The Line Cutters

[coffee_drinker247]

Hello everyone, I am brand-new to this forum as far as posting, but I have been a lurker for quite some time. As someone who has worked in the retail industry for 10 years (half of that time spent as a manager in a well-known accessory boutique) I find this to be a comforting and hilarious place that I will return to after a bad day at work. I no longer work for said boutique, but I have a current management position elsewhere. Anyway, I have two stories for you guys. One from the past job and one from the present. I'll begin with the present one:

So a little bit of a preface without giving too much away - I work as a store manager in a women's store. We have a line that is clearly marked off by line markers and says "Enter" at one end and "Exit" at the other end of the cashwrap. So the line is effectively one line that just snakes up so you stand in a single file (not multiple lines to whatever cashier is open which people don't seem to understand). I understand that sometimes people may be confused about where to stand, but this went beyond confusion.

Anyway so I wasn't supposed to be ringing really but I was because I'm nice and I help out and we had a long ass line. So this girl walked up the wrong end of the line while I was helping someone else and then realized she was in the wrong spot and went to wait on the right end. She was first in line (the other cashiers were busy ringing other customers out) and had been waiting there for quite some time already when I was finished ringing my customer. A line had formed behind her, so there were people behind her and she was obviously the next person. My register freed up before the other's so I looked up at the girl because I knew she had been waiting for a long time and had been very patient. But this lady who was at the END of the line (and had literally just gotten in line), behind multiple other people, started to walk up to my register. I said politely, "Oh, I'm sorry, I think she was first" motioning to the girl who really WAS first in line because I didn't want her to be upset because this woman was cutting her and everyone else in line. The girl was being nice and was like, "Oh it's okay" so I said to both of them, "Okay, I'm sorry, no worries" and then before I had a chance to say anything else, the woman who cut started bitching that she was first and had already been waiting in line for ten minutes. (Um, no. Why do SCs always exaggerate their waiting time? And furthermore, we had all of our registers open and there was a long line so we were doing the best we could, and this other older lady waiting in line just yelled out, "Is there another register that can be opened?" Like so impatient. I was like, "No, these are the only registers we have, sorry for your wait." And she just rolled her eyes...like, GET OVER YOURSELF!)

So she threw her stuff down at me and I started to ask for her info to pull up in the computer and she waved her hand IN MY FACE and just said, "NO!" so I said, "Okay" and bypassed it to ring out her stuff. Then she got mad when I told her the total and said in a condescending tone was like, "How much is that _____?" and I told her and she said, "NO, NO it isn't. Look at the FRONT." (Our clearance prices are always on the front of merchandise...and hint, it wasn't a clearance item so therefore IT DID NOT HAVE a clearance sticker on it.) I held it up and said, "I'm sorry, it's not on clearance. It rang in at full price. Did you want me to take it off?" To which she sighed and told her kid to get one that was on clearance. I finished ringing them out and told them to have a good day pleasantly while mentally wanting to choke her. The daughter took the bag and said thanks but the mom just walked away.

So later my co-worker comes up to me and said what happened with that one lady? I was like, what? And I guess on the way out she came up to my co-worker and started bitching about how "rude" I was and how long she had been waiting in line (somehow it went from ten minutes to twenty) and that I should have apologized to her. Apologized FOR WHAT? I did say sorry to both of them, but when she started being rude right away by flinging her shit down at me (and she also threw her cash at me too) I'm supposed to kiss her feet and be all, "I'm sorry you cut everyone and you were too stupid to know how to get in line and I tried to get the person who had been waiting without a peep to come down to my register because she was before you?" Like seriously. Apologize for what? So I guess I was super rude (I wasn't, and my co-worker said that I was the least rude person ever and had seen the transaction and knew I was holding it in but still being polite) and told my co-worker she was never going to shop there again and my co-worker was like, "Okay." She said she wanted to be like, "Good, we don't need your rude ass in here anyway." I hate when customers think they can just be rude as f@ck and still get their ass kissed!

And about a year ago when I was working at my last job also as a manager, this woman also cut this other girl who was shyly waiting in line while I was ringing someone out. I was the only cashier available (my cashier was helping a customer with something else and couldn't ring) and I had a line start to form. When I was done ringing, the shy girl started to step up to put her stuff on the cashwrap when this woman and her daughter (who were complaining that they were in line for "twenty minutes" - why is it always magically 20 minutes? Lol) just pushed in front of the shy girl and then I heard the mom say, "It's okay if you cut someone, just say you're sorry." To which I replied, "Ma'am, this girl was patiently waiting in front of you so I will ring her out first." The girl looked super relieved and handed me her items. And the lady did NOT like that, apparently. So she literally threw her stuff down on the floor and stormed out screaming that this was ridiculous and in the process she knocked a fixture onto the ground and then just left it there and stormed out the door, slamming it behind her (the store was in an outdoor center). Everyone in the store, bless them, was like, "Wow, what a rude bitch" and was super nice to us and some customer helped us pick up the fixture this lady knocked over.

