FAIL Blog
Advertisement

talesfromretail

 talesfromretail shopping bags cashier walk tales-from-retail grocery shopping grocery store

'I honestly felt bad for the guy': Cashier sides with frustrated customer who leaves store without buying his groceries

Remember the days before the self-checkout line? These days, you can do self-checkout at maybe half of the places you shop . When you go to a drug store for some shampoo and cleaning supplies, you can expect to ring that up and bag it yourself. At some grocery stores, they want you to scan and bag all your own purchases, not to mention weigh your fruits and veggies and type in the right code for them. It's an irritating thing to some people, but for those who hate waiting in line, a self-checko…
View List
work workplace employment Job Jobs workplace discussion in the workplace employment issues customer support karen-customers Retail talesfromretail tales-from-retail

18-year-old employee tells boss to approve their leave or accept their resignation: 'How do I tell my boss that she either has to approve my 4 months' notice or accept my 2 weeks' resignation?'

Requesting time off from work is kind of a weird ritual. While you're technically “asking” for time off, that time is, is usually less of a “want” and more of a “need”—even though your employer will treat it like the former. It's not as if you can ask your cousin to reschedule their wedding just for you or your entire family to reschedule their family reunion. Still, lots of businesses have periods of high trade where they're exceedingly strict about granting any time off—or there during holida…
View List
Advertisement
customer support customer service workplace-stories talesfromretail job malicious compliance retail talesfromthefrontdesk work customers tales from the front desk customer workplace

Guest contacts hotel demanding cancelled reservation, but their story keeps changing becoming increasingly unbelievable: 'I tell him no. That is against policy as per my manager'

In your first customer service gig, you will be shocked at how readily people manipulate and bend the truth in their favor while recounting events with what seems like complete and absolute sincerity. The first time you encounter one of these sad sob stories, your first instinct will be to do everything in your power to help them out. But the first time one of these stories starts to not quite add up, unraveling before your very eyes, you're going to end up with trust issues and not take anythi…
View List
After being ordered to cut hours, employee drives costs sky-high with lunch bills and overtime to prove the value of loyal employees

After being ordered to cut hours, employee drives costs sky-high with lunch bills and overtime to prove the value of loyal employees

It's never simple to work in the service sector. However, working in the service industry under incompetent managers' oversight and without the ability to take breaks is even worse. An employee's explanation of their frustration is provided below. The original poster (OP) is the manager of the local auto parts store. Unless someone else has been appointed to take their place, managers are not permitted to leave the store or take a lunch break. When his supervisors began requesting that he work…
View List
Micromanager fabricates write-up for job security until he is caught red-handed by employee's secret recording

Micromanager fabricates write-up for job security until he is caught red-handed by employee's secret recording

Providing customer service is never an easy task for a number of reasons. The hardest part is the fact that you cannot predict who you'll run into or what type of attitude they're going to have. The story below is an account of a frustrated employee. The original poster (OP), who is employed in retail, was hit with threats over a $1.63 charge. But rather than standing with OP and protecting the worker from the enraged client, management decided to stick by the client and reprimand OP for suppos…
View List
Advertisement
customer support customer service workplace discussion employment issues antiwork workplace-stories talesfromretail jobs employment-discussion job retail karen-customer work customers karen-customers workplace Horrible Bosses tales-from-retail employment in the workplace - 35440389

Retail chain cuts workers' hours rather than paying overtime: 'They are going to schedule all the full timers at 35 hours so that no one goes over 40'

Ahh, retail… a fine industry where middle manglement regularly tries to shove a dirt sandwich down your throat while whispering sweetly to you it's actually honey. The story shared in this post is a tale as old as time in retail, where management will happily tell you with a smile that the company's official policy is that the customer comes first… but that the unofficial policy is that making sure staff never claim or report overtime also comes first. So, then, what happens when you're working…
View List
customer support customer service karens workplace-stories talesfromretail entitled parents retail karen-customer customers karen-customers entitled customers entitled people karma karens in the wild entitled tales-from-retail karen entitled people - 26161669

Frustrated customer reveals entitled family's plan to exploit home improvement store and steal product: 'I made sure a pricing error did not occur'

Navigating your way through a crowded store is one of those experiences you won't soon forget, squeezing through cramped aisles between situationally unaware strangers who have made it their prerogative to move as erratically as possible. To make matters worse, you always seem to be in a hurry when this happens, and you need to get in and out as fast as possible while everyone else is moving like the walking dead. As whenever queueing—or any basic social order and decorum—is expected there's al…
View List
'One day, I had a belligerent customer come in': Teenage cashier gets back at impolite retail customer

'One day, I had a belligerent customer come in': Teenage cashier gets back at impolite retail customer

Some people have never considered that they can go for a shopping trip without bothering the employees. It's never crossed their mind that they could go grocery shopping without telling a teenage employee that the fruit “was better last week." This is the person who whines to a clothing store employee that the fabric seems cheap. Some customers get a thrill out of whining about unimportant, and sometimes unsolvable, first-world problems.
View List
Advertisement
customer support customer service workplace-stories talesfromretail job malicious compliance retail karen-customer work customers karen-customers customer workplace tales-from-retail - 25506821

