Working in Retail (Any nightmare stories?)

[Rocketman]

Cough 'em up! Your hell-on-earth stories of working in retail. :o
- Wal-Mart
- Target
- Best Buy
- Anything and everything else.

[Spider-Fan]

Everyday at work is a nightmare story, LOL!

[Ultra Lantern]

Work in general is a nightmare story.-LOL

Win the lottery and be happy.

[Lighthouse]

I work in the 1-Hour Photo, and anything that has to do with professional/copyrighted photos is a hair pulling nightmare.

[Hobgoblin]

I work in a supermarket deli and the multitasking sucks. One of the worst nights I remember was when we had roasted chicken, fried chicken and fresh, hot pizzas on sale. There were three of us working and I had the duty to cook and fry the chickens and make the pizzas. (One lady was in the deli and swamped with customers and another was busy making cheese balls.) So I have to make all this food, as well as stop to answer the phone to take orders, stop to make sandwiches for customers and get it all done ASAP. Naturally, I started screwing up and people complained, so the manager came over and chewed us all out.


Plus there are just idiot people. One lady asked me a few months ago what the difference was between honey ham and smoked ham. I stopped for a minute to see if she was joking and when it was clear that she wasnt, I calmly told her "one is honey flavored and the other is smoked." She looked at me and said "Oh."

[Metamorpho1977]

I work at Lowe's and had a customer that wanted me to do a color match for hot pink spray paint so she could brush it on the wall. The color matcher said the formula for that color wouldn't fit in any of the gallon cans and I told her this. She then asked me if she could just take the top off of the spray paint can and brush it out from there. I told her, "Sure, take the top off and see what happens."


More stories will follow

[Rocketman]

I'm an electronics salesman inside a department store.
I am specifically reminded frequently that guest service is 90% of what I'm supposed to do. The other 10% is tidying up other areas when I have downtime. For example, the Toy department is right next to where my Electronics station is, so I'm responsible for cleaning up the toy aisles and making sure it's all organized from the kids who trashed the area.

However, I am constantly busy in electronics, and I am constantly having to help people buy the stuff they want - TVs, Blu-Ray players, movies, games, phones, iPads, Kindles, etc. In other words, I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. 90% guest service, and most of the time, it's EXTREMELY busy.

Yet, when the toy aisles are still messy, it gets implied that I purposely didn't clean them. WTF? Does this mean that I, the Electronics salesman, should worry more about the Toys, and ignore the customer who wants to buy a $900 TV, and lose that sale????????:dry:

It just happened again tonight.
The assistant manager actually told me that I need to start paying attention to the toy area more.
Dude, I'm over in Electronics helping people all day!! It's not like I'm just sitting around and picking my nose. I'm literally on my feet 8 hours a day, answering customer questions and ringing people out with big items, the WHOLE time.
And again, I was specifically told by those in charge and those around me that staying in Electronics and focusing on customer service should be 90% of what I do, and that when I have downtime, I should use that other 10% to tidy the toy aisles.
WELL, I DON'T HAVE DOWNTIME.
Therefore, I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing - making money for the company.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xyK3fS5gtno/TVk786_TOlI/AAAAAAAABtQ/x_DsGNYuBAE/s1600/circular+logic.jpg

[Lighthouse]

In my years of retail experience, I've found that it is virtually impossible to cover both Electronics and Toys. You could spend the entire day tidying up Toys and you still won't be finished by the end of your shift.

[Rocketman]

In my years of retail experience, I've found that it is virtually impossible to cover both Electronics and Toys. You could spend the entire day tidying up Toys and you still won't be finished by the end of your shift.

But see, the people who will accuse you of "not doing anything" are the people who have never done it. They have no idea how that part of the store operates. If I spend 2 hours tidying up the toys, one child will spend 5 minutes destroying everything that took me 2 hours to clean. Kids are like little tornadoes. They pick up a foam sword and start rocking everything off of the shelves.

Meanwhile, my job description is Electronics salesman, who sells the most expensive items in the store... yet I'm supposed to give two ****s about some brat who knocked over a Barbie doll? I think it's more important trying to sell a $500 TV and making the store $500.

My assistant manager has ZERO clue how to manage anything. Priorities are completely ass-backwards.

And the hilarious thing is that when I do take time to organize the toy aisles, I'll finish Aisle 1, move on to Aisle 2, and while I'm at 2, kids will be destroying Aisle 1 again, and the whole process moves down the entire row, all the way to Aisle 22 - so I when I'm done with 22 and walk back up to Aisle 1, I have to start all over again. There was no point. I could've been selling Blu-Ray players for $100 each.

