Most people have worked in a shop at some point in their lives, and as such will be aware of just how annoying certain customers can be. We’ve all been to shops before, and as such are well aware of the many legitimate problems that can be encountered before, after or during a purchase. However, there are also a number of different ways that such problems can be dealt with, ways that don’t end up driving the sales assistant that’s trying to help you up the wall. Here are a few of some of the most annoying (not that I’m taking any of these from personal experience, of course; rest assured I always acted in a correct and polite manner, and as such no compensation to disgruntled customers was required).
Not using their eyes
In some shops, certain things are admittedly rather difficult to find. However, there is always one customer who seemingly isn’t capable of using the signs that are almost always dotted throughout the aisles or indeed their eyes in general. You tend to be pounced when you’re in the middle of doing something else, and of course what they want must always be located with the utmost urgency. The kicker? Upon showing them where they should have been looking, they usually exclaim “I was just looking there!” or, worse still, cut you off halfway and insist rather tetchily “I already looked there.”
Trying it on
This is one of the cheekier - but still incredibly irritating - tactics employed by customers in order to try and get their own way. They’ll either be a somewhat suspect coupon or a dubious returns request which you’re pretty sure won’t fly. After you tell them as much, however politely, they either try and wheedle you round or, if that fails, kick off and attempt to get you to call the manager. Sadly, if called they often have to let the customer get their way or risk them causing an even bigger scene.
Being rude
There’s really no excuse for this one (and hopefully you are not guilty of it yourself either as a customer or, as hard as it is sometimes, a sales assistant). Just because they don’t get what they want ASAP or otherwise something isn’t quite to their satisfaction, they end up taking it out on you. The best way to deal with this one is to stay as calm and collected as possible and seek advice from a more senior member of staff if you can’t sort it out yourself; it’s not worth losing your temper simply because they have.