Retail at xmas. The customer is always wrong.

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Over the years there have been many great myths that have permeated into society and then been debunked over the years. Mass believed phenomenons that made their way into popular culture such as,

• Jesus being born on the 25th of December.
• 300 Spartan soldiers guarding the pass at Thermopylae.
• Mussolini making the trains run on time.
• Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.
• The earth being flat.
• Reading in the dark or sitting too close to the TV ruins your eyesight.

However none of these even compare to the propaganda that has been spread by large corporations towards the naive public masses that have somehow been fooled into the greatest lie of all time where they have been led to believe that they are somehow always right.

The sheer madness of that statement makes the mind spin. While it seems to be more of an American concept than an Irish one the thought that some random person off the street knows more than trained, experienced professionals is ludicrous. 😂😂😂

What you as the customer do need to know, is how to deal with retail staff especially at this time of year when we are more tired and cranky than usual.

Rule 1:
We don't like customers. Our jobs would be so much easier not dealing with people. Unfortunately we do need them to have our jobs so we will smile and ask how your day is as we serve you but it doesn't make us friends.

Rule 2:
We are overworked, underpaid and trying our best to keep the place running. It might seem like we are being abrupt but in reality we are normally trying to accomplish about 5 things at the same time and can be rushing towards the next one.

Rule 3:
There are such things as stupid questions and the majority of the ones we hear fall into this category. When you are asking where the beans are it's nearly always in the tins aisle which has a big sign overhead saying tinned food. If I am wearing a uniform with the name of the shop on the front then chances are that, "Yes, I do work here." and if you ask me the price, it's written on the price ticket just overhead the product that you have in your hand.

Rule 4:
If we say it's not in the back it's because we have no intention of going back there. Now that may because it's not actually in there or because we are not arsed to check but either way we won't actually be checking no matter how many times you ask us, "Just in case."

Rule 5: Just because you don't live there, it's not ok to leave the place in shit.

For whatever reason we see customers every day who think it's fine to destroy the store as they breeze through it for their shopping. Opening sealed boxes, leaving stuff lieing everywhere and tearing the place apart in general. If you were at home you wouldn't leave a pizza sitting on the couch but in the store you think it's ok to leave it on top of the cereal instead of putting it back into the freezers. I never understand the mentality behind that.

Rule 6: Christmas sucks in retail.

While for most people xmas is the happiest time of year, when your working your way through it it is a different story. Long hours, extra busy, extra stress and demanding bosses. Don't even start on the repeated music for the past decade. You have no idea how annoying it is to be there at 7pm xmas eve trying to close the doors after the longest week of the year as customers keep coming up begging to run in for one last thing. You've had all week to buy your stuff so let us get home to our families.

Ok rant over. Most of it in jest.

Now in all fairness it's not the worst job in the world but it can suck from time to time. The majority of our customers are lovely and we do enjoy them but we do get some dicks into the store especially when we're under pressure at this time of year.

If you are doing your shopping just try to remember that the staff are doing there best to help you get your Christmas sorted but are people too. People that only want to do there best and get home to their own families for the holidays.

Have fun with that last minute shopping.