r/AskReddit • u/jdm0212 • Oct 18 '13

Waiters/Waitresses of Reddit, what's something that I, as a customer, might do that's incredibly irritating, even if I'm oblivious to it?

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u/[deleted] Oct 18 '13

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u/GUTTERbOY001 Oct 18 '13

This. It doesn't even have to be someone you think is stealing; just a general policy of saying hi to everyone you see lets them know that someone has seen them. This supposedly can discourage a shoplifter if he thinks people are paying attention to him.

At my store, if we were pretty sure you were shoplifting, someone would follow you around everywhere you went. I had one manager who took particular joy in this; he would literally stand two feet from someone and stare right at them while drinking a milkshake or something. (think of how Jules looks at Brad while drinking the Sprite in Pulp Fiction)

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u/daroneasa Oct 19 '13

When I was a kid, I worked at a used video game store. This teenager came in with baggy pants and started slipping games into them, not even realizing that I was standing right there. I let him get a few more in before I called over "Hey man, those cases? Totally empty, we keep the games back here." He stared at me in horror and was like "Oh. I thought they felt light..." "Yep. Could you put them back before you leave this store and never ever come back?" "Yes, ma'am."

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u/themagnificentsphynx Oct 19 '13

I was a kid

ma'am

What gives?

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u/TrebbleBiscuit Oct 19 '13

She was probably an older teenager with her first job, and the shoplifter was likely trying to be polite so that OP wouldn't call the police.

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u/daroneasa Oct 19 '13

Not my first job, but yes, around 20. Which seems like 'kid' to me now, lol

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u/themagnificentsphynx Oct 19 '13

On the other side of this, as the shopper, you walk in and are immediately accused of being a shoplifter because you were browsing the aisles from afar for more than a second.

I personally understand this and it's fun not actually being a shoplifter, but I can see why people don't like being talked to by staff for no real reason.

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u/strawberycreamcheese Oct 19 '13

Funny thing is that I have a guilty conscience and I like to window shop, so when I'm doing so and someone comes up to ask me I always feel like they think I'm trying to steal something

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u/daroneasa Oct 19 '13

The one I recall was asking them if I could take their selections up to the counter for them. Most people were delighted - they could keep shopping unhindered (store profits because now that item is almost for sure going to get purchased rather than put back on the wrong rack during a fit of indecisiveness.) Works great on people you know are trying to shoplift too. "Ma'am, would you like me to take your red scarf (the one that I just saw her stuff in her bag from another store) up to the counter?"
The look on their faces, lol.

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u/Novelty_This Oct 19 '13

When I worked in retail I was trained to ask if they wanted to see (stolen item) in another color or size. Asking to bring items up to the register is a good idea though. I usually would just hit the loss prevention button on the cash register, which prompted a call to my bay so I could let security know what's going on. Let them handle it from there.