYS tried my best to be cheery and bright. These young SOB out there now do not give a rat's ass about me, Christmas spirit or whatever else. Also, the people shopping are almost crabbier than the clerks! I was behind a nice, old lady in Old Navy the other day. She was paying with cash and counting out her change - .21 - and it was taking her a while. She was apologizing to me for holding me up and I was like, "no problem, take your time." Anyway, it was taking a long time and the clerk finally says, "listen lady, do you not see the long line of people I have behind you -get the change out or give me a buck!" She looked really hurt and embarrassed. I looked at the clerk and said, "You asshole - who taught you about customer service? I am going to tell your manager." He looked at me and said, "go right ahead lady, he won't give a rat's ass!" I gave the woman the change, then I demanded the manager come up and relieve this idiot. Thankfully, those behind me agreed with ME, and didn';t mind waiting. I hope his ass got fired!

As for the customers sharing the crowded shopping aisles with me - all I can say is - be patient, be kind and try not to bowl people over looking for the latest Wii game! I can not believe some of these shoppers.

So, if you are one of those people - you know, THOSE people, take a moment and try to remember what Christmas is all about. It isn't the presents, the money, the wrapping paper - it is ultimately about humankind - and I for one want to be a positive influence on humankind, don't you????

[ToyQueen]

Very well put, Mikayla!

I see this same attitude in my job. A lot of people, especially younger ones who appear to have been handed everything on a platter all their lives, seem to think that they are the only ones who matter. I am in a service profession, and understand that I am a giver, but patience is a virtue!

I'm glad it annoys someone else.

[Amylynn920]

Well put, you'd think for just once a year people would open their hearts and be happy. Some people were born miserable I think and I feel very sad for them.

[brandyfan411]

You are not alone Mikayla. I used to work at Publix and I was always happy (even if I didn't feel very well). Now a days, people don't give a flying rat's behind about you or anybody else (besides themselves).

I've had a couple of instances where I had to get nasty with 'em. One idiot in Best Buy wouldn't sell my mother and I laptop because he thought that we shouldn't get them until he installed "special software" on. My mother told him politely that we didn't need any special software. He goes and yells at my mother. Now, no one messes with mom, especially while I'm there. I yelled at his sorry butt, then I called in a manager. Two weeks later, I went into Costco, and he was working in the bakery department lol!! I've also had a time where my brother and I were going to buy The Sims 2 Bon Voyage (We're BIG Sims fans), they were selling out fast and I was going to get the last one. As I was grabbing for it, some butthole SHOVES me out of the way and takes it. I was so shocked. I was thinking "Is this idiot serious?!". It was on after that. I ran up and smacked him in the face with my extra big purse (I like big purses for this reason. He's lucky it was only half full, I had taken my Tic-Tacs out so it wouldn't be stuffed) and my brother grabbed the game (I think my brother hit him in the nuts cause I saw him go down). I had him reported but the dumb manager did NOTHING. I even had to pay full price for my game.

[pappyld04]

Right on ladies! Even though I'm not big on holidays there is no excuse for taking it out on the people who pay your wages. Kids now seem to have forgotten where their paycheck is coming from.

[Meg]

While I do feel that true customer service is SEVERELY lacking (for online retailers as well as retail store locations) I don't place 100% of the blame on the clerks. They're getting paid minimum wage (which, in most places, is less than 7 bucks) an hour to put up with frantic (and often times bitchy) holiday shoppers.

For instance, this weekend I witnessed one woman who was checking out with at least 25 items - she went through the 10 items or less isle. Clearly marked - BIG red sign! The clerk reminded her that he would take her this time, but in the future, if she could remember to go to through the regular line, he (and the shoppers behind her) would appreciate it. The clerk was super friendly about it, but the woman replied with, "Fuck you. You're taking my money, and I'll check out anywhere I damn well please." The clerk just smiled at her and kept ringing her through. I think he did the right thing. If he had retaliated with a rude comment - I'm sure the lady would have flown off the handle, creating a scene that was easily avoided by the calmness of his initial reaction. In his head he was probably calling her every nasty name he could think of.

From someone who works in customer service, I realize that some people are just having a bad day (or week, or month... or...) and they are unhappy and they have little to no control over their lives, so they take it out on random strangers. It isn't fair, and it sucks for the person on the receiving end of the bitchiness. The holidays aren't a happy time for some. I always try to be pleasant to clerks, waiters, other shoppers etc. because you just never know.

