Our minimum wage to $10 per hour job deals with a ton of cons that we all have to laugh about in the end. You know you're customer service when…
1. You receive no manners
Unfortunately, a simple “thank you” and “please” is too hard for some people. I usually expect no answer or just a subtle grunt. I would say half of customers don’t respond with any mannerisms whatsoever. As customers should respond with respect, customer service associates should be polite as well.
2. Ignorance is your main best friend
The most common symptom is when you ask someone a question and they ignore you. It’s that moment when you stare at your associate, whether you are a bagger or cashier, and chuckle ever so slightly. We are forced to ask these questions for our job and it’s how we get evaluated so please be respectful and we’ll give the reciprocal. If we don’t ask these questions when secretly getting “rated”, we’ll receive points off and possibly not get a pay raise.
3. Rushing is a highlight of your day
Those moments when someone barges in saying “I’m in a rush” are one of the worst. It’s not like you can scan items at a supersonic speed and be done in 10 seconds. For me, by mentioning about being in a hurry, it will get me nervous to work faster and possibly mess up.
4. Customers scan items themselves
This is like a big curse a customer will set upon themselves. If a manager were to see it happening, consequences may occur. Since the system is in our name, we have to be in control of what is being scanned. Suspension may occur if a manager finds out an item wasn’t scanned. So, you just sit there with partial anger submerged in your face and saying “please be patient and I will finish scanning soon”. This isn't a self-checkout line
5. Customers tell us how to do our job like they've worked there longer
A big “no-no” for a customer is when they tell us “can’t you just do… on the register?”. We’re the associate and were taught how to use these machines properly so please be patient and no, we can’t always do “...”.
6. Customers tell us our “sayings” are annoying
As mentioned earlier, our job relies on these sayings when people are polite about what you get paid for, you just want to blow up on them.
7. Customers are on their phone at checkout
Our biggest pet peeve is the phone call. Don't even get me started on earbuds in the ear as the person is cashing out.
8. Customers say service is slow
We can't speed up the process as most of it is dealt by machine.
9. There is blame on the cashiers
Customers mostly blame us for their credit card problems, for incorrect prices , and for correct prices that to them are incorrect even if we don't have control over it. I would love to magically make everyone happy with free items (actually not because I want to keep my job haha) but I can't.
10. Customers get annoyed (we have to change in seconds for your service)
There are always those customers that will get pissed if bagging is not correct or something wasn’t bagged to the specific need of that customer properly.
11. Customers don't understand we are human
The machine malfunctions or wrong prices are always our fault no matter what. Even if it rings up right, it's still wrong smh.
12. Customers go into line when we are closed
People just place their stuff down without looking. I blame the smartphones. *sighs*
13. Customers claim an item is too expensive
Yes, we are the ones that create those prices of course. We work overtime and say “let's make this fruit salad $5 since *competitor name* charges $4 so we make a profit”. My favorite is when a customer names a competitor that has it cheaper and leaves the store to go there.
As a cashier, I'll admit I do have bad days and I understand people have bad days as well. This article has no malice or intention to hurt anyone as it is pure satire. I deal with a hundred or so customers every time I work and don't exactly know what each person is going through. I just don't put anything to heart and for the most part, laugh or vent about it.
