Member-only story
Offensive Tidbits to Stop Sharing with Retail Workers
A shortlist of BS remarks customers should keep to themselves
When I graduated from university, I thought I would never work in retail again. Unfortunately, the job I was supposed to start after graduation became complicated, and after a year of waiting, I began searching for a part-time job. I had loan payments to make, and full-time work in the industry I wanted to be in was hard to find. Luckily, I got work with a small business near my hometown and love my new job. The one drawback, after a year of social isolation (because I can’t figure out what else it could be), the things people say are appalling.
I didn’t come into this job with zero customer service experience. Through high school and my first year of university, I stocked shelves at a grocery store and worked as a cashier. Any given day, I’d speak with fifty to a hundred people. Then, I worked at my university’s gym in customer service. I dealt with all sorts of complaints, attitudes, and situations most would find unbelievable (like someone escaping — half-naked and blood-covered — from the psych ward down the street). Still, the day-to-day interactions I have with customers now are worse. I thought privileged students and tenured professors, who’ve never heard the word ‘no,’ would always be the hardest to deal with, but it…
