Please be nice to retail workers in stores for the holidays.

[cinderbird]

I haven't been around at all because I've been working mandatory overtime for my high school level job. 70% of my customers are fine. 20% of my customers are annoying (won't read signs, refuse to figure things out for themselves, need their hands held throughout a VERY easy process, etc) and the remaining 10% are unbearable in almost every way and are always trying to get something for free.

This time of the year (well, and always) please don't treat retail workers like the things you find on the bottom of your shoes. We are people too and we have feelings.

For those of you who do remember, and are patient with us, because we are human and DO make mistakes; thank you and happy holidays.

Holiday card coming when i find the time.

a little off topic stream of consciousness writing from a very tired retail worker.

[BPelizabeth]

I totally agree!!! I use to work retail and it is a tough job during the holiday season. I always try to be extra nice to them during the holiday rush.

Also remember the ppl that do things for you....like your trash man...mail person, etc. They are often overlooked and without them....it would be a mess. It only takes a note to appreciate someone or a little something. We gave them a card with a $5- GC for starbucks. Not much just a little something to say....I recognize what you do...thank you!!!

[Jay_Bunny]

Thank you for posting this. Ever since I started working retail, I have become a very patient person when it comes to those in retail. I have worked in a Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, and a Target, and each of those I got to work during the holidays. It was madness. EVERYONE is asking for EVERYTHING. Then they get pissed off if you are sold out and it becomes your fault that you didn't order enough. Now when I go into a retail store to purchase something during the holidays, I remember to say Thank you and please and smile. It is amazing to see the difference in their attitude if you are just patient with them and be polite.

[Blue Apple Herps]

It's a two way street though, I've had many rude and completely unhelpful retail employees this year (seems like an abnormal this year).

But I agree 100%. I worked at KB Toys for three years and Eddie Bauer for one year (so I've done 4 Christmas seasons) and it was horrific. EB wasn't so bad, but KB Toys was horrendous. People would get so mad and irate when we would sell out of a toy.

It's sad just how materialistic Christmas has become. And I just love the hypocrisy of those who scream about how there's no Christ in Christmas anymore because someone at Wal-Mart says Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. There hasn't been much Christ in Christmas for some time.

[Jay_Bunny]

It's a two way street though, I've had many rude and completely unhelpful retail employees this year (seems like an abnormal this year).

But I agree 100%. I worked at KB Toys for three years and Eddie Bauer for one year (so I've done 4 Christmas seasons) and it was horrific. EB wasn't so bad, but KB Toys was horrendous. People would get so mad and irate when we would sell out of a toy.

It's sad just how materialistic Christmas has become. And I just love the hypocrisy of those who scream about how there's no Christ in Christmas anymore because someone at Wal-Mart says Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. There hasn't been much Christ in Christmas for some time.

Most holidays are very materialistic these days. I actually had an old lady a few years ago yell at me because I was talking with a co-worker about how we'd like the store to play other holiday music. We had a very religious person in control of the holiday music in the store and all she was playing was songs about Jesus. The old lady went nuts and started yelling about how we were taking Jesus out of Christmas. Hahaha.

And I agree, retail workers should not use the holidays as an excuse to be mean and not helpful. Respect and patience should be expected on both sides.

[Freakie_frog]

There are people that do get forgotten this time of year.. Some things you can do are leave cookies and a drink with a note for your trash men, mail man. If you receive good service from a waitress and want to really get a tickle in your tummy when they bring that $25.00 bill leave a 50 and write merry Christmas on the ticket, tip the drive through cashier, buy lunch for your bank tellers, tape a Christmas card on the mail box for you mail carrier. Pay for the cars lunch behind you in the drive trough. Spend the 50.0-75.00 and have Chick-fil-a cater for your daycare, or even better pick some one at random and send the flowers..that lady that gave you her card because she sale makeup.

People forget how far common courtesy goes with people..things like simply speaking to the person beside you at Wal-mart or really listening when some one talks. When you ask "how are you?" really be interested..

