Retail Hell The Book

Random Act of Retail Kindness: Diner Customers buy prosthetic eye for waitress' daughter who survived cancer

Refreshing to hear a story about customers who care. Inspirational to us all. Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

Pig Season The Game

From Retail Hell Underground blogger Ana:

It’s Pig Season!

So why not start hunting. I keep hearing these wonderful things from Custys and Slaves alike, about how they are considerate cosumers, about how horrible and messy pigs are.

Well, my boyfriend and I invented a game, it’s called Pig Hunting.

We usually go to the town next to ours, where there is a huge Wal-Mart and Kohl’s and there we hunt pigs.

This game is simple.

You walk around looking for people making a mess, dropping hangers and clothing, leaving something where it doesn’t belong and you say, “Hey sir/ma’am you dropped this.”

Pick it up, insist that they dropped it.

When they give you a weird look, you say “Well that’s rude to leave a mess. Right honey? I don’t think I want to shop with pigs.”

Make sure to exaggerate your disgust.

Keep talking about how low class people who make messes are. If you aren’t too bad or loud or bothering other Retail Slaves, no one can really say anything, because you are a Custy as well and the Custy is always right.

(What happens where two customers fight? Which one is right?)

If they look abashed, or don’t really do anything, you say, “Well, aren’t you going to put it back?”

They are like dear little children.

It is time to hunt the pigs and make them clean up their messes.

We did it to this one woman who had her kids with her. The youngest, a boy, was a delight. The woman got all huffy and then her son said, “Mommy, you always tell me to not leave a mess.”

--Ana

 

Angel Spawn's Random Act of Retail Kindness

From Retail Hell Underground Blogger Spritzy:

The other day in line at the check-out I encountered a wonderful rarity, an Angel-Spawn.

Now we're all well aware of the Hell-Spawn who rip through the checkout candy, trample tabloids, and scream for every toy and treat on the shelf only to have their atrocious parental units pat them on the head and say there-there, don't worry...the little retail-slave-girl will clean up your mess.

Ugh.

But today was different, the customer in front of me had two children who were probably twins and couldn't be more than three. They stood next to her and didn't say a word, didn't grab for the chocolate, didn't whine or scream or cry.

Then the little girl noticed that there was a candy bar on the floor; now a Hell-Spawn probably would have stomped it or maybe even just opened it and started munching.

Not this little girl, she picked it up and looked carefully back and forth across the boxes of candy until she found it's correct spot and put it right where it belonged.

Her mom noticed her looking at the candy and told her not to touch anything and I told the mom that she was putting away one that fell on the floor and that she was a good kid.

Let's clone kids like these shall we?

--Spritzy

  

Sweet Custy Comes To Hell's Rescue

 From Grocery Girl on Retail Hell Underground:

Hi everyone! This is my very first posting, long time reader and such..

So here's the story it's short and sweet.  I sadly can't remember this customer by name, but I will always remember her face and kindness.

I work at a grocery store (two films were filmed here :) by a certain pair of brothers.), and I've been there for about 8 years now, I'm also in college.

But anywho this happened about....2-3 years ago... it was super packed and we have old...old registers that would either freeze or fry and everything in between because they do not want to put in the effort of rebuilding the front and have working or new anything.

Most of our things were second hand...or from the early 90's....so you can see we usually have a lot of issues with the computers. It's also very easy for the store to get busy, we have 4 registers (which only 3 would be open to ring and express was strictly for lottery purchases, it's annoying and we're a small store.

On this day two very rude and severely annoyed sisters just couldn't understand how it was busy and thought that they should be helped first and foremost.

As it came to the time that it was their turn.....my register froze....

They started berating me on my customer service skills and didn't accept my apology or explanation of the situation.

It took only a minute to restart but when its busy it seems like half an hour X_x.

They started cussing me out!

And I was still a bit of a newbie at cashiering and still shy so I just took it.

Then the woman behind them spoke up.

"Don't you dare talk to her that way! It's not her fault that the computer isn't working! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

They muttered something along the lines of "we weren't talking to you" as I finished their groceries and they left.

I was in absolute shock and as I was talking to the woman and telling her she really didn't have to do it she tell me "Oh no no no! They had no right to talk to you like that! You are a sweet girl and didn't deserve that! You have always been sweet to me and the other customers. I like coming here!" 

Among many other things she said...but to continue with the story, I saw her at a local artist auction my friend >Ratchet the Barista Girl was featured in ((  HII!!!  :D  )) and we chatted and would chat every time I see her, she even said that herself, my husband and I should hang out some day.

She really is the sweetest lady I've EVER met. 

--Grocery Girl

 

  

Amazing Random Act of Retail Kindness

Sent in from SJ:

I just had to share my Random Act of Retail Kindness that occurred yesterday during return hell.

This woman was returning something and didn't have a receipt.

Our policy states that you can only get a gift card for the lowest amount it has been at in the last 90 days without the card you purchased with it or the receipt.

The woman didn't have a problem with only getting 9.99 back, but she didn't want it as a receipt.

So, as I'm calling the manager she's working herself up to a fit.

I'd already had 6 people flip out on me that day and it was only 3 hours into my shift with 6 more hours to go so I said "Lady, calm down. I'm trying to work this out for you."

The guy behind her asks "How much was the gift card for?"

I informed him and he said "Why don't I just give her $10 and use the gift card towards my purchase?"

I looked at the lady to make sure she wasn't going to start screaming and then thanked him profusely.

After she left he said "I could tell she was going to make a scene and hold up the line, so I figured it didn't really make a difference."

I continued to thank him during the sale, and I could tell everyone else in the line was grateful too.

It's nice to know that not everyone is an ass hole like the other people who I wanted to strangle yesterday.

I just hope return hell ends soon.

Walking into work and finding the cash wrap covered in piles of clothing gives me a headache.