Customers sometimes make service workers angry by intentionally or non-intentionally doing one of the following pet peeves in their job. Are you one of these people? As a consumer, you might be doing one of these annoying things that make workers cringe without you realizing it.
1. MONEY ON THE COUNTER
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Most cashiers find people who place the money on the counter instead of handing it in as extremely rude. If you are paying with cash, cashiers will appreciate you if you give the money to them in their hands.
2. PAYING WITH ONLY COINS
People paying $20 in pennies are no myth according to retail cashiers. They say customers will purchase items using only coins and get frustrated when the cashiers take their time counting the money. If paying with coins, be patient and wait for your cashier to finish counting.
3. INDECISIVE CUSTOMERS
This is a common complaint among retail and restaurants workers. At a restaurant some diners are eager to place their order as soon as they walk in and make the server wait while they run through different options on the menu. Relax, invite the server to come back in a few minutes, then take a moment to look at the menu and order when you are ready.
4. LAST MINUTE CLIENTS
One of the worst things a customer can do is show up five minutes before closing time to order food. By that time, workers usually have already cleaned the kitchen and when people order last minute, they have to clean everything all over again. In regards to dine-in, workers have to stay an extra two hours for the clients to leave and clean after them.
5. “LOOK IT UP IN THE SYSTEM” or “GO CHECK IN THE BACK”
The response of these phrases will automatically make cashiers angry if they explained to the customer their food order was not placed correctly or if the product they are trying to buy is out of existence.
If an order was not placed correctly, the order will not be “in the system.” If a certain size is not available in the clearance section, more likely there won’t be one in “the back.”
6. UNSUPERVISED CHILDREN
Although it is in children’s nature to be energetic and loud, workers find parents who make no effort to control their kids to be extremely frustrating. In retail, kids will be running across the aisles bumping into workers and pulling down clothes and parents won’t even apologize. A simple “sorry” goes a long way.
7. ROLLED UP BILLS
Similar to paying with a thousand pennies, and placing the payment on the counter, paying with rolled up bills is a hassle during rush hour. If you are waiting in line, and your bills are rolled up, please take a moment to unfold them so it is faster for the cashiers to finish with your purchase and move onto the next customer.
8. EXPIRED COUPONS
Believe it or not, people do try to pay with expired coupons. In some cases, cashiers said customers really did not notice the coupons were expired and feel embarrassed and apologize. However, in other cases, clients get angry when the cashiers refuse to accept the expired coupons. The advice is to check your coupons in advance to avoid making a scene at the store.
People who work in the customer service industry often get paid minimum-wage. Some are students working a part-time job to help with tuition expenses and others are just trying to make a living.
These workers are human, just like any other person working any other job. Always remember to be kind, and to treat others the way you would want to be treated.
