Recently, I asked cashiers about the things customers do that never fail to make them angry. They came back with…some things I do and I’m ashamed of, so I thought you’d like to read them in case you’re ashamed, too.
1.
“Don’t ball up your reusable bags and stuff them together. Fold your bags. I don’t want to put my hands into your reusable bags to straighten them out. Also, if your bags are dirty inside, clean them or throw them out. I’ve seen filthy bags that I don’t want to touch. Empty your bags at home. I once opened a customer’s bag to put groceries in, and there was a dirty sock in it.”
2.
“Please stop comparing small businesses to large chain companies! I work in a small art and framing store, and have had many a conversation about how things are cheaper at other larger chain retailers or Amazon. Yes, they’re able to buy more products for better availability, so they can sell them at a lower price; I’m part of a 20-person team in a single business, so yes, things are going to be more expensive in order for us to actually make a profit.”
3.
“Don’t just be on your phone the entire time, especially at the self-checkout. I can’t help you if you’re just yakking the entire time and ignoring me. Plus, don’t just keep trying to scan an item; actually look up and read a screen. It tells you a lot, and if your thing isn’t working, it’s probably either telling you to set it aside or what to do. People would have a smoother time if they read the screen. I know it feels like a trained monkey can do the job, but there’s some thought involved. I’ve had the job for 23 years, and I do know what I’m talking about.”
4.
“As a cashier, please, for the love of God, when you have an issue at the self-checkout, please step out of the way so we can actually get to the screen to clear it out. A lot of customers will stand in your way and will not move, even when you are saying, ‘Please I need to get in front of the register.'”
5.
“Hand your cashier the item you don’t want if you’re too lazy to take it back. Don’t leave ice cream on a shelf. (Spoiler alert: it melts just like it would if you left it on your counter at home.)”
6.
“I am a customer, and the thing that irritates me most is people in the express line with way too many items. Unfair to the cashiers, too. In my store, which has excellent customer service, they are not allowed to tell customers to move to another checkout.”
7.
“If you want your cold items bagged together, please put them on the belt together.”
8.
“Have your bags ready for me when you get to the checkout. If I had a five-dollar bill for every time a customer said, ‘Sorry, my bags are buried underneath my groceries,’ I would make an extra hundred dollars a day at least🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️.”
9.
“Look for the light at the register to see if they’re open or closed. If a light is off and somebody is ringing, chances are they’re getting ready to go on their break or lunch. Employees are entitled to their breaks and lunches, so please don’t be rude and comment about how long the lines are. Guess what? We know they are long and are working hard to take care of them. There are days when we have multiple people call off, which creates that issue. Patience and respect, please.”
10.
“I work in a retail store. Please don’t put one item at a time on the counter with the hanger still on it. We get timed from beginning to end.”
11.
“I used to work retail. I hated it when people would hand me paper money out of their pocket, even their purses, scrunched up into little balls. At times, I would ask them if they’d taken up origami.”
12.
“Know and have ready your account number, case number, member number, file number, docket number, or whatever it is when you call or stop by for information about said account. That’s literally the first thing anyone’s going to ask.”
13.
“Empty the handbaskets!!!! Don’t leave them full and overflowing!! Stuff piled that high hits my off button on my computer. Please. Empty the handbasket!!!!”
14.
“Not a cashier thing, but for the love of God…put the carts away!”
15.
“When I was still working as a cashier, I hated it when people would only have a couple of things and then put them all the way to the back of the counter, and I had to lean over to reach them. After an eight-hour day, imagine how much your back hurts. I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with it anymore.”
16.
“I deliver food or items to people’s houses, and please, please, please turn on your outside lights if it is getting dark or is already dark!”
17.
Finally, “We can’t just stand at our register and wait for people to come to our line, we have to help the store by filling the candy that’s in our aisle or facing products in nearby areas. So don’t ask if anyone is working today! We ARE working!”
Your turn! What’s something customers do that drives you completely bonkers? Tell us in the comments or completely anonymously in the Google form below.