Customers!!!!!

I work in food retail (a supermarket) and you'd be surprised how some customers expect us to be the oracle on everything! Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with customers asking me questions, and I'll always answer them politely and to the best of my ability eg, I want to make a cake which flour should I buy etc - Though I'm never ceased to be amazed by those who are apparently my age (50) and older who have absolutely no clue as to how to cook or prepare the simplest of things! That's not my issue - it's those who expect you to know and then get most indignant and rude if you can't help them!

Yesterday, a woman approached me clutching a packet of ready prepared puff pastry and said " Is this what I need to make cinnamon sticks?" "I'm sorry but what exactly are cinnamon sticks" - You know, she said cinnamon sticks! I led her over to the fixture from where she took the pastry and said, are they like cinnamon buns? I don't know she said. I spotted a pack of ready rolled dough with pictures showing various sweet treats like chelsea buns, croissants etc, and said " is this the sort of thing you mean?" Well yes, she said, but I want to make them into sticks..I replied that she could easily make stick shaped pastries using this, to which she glared at me and said rather angrily " I said I want to make them myself" (thinking to myself, well is ready rolled pastry really "making them yourself"?) She shoved the pack of puff pastry under my nose again and said "Is this the right pastry?" I'm sorry but I don't know, have you tried looking it up online?
"Yes, she replied but I couldn't find an answer!" I'm so sorry I apologised but I don't think I can help you, and before I had the chance to try and offer any further help she snapped " Then can you kindly find someone who can?!" Yeah right, i'll put a tannoy out for the pastry expert shall I! I called across to my colleague, who had a similar experience, but realised early that she was getting nowhere, and said "yes, use the puff pastry!". The woman turned to me and gave me this snotty humph and looked at me as though she wanted me to die! At that point I truly wanted to grab her by her neck and slam her head into the pastry fixture - I didn't by the way lol!

Years ago I used to work in a supermarket dealing with relatively awkward people at times. I'm sure its where I developed my passive aggressive streak ;-)

I cannot work with the general public though I like helping people. I feel sorry for doctors where they tell people what they should do and so many people seem unable to flow simple instructions. My saying is that you can take a horse to water but cannot force it to drink.
Just spent a few days with a californian who said that here we do a lot more for ourselves in cafes and restaurants.

Cinnamon sticks are actually spice of cinnamon, and it comes in sticks!

I don't mind the GP most of the time. I used to work on the complaints desk and that was a sheer nightmare, and you would not believe some of the trivial things people got their knickers in a twist about, it was enough to drive you loopy loo!

Most of the customers I serve are great, though there are some we actually take in turns to serve 'cause they're so annoying. There's a certain contingent who will come and ask you some totally random question, to which one would seriously wonder why they need to know this - and they always seem to pick the most inappropriate times to do this, like when you're really busy, or really behind, or just trying to get other things done.

Someone might bring a box of eggs up to our counter and say "excuse me, but why are 2 of these eggs smaller than the others?" ...."Have you picked up a box with assorted sizes, as we do sometimes sell those?"..."I don't think so, it says large on the box" - "Well perhaps they still measured up as large" - "No, they can't have done, they're quite a bit smaller" Then quite possibly a customer has switched a couple round, as this has been known to happen when we're limited in stock and some of the boxes have contained broken ones" - "mmmm, I suppose so, but could you find out for me, I find this quite interesting". "I'm very sorry, but I don't really think there's anyone who'll be able to give you a definitive answer". Customer opens box again and says...."They're quite a bit smaller aren't they, someone will be getting a rough deal won't they?" "I guess you could always choose a box with all the same size eggs in it sir", "Yes, but someone along the line's going to be disappointed aren't they?" Look give them to me, I'll take them off sale"...I think there's probably a few more boxes like that, do you want me to bring them over? ....er no thanks!

You couldn't even make half of this stuff up!

LOL I can see I would struggle.

This is an interesting one, as I'm sure many of us have been on the other side of this kind of transaction :mysmilie_50:

I know I've been to a supermarket's self-serve a meat counter where packs of pork were labelled as lamb, and I pointed it out... if it had just been one, I would have handed it over, but there was a considerable amount... and the customer base includes people who don't eat pork for religious reasons who would be horrified... I thought that was worth sticking my oar in for and getting a member of staff to look into it.

