Following these orders struck this employee as odd, but they did as they were instructed . After all, what the bosses say goes, even if you think it's the silliest thing you've ever heard. Recently, there's been some online discourse about how small shops make enough money to stay in business. The basic premise of people's question is: How does a tiny store with just weekend foot traffic or tourist traffic manage to stay afloat? What if just a few customers come in each day? How does the place…

This employee got stuck working with a supervisor they were particularly not fond of. That happens in life. You can't always work with your work bestie. It makes a huge difference when you have fun coworkers. You both have to be there for an entire six- or eight-hour shift, so you may as well try to make it enjoyable. Some coworkers have a great sense of humor. Others you'll get to know on a deep level and know all of their interesting lore. Having deep conversations while folding shirts togeth…

And the award for Most Entitled Customer goes to...

This small business knows how to handle their most demanding customers. As a small business , you face unique challenges and have advantages that big chains don't always face. Especially in family-run businesses, the working conditions can be much friendlier to staffers. Corporate chains with hundreds of employees may seem cold in comparison---there's no way they can keep track of all those people. But at a small company, employees can have a little more leeway when it comes to their day-to-day…

The only people more confused than these customers were the befuddled employees trying to help them. If you've ever worked in customer service for any amount of time, you already know that some customers just need to rant and vent and get all their anger out. You can offer them solutions to their problems, and that's not good enough for them. Sometimes they'll just reject your ideas outright and demand a manager. As you can read about in one story about a block of cheese, some customers have no…

Managers never want to have to tell an employee they're being let go , but sometimes their hand is forced. If the employee is talking back to customers or caught on camera stealing money out of the till, sometimes the manager will have to fire them for the good of the company. When u/edge231 asked, “Managers of Reddit, what is the stupidest thing an employee did that forced you to fire them?” there were over 15,000 people who chimed in with their craziest stories. Folks, today I learned a fasci…

Do people just leave their valuable belongings at random places hoping no one will take them, or is it just this one Karen? When I worked in retail, I had a few regular customers who would occasionally ask me to put some shopping bags behind the counter while they went to get their car. Some even asked me to keep an eye on their kids while they ran to a different shop or took a phone call outside. Either way, I am no stranger to weird requests from customers. But I have to say that when I read…

Some customers will look at a sign that says “Don't climb on this” and then let their kid crawl all over it anyway. It's not that they can't read the sign, it's not that they didn't see it. They just don't care. Lots of customers are entitled, and they think that any mess they make in a store is not theirs to clean up. They believe that since they're the prized customer, all employees need to bend to their will, and bring out a broom to clean up any mess they make.

Some days at work will stick in your head more than others. If you're working hundreds of days each year, you probably won't recall what you were doing on some random Tuesday in April. What you'd definitely remember are the days that caught you off guard . Maybe you walked into the office and suddenly saw that the big boss chose that day for a surprise visit. Perhaps you'd recall the day that a customer made a giant deal with your company, leading to a huge celebration. When u/Voraxia had an un…

Many people say that working in retail builds resilience and character, but perhaps it just exposes you to the worst kind of people in this world. I guess in some sense, that builds resilience and character, but that has to be the only silver lining that comes with having to deal with entitled Karen customers on a daily basis. Otherwise, these workers deserve the kind of prizes and medals that heroes and soldiers receive because I'm sure it feels like every shift is an almost Sisyphean fight fo…

Anyone who ever worked in retail knows how frustrating it is to have to explain to a customer the policy of the store and what they can or cannot do if they want to return an item. I once had a 30-minute conversation with a guy who wanted to return an item that was bought in a completely different store, and he simply did not accept ‘no’ for an answer. Being on the other side of the counter is no fun either. I can't tell you how much accumulated random stuff I have in my house simply because a…

This sales associate was perfectly fine with breaking a customer's computer just to make his own life easier. While buying new technology, things can get confusing pretty quickly if you aren't the most tech-savvy person . If you're buying a computer in person, for example, you might go into the store knowing exactly what you're looking for. But then a sales associate starts talking to you, and suddenly they're telling you that computer won't work for you. Instead, they say, you should get one t…

Working retail is the experience of permanently being wedged between a rock and a very angry place. The rock is the obstinate management structure above you that is setting and enforcing policies that make no sense—but that they refuse to change. On the other side are the perpetually angry customers who are often upset about those exact same policies. Unfortunately, you, the lowest-level employee, take the brunt of the customer's dissatisfaction, which then becomes management dissatisfaction as…

Have strength retail workers , you will need it when these customers show up. As a cashier, you'll ring up hundreds of customers each shift, and you'll probably forget all of them, except those who are exceptional. Maybe they're especially kind in a job where many customers are impolite. Or maybe they're really funny and manage to make you laugh. Or, if you're these people, you've remembered the customer because they've asked some of the most absurd questions ever. Several people who worked in…

While working retail, these people have seen it all. Cashiers get to see people from all walks of life, of all ages, and of all levels of sanity. These retail workers shared some stories of the wildest interactions they've had with customers. That's one of the strange things about working retail---you always have to take the customer seriously, even if you're pretty sure they're messing with you. Some customers love to mess with retail staff , even though no one seems to find it funny except th…

Common sense is rare in this manager's retail store . Well, it's not the whole store---just one manager who has no common sense about anything. When you work in retail , it can feel like managers have a far easier job than you. While workers have to stand on their feet for eight hours dealing with mean customers, crowded aisles, and answering the same questions over and over, managers get to chill in the back room. No matter how long the line of customers gets, you can be sure to find your boss…