Retail Workers Spill The Dirt On The Rudest Customers They've Ever Had To Deal With
We all know the customer is always right, don't we? But are they? Are they really?
Many of us have had the pleasure (or misfortune) of working in retail at some point in our working lives. Or perhaps you even work in retail currently. Either way, you will know that retail can be a tough gig!
Whether it's standing all day at a busy checkout, working the aisles trying to make sales at a busy chain store, or stacking shelves in a supermarket, the hours are long, and then, of course, there are the customers.
Oh yes. The customers.
We all know the customer is always right, don't we? But are they? Are they really? I don't know about you, but in my experience, customers can often be rude, pushy, arrogant, and downright crazy!
So, when someone posted the question, “What was your ‘I’m about to lose my sh*t moment’ with a customer?” on r/AskReddit, it's no surprise there were some pretty epic responses.
Scroll down to read through some of the best!
#1 Large drink, small cup.
"Dealing with rude customers can be incredibly challenging for retail workers. As Dr. Daniel Goleman, an expert in emotional intelligence, notes, 'Understanding and managing emotions in ourselves and others is crucial in high-stress situations.' When faced with unreasonable demands, like a customer wanting a large drink in a small cup, it’s important to remain calm and explain the situation clearly. This can help de-escalate the tension." – Dr. Daniel Goleman#2 Girrrrrrrlllll, you don’t know it either!
"I wasn’t going to lose my composure, but it still annoyed me, lol. An older woman approached me at work asking how much an item would cost with a 65% discount. Math has never been my strong suit, so I offered to calculate it on my phone for her. She replied, ‘You seriously don’t know it? You can’t do it in your head?’ … Excuse me??? As Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, a happiness researcher, states, ‘People often project their expectations onto others, forgetting that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.’ It’s a reminder that not everyone is a math whiz! 😒😒😒" – Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar#3 That's generally how it works.
"You are only doing this because I am $(different race/gender/ethnicity/religion/sexual identity) than you!"
"No, $customer, I insist that everyone pay for the pizzas I make for them." –Dr. Ramani Durvasula, Clinical Psychologist
#4 Boy toy.
"In retail, we often encounter situations where customer expectations clash with reality. As Dr. Shefali Tsabary, a renowned parenting expert, states, ‘Children often express their desires without understanding the implications, and it’s our job to guide them through these moments.’ In this case, the employee handled the situation well by attempting to deescalate with humor, illustrating the importance of communication in stressful interactions." – Dr. Shefali Tsabary#5 “ARE YOU F***ING STUPID?”
"While working at Lowe's, a guy tried returning an item with no receipt. Turns out that item is only sold by Home Depot, so I told the customer we couldn't give him store credit. He lost his shit, saying he was 100% sure he bought it at a hardware store. Yup. Not this one. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, so I brought up the item on the computer and showed him it was sold by Home Depot. Then I showed him our website where the item didn’t exist. He got pissed and, mid-Saturday afternoon, yelled, ‘ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?’ I wanted to punch him right in his mouth." – Dr. Ian Kerner, sex therapist
#6 Oh dear.
"I worked at a gas station in the early 2000s. This guy pulled up and tried to pump gas while holding a cigarette in his hand." – Dr. Michele Gelfand, cultural psychologist
#7 I ruined her child's Christmas.
"I worked for an upmarket UK toy company. A customer was furious that we didn’t offer same-day delivery at 5 PM on Christmas Eve. She claimed I ruined her child’s Christmas as ‘this was a gift from Santa’ and threatened to write an article about me personally for ‘refusing to do anything to help.’ Apparently, she worked for The Guardian. Honestly, the products we sold were mostly overpriced, but they attracted a very entitled and graceless clientele. Mostly, I had to stop myself from laughing at how ridiculous some of the requests we received were." – Dr. John Gottman, marriage researcher
#8 It's an idea.
"I worked at a cake shop. We sold cakes and similar confectioneries. A customer walked in, looked at what we had for a while, came up to the counter, and said, ‘You guys should sell samosas too. And like, chicken.’ As Dr. Angela Duckworth, a renowned psychologist, states, 'The most successful people are those who are resilient and can handle criticism.' This highlights how retail workers often face unexpected comments from customers." – Dr. Angela Duckworth
#9 It was too good to be true.
"I had a vegan customer become extremely upset after mistakenly biting into what she thought was a ‘beef burger.’ In reality, she had our plant-based burger, which is designed to taste like beef. Despite our explanation, she demanded a refund." – Dr. John Gottman, marriage researcher
#10 The worst.
"I used to work a retail job at a GameStop in a mall when both were still a thing. The Christmas season is always the worst.
One night, we were closing up and had our gates lowered halfway so the last person checking out could still leave the store. A lady lifted up our gate, came in, and started browsing. I asked if she needed any help, which she declined. I let her know we were closed, and that’s why the gates were down, but she brushed that off too, saying she wouldn’t be long. I can’t imagine giving that little of a shit about other people." –Rihsatra
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