Christmas, Be Gone!

[Retail Associate]

I swear, I have reached the breaking point and cannot take another week of this hell. After 8 Christmas's in retail, this 2006 season is by far the worst I have ever experienced. Either people are getting more obnoxious each year, or I am just at the end of my rope. Maybe it's a little bit of both.

We were short-handed, 3 people to cover mens, shoes, infants, kids, womens, plus sizes & jewelry. One of the 3 didn't get there til 5:00PM so there was only 2 of us for 2 ½ hours. There was wall-to-wall SC's. The place looked like a tornado had gone through when I arrived. I had one cart of returns waiting in the dept and 2 carts-worth at the front end. Plus, the fitting rooms had piles of clothes in them.

I don't think there was one piece of clothing still folded, nor one shirt still on a hanger. There were shoes all over the floor along with their boxes. The paper that's usually crammed into the toes of the shoes was also all over the place. I've never seen it this bad before.

Between dealing with the SC's, one of which wasted a half hour of my time having me call every other store (within the chain) in our area looking for a stupid pair of slippers, answering the damn phones and trying to do returns for the entire dept which kept coming non-stop all night, there was no time to straighten anything. The whole dept looked as bad when I left as it did when I arrived.

What is wrong with people? Why do they feel the need to totally tear a store apart like this? Do your stores look like a bomb went off at the end of the day?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Why yes, yes it does. And that is an everyday occurance.

We don't get a whole lot of straightening done during the day--usually too many other things on our plate to do.

[friendofjimmyk]

Nothing turns me off more than a store that is unkempt. However, I realize that this just comes with the season!

[Reyneth]

I picked up a temporary job at my friend's bookstore straightening stuff and started last night.

I never realized how much of a DISASTER parents would let their kids make of the play area in the children's section - parents are just sitting there with their books/magazines from other parts of the store, and of course they leave them, as kids are pulling new toys off the shelf while they already have one of them in their hands! GAAAAA

And you have to be on your toes to get it semi-cleaned up, as you have to hit those lulls that happen when nobody is there and then scramble to get it decent before the next mob descends.

[Giggle Goose]

Do your stores look like a bomb went off at the end of the day?

Yes, unfortunately, and there have been a few "helpful" individuals who have felt the need to come up to me and state the affirmative. ("Yeah, uh, thanks for sharing...")The same people who MAKE the stores this way are the ones complaining about it. We simply don't have enough people to do all there is to be done, and I know they can see that, they just feel the need to be assholes. It's not like we stand around doing nothing!!!! I've since quit that job, but I did work Black Friday and a bunch of days after that, and I do agree that they get worse every year.

Happy Holidays...

[Food Lady]

Our store is always a mess on Saturdays, but now that Moneymass time is here, it looks like that every day. Luckily, I'm in the cafe this year, not on the salesfloor. The food ladies rarely call in, but cashiers call in all the time and salesfloor has to pick up the slack for them. And I must say that no matter what time of year it is, it seems shoes always looks like a tornado hit it every Saturday. Are people picking up shoes and just randomly throwing them in the air so as to land wherever?

[Demonoid Phenomenon]

Shoe Fly...SHOO

Are people picking up shoes and just randomly throwing them in the air so as to land wherever?

Actually, just the opposite.
At my last job, I witnessed people drop a pair of shoes on the floor, slip them on, slip them off, and then just leave them on the floor once they were done. I guess because it's just SO much trouble to put them back on the shelf. Wouldn't wanna overdo it, now would we?

I used to love those wonderful folks who would walk up to me wearing shit-eating grins after we'd had a particularly busy day and chirp, "Been busy?"
No, you jackass. I made this mess myself just for the practice.

[MadMike]

At my last job, I witnessed people drop a pair of shoes on the floor, slip them on, slip them off, and then just leave them on the floor once they were done. I guess because it's just SO much trouble to put them back on the shelf. Wouldn't wanna overdo it, now would we?

And to think that when I was trying on boots this past weekend, I was actually putting the ones I didn't want back in the boxes when I was done. I can't believe I've been doing it all wrong. I have so much to learn as a customer.

Actually no, it's not me. People just suck.

[Becks]

Do your stores look like a bomb went off at the end of the day?

Every weekend while at Goodwill.

[BusBus]

Actually, just the opposite.
At my last job, I witnessed people drop a pair of shoes on the floor, slip them on, slip them off, and then just leave them on the floor once they were done. I guess because it's just SO much trouble to put them back on the shelf. Wouldn't wanna overdo it, now would we?

I was trying some shoes on in a Walmart months ago, and put the ones that I didn't want back on the shelf. A dishelved salesguy walked by and said, "Thank you" for putting the shoes away. I suppose someone cleaning after themselves is a rare occurrence in that store.

-BB

[Zombi]

I spend an awful lot of time telling my mother off for making a mess in the store. If she decides she doesn't want something, she'll just shove it back anywhere, regardless of where it came from in the first place:
Me: "Mum! Don't just shove that in there!"
Her: "Why? That's why they have people working here, they can put it away!"
Me: "Give it here, and I'll take it back!" *walks away muttering*

[Delacroix]

Dx Sadly, the answer to that question for me is yes.
I actually watch people pick up a game that was in the right spot on the shelf, walk about 3 feet, and then drop it on the floor before they pick up something else.
Does it really kill them to put it back on the shelf?
(We're a VERY small store too, so it's pathetic.)

We always get those people too, who throw fits if we don't have what they want. They then run around the store looking for a substitute, and bring everything and anything that looks slightly similar to the counter, trying to tell us we messed up and it has to be one of these 50 or so games....

[danegrous_21]

someone call the governer and declare a state of emergency. thats how i felt at work. i thought today would be a normal monday(this is my first retail christmas, and how i hate it) at my sports and outdoor store but seeminly people skipped work and bombared our store. i was in charge of our license area( pro sport team wear and colligiate). well being in texas. getting UT clothes is a big deal. so people will pull the shirts off the shelf, unfold, then throw back. i tried fight this war, but it was a losing battle at times, espically when i would fold a shirt then put it back, a person shopping would pick that same up and unfold it. i gave up at times till it calm down. also people believe they can still get the dallas cowboys tony romo jersey, we sold out of those twice.

[Giggle Goose]

also people believe they can still get the dallas cowboys tony romo jersey, we sold out of those twice.

, but I wish I could say the same for Redskins jerseys here in MD. (Just leave me alone and let me cry in my corner )

[Amalthea]

Me: "Mum! Don't just shove that in there!"
Her: "Why? That's why they have people working here, they can put it away!"

This is my biggest problem with customers. They think because a place has workers, that they are there to pick up after them. No! I am paid to help you find stuff, to get items out onto the salesfloor, and to help keep the store looking nice. But I'm NOT paid to clean up after YOU. You look like a perfectly capable, healthy, intelligent human being who can find the garbage can without help and who can remember which table you picked that book off of so you can return it there. Why don't you try it?

And if you are my friend and you leave your drink, popcorn, and napkins on the FLOOR when the movie is over, you aren't my friend anymore...