Working in customer service you acquire both skills and horror stories. There are things you learn real quick when you work in this field.
1. The customer is not always right.
Customers are just people. Some steal, some lie, some just don't know what they are doing. I have been rudely told that I am wrong and that an item's price rang up wrong. The sign said cantaloupe was $2! No sir, the sign said STRAWBERRIES $2 and strawberries are not cantaloupe. But we're in the business of appeasing people and despite the customer being wrong it is better to just forfeit the money rather than explaining the customer's misunderstanding and human mistake. You see a lot of grown adults throw temper tantrums and get want they want out of it.
2. You start thanking nice people for being nice.
Genuinely nice people become increasingly hard to come by, therefore I am that much more grateful for those who are pleasant to interact with. I have met some incredibly kind people who restore my faith in humanity and I make sure they go acknowledged. I always thank them for their patience and positive attitude. I am always willing to go above and beyond for a customer, wrong or not, as long as they are nice.
3. You become a better customer.
You become over-the-top nice to every employee you interact with in public because you sympathize with their pain. If I have a problem I preface it with "I know it's not you" and I always respond politely to employees asking me how I am and ask them the same. Too often when you ask a customer you either get grunts, vacant stares, or asked whether or not you actually care.
4. You learn to fake laugh.
Too often you find yourself the victim of horribly lame jokes or ones that you just downright don't understand. You become the really good at forcing laughter even though my job description never included any of this.
Old Male Customer: I like your braids. You know what I would've done to you if you were in my school?
Me: What comes out of your mouth will determine if I walk out of this store and never come back to work again.
Customer: I'd have dipped them in ink and written with'em.
Me: ...ha ha...ha. funny.
5. You've brainstormed creative reasons to quit should you ever need them.
-Hijack P.A system and broadcast list of grievances
-Take a vacation and never come back
-Fake own kidnapping and never come back
-Just leaving mid-doing some sort of task
-Something involving confetti
6. People thinking you have more authority than you do.
Some people don't understand that there are things that you simply cannot do for them, not because you don't want to but simply because you don't have the authority to. Believe me, it is much easier to just fix a situation and avoid conflict and conflict is the last thing I want. But people like to kill the messenger and it's usually you. "Well why can't you just fix it?" "Well like I said, I'm not allowed to." And I'm not breaking rules or policies for anyone. As a former bagger I have been asked questions ranging from "why'd you change the price of this?!" and "why did you rearrange the store like this?!" Clearly I, a mere bagger, made such executive decisions on my own.
7. You have a 'customer service' or 'work voice'
It's very similar to a phone voice which we have too. I am a very cheerful person in general but I definitely have a 'work voice.' My voice rises at least two octaves above its normal range when I am dealing with customers. It has become an uncontrollable thing but I pray that if I sound over-cheerful they'll pity me and be nice maybe?
8. Customers infiltrate your actual life.
When you work with the general public so much, you start to confuse who you know. You'll ask yourself if you know someone from "real life" or "work life."You'll see people in stores when you're out with family and friends and you'll question if you know the stranger personally or you know them because you see them all the time at work. When I see 'regulars' I always say hi, ask them how their family is and somehow retain random stories or details they have told me about themselves. I probably couldn't tell you their names though. My personal favorite is when you're off the clock and no longer dressed like an employee and people still approach you with things. I was once on the phone with someone and a customer interrupted me to ask me to show her where things are.
9. You're just trying to survive.
Some people simply forget this is your part-time job and not your whole life. Your world doesn't revolve around this retail or grocery store but some people seem to think it does. They like to nitpick the tiniest things wrong with the store or company as if you have the authority to change it. You don't take the job as personally as they seem to think you do. If you're mean I could care less if you threaten, "I'm shopping somewhere else!" Good. Please take your negative energy away from my anxiety-ridden self.