I've been into a pharmacy chain and looking for a hair mousse that didn't leave me with dry, strawlike hair... and got helped by a lovely assistant who clearly enjoys interacting with customers (they don't all feel that way) leading to a successful purchase (one of the VO5 mousses, by the way).

Good staff who enjoy dealing with customers boost sales. They can be trained. Unfortunately there is no training for customers to behave in a civilsed manner.

My own experience on the other side of the counter was more remarkable for being asked to giftwrap everything a customer had bought (often very large items, or large quantities of items) on a counter the size of a postage stamp... that was a regular request as we sold children's toys and games. Mostly the customers were pleasant, but you always get the ones who treat you like something nasty they stepped in on the pavement. The worst was working for a courier company booking parcel collections and deliveries... we'd be the end of the chain, and dealing with some people who had clearly had a vile day and took it out on us... being asked to spell a name is not our way of asking to be yelled at at top volume, or being called stupid *******s.

maymorganlondon said:

This is an interesting one, as I'm sure many of us have been on the other side of this kind of transaction :mysmilie_50:

I know I've been to a supermarket's self-serve a meat counter where packs of pork were labelled as lamb, and I pointed it out... if it had just been one, I would have handed it over, but there was a considerable amount... and the customer base includes people who don't eat pork for religious reasons who would be horrified... I thought that was worth sticking my oar in for and getting a member of staff to look into it.

I've been into a pharmacy chain and looking for a hair mousse that didn't leave me with dry, strawlike hair... and got helped by a lovely assistant who clearly enjoys interacting with customers (they don't all feel that way) leading to a successful purchase (one of the VO5 mousses, by the way).

Good staff who enjoy dealing with customers boost sales. They can be trained. Unfortunately there is no training for customers to behave in a civilsed manner.

My own experience on the other side of the counter was more remarkable for being asked to giftwrap everything a customer had bought (often very large items, or large quantities of items) on a counter the size of a postage stamp... that was a regular request as we sold children's toys and games. Mostly the customers were pleasant, but you always get the ones who treat you like something nasty they stepped in on the pavement. The worst was working for a courier company booking parcel collections and deliveries... we'd be the end of the chain, and dealing with some people who had clearly had a vile day and took it out on us... being asked to spell a name is not our way of asking to be yelled at at top volume, or being called stupid *******s.

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Hey, I have no issue whatsoever with customers actually being helpful, and I would always give genuine thanks, however, in my experience a lot of the questions I'm asked on a daily basis, are just ridiculous, and whilst I always strive to help where ever possible, there are times when an answer cannot be found unless it is googled. There is internet access in the store which is available on customer's own mobile phones/tablets, also our customer service desk has internet access. I have pointed many a customer that way, but most of them have said...oh I can't be bothered and have walked off in a huff!

Why do the multipacks of Mars bars have smaller bars in them than the ones sold loose?...was a question I was asked, I said I thought it was because they're sold cheaper, but said sympathetically but it does seem a bit daft and a bit mean doesn't it? Yes it does, and I want to know why! Well perhaps you could email them, there's a web address on the packet...Well can you do it for me, I can't be bothered/don't see why I should/it's not my job it's yours...I'll leave you my mobile number and you can call me when you've got the answer! And don't even try explaining how the pricing, pack sizing and packaging of branded goods is beyond our control - We sell it, so we should know!

As a customer I always try to be pleasant and helpful but it really bugs me when I am the only person waiting to be served at the deli counter and the counter assistant just ignores me and continues doing something really important like stacking lids for plastic boxes grr.

Wow, this thread's certainly an eye opener. Sounds like some of your customers have got far too much time on their hands, merryone!

I'm generally quite a calm person, but few things anger me more than rudeness (even if I'm too polite to show it, lol!) My sister works in an optician's, and she and her colleagues are regularly subjected to customers shouting at them. I have never been rude to a sales assistant in my life, least of all when they are clearly doing their best to help me. I've often thought I'd like to work in certain areas of retail, as I'd have so much passion for the products to share with the customers and love chatting to people, but my hedonistic 18yr old self thought the same thing about working in a pub, and it proved an altogether less enjoyable prospect being the other side of the bar!

loveallthingsitalian said:

As a customer I always try to be pleasant and helpful but it really bugs me when I am the only person waiting to be served at the deli counter and the counter assistant just ignores me and continues doing something really important like stacking lids for plastic boxes grr.