I have plenty more stories from my time in retail, but I will have to leave it at The Line Cutters and Impatient Is There Another Register SCs for now.

[XCashier]

Yikes! Sounds like some of my customers. Why is it that some people have no concept of waiting in line, or the fact that there are indeed other customers in the store? They butt in, cut in line, interrupt other customers, bark demands at you, never say please or thank you...and then claim that you're the rude one?!

to those self-centered line cutters, and an extra to the one who told her daughter it was okay to do that!

[otakuneko]

"It's okay if you cut someone, just say you're sorry."
"You must also accept the consequences. You're now banned from the store, we won't be serving you at all. Good bye."

[coffee_drinker247]

Right? I always want to say when I'm out shopping somewhere and people start complaining about the line, that it's just part of life. Waiting in line. Grow up, you know? At work, I always want to say something like, "You guys are the ones lining up to buy unnecessary items (not like we are a grocery store or anything)l, we didn't beg for EVERY ONE to jump in line at once. Like they think another cash register or cashier will just magically materialize that doesn't exist.

Also, customers have gotten too keen on the whole "the customer is always right" mantra and I think most of them abuse it because they know we can't say anything and all we are supposed to do is be super nice while they get to be super sh*tty and rude. They know they can get away with it so they just keep being entitled and they know they will end up just getting what they want. Or they expect people to bow down to them and assist them with everything.

I love my job though because luckily these types of people are few and far between where I work but the ones that are really awful are total WITCHES. My store is in an affluent area of town so a lot of snooty "new money" people come there to shop. I've literally been ignored to my face when asking people if they need any help and then later they're the same people complaining that no one helped them. I pride myself on providing great customer service but the customer has to be a part of that as well. It's a two way street. I can't give someone great service if they won't even let me in the first place, ya know?

My fiance (he sells cars so he deals with all types of people one on one every day) and I make sure that when we shop or call into places (I have also worked in a call center, also a joy...not) we are polite, personable, and nice no matter what. I guess a lot of customers feel that they deserve to be served and don't need to treat us like people too. I'm college educated, and very intelligent and knowledgeable and I've had people tell me to my face that I'm stupid just because I work in retail or customer service.

I remember once my FI and I were in Wal-Mart right after Christmas to exchange something and the line at the service desk was super long. We just took it in stride and stood there and had fun chatting and laughing with each other while we patiently waited. This older couple was behind us and the wife started making comments about having to wait and they should just leave and this was ridiculous and they should open another register, blah blah. She was trying to get us to agree with her but her husband was even like, "Go wait in the car then. I'm not coming back to return this. We are already here." To which my FI turned around and pleasantly agreed with the husband and said, "You know there's no reason to be impatient. They're truly doing the best they can." I never wanted to marry him more in my life than at that moment!

Anyway I have a few more lovely stories for another time that I will post later. Where I used to work - an accessory boutique that also offers ear piercing and rhymes with "bears" I encountered many rude, crude, gross, and WTF interactions with SCs of all types and sizes. So glad I gathered the courage to post here, I love this place!

[LillFilly]

Love your name Coffee!

Gods I hate self-entitled line cutters! The boyfriend and I were in line at Kohls. There were 2 lines for 2 registers. Both registers had people already being checked out. Boyfriend and I were next at register 1. 'B*tchlady' was next at register 2. CLEARLY defined lines. The person in front of us got checked-out first, and just as we moved up to put our stuff on the register B*tchlady darted over from where she was waiting to OUR register, threw her stuff down and ignored us. I told her 'excuse me, you just cut in front of us.' Her nose was in the air and she didn't even look at us. The cashier didn't say a word and started checking B*tchlady out. I told B*tchlady "You are a very rude person, I can't believe you couldn't wait another 2-seconds for your own register" She started yelling at us "I was here first! I was next!" She started getting louder but we ignored her now; she was going on about how 'low class' we were. The line at register 2 had increased now, so we were stuck behind B*tchlady who was haggling over the price of every item she had! Thankfully, a Manager must have seen what happened, opened and took us at register 3, and we were out and to our car before B*tchlady finished her transaction.

