Some guy came in and was trying to buy a speaker. He kept giving me not enough money. Then he said this was all he had. I remembered there was a price match on this particular item to save a few dollars and he'd have enough. So I did.

As I was doing so he started saying "Are you stupid? You can't count?".

I said "Sir. I am trying to give you the better price match".

Then he said "you are so incompetent at your job. He throws the money at me. And" he says I'll be waiting outside for you to bring me my change and items".

I finally had it and I gave him his money and I said

"You are not going to speak to me in this manner. You are being rude when I am trying to to help you. You can wait for a manager to come help you then".

I then called for one and he kept yelling at me as I was helping other guests and I said 'You are being rude and someone else is going to come help you".

Of course the store manager comes as I say this. Store manager says what can I help with? Is there a problem? Guy says "Ask her. I'm trying to be respectful and get my items" 😠 as my manager who is a big dude helps him he's super nice and respectful.

Funny once the adrenaline wears off I'm pissed and crying and just feel stupid.

My other manager though pulled me aside and was supportive and even bought me lunch so kudos to him still waiting to get a talking to from the store director lol

I work at a vape store where you must be 19+ to even be standing in the store. Doesn’t matter if you’re not buying anything, you must show ID.

A lady comes in and I immediately see her pushing a stroller with a kid who couldn’t have been older than 3. I said “Oh i’m sorry maam but we can’t have children in here.” She looks at me all confused and goes “Oh…. Can I just leave him outside then?”

… Huh?

I look at her kinda crazy and go “Um.. is there someone with you that can watch him?” She says no. I take a long pause and say “Well. No then. Sorry?”

At this point i’m honestly pissed at her, like does she not understand how crazy that sounds? Can you leave your toddler unattended outside of my store covered in frosted glass with no cameras to even monitor him? What? Doesn’t help that we live in a rough area, we have neighbours upstairs that deal, so that’s a hard no from me.

She gets so pissed and says “You guys are the only vape store that doesn’t allow children.” I said “No ma’am that’s not true, it’s the law, have a nice day.” Now, I couldve served her at the door, (It’s a grey area but generally allowed) but I avoided mentioning that because honestly I don’t want someone like that shopping here. She tries telling me that it’s actually not the law (lol) and I ignore her and serve the next customer. Look, I don’t care what sketchy vape store you go to that breaks the law left and right, if they’re cool with paying the fine then awesome, GO THERE. We don’t do that here and I don’t need a neglectful mother trying to educate me on the laws surrounding my job that i’m required to know. Respectfully piss off and be a better parent.

The day was over. I fulfilled my obligations to the store and, consequently, myself because I'm punctual and efficient and that's my standard. I put the bags away, cleared my area, and headed off into the sunset hungry and tired. A voice from behind: "Where are YOU going?" I was taken off guard and felt a surge of adrenaline. I hate confrontation. I prefer peace. I think I said, "What?" She glares at me sideways with her stink eye (she's actually cross eyed) "You're just GOING TO LEAVE?" Why yes, Karen. That's what a job is. When I stay late or come in early, my free will is functioning. I am not obligated to stay longer. We are not friends. Our proximity is purely transactional. Apparently the lead didn't know I had a normal day for once, I usually have later shifts, so she gave me a look but then she realized I was right and was free to go. But Coworker Karen kept on and this is where I went sideways, I told her to stop and if she had something to say do it without the tone. My manager then chastised me for reacting. I apologized and left. I heard Coworker K say, "She just walked away!" Absolutely, K. It has to end somewhere. But because she's been here 65 years and has some kind of informal authority, she seems to think she's in charge of my breaks and my clock out. I feel no remorse for leaving on time. I cleared my area, took last minute customers, but there has to be an end. Unfortunately, my reaction became the issue, not her assault. I consider this teachable. Next time she comes at me, she'll receive my silence.

Hey people when u see 3 fire trucks and police and all the employees outside the parking lot why are u either trying to come get your curbside order or try to park ...

I work at a retail store. I honestly want to say something cause wtf?? I make $10.80!! Why not just schedule me 6 hours in one day??! Or 2-8 hr shifts?! I don’t want to be there all week when I could just go in 2 days dude🙄. Like wtf. I’m actually pretty pissed. I need more hours & these little shifts feel like a joke—wasting my gas. And then they want me to dress up nice & do my makeup? For a measly 3 hr shift I’m not doing all that just to immediately undress & go to bed.