[Spider-Fan]

I've been threatened bodily harm twice, nearly hit by a car, yelled at, seen kids whine for icees a ton of times, cleaned up things I don't like to describe to people eating, and had to work one time in a foot of snow without a cart puller resulting me to drag 200 carts from carrals to the side of the building (and in 1 foot of snow, given the resistance, cold, wind, etc...I got so weak, I could only push 2 carts at a time...and in 0 degree weather, was sweating without a jacket on).

Yeah, I've got stories :o

[Rocketman]

I've been threatened bodily harm twice, nearly hit by a car, yelled at, seen kids whine for icees a ton of times, cleaned up things I don't like to describe to people eating, and had to work one time in a foot of snow without a cart puller resulting me to drag 200 carts from carrals to the side of the building (and in 1 foot of snow, given the resistance, cold, wind, etc...I got so weak, I could only push 2 carts at a time...and in 0 degree weather, was sweating without a jacket on).

Yeah, I've got stories :o

Where the hell do you work? :wow:

[Spider-Fan]

Where the hell do you work? :wow:

Target...I'm a red shirt :csad:

[Rocketman]

Target...I'm a red shirt :csad:

That's where I work. :woot:
We're gonna get along just fine, you and I.

[DoomsdayApex]

Oh yea, you think that's bad. I walked in on two co-workers getting on and I was held at gun point by three pre-teens.

Top that...

[Spider-Fan]

That's where I work. :woot:
We're gonna get along just fine, you and I.

A fellow red shirt!!! :up:

What areas are you trained for at Target? I normally only do carts, but I am cross trained for Food Ave and Hardlines also.

[Ultra Lantern]

That's where I work. :woot:
We're gonna get along just fine, you and I.



Make that the 3 of us.
I work at Target as well.

[SpideyVille]

Wow, and I was thinking of applying for a job at the Target next to my house.

[Rocketman]

Oh yea, you think that's bad. I walked in on two co-workers getting on and I was held at gun point by three pre-teens.

Top that...

Bold part is awesome.

I witnessed a brutal fight in the parking lot while I was on my way to get lunch.
A couple were fighting - the guy punched his girlfriend in the face, and then she ripped his shirt off of his body and he ran away screaming. I had to fill out a police report. :hrt:

[Ultra Lantern]

A fellow red shirt!!! :up:

What areas are you trained for at Target? I normally only do carts, but I am cross trained for Food Ave and Hardlines also.



Salesfloor and backup cashier when needed.

[Midnyte_Sun]

I saw a security guard clothes-line a woman who tried to punch him after she got caught stealing clothes (by hiding them under her baby). K-mart 1997 lol

[Hotwire]

My wife work the service desk at Walmart. Oh, the horror stories she shares whdn she gets home.

The worst ones always involve management. For the longest time, the had their little buddy, a total bum, who would get whatever he wanted from management. No one has any idea how he was doing this. The loser is total ghetto, and the store management is not. Yet, if he complained about anything, he got his way. The punk even reduced his availability, something management frowns upon, so he wouldn't miss any football games on Sunday?!?!

[Rocketman]

I am trained for Cashier and Electronics.
The thing that makes zero sense is that my store considers the entire back of the building to be my department.

Most of the time, I'm back there completely by myself, and I am in charge of:

- Electronics (TVs, DVD players, Phones, Video Games, Cameras, eReaders, iPads, iPhones)
- Music
- Movies
- Books
- Toys
- Luggage
- Sporting Goods
- Camping supplies
- Bicycles / Scooters
- Exercise equipment
- and on and on and on (batteries, blank media, wall mounts, cables / cords)

They could literally hire three more people in addition to where I'm at. :csad:

Also - whoa!

Spider-Fan
Ultra Lantern
Rocketman

A Red Shirt Trinity!! :awesome:

[Hotwire]

I saw a security guard clothes-line a woman who tried to punch him after she got caught stealing clothes (by hiding them under her baby). K-mart 1997 lol

My wife's store has a security guy who wishes he was a cop. He's too short, though. But this dude hangs out at the barber shop the cops go to. He's applied to the academy more than once. He lives to tackle shoplifters, and I'm sure he's begged corporate to let him use a tazer. I think he even sits at home every night watching Cops while touching himself.

[SuperFerret]

Red Shirts get killed. That's why I'm Captain Kirk. I get laid. :word:

[Rocketman]

My wife's store has a security guy who wishes he was a cop. He's too short, though. But this dude hangs out at the barber shop the cops go to. He's applied to the academy more than once. He lives to tackle shoplifters, and I'm sure he's begged corporate to let him use a tazer. I think he even sits at home every night watching Cops while touching himself.

