Is it normal to be annoyed by customers as a cashier?

85% Normal
12 Comments

I'm an 18 year old girl who's a cashier at a clothing/accessories/home store. My dislike for customers could probably be attributed to my age. Even so, please hear me out about my grievances.

More than anything I am sick and tired of receiving the question "Are you open?" The meaning is clear to me but it's endlessly annoying to hear that, as it makes me picture myself on a operating table with my chest cavity - open. Rather than the register being open for transactions. This normally isn't too horrible, but it angers me when I am standing at the register, doing absolutely nothing, not occupied, and someone asks "Are you open?" No, 50-year old rich Jersey soccer mom, I'm just hanging out here. I'm paid to stand here at this register and not make any transactions, actually.

Another thing that's annoying is when a customer says "I found it on the clearance rack" after we both discover that the item has no price tag on it. I don't see what they expect me to do - say "oh okay! Must mean it's 1 lousy dollar. Actually I'll give it to you for free, since you said that." No matter where it was I'm going to need another associate to go and find the price of the item for me.

Yet another annoyance - when people say "Make sure you take all those plastic tags off!" (referring to the EAS tags that prevent theft.) Oh no, soccer mom, I wasn't planning to take them off. I was gonna leave them on so that you could make the alarm go off as you leave, or so that you would have to pry them off by yourself when you got home. I clearly wasn't instructed to take the EAS tags off of items as part of my training.

Last and most certainly least, is when I offer my usual friendly "Hi, how are you?" and receive a grunt in response. This happens so often. And the same person will also commonly give me a grunt when I say "Thanks, have a good night!"

I know everyone is going to say "get a different job!" No, my job is just fine. The pay is good and it's a comfortable job. It just so happens that these things annoy me greatly.

Can anyone relate?

Voting Results
85% Normal
Based on 73 votes (62 yes)
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Comments ( 12 )
  • la_uva_mojada
    12 years ago

    I've purchased things before and the cashier has forgotten to remove those annoying plastic tags, on more than one occasion, and i had to get the pliers out to wrestle it off, so I can understand why people would ask that. Also, if people ask if you're open, well, would you be less annoyed if they specified, "Is this cash register open in order to me to purchase these goods?" ? Sometimes cashiers are at the cash registers and are NOT available. Yes, and OK, maybe it's a little dumb to say they found it on the clearance rack, BUT at least they're somewhat trying to be helpful for you to find out the price, maybe not necessarily trying to get it for free! There are worse things in life to get your panties in a bunch about! Yes you have some growing up to do.

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  • pooItoy
    12 years ago

    yeah every job in the world is much better without customers. I completely feel you

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  • Katywompus
    12 years ago

    I was a cashier a few times and I hated it. I wasn't much of a people person to beging with, and then when I ring up broccoli and lady says, no, its broccoli crowns. Ok. I ring it up as broccoli crowns which were like twice the price (why? Cus the stems are already cut off for her lazy ass??) Anyway, so she had a fuckin fit. Well excuse me asshole! You should have just pretended it was regular fuckin broccoli!!!!!

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  • [Old Memory]
    12 years ago

    Retail jobs always suck, at the end of my last job I actually left as a different person, more bitter towards the human race because I saw how badly people can treat you when they think there's nothing you can do about it.

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  • drugsrbadmkay
    11 years ago

    Yes it's normal. I have never worked in retail but I constantly seeing customers being total assholes. I've actually apologized to store clerks for the behavior of other customers I don't even know.

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  • GoraIntoDesiGals
    11 years ago

    Wow so much hatred. Now I understand why it's hard to pick up fast-food employees even when you act super nice to them. They already hate you just for eating there. :-(

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  • TareBear20
    12 years ago

    I hate my job, too. But, a job is a job. I am also a cashier. Shit sucks..Gotta roll with the punches :/

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  • phoenix230
    12 years ago

    http://www.excusemedoyouworkhere.blogspot.com

    Story of any retail employees' life

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  • VsegdaTemnata
    12 years ago

    How did some of you deal with customers' attempts at humor? I used to give a forced grin to shit like "I came in here for a towel, and I ended up getting all of this!", *bar code doesn't scan* "I guess that means it's free?", "Wow I've got a lot of coupons!" But now I just let their maniacal laughter ring out through the silence unaccompanied. Should I resume fake painful laughter as to not appear like an asshole?

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    • [Old Memory]
      12 years ago

      WOW. that whole "guess its free?" thing is so spot on it's scary. I heard that soo much at my last job and they always laughed like they were the first ones to come up with it. Same goes for "I came in for ___ and ended up getting all of this!"

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  • dappled
    12 years ago

    I worked at an all-night petrol station for six months. People's potential for idiocy seems to be multiplied at 4am, for some reason. I completely relate with what you are saying. The best way is to laugh at it. You should definitely watch the film "Clerks". There's a scene with the stupid and annoying things customers say, which I'm sure you'll utterly relate to.

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  • [Old Memory]
    12 years ago

    Perfect example of ranting. Normal.

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