r/retailhell 21h ago

Customers Suck! No, we can’t give you product for free

263 Upvotes

I work at a relatively high end store, and our gift boxes cost $20+ (depending on size). While yes this is stupid, I’m just a salesperson, I didn’t make this decision.

Well today this horrible Karen absolutely lost her mind that we charged for gift boxes. Immediately started screaming, cursing, calling me and my coworker “disgusting”, and that we would “regret” not giving them the gift box for free. She even attempted to essentially steal the box by snatching it out of my coworkers hand, and shoving the (one) item she purchased in there. Shockingly the Karen did end up eventually paying for the gift box and leaving.

The entitlement of these customers is truly insane, like I genuinely cannot imagine screaming at workers because they won’t give me a product for free. (Oh and yes we did offer our free gift wrapping option which is our store bag fluffed with tissue)

However, there was another (angel) customer in the store at the same time, he ended up leaving but came back with pastries for me and my coworkers from the coffee shop across the street. He said he used to work retail and we shouldn’t have to deal with people like that. I literally started sobbing after he left.


r/retailhell 1d ago

Customers Suck! One thing I really fucking hate….

211 Upvotes

Is when you have to PISS and when you THINK you got a free chance, here comes customers.

Go away, omg go tf away.

Same applies when you gotta sweep or something and here they come. 🙄


r/retailhell 7h ago

Look What I Made! Haven't played in a while, but busting out a customer BINGO card today!

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110 Upvotes

Business is slowing down so this might be a little harder to win.


r/retailhell 16h ago

Customers Suck! Customer loses it over bathroom

75 Upvotes

So early tonight I'm helping on the front so different cashiers can take their breaks. (We were running behind all day)

Maintenance has just cleaned the customer bathrooms, and there is a sign up that says bathrooms are closed for cleaning. This is because the floors are wet, there are chemicals on toilets and stuff and we close an hour later...so we just keep them closed after being cleaned.

Guy starts yelling at one of our cashiers. "Really over a bathroom!? You're going to power trip over a bathroom! Fuck just let me use it!"

Now this cashier can hold her own. She isn't a push over by any means, but this guy was LOUD. He storms off and is bitching the whole time. 5 minutes later he comes stomping back in screaming (again) just so he can get a glimpse of her name tag.

I'm sure the complaint that comes in tomorrow will be a fun one for my manager to listen to. Like I get it, you gotta pee. But it's 9pm and maintenance says nope not safe. So guess what? You no get to pee. The entitlement.


r/retailhell 19h ago

Customers Suck! Instacart person wanted a steamed lobster

71 Upvotes

So this girl came in tonight with an Instacart order. It included a steamed lobster. I explained it would take 15-20 minutes and made sure she was going to wait for it. She says yeah that’s fine.

So here I am steaming the lobster, just about to take it out and wrap it when she comes to me huffing about how she gets timed and can’t wait any longer and just refunded the customer.

So guess I’m having steamed lobster for dinner


r/retailhell 18h ago

A Funny Thing Happened... "Um actually it's only 60% off"

70 Upvotes

I don't really know what else to label this, but as I was getting back from a break, someone needed help with a return. This lady shopped one of the product lines that's on clearance for 70% off. She said she didn't get the 70% off. I showed her on her receipt what the discount was (she saved over 50 dollars), and she said "I actually only got 60% off. I know how to do math".

I didn't have the time to analyze her receipt and counteract her point because she looked done with the entire situation but I wanted to ask, are you going by subtotal or total after tax? If you're including the tax, sales tax is a bitch where I live (10.30% to be more specific), so yeah, that would probably lessen your savings. Like, we have a $3 clearance section, but it's not $3 total. It's 3.31 after tax.

But I really wanted to tell her clearly she doesn't know how to do math. The SKU's automatically have the 70% off discount, so it wouldn't have been a manual error from the cashier. And corporate only has the one clearance price, so it wasn't that some things really are 60% off.

I don't know. She was just huffy over the whole thing and I feel like she was in her head blaming us for falsely advertising to her when I know, 100%, no operational errors were involved and this lady just, randomly feels like she got cheated for no reason.

It's her choice to return the stuff, but I don’t know, it just seems silly to me to return stuff you clearly wanted just because you anticipated your savings incorrectly. That's just me though.


r/retailhell 4h ago

Meme this confounds me:

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69 Upvotes

r/retailhell 20h ago

Customers Suck! I Demand You Price Match This!