LMFAO!!
Thanks for making me choke on a pretzel.

[Ultra Lantern]

I live 5 minutes away from where I work.

[Rocketman]

I live 5 minutes away from where I work.

Same here. Some days it's literally 4.

[Midnyte_Sun]

My wife's store has a security guy who wishes he was a cop. He's too short, though. But this dude hangs out at the barber shop the cops go to. He's applied to the academy more than once. He lives to tackle shoplifters, and I'm sure he's begged corporate to let him use a tazer. I think he even sits at home every night watching Cops while touching himself.

Damn, I don't want to mess with that little Napoleon. :dry:

[Ultra Lantern]

LMFAO!!
Thanks for making me choke on a pretzel.



Hopefully,not one from Target.

[DoomsdayApex]

Bold part is awesome.

I witnessed a brutal fight in the parking lot while I was on my way to get lunch.
A couple were fighting - the guy punched his girlfriend in the face, and then she ripped his shirt off of his body and he ran away screaming. I had to fill out a police report. :hrt:

Not if the couple were a pair of trolls...

Wow, that's pretty bad.

Here's another one from my two weeks at 7 Eleven:

I was restocking the cooler with soda and milk when the door slammed behind me. I thought nothing of it considering I could open door from within the cooler as well, but fate that night decided to toy with my low tolerance of incompetent tech/inanimate objects. The door refused to open and I was stuck inside the cooler with no jacket on.

Normally, I don't mind the cold temperatures but the manager (before leaving) oddly lowered the cooler's temperature by nearly 20 degrees. My eye lashes literally froze.

So for nearly 5 minutes I slammed the steel door, hoping to push my way out. No progress. So I did the next great thing. I started to undo my 25 minutes worth of hard work and fight my way out through the fridge pallets. 10 minutes later, I was free and alive. Keep in mind, I was alone and this happened around 2am. I did what I needed to do to survive. Anywho, as I was kicking and punching my way out, my manager walked in after his two hour break and saw me burst through at that exact moment.

Instead of asking me if I was ok, he paid attention to the gallons of milk and soda I destroyed to free myself from that ice tomb. Needless to say, I got yelled at and the property I damaged was docked out of my pay.

[Rocketman]

Here's another one from my two weeks at 7 Eleven:

I was restocking the cooler with soda and milk when the door slammed behind me. I thought nothing of it considering I could open door from within the cooler as well, but fate that night decided to toy with my low tolerance of incompetent tech/inanimate objects. The door refused to open and I was stuck inside the cooler with no jacket on.

Normally, I don't mind the cold temperatures but the manager (before leaving) oddly lowered the cooler's temperature by nearly 20 degrees. My eye lashes literally froze.

So for nearly 5 minutes I slammed the steel door, hoping to push my way out. No progress. So I did the next great thing. I started to undo my 25 minutes worth of hard work and fight my way out through the fridge pallets. 10 minutes later, I was free and alive. Keep in mind, I was alone and this happened around 2am. I did what I needed to do to survive. Anywho, as I was kicking and punching my way out, my manager walked in after his two hour break and saw me burst through at that exact moment.

Instead of asking me if I was ok, he paid attention to the gallons of milk and soda I destroyed to free myself from that ice tomb. Needless to say, I got yelled at and the property I damaged was docked out of pay.

That's actually a somewhat terrifying story.
Glad you made it out.
And of course, another instance of a manager being incompetent.

[Lighthouse]

But see, the people who will accuse you of "not doing anything" are the people who have never done it. They have no idea how that part of the store operates. If I spend 2 hours tidying up the toys, one child will spend 5 minutes destroying everything that took me 2 hours to clean. Kids are like little tornadoes. They pick up a foam sword and start rocking everything off of the shelves.

Meanwhile, my job description is Electronics salesman, who sells the most expensive items in the store... yet I'm supposed to give two ****s about some brat who knocked over a Barbie doll? I think it's more important trying to sell a $500 TV and making the store $500.

My assistant manager has ZERO clue how to manage anything. Priorities are completely ass-backwards.

And the hilarious thing is that when I do take time to organize the toy aisles, I'll finish Aisle 1, move on to Aisle 2, and while I'm at 2, kids will be destroying Aisle 1 again, and the whole process moves down the entire row, all the way to Aisle 22 - so I when I'm done with 22 and walk back up to Aisle 1, I have to start all over again. There was no point. I could've been selling Blu-Ray players for $100 each.