One of the greatest feelings you can ever have is doing a totally anonymous selfless act of kindness. It's like Secret Santa you get to know that that person is getting a small token of kindness from a total stranger for nothing more than being alive..

I did this just this last weekend, some kids at the movies playing a game waiting on their movie to start, they had ran out of money but were still hanging out. I walked up to the game they were playing plugged 5.00 in it started playing. When I'd burned through .50 of the 5.00 I turned around to the kids and said "hey my movies starting here there's 5.00 in this one have fun.." You would have though I'd just given them as free pass to Disney word.. and what did it cost me $4.50 to make some kids happy..

Please remember your not going make a difference to the whole world, but you might change the whole world for one person.. story goes a kid is walking down the beach picking up starfish that have washed up on shore, throwing them back into the ocean. An old man see's this and feels the need to tell the boy he's wasting his time. "You know you can't throw them all back don't you?", "Yes" replied the boy still throwing the star fish back, "Then why don't you just stop wasting your time, since you can't save the all it doesn't matter?", The little boy looks down at the animal in his hand's kind of sadly, He heave's it back in to the ocean, looks at the man and say "It mattered to that one".

[Lupe]

And don't freak out on us over something we can't control, I don't order things so I can't help it if we don't carry a certain toy or game. It may be Toys "R" Us but that doesn't mean we have every single game in existence.

[zina10]

I used to be a Manager in a Victorias Secret.

Since then I don't like going to the mall anymore. Christmas back then is not something I want to remember !!! It brings out the WORST in some people !!!

[olstyn]

One year on Black Friday, a friend/coworker of mine got his shirt literally torn off of him by a customer (he was on his way from one side of the store to another on an errand for another customer!). IIRC, the customer didn't even try to get his attention, just grabbed for his shirt, and since he was moving pretty quickly at the time, RRRRIIIIPPP!

[Big Gunns]

I haven't been around at all because I've been working mandatory overtime for my high school level job. 70% of my customers are fine. 20% of my customers are annoying (won't read signs, refuse to figure things out for themselves, need their hands held throughout a VERY easy process, etc) and the remaining 10% are unbearable in almost every way and are always trying to get something for free.

This time of the year (well, and always) please don't treat retail workers like the things you find on the bottom of your shoes. We are people too and we have feelings.

For those of you who do remember, and are patient with us, because we are human and DO make mistakes; thank you and happy holidays.

Holiday card coming when i find the time.

a little off topic stream of consciousness writing from a very tired retail worker.

BG thinks you should read what you said and realize that some of the grief you may be getting is brought on by your attitude. BG did say some, but not all.

BG can tell from your post that you have an attitude when someone asks you a simple question. Big Gunns sees it all the time from the miserable employees in stores nowadays. You ask them a question and you get attitude. Like you're bothering them or something. They point to a sign, or roll their eyes like everyone should know that the lip gloss is in aisle 5.

How about this. No matter how miserable someone is you just kill them with kindness. Realize that everyone is stressed out in the holidays and when you happen to be walking by and they ask you a simple question.....just answer it a nice as you can. Big Gunns is absolutely SICK of listening to miserable workers with poor attitudes in malls nowadays. If you don't like your job...QUIT. It's your job to be nice to the CUSTOMERS....whether or not they know where the electronics section is or not.

Sorry BG had to come down on yah Cindi. BG is just tired of the lousy service employees give these days. It may not be you, but it's many. Try this. When someone asks you a dumb question be as helpful as possible. Don't roll your eyes and give attitude.....say "sure..I can help you". If they're being rude just be as nice as possible and try and make them laugh.

BG hates to say it, and he understands why you made this post(really he does..BG hates rude people), but you're never gonna deal with happy genius customers all the time. You forget also....this is the USA. Not everyone can read a sign. BG thinks if you keep a positive happy attitude no matter what dumb question someone asks, you'll be a lot happier with your job.