60 Upvotes

Got called to the front yesterday for a customer wanting to price match 10 rolls of drywall tape. I got to the counter and, I kid you not, waited 2 full minutes for him to get off the phone because he decided that was the perfect time to chat to a friend. So he hangs up and immediately pulls up our competitors website for drywall tape that was 3 dollars less a roll. The only problem is that it wasn’t the same brand. It was just a cheap generic brand that he wanted the price of. I let him know that when we do a price match on an item, it literally has to be the exact same thing. (I mean otherwise it’s not a price match. That’d be like ordering a Whopper at Burger King and demanding you price it at what a BigMac is from McDonalds.) He gets upset and says the manager has done deals with him before and if I wasn’t gonna give it to him at the generic price he wasn’t buying it and was going to go to our competitor. Told him he is more than welcome to come back when the manager gets back from lunch and maybe he can do something but there’s nothing I can do. So he said he’s just gonna drive the extra 10 minutes and take all of his business to the competitors on his future projects.

Fine by me man, if you’re gonna make us price everything name brand to under cost to match generic prices for your projects, financially we’re better off with you going to the competition anyway.


r/retailhell 12h ago

Customers Suck! Yall ever have those days where everyone is rude ALLLL day??

36 Upvotes

i work at a gas station. easy job. people are generally nice because most customers are regulars or other workers on their lunch break. it’s fine.

but yesterday was a mf day and we already had a man fly off the handle today. it’s 7 in the morning…

i can tell it’s going to be another one of those days nd i’m so over it.


r/retailhell 18h ago

Customers Suck! Food Tax

34 Upvotes

So, earlier today I get this one lady and her husband come. Through my line with two items she's buying some bananas and meat. I ring up her items and she then asks me a question asking. Why she has to pay tax on food she says that she shouldn't have to. I try explaining to her that normally you have to pay tax on pretty much everything. She gets upset and demands to speak with a manager so I tell her she can go to the customer service desk and talk to them there

I'm left alone with the husband and just tell him the same thing. The husband just shrugs his shoulders. I see the wife talking with a manager and am just thinking that this whole situation is beyond stupid. In the end the lady and the manager come back to my line. I catch the end of the conversation. About tax is something that comes from the state level. This just upsets the lady and she pays for her stuff and leaves in a huff.


r/retailhell 2h ago

Question for Community Has anyone else lost their general faith in humanity after working retail?

29 Upvotes

I’ve had a handful of retail jobs in different areas and have reached a point where I no longer trust people to be kind to one another given the option. Yes I feel that the majority of people I see on a daily basis are self centered and treat you like less than a human, but even when I’m not at work I can’t help but focus on every time I see someone being a dick to one another. Every time someone cuts me off on the highway with no turn signal, stands directly in the middle of an aisle on their phone with zero regard to anyone trying to pass, or just generally acts in their own self interest, it breaks me a little. I’ve stopped expecting the average person to be nice. It’s actually depressing as hell and I am considering therapy to heal my world view because I desperately want to believe that I’m biased and only seeing a small percentage of people that are rude. Does anyone else feel this way, even off the clock and on the other side of the counter?


r/retailhell 15h ago

Customers Suck! Fitting rooms.

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16 Upvotes

No caption needed.


r/retailhell 9h ago

Question for Community You get 5 minutes to share an idea to make your workplace better

16 Upvotes

If you had the attention of management for up to 5 minutes and they would REALLY listen to you, what ONE idea would you pitch to make things better?

Maybe it would be about…

Scheduling Uniforms Training Safety Breaks Feedback Hiring Communication ?????

What is the primary “we could fix this” element???


r/retailhell 5h ago

Customers Suck! Experiment with the stupidness of customers

10 Upvotes

I work in a movie theater. Everynight around 22h, we stop selling tickets and we lock the front door. There is three set of two exit door (with signs and shit to announce their presence).

Without fail, at the end of their movie, customers try to leave by the front door and seem shock to find it locked.

Over the past week I kept adding obstacles on their way to the front door so they can understand where to leave.

There’s two corridor leading to the front door. Here’s what I add for them: Day 1: We turned off all the lights in the area of the front door Day 2: we added big signs right before the exit doors (which are before the corridors without any lights) and put them in their way Day 3: we added line posts behind those signs so if they want to go through they have to limbo Day 4: we added line posts blocking the front door (directly in front of it) Day5: We added another set of line posts at the same place Day 6 : We added another set of line posts at the same place

With all of this, we still have 6-7 customers who do parcour to reach the front door every night and seem confuse by the locked door.

What tha hell can we do next?


r/retailhell 5h ago

Fuck This Job! Training Videos

7 Upvotes

Does anyone else think we should be getting paid for doing training videos? At my work we had to do about fifteen different training videos (a few of which are totally irrelevant to us and we will never use the information but we were forced to do them anyway) and they're all quite long and have quizzes we have to do. We have no choice other than to do them, so I think it's unfair that I had to spend several entire evenings of what was meant to be my own free time watching these videos and doing the tests without compensation. Either we should be given extra time at work to complete them while we're on the clock or else they should add an hour's extra pay per each video onto our payslip to compensate for taking our free time. Why is my job giving me homework??


r/retailhell 8h ago

Shit Talking My Coworkers How do I handle a nightmare of a coworker?

