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Most of my sucky customer stories come from a handful of years ago, when I was still a retail slave. I started out my very first real job (since babysitting doesn't quite count in my book) working the salesfloor/registers at Wal-Mart for three consecutive summers during college. Oh, the SCs I've encountered there.
One thing I never understood is why customers feel the need to play hide-n-seek with the merchandise they no longer want. It was bad enough when I became a cashier and I'd find all these items in the checkout line that didn't belong there, like underwear among the magazines, cheese with the bubblegum, and a pillow stuffed in with the travel tissues. Once or twice I'd catch customers in my line going to put their unwanted merchandise amongst the checkout lane, and I'd ask them to just hand it to me. They usually complied without complaint, once I explained that cashiers preferred it that way. I'd usually grab a CSM to take care of any perishables I found.
It was more fun working the salesfloor (Toy department, specifically), where I'd find all sorts of random merchandise tucked in amongst displays where they didn't belong. I couldn't stop this habit of our customers', since I never caught any of them hiding their unwanted stuff on our shelves. I usually tossed it into a cart I kept with me for picking up misplaced or damaged merchandise, and would take it to Customer Service later for sorting.
The kicker, though, was soon after I was first hired by the store. I was sorting the seasonal section (which, in June, was still pool supplies and beach towels). I was in the process of picking up and hanging up beach towels that people had tossed all over the floor, when I found a jug of milk tucked all the way in the back, behind several layers of towels. The grocery department is all the way across the store. Luckily, it still felt cold, and I ran it up to Customer Service right quick for them to take care of (page the grocery department and all that). On other occasions, I've found containers of sour cream, cottage cheese, and other refridgerated items just sitting out on the wrong side of the store, for who knows how long.
What possesses someone to leave perishables in a non-refridgerated location? I can understand if you don't want to buy it anymore, but is it really that difficult to walk back to the grocery department and put it away? Send one of your noisy kids to do it! Or at least snag an associate and explain the situation. They might give you a long-suffering look, but at least the food won't go bad sitting on the shelves.
One thing I never understood is why customers feel the need to play hide-n-seek with the merchandise they no longer want. It was bad enough when I became a cashier and I'd find all these items in the checkout line that didn't belong there, like underwear among the magazines, cheese with the bubblegum, and a pillow stuffed in with the travel tissues. Once or twice I'd catch customers in my line going to put their unwanted merchandise amongst the checkout lane, and I'd ask them to just hand it to me. They usually complied without complaint, once I explained that cashiers preferred it that way. I'd usually grab a CSM to take care of any perishables I found.
It was more fun working the salesfloor (Toy department, specifically), where I'd find all sorts of random merchandise tucked in amongst displays where they didn't belong. I couldn't stop this habit of our customers', since I never caught any of them hiding their unwanted stuff on our shelves. I usually tossed it into a cart I kept with me for picking up misplaced or damaged merchandise, and would take it to Customer Service later for sorting.
The kicker, though, was soon after I was first hired by the store. I was sorting the seasonal section (which, in June, was still pool supplies and beach towels). I was in the process of picking up and hanging up beach towels that people had tossed all over the floor, when I found a jug of milk tucked all the way in the back, behind several layers of towels. The grocery department is all the way across the store. Luckily, it still felt cold, and I ran it up to Customer Service right quick for them to take care of (page the grocery department and all that). On other occasions, I've found containers of sour cream, cottage cheese, and other refridgerated items just sitting out on the wrong side of the store, for who knows how long.
What possesses someone to leave perishables in a non-refridgerated location? I can understand if you don't want to buy it anymore, but is it really that difficult to walk back to the grocery department and put it away? Send one of your noisy kids to do it! Or at least snag an associate and explain the situation. They might give you a long-suffering look, but at least the food won't go bad sitting on the shelves.
Even before I got into Retail. Obviously, perishables are the worst. If the store discards it, as they should, it drives everybody's costs up. If it's put back, and another customer buys it, and it's contaminated from sitting out too long, they have a risk of severe illness or worse. 
)by having a hidden smell come from the back after a few weeks. Or a no-life who wanted to buy it the next week and subsequently sue the store for selling him sour milk.
I originally mentioned this a few boards ago...
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