Patience is a Virtue

Propriety dictates: When people are talking, you wait until the conversation is over so that you can speak.

Some people don't understand this at all.

The most outstanding example: I was talking to a customer and about some lotion. It a legitimate question and it took some moment to explain. I'm in the middle of my conversation with this customer, there was this object speeding towards me from the corner of my eye. She sticks a product between my face and the other customers face and asks:

"How much does this cost?"

At this point I'm so annoyed, the woman I was talking to is appalled. I, with a little attitude, take the product flip it upside down because the price is at the bottom of the product, without looking at it and say, "10.50".

The woman doesn't say thank you or sorry, and walks away with an "oh".

I say sorry to the woman I was talking to and continue to explain.

We both were thinking the same thing, she could have waited or asked the other employees.

Its seems logical to ask me the price, I was the closest employee by two steps and we put the price in an inconvenient place, at the bottom.

Thing is that this happens a lot. People feel that their time is more important than courtesy and that other people don't have the right to the time. Unfortunately, for them, we all share time.

Fear of Lines

This will be a short post because I just want to highlight a weird phenomenon that is occurring everywhere.

Shoppers don't like lines. I'm not talking about the "Oh man," sigh of just my luck; I'm talking about the anger and non-patience that a two-year-old exhibits when they don't get what they want.

The example: Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the busiest shopping day of the year, the lines are out the door in the whole mall. People shop and after they get out of their world they look up and realize that the line is long. Here comes the tantrum: they walk to the back of the line where an employee is bringing up the rear. The shopper asks how long will the line be. The employees says we are doing the best we can to make sure the line moves quickly and efficiently. The shopper, I have never seen anything like this and the lacking ability to help customers. The shopper drops the bag and walks out.

Really? You shop on the busiest shopping day of the year and you don't expect lines. The best part about all of this is that I've seen people do this when we have ten people in line and there are three registers open, taking less than two minutes with each customer.

The math: wait is five minutes.

Courtesy is a Good Thing

I would say I'm courteous.

"Hi, how are you today? I really like that scarf!"

A smile, a thank you, a polite response is what I expect from people. However, it usually doesn't happen.

People who work in retail have to help you or they are lazy, that's the rule anyway. The thing is that the rule wasn't really set by the companies, but by the consumers; they demanded attention and once they got it they didn't say thank you. It's almost as bad as not tipping your waiter/waitress.

Lets flash back to kindergarten (even earlier, I hope), when we learned how to say "please" and "thank you." Being polite isn't just civil, from the retail workers point of view, its a rare diamond. Usually when I get a polite client, I try to do everything I can so they get deals and get the best products we offer. When people are rude to me after I welcome them, unless they ask for help or I have to check on them, I avoid them. I don't tell them how they can save money and get more products.

Its not that don't want the business. I just want them out as fast as possible. It creates a horrible atmosphere to work in. The harsh atmosphere also affects the clients experience at the store because more than half the people in the store don't want you there. (News spreads fast when meaness is involved).

A smile or a thank you will surffice, that's all I ask. It's just a little bit of hope for humanity.

(Just so you know, most of the time, I don't even like the scarf.)

I didn't make the Rules

Return policies are put in place so that the employees handling the returns can't be blamed for theft or the people returning the products can't be blamed for theft. While doing a return, employees have great access to the register to take out a lot of money or credit themselves with a "bonus." Clients/guests/customers (whichever) also have an opportunity to walk through the store pick up an item then return it. So, the companies designed specific rules and procedures to head off possible incidents of theft.

Of course, no one understands this.

At Bath and Body Works, I can do returns at the register. At Target, I worked at "Guest Services", which handled returns and exchanges and any other possible problem that people couldn't handle. At Bath and Body Works, the return policy isn't crazy, people usually don't get upset enough to yell and scream, maybe just huff and puff through the whole transaction. At Target, I would get yelled and or another form of verbal abuse at least once a shift. (Talk about healthy work environment.)

The Target policy was very strict, if I didn't follow every letter of the policy I could get fired for theft. Guests, that's what they were called at Target, would be appalled if I asked for a receipt. The policy states that there were no returns after 90 days. The top of the receipt said the same thing. Yet, people would be shocked when I told them the news and showed them on the receipt. They would stomp out of the store like a 5 -year -old and vow never to return to the store. I would see them next week. That's just one reoccurring example.

The thing is, in middle of the yelling and anger that they were letting off on me, it never occured to them that I didn't make the rules. What did they think: I was a 16 -year-old teen executive that climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, made up this new policy , then decided to work at a local store just so I can get yelled at. Please, a little bit of thinking would be nice before you start to yell.

I have Hands

I work as a cashier sometimes. I get to do the whole, "did you find everything," "you get a better deal if you do this," "thank you for shopping with us and have a nice day." Its not bad, people usually appreciate it when I help them get a better deal.

However, most of the time the cashier position is the most abusive. I say abusive because that's where I have been yelled at and treated rudely. Oh, just to clarify, its not my managers, they are sweethearts that take over when the going gets to a point where I might commit murder. The abuse comes from the clients/customers/guests, whichever you prefer to call them.

The other day I was cashiering, the whole transaction went off without a hitch, except when it can time to pay. I stuck my hand out because she was paying with cash; however, the client put the money on the counter 2mm away from my hand. She didn't nicely place the money on the counter either, she purposefully placed it on the counter as to say I didn't deserve the money in my hand.

I can understand placing the money on the counter if I'm not paying attention. But when I make eye contact and put my hand out, I do deserve some decency. I don't work in the red light district where money can be thrown at me.

As Stephanie Tanner would say (yes this is a Full House reference) "How Rude!"

This is were it starts

I started this blog for my online journalism class. However, the topic came to me when I was at work and I was treated badly by a customer.

After working in retail for over 5 years, I realized that people don't know how to treat people in retail. I have experienced many things from being yelled to completely being ignored. We might work for a big company that is only after your money, but we as employees should be treated well because we are only trying to help and make sure we don't get in trouble.

From a retailers point of view, all hope is lost for humanity.