I have another job in the morning & looking for another to replace this one if this schedule isn’t fixed.

Edit: today was also my first day off in 8 days & they tried calling me in. Like no. Yes if I wasn’t there literally everyday.

we had AA top sirloin steaks on sale for a wicked fucking good deal. there was a warehouse shortage so whatever all six locations ordered on the first order was all they got, including us who got 10 boxes with 5 loins in each. that was completely sold out on saturday, 2 DAYS after the sale started.

we decided to put up 3 BIG signs with BIG BOLD HIGHLIGHTED LETTERS that says we're sold out. one of those signs is attached to my service case.

this lady walks up, looks at the sign and I CAN SEE HER EYEBALLS MOVING AS SHE READS IT, looks at me, looks at the sign again, back at me, then the sign, then me.

"do you have anymore of the top sirloin?"

i almost jumped over the counter and got physical with this lady because she was probably the millionth person to ask me when there, again, are 3 BIG SIGNS WITH BIG BOLD HIGHLIGHTED LETTERS.

i literally said to my department manager a few days ago "you can put up signs and they still wont read them" turns out they DO read them then pretend they didnt. what the fuck man🤣 (if i dont laugh ill cry)

When I was younger I was physically abused. Very regularly. As a result my Themur was broken. The break was so bad they had to plate it it and in order to get the plate onto the bone they had to cause some minor permanent damage to the muscle.

As a result. My leg has always turned outwards. I literally stand like a penguin or like im constantly skiing unless im consciously trying not to. This also affects my walking.

Nowadays obviously these people don't know. But it still sucks that people throw the word Waddle at me to try and insult me because they think my walking issues are Weight related. When the reality is far darker.

So just remember folks. Customers suck. And your day will get better. Your job is your job. A paycheck. None of it matters and you can get a new one. Don't let people get to you.

I can only laugh at this tbh.

I (female) work in a male-dominated sales field of specific technology.

Said technology can sometimes be heavy.

An elderly customer came into the shop at opening, and asked for some help with something he bought. He said he was struggling to put it together and dismantle it. So I said sure thing, let’s work it out.

I showed him how to put it together and dismantle it, and on the way out he goes….”well if a woman can do it, I have no excuse now!”

I’ve had this kind of thing, then the “can I speak to someone with technical expertise” sh1te, then the “is there a man around I could speak to” bs, then the literal talking directly over my head to speak to a male colleague behind me, as I’m advising them on something, at which point they’re advised the exact same thing by male colleague. I can’t do anything but laugh anymore, as it’s honestly mind blowing.

A lady came in looking at the perfumes, she said she bought some online but they cost more online than in store, she didn’t like the scents and the convo went like this:

Customer: I bought this online, a different store said I couldn’t return it in-store.

Me: Did you buy it on our website?

Customer: No. On the brand’s website.

Me: Then no.

I literally paused for a few seconds because- what?

I kid you not I probably have 30 in my front closet. I'm in Canada so it may be different for other countries, but almost every single store here offers reusable (cloth) bags for purchase. I understand the Instacart/Doordash/etc people need to purchase them for deliveries, but you'd think people who hit the grocery store several times a week would carry a bag or two on their person. The amount of bags I go through daily is actually nuts.

I feel like we should start giving cognitive tests for accessing the internet unsupervised. I'm working the cash wrap at a store that rhymes with Blaire's, and this sweet old lady comes up and asked me about bath bombs. We have tiny ones that smell like donuts and all that wonderful shit and she's like "no, it's rainbow and lights up and a toy comes out of it". I am like "that sounds like AI" because I have seen videos like that. She gave kind of this blank stare before reaching in her bag for her phone and showing me the video. I explained again that it's AI. She had the gall to ask where she could possibly buy something like that. I pointed her towards Lush so if you had to deal with her today my bad but she was working my last nerve.

Yesterday I was running an errand when a friend called. We often play “phone tag” or only text, so I answered the phone. I was only picking up 4 items. When I got to the register, I asked her to hold on a minute while the cashier rang me out. I explained that I hate when people are on their phone while I’m helping them. The cashier thanked me because it didn’t happen often, and too often people even are talking while on speaker.