I had so much more I wanted to say to that woman, but I didn't want the cashiers to feel like they needed to call security or that we were going to get out of control. I understand that the cashiers might have had their hands tied and weren't allowed to say anything to b*tchlady, but I can't believe she was just allowed to do what she wanted and get away with it.

[emax4]

Its ironic that this post got added today. I was working in the outside garden section. I'm at the end register, and there are three closed registers on the other side. Just as a guy comes up to check out with one item, some lady comes from behind me and my register, the side, and to the counter. I spoke up and said that the line forms to my left, but she replied, "Does it really matter where it start?". I said, "Actually it does!", but neither of us didn't want to argue about symantics. The next customer was annoyed and we waited until the " lady" left and we made fun of her. I told him that if I rang him out fast enough that he could cut her off in the parking lot.

[blas]

I had that happen recently at Wal-Mart as well.

I like the self check outs, as apparently, so does everyone else.

Well, if all four or six of them (I can't remember how many there are, aren't I dumb?) are being used, a line usually starts forming by one of the soda coolers. I was behind a guy and then he walked over to the next open one. All was well.

Another one opened.'

I got maybe a step and a half in.....and this random woman just stomped right past me.

Though, she could have just been like my mom who has no concept of anything going on around her, just solely on what she is doing.

[mysticgirl5]

Also, customers have gotten too keen on the whole "the customer is always right" mantra and I think most of them abuse it because they know we can't say anything and all we are supposed to do is be super nice while they get to be super sh*tty and rude. They know they can get away with it so they just keep being entitled and they know they will end up just getting what they want. Or they expect people to bow down to them and assist them with everything.

Amen! People in general are rude, but customers get rewarded for being absolutely awful, which just reinforces the cycle. All they have to do is complain and some management toady is all up their butt giving them every thing they want and keeping the cycle going.

I strongly believe that all CEOs and upper management should have to work on the frontlines of their business for one month a year. See how they like being treated like garbage on the daily and watching their profits walk out the door with scammers and complainers while good customers just get stuck with higher prices.

Sorry; I had a crappy day and am choking on the bitter tonight. I admire you for having to deal with these people face to face. I would lose it every single day.

[blas]

You aren't choking on the bitter at all.

Never apologize for how you feel about this sort of thing. We can all relate.

[Legacy_of_Torment]

Line cutters are some of the worst SC' s any cashier or manager alike will have to deal with. It's also really unpleasant for the (usually) nice customer they have cut in front of, when the line cutter gets all shitty with you for calling them on their rudeness.

The most common line from these types of SC' s I get is "But I just want *insert random item or question here* "

Yeah, we know you "just want." Everybody in line "just wants" too, but do you see them cutting in line? Back of the queue impatient entitlement whingers

[mjr]

I hate when customers think they can just be rude as f@ck and still get their ass kissed!

Unfortunately, most of them think they can, and most of them are right. Too many customers/managers buckle to these people too often.

See my thread about the new retail model I like. If managers and retail workers had a little more leeway to not have to stand there and "take it", I would wager that you would see a drop in that type of behavior. Especially if managers had the ability to ban/permaban people.

[emax4]

What needs to be done is have a zig-zag line form like it is at banks. This way, the next customer gets waited on right away. No guessing as to which line is the fastest.

[mjr]

What needs to be done is have a zig-zag line form like it is at banks. This way, the next customer gets waited on right away. No guessing as to which line is the fastest.

In theory, you're right.

The reality, though, would probably be that someone would walk all the way around the zig-zag line, and straight up to the teller, because they're "too important" or "too busy" to wait in a line, and "this will only take a minute!" and "Do you know who I am?!" and "blarglety blargle blargle eleventy!!!"

[mjr]

I strongly believe that all CEOs and upper management should have to work on the frontlines of their business for one month a year.

I actually saw a recent episode of "Undercover Boss" where the CEO of Johnny Rocket's went undercover.

He actually said that they were going to implement a policy similar to that (albeit for a slightly different reason). All the executives that they hired from then on were going to have to work in the trenches for one week, at the beginning of their tenure.

I like your idea better, but I do think I'd shorten it to one to two weeks.

[XCashier]

What needs to be done is have a zig-zag line form like it is at banks. This way, the next customer gets waited on right away. No guessing as to which line is the fastest.

They have that at the cash registers at my store, and customers always whine about having to "go through a maze!" No matter what we do to control the chaos, we cannot win.