-Meg

[brandyfan411]

Just because they are having an off day, it doesn't give them the right to be rude (same goes for the customer). Yes, they may only get paid minimum wage, I made 6 bucks an hour while my brother had a job UNDER me and got paid nearly 9. I could have been rude to EVERYBODY, including my boss for gipping me but did I, no.

People just need to lighten up and quit acting like the back end of a donkey. My mother had a hernia repair two weeks before this past Thanksgiving. She was getting worse after she got back so I rushed her to the emergency room. Come to find out, they punctured her intestines. She had three surgeries and was in the hospital through Thanksgiving. We both missed Thanksgiving because I was there the whole time. Last Thanksgiving at 5 in the morning, my only grandfather dies. Now, if I can still smile and be marry over the holidays THEN SO CAN EVERYBODY ELSE. They need to be marry!!

[Tyger]

I totally agree. The lack of manners seems to be a growing trend, and people are INSANE in the stores, working in the stores, and in parking lots as well!! I hate going shopping cuz of the crowds, rude behavior, and downright mean people! Older people in those battery mini-carts that don't pay attention while driving them (I had one lady hit the back of my ankle, to which I said "Please watch where you're going" and got a dirty look from HER!!!), to people walking right infront of you without saying excuse me.

I've worked retail most of my adult life. I didn't get paid a lot in many of those places. When I did "back-talk" to a customer, I was upper management, and once I did so, it was AFTER I had told the customer to please watch how they were speaking to me or my associate under me. I had one customer, who was trying to scam my department, yell and insult me, to which I replied that "I didn't get paid enough by this, or any other company to be insulted, and if you have an issue with me, then let's go talk with the store manager and set this straight." She declined, knowing she was wrong, hung her head, and rushed off. But, I was always courteous.

I've always tried to maintain an air of NICE when dealing with customers, even when I was having a bad day. I had many associates, fellow or ones that I supervised, that didn't have that attitude, and had to reprimand several for being "bitchy" to customers and associates. We were there, by CHOICE to make money, and didn't need to have the negative attitudes. It's very sad that customers have to deal with this sort of associate, really.

That said, I KNOW how I, or anyone I am with, are to be treated. I compliment great customer service to supervisiors, and I also complain when I get bad customer service.

I truly hope that all these Rants really make everyone stop and think what this time of year is REALLY suppose to bring out in people. I try very hard to shut up when I get frustrated, and keep thinking that all this is for my daughter's happiness......for my daughter's happiness.......for family, and to let people know how much I care for them.

BTW, I WANT some of that Christmas candy!!!! *drool*

[pappyld04]

After working at a truck stop I got real good at spotting troublemakers. I cannot begin to count how many people I've had to be rude (or worse) to. Or how many co-workers I've stepped up for that weren't about to say anything about it. After moving to the Diesel clerk position the only open spot was nights so we got a good share of them. I've even had guys threaten me with anatomically impossible feats if they didn't get what they wanted. My boss never had a problem with the way I handled these snapperheads. I would tell him about any troubles when he came in in the morning just in case he got a phone call. We had a running joke there about being adults with kiddie supervision. All of the asst. mngrs. were very young. The youngest were two 17yo's. The boy made the mistake of calling my gf a goofy bitch. I told the mngr that if it ever happened again I would be rolling his face in the rocks after yanking him across the counter. That never happened again. And he only lasted another month and was slammed by another guy for talking that shit to him. While he may not have learned to respect people he did learn to shut his smart-assed mouth!!!

[Mikayla1]

I completely agree with all that has been said. I do think about how that clerk was "working" for his wages -but he was all of maybe 19 and I am sure he had 'no mouth to feed' but his own. I am not usually one to complain to managers, but when he basically said, "lady, I don't give a shit" he needed to be called out. I am not that old - at my ripe age of 36 - but things have changed since I was young and worked in retail. There is NO WAY I would act like these clerks - ever. My ass would have been fired so fast - and my parents would have been Pissed with a capital "P"! Who is teaching these young people about how to act? It isn't even just clerks - it is all these 'kids' - you know, the ones with the healeys and the ripsticks! Ugghhh. I would have had my ass BEAT for rolling around in Wal-Mart on a ripstick! Oh well, I guess my job is to teach my kids better - and I hope others do too!

