People can be jerks

[MustangErin]

I am working for a big company that is closing and I just wanted to show what my store has been going through on a regular basis. My friend made this image for me with the pics I took from the weekend. Cleaning up after people is getting pretty mentally draining. I can't wait for it to be over.



http://imgur.com/EvcYzjX (link in case the image doesn't show up.)

[sirwired]

Unreal. And I'm sure if you straightened up those shelves (a Sisyphean task), you'd find all sorts of "hidden" merchandise where people stash desirable items in the hopes of picking them up after the next round of liquidation discounts.

[Slave to the Phone]

Holy cow! And you are so right, People can be jerks. Sadly, too many of them are. The worst part is that you and your co-workers are probably getting yelled at because people can't find anything. Assholes! The yellers, not you and your poor co-workers. Hopes you can find a new job quickly.

[Evannah]

The two images on the right bring back memories of when I was working on the clothing section at Land of Quid. I was a cashier for the most part, but for about six months we had some new cashiers in and no one to man the clothing section, so that became my job. It was HELL. We sold socks, hats, underwear, scarves, that kind of thing, and the whole section just ended up looking like the two images on the right. I even had customers messing it up (not sure if they were doing it deliberately or whether they just didn't care) WHEN I was literally in the middle of tidying it! I was a relief cashier at the time as well, and we had buzzers attached to the tills to signify that another cashier was needed. I didn't like cashiering at Land of Quid because customers were horrible, but I sighed with relief when that buzzer went off so that I could race to the tills and get some respite.

[Lace Neil Singer]

An ex co-worker used to work at Gap before he came to the petrol station (he left last year for pastures new). He always used to hate having to fold the jeans up; some people would rummage right thru the pile to get to the ones on the bottom for some unknown reason, regardless of the fact that the jeans in one pile were all the same size!

Back when I worked at the charity shop, it always used to annoy me when customers messed up the clothing shelves. It would take ages to straighten them out, then another idiot would come and burrow thru the clothes like a dog digging for a bone.

[bainsidhe]

First let me say I'm sorry that your company is closing and you're losing your job.

Second let me say I'm sorry that your company is closing and you're still working there.

I worked at Media Play when they closed their doors. I never realized how vile and filthy customers could be, until I worked during liquidation. I hope you find another job soon and if you do, RUN. Don't stay out of loyalty, or because you like your coworkers. IT ISN'T WORTH IT.

And I'm really really REALLY sorry about what your bathrooms must look like. I never knew there were people who would paint walls with their their own blood and shit, until it was announced our store was closing. No one could keep up with the mess, and employees all went to a shop next door to use the bathroom. It was that bad.

[Seanette]

I work in a thrift store, and I honestly think a pack of wild animals would make less of a mess of the sales floor than the customers do. They'd probably be nicer than a lot of the customers, too.

[MustangErin]

Even the other day a co-worker watched as a customer picked up a dress from the hanging rack, looked at it, the dropped it on the floor. No reason to drop it on the floor, she was just being an ass. My co-worker walked over to her and said "let me pick that up for you". I think she should have told them to pick it up themselves.

There have been some great customers though. Ones that sympathize and can't believe how messy others are. And you know the messy ones have the most tidy houses I bet.

[notalwaysright]

Even the other day a co-worker watched as a customer picked up a dress from the hanging rack, looked at it, the dropped it on the floor. No reason to drop it on the floor, she was just being an ass.

A former co-worker's daughter worked at a discount clothing store... She (my co-worker) watched a woman do this exact thing repeatedly. After a while she confronted the woman about it, saying that it was ruining the clothes, and just not acceptable behavior. Lady didn't apologize, but at least left the area.

I very often am helping someone, and the person picks something up and we debate if it would be okay for their project. If it's not, they might just put it wherever. I mean, they'll just drop it wherever is convenient for them. I will not say anything, but pick it up and put it where it goes. I just don't get it. I didn't act like this, even before I worked retail.

[Evannah]

An ex co-worker used to work at Gap before he came to the petrol station (he left last year for pastures new). He always used to hate having to fold the jeans up; some people would rummage right thru the pile to get to the ones on the bottom for some unknown reason, regardless of the fact that the jeans in one pile were all the same size!

Back when I worked at the charity shop, it always used to annoy me when customers messed up the clothing shelves. It would take ages to straighten them out, then another idiot would come and burrow thru the clothes like a dog digging for a bone.