'Look it up': Customer talks himself out of a price-match and has to pay more when retail associate looks it up and realizes it's against their policy

In retail, the number of customers who are convinced they know better than you is endless… Better than you when it comes to the products, better than you in terms of your store's policies, and better than you when it comes to the legalities under which you're trading. Having access to all the information with little understanding has emboldened people into thinking that they're experts after a few Google searches, even on impressively technical subjects. Of course, the rehearsed script often ru…
View List
customer support customer service workplace-stories talesfromretail server retail waiter karen-customer customers waiting karen-customers april fools customer talesfromyourserver food service service tales-from-retail tales from your server service industry - 25279749

Restaurant boss says all leave requests will be denied going forward, staff asks him if he's making an April Fool's joke: 'He was not'

Dodgy off-book leave policies are something that you just come to expect after a while of working in the restaurant or retail world. From the first time you go to book leave and are met with the strong insinuation that maybe you shouldn't be taking any leave at all, giving you reasons of being too busy or too understaffed to possibly afford to be a “man down," you're going to be feeling that old resigned feeling of knowing that this is going to be that kind of place. The reality is that you're…
View List
'I don't think you understand': Customer breaks into unopened store to shop for camping supplies

'I don't think you understand': Customer breaks into unopened store to shop for camping supplies

A customer was a bit too eager to shop at a new store in town. At some restaurants that are brand new, a “soft launch” will take place for the first few weeks they're open. During the soft launch, servers are being trained, the kitchen staff is learning how to make the food properly, and therefore the service might be a little slower than normal. That's all well and good for the restaurant industry, but there are no soft launches in retail. That didn't stop this woman from trying to break into…
View List
Advertisement
'In your dreams...': Queue jumper waits 3 times as long for assistance after demanding store manager grant him VIP access

'In your dreams...': Queue jumper waits 3 times as long for assistance after demanding store manager grant him VIP access

Serving customers is not always an easy task. However, you don't have to work in customer service to profit from the advantages that come with the position. For example, in the story that follows, the Original Poster (OP) talks about his experience with a demanding client who won't wait his turn to be serviced. OP works as a security guard at a well-known phone company in Dublin City Center. The Original Poster (OP) sets the scene by claiming that most staff members are reluctant to offer their…
View List
jobs job work customer service talesfromretail idontworkherelady retail retail worker karen-customer tales-from-retail - 2386951

'I don't work here': Guy gets accused of slacking at a job that isn't even his and accosted by another customer

Retail is brutal for a number of reasons, but one of the worst is the fact that you get absolutely no respect from the public whom you're servicing. This is clearly evidenced by the audacity and sheer entitlement they feel in being able to bark orders at you and admonish you for “slacking” as if they're your boss. The thing is, when they're at their own job, they probably browse Reddit and spend ample time gossiping with their own coworkers but for some reason, these sorts of customers seem to…
View Article
customer support customer service karens workplace-stories talesfromretail entitled parents job retail karen-customer work customers karen-customers customer karens in the wild workplace entitled tales-from-retail karen entitled people - 24475909

'Not my problem, now leave': Retail manager puts Karen in her place when she blames him for her cancelled and unpaid cell service

At certain times in your life—particularly when things have gone sideways—it's important to take ownership of the fact that your own actions and decisions are the things that got you there. Unfortunately, most of us struggle with this and, as a matter of self-preservation, will seek to displace blame towards anyone or anything that we can point a finger at. Sometimes, this displacement is plausible, reasonable even, but at other times, it can get unreasonably ridiculous… Tell me again, Carl, ab…
View List
Advertisement
customer support customer service supermarket workplace-stories talesfromretail idontworkherelady retail karen-customer customers karen-customers tales-from-retail - 23971845

Karen chases customer out of store, employees lock her out with her stuff still inside: 'They just closed and locked the doors'

If there's one person you don't want to mess with, it's an EMT who has just finished their shift… EMTs are some of the hardest working individuals with a job that necessitates sleep deprivation, self-sacrifice, and trauma that reaches far, far above their pay grade. Even a shift for them that is “not bad” would be enough to send the rest of us looking for another line of work. While they're some of the nicest people, every EMT I've ever known personally gets through their job by being partially…
View List
'The customer is always right—I am the customer!': Entitled customer demands manager drop everything and rearrange store to her liking

'The customer is always right—I am the customer!': Entitled customer demands manager drop everything and rearrange store to her liking

Two basic rules are taught to us when we work in customer service. First of all, we should never presume that consumers will read the small print at the bottom of our signage. The second universal guideline is to never, ever concede that you are correct and the client is mistaken. The story below is an account of a frustrated arts and crafts store manager. OP has been managing the store for a while, and quite frankly, presumably has encountered an endless amount of difficult customers. However,…
View List
1 2 3
Advertisement

Hot Today

Advertisement