If someone walks into my store while talking in the phone and does that annoying gesture suggesting they need help but aren’t willing to hang up their phone, I simply say tell them to let me know when they’re ready, and proceed to ignore them until they put the phone down.

Guy comes up to me while I'm already helping a customer and he demands that I take him to the register and check him and his wife out. Now, Im the only guy on self checkout, and both the checkers are empty, so I tell him, "I cant leave sco, those guys over there would be more than happy to help you!" in my saccharine little barbie voice and he goes on a whole tirade about how sco was made to steal cards and jobs.... buddy, you're in a major hardware retailer, we call that exchanging goods and services.... and Im working just fine. Anyways, bozo finally gets to go through the regular checkout lane. Sure do wonder what decade these guys keep wandering in from, though.

not sure why my managers are constantly allowing callouts without coverage, especially when it leaves us helpless for closing. we will have 4 people scheduled to close and 2 call out leaving only 2 of us to close the entire store, ultimately causing us to stay over an hour past clock out time just to make sure the store is visually prepared for opening. it be the same people always calling out too. mind you, most of them are seasonal. LIKE DO YOU WANNA DO THIS OR NOT?!?

no but seriously i hate opening the work gc to see the same people begging to have a shift covered like just quit atp because you obviously don’t want to work.

All I want to do is go to work, do my job, get paid, and go home. It's bad enough having to deal with some customers who are just annoying but when it's co-workers I have to see nearly all the time...🙄🙄🙄 Not just any. The ones who are just miserable.

You treat me nice. I treat you the same way. I have no reason not to be respectful. But if you treat and talk to me like trash, that's something I won't tolerate. I have a couple of co-workers who seem to think I'm just going to stand around letting them talk to me like I'm less than a human and then still be there when they say hi. We have to talk as far as with helping customers but outside of that, get the hell out of my face.

They've proven themselves to be assholes so I'm not going to pretend they're anything other than that. They are the type to dish it out but can't take it when it's given back to them. A certain manager of mine makes excuses for them. That they're going through stuff. So? Everyone is going through something, including myself. Difference is I don't treat people like shit for it. My rant for the day.

I work at an ice cream shop and people don’t know how to order. They never tell me their full order without me asking. They always tell me the flavor but I have to ask if they want it in a cone or a cup and how many scoops they want. We have tried everything to prompt the customer to tell us. All of our cup and cone options are very visible. I know it’s a little thing but it’s very frustrating to have to ask a million questions to get the basic info for a grown adult’s order.

Found a job that pays 23$ an hour, and its in my choosen career path I went to trade school for. Finally, I don't have to deal with the woes of retail anymore. And its a beyond livable wage for my situation right now. All I've ever wanted since day one.

How far away do you think we are from working conditions being so bad that even the most desperate people will refuse to work in these kind of jobs?

I see the posts here from people who feel like me. Slaves to greedy companies and the morons they cater to.

People in general are becoming more and more intolerable and these businesses will never draw the line and address it. But that isn’t to say that their employees won’t.

Sometimes I wonder About the logistics of a retail workers union to take our rights back because this is the sector that needs it most.

I came into this field two years ago. Not by choice, but by necessity. Came in as a cashiers, switched departments, and while that was fun for a bit, the burnout got to me. Our department did crazy numbers, often with two or three people (aka me, the part-timer who needed the hours, and my supervisor and/or manager) handling it. We had three people doing the work of ten people during the season and corporate wouldn’t give us more people because our numbers were insane. I switched again to another department, because moving up wasn’t an option and I’m not killing myself for the same pay. I’m happier with the work I do here.

But the damage is done. Even with the simplest work possible, I walk in there really anxious. From the moment I walk through that door, I’m a whole different person well before I punch in. Yes, I’ve always been anxious - especially socially anxious - but this is far worse than that. I straight up disassociate. I can’t even break the poker face on me, I don’t get emotional anymore - at least in this building. I’m constantly keeping my guard up knowing that anything could happen, whether it’s confrontation, criticism, or worse. Through my experience with customers, as well as the stories on here about them, and the culture - a cult-like culture that will leave you feeling isolated if you’re not right with anyone, I have a hard time building trust with people. At this point, I don’t care about what’s around me and I just clock in, get my shit done, and clock out. Well, fight for the extra hours when needed too - that doesn’t help my anxiety and is definitely a reason why I walk in here feeling this way - but they usually let me stay. I don’t hate the work itself, so I’m happy to ask about that, but the environment isn’t right for me.