When I was at the charity shop some woman actually broke a glass vase. The vase in question was on a shelving unit that was in between two rails of clothes. There were hefty gaps between said shelf and rails, but this woman tore through the clothes on the left rail with such force that they all ended up swinging to the right, knocking the vase clean off the shelf. She was all "OMG I'm soooo sorry how did that happen?" and "You can't take me anywhere!" and "I'm always that one customer who ends up breaking everything she touches!" Oh really lady? I wonder why?! She was really embarrassed, but I had little sympathy. She was tearing through that rail of clothes like a bull in a china shop. There was just no need for it.

[ImmBarb]

A few years ago, I was shopping in Macy's, so not a discount store by any means (which doesn't excuse the behavior any way). Two women were tearing up the racks, throwing everything on the floor with the poor sales ladies looking on in horror. But what could they say without getting in trouble? So I tore into them. It felt good. The customers tried to pretend they didn't speak English. Even if they didn't, they certainly knew what I was getting at.

Unfortunately it didn't stop them. But when I got to the register the sales ladies put their heads together and started coming up with all kinds of discounts for me. I wound up paying about half of what I should have. But I felt so bad for them.

[Lace Neil Singer]

When I was at the charity shop some woman actually broke a glass vase. The vase in question was on a shelving unit that was in between two rails of clothes. There were hefty gaps between said shelf and rails, but this woman tore through the clothes on the left rail with such force that they all ended up swinging to the right, knocking the vase clean off the shelf. She was all "OMG I'm soooo sorry how did that happen?" and "You can't take me anywhere!" and "I'm always that one customer who ends up breaking everything she touches!" Oh really lady? I wonder why?! She was really embarrassed, but I had little sympathy. She was tearing through that rail of clothes like a bull in a china shop. There was just no need for it.

Did she have to pay for it? At the charity shop, there was a "you break it, you bought it" policy in full view, and I enforced it to the hilt. Back then, since I was the only person besides the manager working at that shop, I was valuable and he didn't want to lose me, so I could say what I liked to destructive customers. The ones I hated the most were those who'd grab a toy or book off the shelf and give it to their child to gnaw and slobber all over. Those SCs were always shocked and angry when it came to pay and I added the cost of the toy/book their child had ruined to their bill. People think that just cuz it's a charity shop, that they can act like pigs and get away with it.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

A
I very often am helping someone, and the person picks something up and we debate if it would be okay for their project. If it's not, they might just put it wherever. I mean, they'll just drop it wherever is convenient for them. I will not say anything, but pick it up and put it where it goes. I just don't get it. I didn't act like this, even before I worked retail.

As my Grandma would say:

If you pick it up, YOU put it back where YOU found it.

If you don't want it, don't pick the damn thing up!

And she had NO problem w/smacking my hand when I was small . . . none at all. I knew before I started Kindergarden NOT to touch or pick up anything that wasn't mine.

It took me a few years of working in retail to realize why so many people are absolute animals: they weren't raised by my Grandma.

'Cause if they had been, they wouldn't do most of the crap that they do 'cause she'd been right there to give that hand a good smack.

[XCashier]

Cleaning up after people is getting pretty mentally draining. I can't wait for it to be over.

Everyone who works in customer service knows how draining it is to clean up after a mob of slobs. It's absolutely appalling how so many people have no consideration at all.

And she had NO problem w/smacking my hand when I was small . . . none at all. I knew before I started Kindergarden NOT to touch or pick up anything that wasn't mine.

My parents were the same way your Grandma was. Though I resented it at the time (I was a small child, you know how they are!) I learned to keep my hands off of things that weren't mine.

SCs apparently don't learn that lesson, or grow out of the self-centered small child mindset. It's "gimme gimme gimme, don't want that" (throw item on floor) "gimme gimme gimme" (repeat ad nauseum). Too bad we can't smack their grabby hands without losing our jobs or getting arrested. Problem is, if they don't grow out of the self-centered small child mindset by the time they are adults, they never, ever will.

[Dreamstalker]

If you pick it up, YOU put it back where YOU found it.

If you don't want it, don't pick the damn thing up!

I was raised the same way. Yes, I was a little shit at times, but my grandpa said if I wanted to do that I could at least be a decent and respectful little shit

Many times I've wished we could get away with enforcing a rule at the grocery store: if you pick up a perishable item, you must buy it. The only exception is if you really do not have enough money (but if you're smart enough to bitch about prices you're smart enough to know how much you have to spend when you walk in/keep track), but YOU must return it to its place and the cashier (or someone else who is available immediately and knows exactly where everything goes) will ensure that you do so.