Mean People Suck!

I wrote this a few years back when I was working as a Retail Manager but I think we can all learn from it anyday...and we have all certainly experienced this.

Mean People Suck!

People, mean people that is, are everywhere. I suppose I became so much more aware of just how mean people can get by taking a job in retail. Not only in retail but, retail management. I laugh when I hear or see it on a bumper sticker “Mean People Suck“. I have always believed that Mean People Suck, however, working in a retail environment I have come to expect that retail shoppers have to be the suckiest of all of the mean people out there. The goal of an accomplished retail meanie is to get up that day, venture out, degrade and humiliate as many retail associates as they can because…the one who dies with the most notches on their credit cards wins. It’s truly an art form and displays snobbery on levels that most mere mortals cannot achieve. Now don’t get me wrong, there are those customers who go over and beyond courteous and pleasant but, for the most part, I leave the house everyday knowing, no, expecting that before the day is out I will have to take whatever is dished out because…”The customer is always right..(?)”. Who is responsible for that piece of logic?

We are all consumers. I have always been the shy, reluctant, unassuming kind of customer, wanting to go unnoticed in and out of the stores. Dreading that some perky or bored perfect stranger wants me to Have A Nice Day! Well let me tell you…working in retail has certainly changed how I operate in the shopping world. I still don’t particularly care for the whole shopping experience, but I am so much better equipped. I can hold my own in most conversations and can even initiate one or two. Heck I even go to movies and restaurants…by MYSELF…(I know!) and have the nerve to take a table and enjoy the atmosphere. This seems to baffle and annoy all sorts of people that I am actually eating in the restaurant and not taking the food home to hide away where I should be (Wait! That‘s another story for another day).

I have always been under the naïve assumption that if you don’t feel well or “someone has peed in your Cheerios” that you don’t hazard out in public but stay home until you feel better or have a better attitude. Of course I was raised to believe that you always try to put your best foot forward when facing the world. You know like getting out of your house slippers and curlers before stepping outside, putting on clean clothes, combing your hair and putting on your face. Mostly you didn’t air your dirty laundry in front of any and everyone. Can we get a ban on cell phones already?

I know that things have changed, that the world has changed but some things are just so basic. Alright, here’s the lesson part. You should consult your notes from before you started Kindergarten, you know the golden rule where “You do unto others before they do unto….wait I am almost certain that’s not right. “You treat others the way you want to be treated”. That’s it! Right? The old adage that you can attract more flies with honey fits as well. How you approach me or anyone with your attitude will determine how you are received and in return how you are treated. Hold on, is that the golden rule again? Yes, I think it is. Now as a retailer we have a special kind of situation. We have to give service with a smile. Good Customer Service is essential in keeping the store traffic flowing and building that customer base and in keeping our jobs. So when we are bombarded with bad attitude we take it because our jobs, our livelihoods depend on it. So for every insult or rude comment we calmly express how sorry we are that they had that problem in our store and assure that it will never happen again. People, people, people (that’s me shaking my head at you)…how much should a person have to endure. I am a person. I have feelings, I have opinions, When you cut me do I not bleed? Okay that’s going too far but seriously let me share with you a few things.

When your child is home from school sick or you get called to the school because little Johnny or Susie has a 103 degree fever, don’t stop by my store on the way home. I won’t be mad. Don’t complain because Johnny or Susie is crying or vomiting because they SHOULD BE HOME IN BED! Don’t get upset because we are reluctant to wait on you because we have families and whatever your little precious has is probably contagious and we will be missing work or passing this illness around like the plague…common sense folks. What some fail to realize is that our jobs are our livelihoods and sometimes we are single parent families and Mama can’t afford to be sick.

When the cell phone rings in the middle of a conversation…it’s okay to let it ring or here‘s a thought Voice Mail. Don’t get upset when your sales transaction is done incorrectly because your life is so much more important than allowing the simple courtesy of paying attention to the human being in front of you. Or here’s another bit of information…No one cares that you and Billy Bob had a huge fight and what he said and what you said…blah, blah, blah. Don’t be mad when I go on to the next customer because you are Ms Social Butterfly and nothing can stand in the way of you and your loud inappropriate cell phone call. If I could I would put a ban on cell phone use in places where other people are…(okay now I made myself giggle) I am not anti cell phone but they like everything else, they have a time and place.

When you walk into the store and you don’t bother to read the sale sign completely or at all, why am I the stupid heifer?

When I don’t give you a “special” discount because you are so special that your @#*& doesn’t stink. I am not discriminating against you…I just don’t want to lose my job because I failed to follow corporate guidelines. When your check is declined believe me I didn’t plan that….or did I? Hummmmmm…. “Dear Diary, I woke up this morning and decided that today I was going to make Mrs. Smith the object of my attention…I had an agenda and she was the one person I was going to Piss Off today….what a glorious success!” When you write that letter to the corporate office at least spell my name correctly. I am very sensitive about that.

If you don’t have the luxury of time it is in no way my fault. Some examples would be shopping on your lunch break or procrastination. If you get an hour for lunch don’t browse for 56 minutes and expect that you will be able to clear the register, traffic and Murphy’s Law and get back to work in 4 minutes. It ain’t happenin‘! When you knew 3 months ago that the wedding you are preparing for is 3 days away and 7 dresses have to be made including the Brides…it’s not my fault that the fabric that has to be Special Ordered in will take at least a week. There is a saying… I heard from somewhere or someone. I use it as a mantra (silently to myself of course) when I am trying to control my anger at being called a stupid bitch …It goes like this: “Piss poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” Ahhh words to live by! Weddings are supposed to be happy Dammit!!!

I like to call attention to the circle of life…If you don’t frequent the establishments in your community, they don’t thrive. If they don’t thrive you have to cut back on staff. When you cut back on staff customer service is threatened. Customer service is threatened and now you are annoyed because my sales clerk had the audacity to want to have a lunch or dinner break while you were in the store and we are stretched so thin we are having to run around like crazy to make sure everyone can get waited on. I can’t have a person at your beckon call no matter how hard I try or how special you are. However, once the traffic gets to flowing in the store and the business is better, the staff is increased the business thrives and customer service is better and we all can live happily ever after. I guess what I am saying is step outside your bubble for a split second and realize we aren’t ignoring you because that is what we do. Don’t make me put down this Bon-bon and come over there. Oh, and “Have a Nice Day!”