To be fair, stores don't actually make a whole lot on TVs since the mark ups aren't that high. The money makers are the smaller items that have much higher mark ups.

Interestingly, I tried to be a really nice, helpful guy for awhile, and steered people away from buying our HDMI cables. I tell them it is MUCH cheaper to buy it online, but every time I told them, they still bought it from the store. If we were just talking a few bucks, I'd understand, but it's a difference between $50 dollars in store and $2 dollars online!! It blows my mind.

[Hobgoblin]

Oh yea, you think that's bad. I walked in on two co-workers getting on and I was held at gun point by three pre-teens.

Top that...

A deli manager (woman) got fired for having sex with a deli employee (male) in the cold beer section of the store. I wouldnt want to get naked with someone in a cold place.

[JJJ's Ulcer]

I'm a teacher these days, but I worked in retail during my college summer breaks. I worked at a fairly upscale Men's department store. We'd cater to pretentious Eurotrash tourists and self-involved Bluetooth-yappin' yuppies.

We were supposed to shut at 10pm, but for some god forsaken reason, if a customer walked in at 9:59 we couldn't ask him to leave. He could browse in the store unimpeded until midnight and we still can't say anything. These jagoffs knew the store was empty and it was time to shut it down, but for some reason they'd decide to do their clothes shopping at 10pm on a Saturday night and just linger and linger. And of course that meant we had to stay there until they were done lingering, so if you had plans, better cancel or postpone them. Sometimes they would just walk out after 20 minutes and you wondered what was the point. But if they bought something it was even worse, because we usually had our receipt count done and logged already and that meant we had to do the count all over again. A normal, bad lingerer would take 20 minutes or so, but one time a dude wandered around for over an hour. At about 11:15 I said "screw it", went up to him, gave him the coldest damn stare and said "sir, you know we're closed. Right?" You'd think I'd just told him I raped his sister or something. He started screaming his head off at me in Russian accented English and demanded to speak to my manager.

Luckily the cool junior manager, just a couple years older and just as jaded as me was on. Did his "yes sirs" and "you're right, sirs" and we got him out of there. Told me not to tangle in the future, because it's not worth it and that was that. If it was the fifty-something woman senior manager, I'm sure I would have been canned that very night.

[Hobgoblin]

I'm a teacher these days, but I worked in retail during my college summer breaks. I worked at a fairly upscale Men's department store. We'd cater to pretentious Eurotrash tourists and self-involved Bluetooth-yappin' yuppies.

We were supposed to shut at 10pm, but for some god forsaken reason, if a customer walked in at 9:59 we couldn't ask him to leave. He could browse in the store unimpeded until midnight and we still can't say anything. These jagoffs knew the store was empty and it was time to shut it down, but for some reason they'd decide to do their clothes shopping at 10pm on a Saturday night and just linger and linger. And of course that meant we had to stay there until they were done lingering, so if you had plans, better cancel or postpone them. Sometimes they would just walk out after 20 minutes and you wondered what was the point. But if they bought something it was even worse, because we usually had our receipt count done and logged already and that meant we had to do the count all over again. A normal, bad lingerer would take 20 minutes or so, but one time a dude wandered around for over an hour. At about 11:15 I said "screw it", went up to him, gave him the coldest damn stare and said "sir, you know we're closed. Right?" You'd think I'd just told him I raped his sister or something. He started screaming his head off at me in Russian accented English and demanded to speak to my manager.

Luckily the cool junior manager, just a couple years older and just as jaded as me was on. Did his "yes sirs" and "you're right, sirs" and we got him out of there. Told me not to tangle in the future, because it's not worth it and that was that. If it was the fifty-something woman senior manager, I'm sure I would have been canned that very night.

Oh, I hear that. My least favorite people are the one's that wait to the very last minute to come into the store. They'll see that the machines are covered and cleaned up and that I'm mopping the floor and still ask if I 'm open. I once told a lady that we have pre-sliced meats and cheeses around the corner and she said that that stuff was no good. So I sliced some new stuff for her and had to wash the slicer again.

[the_ultimate_evil]

the fact i have never actually ripped a customers throat out is amazing

[Metamorpho1977]

Target...I'm a red shirt :csad:

Didn't you see Star Trek? Don't you know what happens to the red shirts?

[JJJ's Ulcer]

I haven't worked in retail in almost a decade, but the experience of being on the other side of the counter changed me permanently. If I try on clothes I always fold them neatly and put them back where they belong, because I remember what a pain in the ass it was to clean the fitting-room. People can be animals.

