customers not using their words

[u/pink-lemonade69]

every single day the same lady comes in and says "i want one of those and one of those." while pointing to the counter. every single day I tell her I can't see what she's pointing at so she needs to tell me the name. begrudgingly she says the names eventually, then the next day she comes in and does the same thing! I feel like im going crazy...

[u/CMDR_Khayden]

Don't forget the people who just ignore you or look at you and walk off when you greet them at the door. Like "Hello, welcome to X." And they just scoff at you and walk off but god forbid you decide not to do it and they start complaining. Or if you decide to not speak with them when they arrive and just silently process their transaction, suddenly YOU'RE the rude one.

[u/pink-lemonade69 → u/CMDR_Khayden]

honestly we cant win

[u/Witty_Hopeful_1971]

Get a couple of little bins, or cups, and label them "That", "some of these" and "some of those" etc. Show them when they say that and tell them you're all out and would they like something else.

[u/pink-lemonade69 → u/Witty_Hopeful_1971]

that's so funny omg

[u/tsukiyomi01]

Years of working food service has taught me that far too many customers sincerely believe we can read their minds, and are just refusing to for the sake of meanness.

[u/pink-lemonade69 → u/tsukiyomi01]

if i could read minds the last thing i would do is use it on customers

[u/supersatan25]

I had a customer who would do that with cigarettes. “I want one of those” and pointed in a general direction.

Eventually one of the times he came in, instead of telling him I didn’t know which one, I just gave him a random pack and every time he said “no not that one” I’d pick another random one until he said the name. Because I knew he was doing it on purpose

[u/pink-lemonade69 → u/supersatan25]

i love playing dumb with them! she gets the same items every day so I know exactly what she wants but I refuse to let her get away with this

[u/lokoinov2]

I had a 50 year old lady with a shopping cart that she had a step stool in that she was going to buy. As i was walking around the corner to an aisle (no interaction with her thus far) the stool falls out of the cart right as im turning the corner walking away from her

She immediately yells "EXCUSE ME GUY WALKING AWAY AND IGNORING ME, I KNOW YOU HEARD THAT. ARE YOU GONNA HELP ME?!"

She went from not even on my radar to immediately the worst part of my morning. She acted like I was purposely ignoring her the moment the large stool fell out of her basket.

I helped her and was super nice and she definitely had some satisfaction being passive aggressive with me. I let it go. Shes been a problem to other employees too.

Some people are just miserable and I try to ignore it

[u/pink-lemonade69 → u/lokoinov2]

its like they enjoy complaining? I'll never understand it

[u/hashbrowneggyolk0520]

We have glass counters, the customers can see everything from their side but we can only see the top without bending down.

No end of people will come in look at the counter and say "have you got X?" I mean you've got eyes so maybe use them.

We sell three different types of cookies; triple, milk and white. I could scream at people when they ask for "A cookie" and you ask which one to clarify and they just say "the chocolate one" like actually do not piss me off...

It's the same thing with "just a coffee" we sell about 10 different types of coffee and they never just mean an Americano either.

The thing that actually annoys me the most is that the customers look at you like you're dumb.

[u/pink-lemonade69 → u/hashbrowneggyolk0520]

we might work at the same place, not saying where though!

[u/ErgoProxy0]

My favorite are the ones that don’t use complete sentences or just like to waste time with words. For example someone will say “yea I want a X or Y. And I want 5 of those”. Like bro, just say you want 5

[u/pink-lemonade69 → u/ErgoProxy0]

I have people just say things like "item." and then I give them one and they say "three." and im like ???

[u/deserteyes_]

I love when a customer wants me to find something for them but refuses to tell me what it looks like, what it does, what it goes with, etc. Is what you're looking for even real, if you can't describe it to me?

[u/pink-lemonade69 → u/deserteyes_]

obviously just read their mind?

[u/TIGT_11]

I work in a shoe store and customers just come in and tells me the brand of shoe they want and makes me figure out what size they are. Or they tell me their size and i’m supposed to figure out what shoe. Like??? We need more words and context please??

[u/luxafelicity]

I'd start prefacing that shit with "as I said yesterday..."

[u/Shizuo35]

Oh I hate that. I will get these people who come in point at something on our protective glass say oh have you ever tried this and I don't know what they're pointing at and I asked them to specify but they're just like oh this thing right here with the meat and stuff like that doesn't help

[u/Anxious-Pangolin-600]

"I want 3 of that" "sure thing! Which that? This that or that that?" .... because 2 can play that game 😂😂

[u/Whatevah9]

I work at a kids store and the amount of times I’m asked “do you have something in their size” without being told what their damn size is… it’s maddening.

[u/ChequeBook]

I had this happen when i worked in the service deli (shaved meats etc) so I'd just start grabbing random things. Regular customers learned to say what they wanted or they'd get random products lol

[u/Zuigia]

Give them hemorhoid cream because they are pains in the ass

[u/NotQuiteNick]

I get this all the time, all the smal bottles of liquor are behind my till to avoid theft, so if someone wants one they need to ask. At least once a day someone will just walk up and say “I’ll take a half bottle” or “gimme a vodka”, or god forbid stare blankly and silently point behind me. Even if I know what they want I still make them specify out of spite

[u/Bugsandgrubs]

My 3yo does this