In this weeks article I wanted to shed some light on how it's not okay to mistreat or disrespect anyone who works in customer service, especially those in retail. I've been working retail for about five years now and I can tell you how ridiculous it is to be treated badly by people that I don't know. I've had customers throw things at me, hit me, complain because I'm doing my job poorly just because their card was declined or because their coupon expired and I can't accept it, or just for misunderstandings on their part. Or better yet: complaints about our store policies when it comes to returns or exchanges! Those are my favorite.
Earlier this week my mom and I went grocery shopping. When it came time to pay she passed her card to the cashier and it came up denied because she went over her limit. This isn't unusual only because the card always took what was left and I always paid the difference. As the cashier politely said why it was declined and how much was on the card, she asked my mom to swipe it again so she can enter the amount that was on the card and then I can proceed to pay the difference. Instantly, my mom was upset because of the situation but she started acting super rude towards the cashier and telling me that the girl doesn't know how to her job.
I immediately defended the cashier because she was doing her job and she had asked nicely and politely to swipe the card again. My mom kept giving me excuses about what she thought the cashier did wrong, but in the end she came up empty. I apologized to the cashier and the people behind us for causing a scene. After that I spent the greater part of the hour lecturing my mom about how she was being exactly the type of customers we hate: those that want to blame an innocent person for a mistake that wasn't made by anyone but a computer.
What's that saying again? "Treat others the way you want to be treated." Why can't this be applied to towards us? Why do we have to be treated like the lowest of the low? How can people think it's okay to insult another person you've never met in your life? Why do people think they're entitled to have anything they want? We need to stop living in a world where people think it's okay to treat others like dirt. Don't tell us that if we don't like the mistreatment we chose the wrong job. Believe it or not the majority of all jobs and careers are customer service related. Also, some don't just choose a job. We look for jobs that meets our schedule and our needs. If I could get paid to stay in bed l would've been applied.
Sometimes I wish there was a way to correct these customers, but doing so can get you fired. If you are those type of customers you are instantly the butt of every joke and the sources of all of our stories. I hope I've left you feeling some type of way after reading this article, because I want you to know there are some people that can't just forget how people treated them at work. Some take it to heart and break down. I have personally witnessed this many times been the victim at others. People in customer service jobs are constantly overwhelmed by our job and the things we have to do; having you add on to what's already going on isn't necessary. So, please be kind even in most irritating moments.