[the_ultimate_evil]

i dont want to say much about my current retail job, i wont even mention them by name, the bastards hire people to search facebook and message boards for staff bad mouthing them

but my old job though the co workers were great the customers were *******s

the three worst ones i've ever had was some mum asked me if i taken my gcse's(end of high school exams) i told her of course at this point she turns to her son and says "see this is what happens if you dont study now do you want this"

and the other was i brought out a couple a pair of shoes the husband looks at the book and says

"ohh he got the size and brand right", his wife asks him to be nice and that i can hear him. i'm about 3 feet away he replys " i wouldnt worry he cant understand me after all he work as sales staff i'd be surprised if he didnt have trouble reading or writing". before i could reply my boss pulls me off the floor telling me she knows me and its for the customers well being

another a guy returned a top in a bag that was stapled shut, i was supervisor at the time so i had to approve all refunds. i ask him whats wrong and he says its just not suitable but wont hand over the shirt/bag until i agreed to a refund. we go back and forth and finally he hands it over but asks is he getting his money back before i open the stapled bag

by now i've called a co worker over as a witness encase he kicks off, she get close to the bag and the colour drains from her face and she rushes out the back. the guy starts panicking so i rip open the bag to find a football top dripping in vomit

the guy says he only got it yesterday and his mate puked down him last night at the match.

its the only time i've told a customer to get the **** out

[Duke]

I worked in retail a few times before in the past & it's not fun at all. I recall I worked at BestBuy & it was during the holiday season, needless to say it was very hectic. There were customers all during the day clamoring for certain products or if we had a particular item in stock, etc. Lastly, picking up all the mess the people would leave behind & having to have everything nice & neat. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me wanna punch those people.

[Metamorpho1977]

I remember my first job was at this little local grocery store. This older lady came in and lost control of her bowels and was walking around the store just letting it drop as she walked. The manager called me and handed me a mop. I said sorry, can't do it and quit.

[Hobgoblin]

I remember my first job was at this little local grocery store. This older lady came in and lost control of her bowels and was walking around the store just letting it drop as she walked. The manager called me and handed me a mop. I said sorry, can't do it and quit.

We had a blind woman come into the store with a seeing eye dog, who crapped in the produce department. We had no idea how to clean it up. I let the produce guy do it. I think he eventually found a snow shovel to use.

[Duke]

I remember my first job was at this little local grocery store. This older lady came in and lost control of her bowels and was walking around the store just letting it drop as she walked. The manager called me and handed me a mop. I said sorry, can't do it and quit.







It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. :o YUCK!

[terry78]

i dont want to say much about my current retail job, i wont even mention them by name, the bastards hire people to search facebook and message boards for staff bad mouthing them

but my old job though the co workers were great the customers were *******s

the three worst ones i've ever had was some mum asked me if i taken my gcse's(end of high school exams) i told her of course at this point she turns to her son and says "see this is what happens if you dont study now do you want this"

and the other was i brought out a couple a pair of shoes the husband looks at the book and says

"ohh he got the size and brand right", his wife asks him to be nice and that i can hear him. i'm about 3 feet away he replys " i wouldnt worry he cant understand me after all he work as sales staff i'd be surprised if he didnt have trouble reading or writing". before i could reply my boss pulls me off the floor telling me she knows me and its for the customers well being

another a guy returned a top in a bag that was stapled shut, i was supervisor at the time so i had to approve all refunds. i ask him whats wrong and he says its just not suitable but wont hand over the shirt/bag until i agreed to a refund. we go back and forth and finally he hands it over but asks is he getting his money back before i open the stapled bag

by now i've called a co worker over as a witness encase he kicks off, she get close to the bag and the colour drains from her face and she rushes out the back. the guy starts panicking so i rip open the bag to find a football top dripping in vomit

the guy says he only got it yesterday and his mate puked down him last night at the match.

its the only time i've told a customer to get the **** out


You're my guy and all, but that was pretty funny.

[WolfCypher]

My Wal-Mart got robbed three times in a month and a half time frame. The third time we finally got TV coverage.

Although I wasn't there, there was a gas leak one day. The store evacuated the guests. They made the employees stay and work freight.

I suffered a major ice-related fall on their docks that put me in critical condition. I had to have surgery THREE times. I sued them. Over a year later the settlement is still ongoing.

[Snare]

Worked in retail for 6 months while i was in University. Got out of there asap, what a depressing place to go everyday. After some time in the wilderness I finally decided to do what I really want, and work outdoors. I'm now outside everyday landscaping. Loads of heavy manual work, but its amazing.