[Tyger]

OMG, I know!! If I'd spoken to customers like some of the associates NOW do, when I started, my ass would've been out the door in a heartbeat!! Now, it's like people working in stores think that they have the right to be shits to everyone, and this is just a J-O-B. Loyalty to a company has gone out the window, since, getting hired in a retail store, isn't that hard to do. Staying on, and getting promoted doesn't seem like much of a big "to-do" anymore. It's a passing phase type thing.

Anyway, all we can do is try to be pleasant enough to each other, and hopefully pass on some Holiday Cheer! And, if we decide to work retail again, try to show them "youngun's" how it's done!!

[brandyfan411]

Hey, I'm 18 and kind of young but I know how to be polite. I guess having old school parents has actually helped. I would still get my butt WHOOPED if did something stupid like that.

They are actually trying to OUTLAW spanking!! If these brats need anything, it's a beating!! And they are actually going to try and get rid of it!! I see kids hitting their parents and they just stand there like it's nothing. Boy, if I even touched my mother in a wrong way she'd break me in half. They probably wouldn't be able to identify me.

But I quit my job at Publix because they made fun of my mom. I had had enough with management, they would work me to death working me 39 (I wasn't allowed to work 40 so they increased it from 19 to 39) hours a week including Sunday. But they were actually talking about my mother. When I heard them say she was stupid, I went off. You know I chewed them out, then I quit. I had some of the management fired though so my brother doesn't have to put up with their crap.

If there is one thing I hate, it's kids skating with those bleepin' shoes on. Ah man, just invisioning them rolling around on those shoes running into you makes me sick. What ever happened to "if you even think about running through the store, I'm gonna beat yo behind!!"?

[Jo Savage]

Whether its good or bad, I've been on both ends of this topic.

I work at a fast food joint, and it seems like all my customers think that just because I'm a young cahsier working at a restarant, they can treat me like crap. I can't tell you how many times I've just had to stand there and take all kinds of humiliating abuse because someone couldn't get their cheeseburgers in 42 seconds. The managers always say not to take it personally and that it isn't my fault, but when they get so nasty its hard not to. I had a huge line of people I had to tend to and a lady stands off to the side, just standing there staring at me. Apparently she was expecting me to wait on her in front of several other people because of a mistake in her order from drive thru. My manager was coming, so I'm not supposed to do anything and she snaps to her son "I guess they breed 'em rude here too." I guess its things like that that make clerks in any business grouchy.

Of course, I always have those instances where the utter lack of care and responsobility push me off the deep end. I don't want to throw a scene cuz I'll just look like an evil *itch. I bought a game once and after playing it for a while, it kept freezing on one spot. So i took it in to get a new one and the clerk only offered that I could trade it in for 45% and buy a new one. Never mind the fact that he sold me faulty mechandise. Urgh! It makes me so mad! I used to have a store where this one manager was always giving me deals and steering me in the right direction, and I have yet to find that again.

All in all, I think frustration stems from both sides of the counter. Your customer doesn't understand the procedures you follow, and the clerk doesn't know this person or their life. People are so quick to jump to a fight and hunt to gain something out of it.

And I totally understand your frustration with kids brandyfan. I can't understand why some parents won't control their kids. I always hear about alternatives, but when I was little and being bad, I really wouldn't have cared if my mom took away my "happy stickers" (I seriously saw a program on how to use stickers to get kids to behave).

I think every kid needs a good swat when their being bad. They need to learn that there are ceonsegquences to their actions

[brandyfan411]

Whether its good or bad, I've been on both ends of this topic.

I work at a fast food joint, and it seems like all my customers think that just because I'm a young cahsier working at a restarant, they can treat me like crap. I can't tell you how many times I've just had to stand there and take all kinds of humiliating abuse because someone couldn't get their cheeseburgers in 42 seconds. The managers always say not to take it personally and that it isn't my fault, but when they get so nasty its hard not to. I had a huge line of people I had to tend to and a lady stands off to the side, just standing there staring at me. Apparently she was expecting me to wait on her in front of several other people because of a mistake in her order from drive thru. My manager was coming, so I'm not supposed to do anything and she snaps to her son "I guess they breed 'em rude here too." I guess its things like that that make clerks in any business grouchy.

