Retail, my bitter end.

Alright, so without giving you too much detail into what I do, i'll leave it at retail.

Now, Retail is an alright job, helps that i'm pretty decent at it. What doesn't help? The cooky customers.

My least favorite type of customer is the Flea Market shoppers. These aren't people who look for Flea market discounts, but actually are in the business of flea markets. They come in, buy everything on sale, fight you on the prices, ask for a discount, and ask to keep the hangers. I'm not all Ra-ra about the company I work for, but having our stuff bought then resold seems like a dumb way to rip people off for these flea market employees benefit. They always ask the same 3 questions:

1) "What kind of a discount can you give me?" This is a little strange. My store is a huge name retail store, the employees can't simply discount things when they feel like it. No matter who they talk to, no matter the fight they put up, we.can't.do.anything. Most of the time they won't even listen, You'll explain the concept, and They'll rally with "Ok, ok. $14. Now, thats a steal." Reminder: Theyre buying OUR stuff.

2)"You can just leave the hangers on". Well, no, I can't. We can't let anyone leave the store with hangers, it looks like shoplifting. We have thousands in the back room, but we still can't let them leave with them. I've explained this to one couple personally about 6 times, and every single time they just smile and tell me I can leave the hangers on.

3)"This is $10." This isn't so much a question as a demand. They tell you every single price on everything in front of them, not realising that the price comes up on the computer when its scanned. When I correct them, they start yelling that i'm wrong and then switch to "So what can you give me this for?"

Flea market employees are the most frustrating but equally the most fun to entertain yourself. By the end you want to kill them and their insessent questions, but seeing them get mad is the ultimate satisfaction. Telling them no, they can't keep the hangers, telling them the prices their fighting are wrong etc etc. Great fun.

Besides flea market employees, random customers are frustrating too. Unlike regular customers, they think that what they say goes. My least favorite are the customers that repeat the prices back to me. They ask, "This is $10? and this is $15? and this is $35? and this is..." I fully understand if you need one thing price checked, maybe it was on the wrong rack. BUT, when you ask every single price, even though you know perfectly well the price displayed is what it is, and you are only asking for the off chance that something is on sale? Sales associates get less likely to want to help you, very quickly. WE HAVE to tell you if something is on sale, or is buy one get one free, or anything. We get in trouble if we don't.

I dislike whiny teenagers. I dislike people who call me an ignorant white girl. I dislike anyone who doesn't wear deoderant or brush their teeth and feels they must lean in to talk to me. I dislike people who bring small children into the store and yell at them or drag them around while they look for 'those fabulous jeans." I very much dislike people who won't control their children who run into things and into my employees. I don't have any stories about those, they just bug me.

YES i'm done venting. Understand that for the most part, I love helpign people. It makes me feel very accomplished. But next time any of you feel the need to be rude to a sales associate, just think what you would do in that situation, and if that doesn't make you realise what your doing, think about they day they've probly had. Some behavious is inexcussible, yes, but most fo the time if someone is rude to you they don't mean to be.

Just as a side note, especially for all you women out their? Don't ever ask someone when their due, or how long they've been pregnant. Unless they innitiate the conversation i.e. 'well, i'll have to do it after the baby is born *pat stomach*' DO. NOT. ASK. It is not only rude, but if your wrong? It is very hurtful to think you look pregnant. My 20 yr old employee got asked when her baby was due today, and was reduced to tears in the backroom. Some people are fat/chubby/not as perfect as you, so please don't draw attention to it please?