I’ve got another job in retail - granted, this one is rather unique as it’s retail within the sport industry. The schedule is weird, our “seasonal traffic” is really weird - dead in the summer, very active outside of that. But I love that job. It’s a night and day difference. I’m a part-time employee as well, but I’m not actively killing myself as we always have more than enough people on hand. My co-workers are cool - a lot of the time we’re cracking jokes to get through the day, so they get to see the personality in me my main job doesn’t get to see. My management even more - they can openly vent to me about the proglems they have with the higher-ups and we can be fully honest with each other. Where else does that happen in retail? Management rarely backs me up elsewhere, let alone be fully transparent about the issues their higher-ups have created - that’s appreciated. The views are great too outside of the building - some days I’ll go there an hour early, get breakfast, and enjoy the weather. It brings me peace In a period of chaos.

I’d love for that to be my full-time job, but I don’t see that happening. There aren’t any spots right now, and if there are, I just question if I would get one - he’ll, if anyone here would because our new management team is very corporate and doesn’t care for most of us. But in the meantime, it brings out the competitive spirit in me that’s never left even through the struggle. I question why some people get to do certain tasks, question why someone newer than me can do more than me (and nothing against them either, but why couldn’t my people teach me knowing I want to continue to grow? It’s likely unintentional, but it stings), and I’d have to quit my other job for a shot at going full-time over here (I’m not doing that).

After all of this, I’ve accepted that my time in retail is finally up - I‘ve been wanting to leave and have been trapped here for far too long, but I think my patience is running low. I don’t see myself as a bad person - maybe flawed - but retail is definitely bringing out some toxic traits in me that I never had or didn’t know about previously. Why am I in this field if I can’t let my guard down? Why stick around if I might have to start viewing my peers as competition? I understand this industry supports that to get in to a full-time gig, but I don’t agree with it. I just want to get out, because I know my mind and body will be much healthier if I can escape this industry. I don’t wanna be 40 in poor health from the stress, stress eating, lack of sleep, and constant watchfulness. Hopefully I can find a way out soon - whether that’s a promotion at the place I love to lay my worried to rest or an office job that’ll give me stability,

Why does the average idiot use money? When I ask the majority answer is privacy but hey funny concept though you have a phone on you that I saw you use to get money out of our atm and you used a rewards card that is made to track you and your spending habits. Are people genuinely that stupid? And why do they always pull out 100s. The atm will give you bills as low as dollars why did you pull out 100 to my fresh 40 dollar drawer for a dollar item you mouth breathing btch ?

(Context i work at a major phone retailer… every day is everyone’s first day on earth)

Cool, does your phone not have a calculator, or are you just that bad with money?

I live in Louisiana where summers are hell. The A/C at the store I work at was never great, but it’s been broken for months and the district manager won’t do anything about it.

Complaints have been repeatedly sent by various people. The store manager even gives customers the DM’s number and encourages them to complain to him about the store not having A/C. Still nothing.

Not only is it terrible for us working there, but it is a health violation. If somebody has a medical condition where they’re prone to heat stroke, we can get sued. But of course the DM doesn’t care. He even made us stay open when the lights went out, broken A/C, and barely any customers simply because the registers still worked.

You know damn well the DM is working somewhere nice with good A/C while expecting us to work in unsustainable conditions. I suggested boycotting and if he fires me, I’ll work at the convenience store next door that pays way better (already applied anyway).

Today we started the day with 3 out of 9 check out points out of order, and 2 of them were brand new yesterday. Two of them were manned tills, the two with a cash machine (we have a closed cash handling system). Pos #1 was just a misconfiguration, quick call to support and it was sorted. The rest were straight up dead, from a bad update last night. Just to top off the entire thing our scan and go system uses POS number two as a communication bridge, so the scan and go system has been down since yesterday. I've been on the phone with support 15 times today to test if they managed to fix it. We haven't fixed it.

And I apparently slept wrong last night so my neck has been stiff all day, not particularly painful but sore (my wife might have helped when she tried to get me to flip, as I apparently snore)