Of course, I always have those instances where the utter lack of care and responsobility push me off the deep end. I don't want to throw a scene cuz I'll just look like an evil *itch. I bought a game once and after playing it for a while, it kept freezing on one spot. So i took it in to get a new one and the clerk only offered that I could trade it in for 45% and buy a new one. Never mind the fact that he sold me faulty mechandise. Urgh! It makes me so mad! I used to have a store where this one manager was always giving me deals and steering me in the right direction, and I have yet to find that again.

All in all, I think frustration stems from both sides of the counter. Your customer doesn't understand the procedures you follow, and the clerk doesn't know this person or their life. People are so quick to jump to a fight and hunt to gain something out of it.

And I totally understand your frustration with kids brandyfan. I can't understand why some parents won't control their kids. I always hear about alternatives, but when I was little and being bad, I really wouldn't have cared if my mom took away my "happy stickers" (I seriously saw a program on how to use stickers to get kids to behave).

I think every kid needs a good swat when their being bad. They need to learn that there are ceonsegquences to their actions

Well, I worked at the one place that was supposed to be "happy" and that screwed me over. I went for two weeks being kind to jerkish customers. People think that they can treat anyone any kind of way but I don't play that!! No sir, my momma raised me not to take mess. When it's your job, they can get mad but when they cross that line it's over (time to cut it off).

Alternatives?! Alternatives in my house for being bad was "am I going to use the ping-pong paddle or the new belt?". Kids today don't need alternatives....especially kids today. I went Christmas shopping and dodge so many kids on those STUPID skates. One lady (older lady) got ran into by a boy that was with his mom. The lady got mad and the mom gave her a big "F You". The older lady went off. Alot of us were on her side, the mom was wrong and she needed to discipline her kids. I told her that they both needed whippings (and her mouthed washed out). I may be 18 but many say I'm old-school which I agree with (alot of things today bother the crap out me). The new-school kids need old-school discipline.

My brother is 15 and my sister is 14. They are older but they still screw up from time to time. My mom is older now and can't rule like she used to. My dad's to busy wanking with his toys to notice what's going on. My mother said she doesn't have to worry because she sees her in me everyday. The only people that have to worry are my siblings, if you catch my drift.

[DirtyBlonde]

I agree ...I can't stand the rude little punks I have to deal with when I shop for anything.....I ALWAYS say please, thank you, excuse me, etc and I DRILL it into the heads of my 2 young sons (they are very polite....so far, lol). I've had to refrain from delivering a dope slap on more than one occasion during my shopping excursions. I'm not usually one to complain...just chalk it up to someone having a bad day....but I have become much less tolerant of it in the past few years & don't think twice about asking for a manager when someone's being an ass.

....but on the flip side, some customers can be VERY rude as well. I work as a bartender/cocktail waitress in a fairly upscale place and sometimes the people you THINK would have some manners & class do NOT. I once had a man get up and bitch me out for something I wasn't aware of & had nothing to do with as I was taking an order from another customer/table ...the other customer looked at him and smiled and said "I'm going to double her tip now because YOU"RE such an asshole" ...I loved that....as the employee, I couldn't say what I wanted to so that guy did it for me, lol...and he DID leave me a very generous tip, lol....so I will always speak up for (always have) an employee that's being treated badly, without reason, as well.

A friend of mine once said to me that Christmas should not involve shopping or gifts or any of that bullshit...it should be just ONE DAY where everyone's nice to each other....I vote for that

[pappyld04]

It isn't even just clerks - it is all these 'kids' - you know, the ones with the healeys and the ripsticks! Ugghhh. I would have had my ass BEAT for rolling around in Wal-Mart on a ripstick! Oh well, I guess my job is to teach my kids better - and I hope others do too!

THANKS Mikayla for making me show my age/ignorance/?? but what the hell are ripsticks and healeys? And it is all of our responsibility to teach this younger generation. I will take about a New York second to snatch a kid up and take them to their parent. If the parent does nothing, as seems to be typical of some nowadays, I will get that ass right in front of them. And will do the same to BOTH parents if they say a damned thing about it. The old saying "it takes a village to raise an idiot" has got to be corrected at some poimt in this world!

[pappyld04]

To brandy and Jo Savage- Both of you give me at least a bit of hope for the future of the world. Both of you have shown me that you are aware, respectful, and willing and able to stand up for not only yourselves but also for those who cannot or will not. You are both a 10+ in my book!!!

[Kinky Twinkie]

Treats anyone?