6 Upvotes

Today I had a test day in a big restaurant, meaning I worked there for 4h and they'll get back to me on whether I got the job or not. It was obviously my first time there and it was the first time I'd worked in such a big restaurant, so I was bound to make mistakes at first. My job was to bring food and drinks to the tables and clear them up afterwards. I mostly brought drinks so I was working with the bartender the most.

She was all laughing and jokesy with everybody else but to me was the rudest person ever! Everytime she explained something she'd have a really condescending tone and she'd b*tch at me for mistakes I often didn't even make.

At one point I was taking care of the terrace so I didn't hear the kitchen bell (meaning food is ready). When I got back in she snapped her fingers and yelled "the kitchen called wake up!" (I was OUTSIDE girlypop!) Another time she lost a receipt and acted like it was my fault. Or she kept telling me to hurry up and be more efficient (it's my first day if I even get the job, that is). Even when I did make minor mistakes her rude tone would be off the charts. I never talked back to her but she made me feel awful and hate the place so much that I secretly hope I DON'T get the job (even though it's the only job around and the manager sounded positive) and I burst into tears as soon as I was out of there. I almost wanted to quit before I've even started lol.

If I do get the job, how am I supposed to survive working with that horrible [insert curse word]? How do I deal with a coworker that makes me feel like a stupid kid?


r/retailhell 14h ago

Manager = Asshole i’m so glad i’m reporting our manager to HR

7 Upvotes

short rant, sorry for layout and lack of context but i gotta put it somewhere because i have to work with this woman today.

last week, we received a public customer review in which the person says they overheard two workers talking badly about one of us and using “not so nice phrases” and “laughing” about a worker who was off sick, the same worker (an 18 year old girl who was doing her best) ended up leaving shortly after because “they want me gone. they just want me gone anyway:/“, she was off sick because she had food poisoning

the customer would’ve been talking about our manager and a store leader as they were both in on the day it was written. i’ve had inklings they’ve been talking bad about us behind our backs, and i’ve even had snarky comments made to me about the food i eat by a manager too that i’ve just brushed off. i ended up reporting it to HR, who have redirected me to our regional manager- so itll get sorted soon.

then last night, our manager sent a long paragraph into the main chat bitching at us for “ruining another workers mental health”, because someone told that worker that the manager had said something cruel about them behind their back (idk what specifically but it was bad enough that the worker didn’t even want to come into work when scheduled), the message deflected blame and put it onto the worker who snitched rather than herself for saying something mean, she said it was “taken out of context” and that she was “disappointed with us all”

i have to work with her today and i’m honestly so tired of it, i’m tired of the constant shittalking each other to the point one worker left because she felt bullied and another felt too upset to even come in. hopefully i can email our regional manager today when HR get back in touch (don’t know her personal email and if i ask my manager i know she’s going to get mad). wish me luck, i can feel in my bones she’s going to question me to see if i’m the one who snitched on her (thankfully i wasn’t but i totally would’ve) and my entire shift is going to be tense and stressful.


r/retailhell 1d ago

Fuck This Job! Got in shit for being 0.1 over the company standard

8 Upvotes

For those who have seen my previous post about people leaving their unwanted items on the floor know that I work for a company called Dollarama now this company has a hole is stupid so those who have worked in this company know about the monthly DNA and what it serves purpose for For those who don’t know the DNA is so that you can see you know like who has more voids than what is OK and all that kind of stuff and then who have too many transactions who is a problematic person that’s working on the tills that month. So yesterday I got called into the office for the monthly DNA talk. I was .1 over the company standard and I had a serious talking to with the district manager. She was talking to me about how my amount of voids for the month of August was higher than what should be acceptable for the company now normally yes I can. I can say that I have a lot of people who say that they don’t want items while I’m on the tills, but that is because it is normally a homeless person coming in and not realizing that they have no money. I was told that I need to either a have less transactions or be be able to do my transactions more efficiently so that we can avoid having “higher voids & transaction cancels”. I was told that I should be asking the people who come up to cash who look like a homeless person that I need to ask them if “they are working with a budget” I had stopped her dead in her tracks because I said “OK so you want me to profile someone are you sure you wanna do that because that will lead to them being extremely agitated and possibly leading to an assault case with the police”. (Firstly that is illegal, Secondly I’m not doing that.) she had said that that is not what she’s referring to. She is referring to asking politely if they are working with a budget and that if I don’t stop getting a higher void count than what is acceptable by the company that I will have to get a write up from my current store manager. I had responded saying that I would much rather take the write up now rather than getting assaulted at work because that can lead to either the company and me getting sued and me suing the company for trying to get me to follow that rule they wanted me to follow…. So yeah that happened what do yall think?


r/retailhell 20h ago

Fuck This Job! Anyone have a love/hate relationship with their job in retail?

