The Golden Rule is to "treat others as you would want to treated." One thing I notice about The Golden Rule is that there is no exception. It does not define who "others" are and it does not exclude any person from this rule. One group of people this rule certainly does not leave out is retail workers.
If someone you know (or maybe if you have yourself) have worked in retail, you know for a fact that retail workers have the craziest and most interesting stories about the customers you interact with. On BuzzFeed there are countless articles about the crazy things retail workers encounter.
However, I will say, most of the customers at the retail store I work at are polite and understanding, but I did use the word "most" because if I said all of them were polite and patient that would be a lie.
Believe it or not, retail workers are human too. All humans make mistakes. So if a retail worker makes a mistake such as, accidentally grabbing the wrong size shoe or grabbing the wrong pair of jeans that you asked him/her to get while you are trying stuff in the dressing room. Have patience and I am almost positive they feel just as bad (or maybe even worse, I know I do if I make a mistake) as you.
Also, stores have hours. They have opening AND closing times. These exist for a reason. So if you're out shopping and the store you want to go in closes at 7:00 p.m. and it is 7:10 p.m., please do not try to get in their anyway. It is rude and honestly, it's awkward to be in the store when the music is turned off and the only sound you can hear is sweeping the ground. I mean if you have work or an excuse and you still decide to go in, be sure to thank the retail workers for staying and doing beyond what is asked of them.
Also, retail workers are people. They have families, they have friends, some of them are using retail as a second job or they are a college student trying to pay for their education so they do not graduate drowning in student debt. If you are shopping during the summer as a way to relax because you are out of school, the workers in there are not on vacation. They are so busy and making you their priority. So please, respect them for that. I know I tried to even before I started working in retail.
I mean honestly, when a retail worker faces a rude customer they tell that story to their families at dinner that night, to their friends when they get coffee and to even strangers. Do you really want your rudeness to spread around like wildfire? What if your boss somehow found out you yelled at a retail worker for the way she handed you her money back or that you made a cashier cry because you were yelling at her to slide all seven of your maxed out credit cards faster (this happened to a friend of mine)? That would not be good.
So please, treat retail workers the way you would want to be treated because I guarantee most retail workers and any good retail worker is putting your needs before their needs and is making you their priority.
And if you are being nice to retail workers, thank you and keep it up! You are a blessing to this world. I had a girl fold all of the clothes she was buying because she said she felt bad for how busy I was working the register (I still talk about how kind she was to me to this day). Take a small step of kindness for man because this will lead into bigger steps of kindness for mankind.