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In that instance, though, I would argue that the sales assistant is being rude to you. It is not unreasonable to expect him / her to prioritise serving customers waiting at the counter over stacking lids. Merryone's customers expecting him / her to know why all the goods in the shop are manufactured a certain way, or what ingredients are required for a certain recipe, most definitely is!

Minx In Space said:

Wow, this thread's certainly an eye opener. Sounds like some of your customers have got far too much time on their hands, merryone!

I'm generally quite a calm person, but few things anger me more than rudeness (even if I'm too polite to show it, lol!) My sister works in an optician's, and she and her colleagues are regularly subjected to customers shouting at them. I have never been rude to a sales assistant in my life, least of all when they are clearly doing their best to help me. I've often thought I'd like to work in certain areas of retail, as I'd have so much passion for the products to share with the customers and love chatting to people, but my hedonistic 18yr old self thought the same thing about working in a pub, and it proved an altogether less enjoyable prospect being the other side of the bar!



In that instance, though, I would argue that the sales assistant is being rude to you. It is not unreasonable to expect him / her to prioritise serving customers waiting at the counter over stacking lids. Merryone's customers expecting him / her to know why all the goods in the shop are manufactured a certain way, or what ingredients are required for a certain recipe, most definitely is!

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Totally agree - lids don't pay your salary. Customers do.

Why anyone with any commonsense would expect someone working in a shop to know the whys and wherefores of different size products in multi-packs, I don't know. That's all been discussed and decided far earlier in the distribution process than the retailer. Who knows, these may be the same idiots who ring 999 for totally trivial things.

While a "the customer is always right" attitude is admirable with reasonable requests and enquiries... I think some people take it too far into unreasonable and illogical territory... but when you work in a shop, unfortunately you can't say that to the customer... no sooner have you said it than it's all over twitter/facebook and then the media seize on it (social media has made it so much easier for journalists to pad out their "news" with some ridiculous "shock horror" stories)... and everyone is so quick to take offence or interpret everything as being offensive to someone.

A couple of funny stories though, one from today and one from yesterday. A lady came over to the counter to say she'd come to collect something that had been put aside for her. I asked her what it was, she told me what it was, and I immediately knew that we didn't have this in stock. I apologised and said that we were expecting it on the delivery but unfortunately didn't come in. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE F'ING KIDDING ME, I PHONED UP LAST NIGHT AND WAS TOLD THE ITEM WAS IN STOCK, THEY TOOK MY NAME AND SAID THEY'D PUT IT BY FOR ME TO COLLECT" That's strange, I was here last night and nobody phoned..ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR?...Er no, but are you sure you rang this branch....YES I rung HOVE, yes HOVE....um this is the Brighton branch madam...ooops sorry my love...she gave me a hug bless her!

Today's gem...I've got a voucher allowing me £2 of any item of meat, can I use it for veal? Of course you can madam..."Oh that's great - it's a tricky one that isn't it? Veal, well is it classed as meat or isn't it? I didn't know quite what to say! Wanted to say no it's fish, no sorry I think it comes under biscuits!!!

merryone said:

A couple of funny stories though, one from today and one from yesterday. A lady came over to the counter to say she'd come to collect something that had been put aside for her. I asked her what it was, she told me what it was, and I immediately knew that we didn't have this in stock. I apologised and said that we were expecting it on the delivery but unfortunately didn't come in. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE F'ING KIDDING ME, I PHONED UP LAST NIGHT AND WAS TOLD THE ITEM WAS IN STOCK, THEY TOOK MY NAME AND SAID THEY'D PUT IT BY FOR ME TO COLLECT" That's strange, I was here last night and nobody phoned..ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR?...Er no, but are you sure you rang this branch....YES I rung HOVE, yes HOVE....um this is the Brighton branch madam...ooops sorry my love...she gave me a hug bless her!

Today's gem...I've got a voucher allowing me £2 of any item of meat, can I use it for veal? Of course you can madam..."Oh that's great - it's a tricky one that isn't it? Veal, well is it classed as meat or isn't it? I didn't know quite what to say! Wanted to say no it's fish, no sorry I think it comes under biscuits!!!

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Don't get customers getting sweary - you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

On the veal thing... I think if I had a voucher for money off meat, I would check if it included poultry, but I'm as staggered as you at the question about veal.