I had a bad day in retail

Post Reply New Topic

Ok so the other day when I was working in retail, I had to fix two pool set boxes that were open and needed to be taped up. I walk through to the service desk with the first box past a white-haired middle aged lady who’s being checked out and her shopping cart is in the way of the counterway. I politely ask her to move it. By the second time I pass through with the second box I realized had I brought both boxes with me to fix while setting up them up for the project I was assigned to work on i wouldnt have made two trips. I asked her to move her cart for me again and she was like “geez” in a kind of way she was giving me attitude. I was like “I just needed to get through.” I thought she was just taking her frustration out on me having a bad hair day that by the time I returned the box I came back and snapped at her, “what’s wrong with you?” while trying to get the lot vest to go get shopping carts. I should’ve had a talk with my boss about it because he pulled me into the office and asked me about the incident to which he responded by that he knows things happen and we all have bad days at work, but I was having a high school flashback of when people (most notably my aide) were being mean to me and that’s what prompted, without telling anyone of how I’ve been feeling, me into escalating the aforementioned incident. But the main point being is whether you have shopping carts blocking the counterway into the customer service desk or not you have to be patient with people who are being checked out there as it applies to all employees.

They have a saying in retail "that the customer is always right". That is not completely true but it is close. Because without customers, there would be no store and without a store there would be not job.

I guess if it was my problem, I would be polite the first time, which is what you did. But the second time I would be doubly polite. I would probably say "I am really, really sorry I have to ask you again but I have to ask you one more time to move your shopping cart and let me get through." Either that or find another way around her.

Right cause then it would make sense to relief some stress. What I don’t understand is why we take things so personally which results in backlash against others and ourselves. You sometimes would have to understand better by asking enough questions to your boss without even feeling emotionally or psychologically hurt.

In customer service work you see both the good side of humanity as well as the bad selfish side. I think it's human nature to remember the bad experiences more than the good ones. I've worked customer service related jobs all my life.

Technology has sadly conditioned people to expect EVERYTHING instantly. Unfortunately all these years and little time off has worn my patience thin. It's harder for me to see the good side of the public/customer.

I feel your challenge working with people!

Sadly yes it seems like online shopping has taken over. And no one shops the old fashioned way anymore. Nowadays customers expect everything out of employees. I had this one lady cashing out near one of the rear registers who I thought was talking bad things about the company and the one thing I shouldn’t have done was try to talk tough to her to see if she was talking about me or something. The sooner I expected a nice reply “no I wasn’t talking about you” she scares me by shouting at the top of her lungs as if she was threatened, “don’t talk to me!” I heard her saying to the cashier who said stay out of her way, “he’s bullying me, he’s harrassing me,” and this was like almost six years ago. Management never talked about this to me in lecture. I was just starting college and didn’t know any better and this world did not welcome me out of high school with open arms. But still it seems to say something like “excuse me mam, but I happened to hear some things that weren’t of good service to you, what can we do for you to make things better?” or something like that. Never hurts to say that instead of picking on people for no reason.

If I am reading your question correctly you are asking why people take things so personally? It is a human trait, both NTs and NDs alike. We tend to read more into a situation than what actually exist. Just look at how many Road Rage incidences occur each year. You honk your horn at someone and they might stop and pull out a gun and shot you. So it is not strictly an Aspie trait. Since Aspies undergo an extreme amount of bullying, they are very sensitive to criticism. We tend to look at it as bullying. But realize there are two types of criticism, destructive criticism and constructive criticism. Whereas destructive criticism is a type of bullying like name calling, constructive criticism is not. Constructive criticism is only trying to make you a better you.

What are ND’s I might ask? Are they neurodiverse?

Five years ago in Lincoln, Nebraska, an emotionally disturbed bus driver punched a black man several times when the guy asked for directions simply too many times and was just trying to know what bus stop to get off at. After that he simply threw him off the bus out onto the street and may have left him for dead or in serious condition. It may have seemed like the bus driver had a tough life but what we don’t understand is if emotionally disturbed is listed under ND. Also how can someone take something so personally if no harm was meant at a first degree constructive criticism level?

By that I mean that did the black guy ask so many times the driver may have taken it wrong as if he was telling him the right way to do his job without explaining it to him? Or was he simply being racist?

You’d have to read the article to know what I’m talking about. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1315895