Luceo Magazine

Working Retail During the Holidays

Chad Lennon Chad Lennon
December 2001
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I have worked in a retail store for three and a half years and I have seen many disturbing elements of human behavior that seem to come out when people hop in the car to go shopping. The frightening displays of anger and animosity towards an employee whom they have never met before astounds even me. The mere mention of “We are out of that” or “We do not carry that item” and people will roll their eyes, cuss, scream, and whine. Immedietly following this display, they inevitably ask, “Are you sure you don’t have any in the back?”

No one can fathom exactly how stupid the general public really can be. I have been asked for things you would never find in a arts and crafts store, such as pet bedding, wallpaper, large wood pieces (small craft wood people, not building materials!) and other such ludicrous things. My personal favorite was when I was asked if we sold the fish to go with the Betta fish vases. When I told him that he could purchase the fish and the plants at the Petland right next door he became upset with me because he would have to write two checks, so he left without any of it.

To make a point, I am a 20 year old white male—to many people—the definition of incompetence, and since I happen to know more about what is in that store besides maybe one or two people, I tend to get offended. Every time I tell someone that we do not have what they are looking for they will proceed to hunt down a more “competent-looking” employee. After four more people tell them the same thing they move on to the getting upset stage and start pouting and whining as if that will make what they want magically appear in the store. The worst situation, which has occured quite a few times I might add, is when I am working with one of our female employees, who outnumber the males by about 12 to 1, and a woman will ask me (yes, it is always a woman) a question. If I say, “We don’t have it,” she will proceed to ask the female employee next to me the same thing—right in front of me! Where do people get the audacity to do such things? Moreover, never in all the times it has happened has the female employee managed to prove me wrong.

On the subject of waiting to be checked out, many people will stay in their current line, no matter how long it is, when you open up more cash registers. Like cattle, they stand and talk amongst themselves until one of the smarter ones breaks away from the pack and then and only then will the others break away from their line. I have seen people stay in a long line and complain when there are other lines that are almost empty that they could go to, but if they did they would have nothing to whine about, would they? Another thing, just because you find something in a location does not mean that is its price. Yes I know you found it there and another one of the lazy shoppers probably put it there because they can’t seem to put things back where they found them. An example of such a situation:

Employee rings up a large artist’s easel for $199.99
Customer: The price tag by that easel said $19.99
Employee: No ma’am; it is $199.99 not $19.99.
Customer: in a snappy tone Well I don’t want any of it then!
Customer proceeds to throw all items down and reports you to you manager for “being rude”

Come on people: learn to read! I can’t tell you how many times this has happened. Those once unbelievable figures on the adult literacy rate are starting to sound more realistic every day—not to mention the fact that they should know that we would not sell a Deluxe 48'' Artist’s Easel for only $20.

Now to be fair, there are some people that are always nice, courteous, and understanding; they work in retail.

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