working title

Customers

Oh boy, customers. Can’t have retail without ‘em, right? But boy would it be easier if we could!

I do my best to keep customers happy, because who likes to be screamed at on a regular basis? Not me, that’s for sure! But they can be so negative and conniving, that it can get difficult. At my 3rd deli job, I sometimes had the task of standing at a table in the front of the store, either handing out samples or selling food that was cooked and prepared, like sandwiches. I had to greet every person who walked by me (only if they made eye contact. I have a difficult time saying hello to someone who isn’t even looking at me. I know it went against the store’s policy of greeting every single customer, but you try saying hi to someone you don’t know who’s not looking at you. I dare you.), but sometimes I got stuck talking to people.

I couldn’t leave my post, so often customers would corner me. Like the religious guy who handed out pamphlets to workers, although he was told several times it was not allowed within our store. What’s even creepier is that I had my hands full when he tried to give me the reading material, so he casually placed it into the front pocket of my apron. I was mortified! I froze until he walked away, then I realized he just copped a feel, so I went to find my manager. By that time, the creepy guy had left the store.

Then I’d get the elderly customers (we had a senior discount day, of course) who liked to tell me all about their lives, which is kind of nice. Heck, I love meeting new people and learning their stories, and I’ve always had a soft spot for older people (I had the best grandparents around), but when an older gentleman starts telling me about his prostate cancer, that’s where I draw the line. Sorry mister, I don’t really want to hear it. But I can’t say that, can I? No, I have to smile and nod and listen with a sympathetic heart, even though I want to stick my fingers in my ears and sing, “La la la la la, I can’t hear youuuuuu.”

We had the regulars who felt like we were best friends because they could read my name on my nametag (Oh, don’t even get me started on nametags), and the regulars who pretended not to know me even though I saw them several times per week. Some regulars would ask the same questions or make the same complaints every single time they came into the store. There were customers who searched for any out of date items so they could get them cheaper, and then there were the shoplifters who would get banned from the store.

I can’t say they were all bad. There were a lot of great ones, too. There were a few customers who told me again and again that they thought I did a great job, and that was really nice, especially since you rarely hear that from supervisors and managers, even when you should. I constantly preach about positive reinforcement, but no one in the customer service industry seems to want to hear that. That’s why when I got promoted to supervisor roles, I always made it a point to tell someone when I thought they were doing a good job. There were even customers who asked for me by name, which was really nice.