h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I worked on the till of a local supermarket for just over a year.

Apart from the RSI in my right arm, the biggest pain was the rude customers. The number who wouldn't even look at you, let alone say "hello" or "thank you" or anything. And then there were tghe onbes who wouldn't lift a finger to pack their groceries. I'd no problem with helping them pack, but when they bought £40 worth of groceries and just stood there.......

It's the simple lack of basic manners that gets me...

Have you read A28596252?

I guess I'm lucky then. Working in a small shop with about 98% customers being regulars means that they're all nice and friendly.

Great entry, broe, and nice blob, too. Incidentally, I made a couple of photos yesterday at work, to offer to go with this entry - only to get home and find it on the FP - with a blob.

Don't get me wrong - a large number of our customers are lovely people that I have come to know and like, and indeed there are a number that I look forward to catching up with. That's one of the reasons I've stuck with this business for most of my working life. There are also those I'll never come to know but who pass through with a polite word or two and maybe a smile, and they leave me happy in my job.

Unfortunately there are a few people who feel that they are above common good manners, and they can wreck your whole mood. The irony is that they are often over 50 and middle class, and they probably go home and write letters to the Daily Mail bemoaning the behaviour of the younger generation...

Great entry. It's so true though. People can be downright rude for no reason!!

During my time in retail I had my share of customers who felt they were too good to be polite to a lowly shop employee. But the bulk of my experience was rewarding, to the point that when I finally left retail I missed it enough to take a part time job at a store when I had the time. It's a shame it doesn't pay well, I could have happily made a career of it if there had been any decent money in it.

I'm afraid my experience has made me an awful customer, though. Because I know what level of customer service a store should be able to provide, I have a very low tolerance now for poor service. On the other hand, I'm much more likely to go out of my way to comment on excellent service to a manager.

I have no patience whatsoever for checkout people who can't count change. Awhile back I went to a drive-through. My total was something like $2.12. I gave the girl $5.25. She took the money, looked puzzled, cocked her head, and after a moment or two turned back to me and said "I'm not very good at this, can you tell me how much I owe you?"

She couldn't figure out the change? Do the tills not calculate that anyway? Ours would here. You just type in how much they give you and it'll tell you what change is owed.

It's true that having worked in a shop you're more aware of it all. The number of staff that don't say hello or whatever is quite surprising. All it takes is a moment.