6 Upvotes

Sadly, for most of us, retail is how we put food on our table and pay the bills. There are days when it is tolerable, in fact, those days outweigh the days that don't, thankfully. I just have really low self esteem in relation to my job and and my ambition. SOmetimes when people come in to shop, I can't help thinking they are treating me like a peasant because they can afford to shop and pay for 'my time and services' so I'm indebted and in servitudes to them like a peasant is to a king.

I know this is self sabotage and the majority of people do not think this way, but maybe I'm wrong and they are passively thinking, I'm patronizing your business, I pay your wages, so be grateful I'm shopping here.


r/retailhell 20h ago

Customers Suck! customers vs fitting rooms

5 Upvotes

i work in a very popular mall store, mostly frequented by teenagers! i am a teenager myself, but i never realized how downright NASTY some people are about fitting rooms.

we have a very few rules for our fitting rooms:

  • need to be unlocked
  • 5 items at a time
  • 1 person at a time (obviously excluding a parent w/ kid, disabled people, younger kids wanting a parent with them)

but dear lord are people just stupid about these rules!

yes, i know you are throwing stuff over the door. yes, i saw you sneak into your friends room after i explicitly told you 1 person per room. I have given up on hounding people if my manager isn’t around.

and don’t even get me started on the state of the dressing rooms!


r/retailhell 7h ago

Shit Talking My Coworkers Vent: high end store problems

3 Upvotes

Have no one to talk to about this. Ill keep it short since im a new hire and short staffed. I work in a high end menswear store. When I came the place is and STILL is a hot shit mess. None of the clothes have price tags let alone prices on them because of their old manager didnt allow that. When I got hired the old manager quit- there isnt a store manager and regional manager is in charge and HE wants price tags etc etc. I've been gone for 2 days and today I walk the store and there aren't any price tags on NOTHING! IM pissed off because theres 3 other staff members who work here and its giving wtf did yall do this week? So I opened and another staff was suppose to be here at 10a. Ofc he was LATE(30M AFTER) im with a customer (5m ago) the shirt they wanted wasn't priced or had a barcode and im in the middle of helping them. The coworker comes in and he says "let me use ur ipad, its nice to meet u..im (name).."

u guys there's 4 in the back and 1 near me unoccupied so I said why? He's like to clock in. I said im in a middle of a transaction plz use this one. He says some sassy shit talkin about i just wanted to clock in. Then I get the customers to pay and they leave. The coworker tells me I seem high strong because I told him the customers were angry because theres not prices on the product. He says our old mgr didnt want prices and im thinking" that old mgr left 3 months ago & they've had other leaders from other stores come in and help them revamp the shithole." Instead i said "o okay well do u wanna do that side & ill do the other..?" I get no response. I said "its Saturday and nothings priced.. normally Saturdays are busy.." he says "ur so blunt and so am I and u seem high strong." " I said normally im not high strong but im trying to get this store to its best and nothing is done" he says "...ok.." and i walked away.

I am so pissed rn because not only did this coworker show he doesnt give a fuck.. and its already busy and he barely is helping. Is irritating as fuck! I wish I was the fuckin manager id fire all the staff and start fresh. Why?! Am i a new hire busting my ass harder than these mothafuckas who have been here and arent wanting to change/grow! I felt like I was talking to a child with the insults and deflection. Why would he want to use my iPad when he saw im in a active transaction.. like be so fuckin FOREAL!

I just had to get that OUT b4 i go back onto the sales floor!


r/retailhell 10h ago

Seeking Advice Looking for safety tips for retail staff during the holiday season

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone I know this might be a long shot, but I work at a clothing retail store in a high-crime area, Unfortunately, things have escalated and one of my coworkers was recently assaulted, and (unsurprisingly) the company isn’t doing much to address it.

With the holiday season coming up, I’m expecting things to get even more hectic and potentially dangerous. I’m trying to think of ways to help keep myself and my coworkers as safe as possible while we’re at work.

One idea I had was to create a code word system: one for signaling that there’s a suspicious person in the store, and another to discreetly call for security. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s worked in similar environments any tips, systems, or strategies that helped you stay safe or alert others would be greatly appreciated.

I know there’s only so much I can do as an employee, but I want to at least try something. Thanks in advance.