MYSELF COLUMN: She's got the retail store shopping cart blues
By Erin Peters
I work in a retail store. I happen to love my job, but there are times that I don’t. If I ever hate my job, the odds are that it has something to do with the customers. You see, I usually work toward the front of the store, which means that usually throughout my work day I must go to a register and check customers out.
This requires smiling, suggestive selling, and bagging their items.
Usually, due to my personality, I am excited about my job. I like talking and meeting new people and working a cash register is a wonderful opportunity to mingle. I try very hard to distinguish myself from other employees in the industry by providing the best customer service I can.
At the same time, I am open to victimization. I have had dissastified customers yell at me, insult me, embarrass me, and on occasion throw merchandise at me. The problem with working where there is a steady flow of customers is that you are an immovable and sure target for them to relieve their frustrations.
However, the biggest problem I have with customers is when they don’t put their shopping carts or baskets away. Often a customer who wants to parade his or her superiority will take the shopping bags and leave the cart at the register or the basket on the counter, creating an obstacle for other customers. While it is part of my job description to make sure that carts and baskets left aside do not prevent hazards to other people, it pisses me off that someone will go through the trouble of getting a cart, and walking it all over the store, but won’twalk it back to where it came from.
Some shopping carts and baskets are left out of laziness, rudeness, and haughtiness. Customers either don’t want to put the effort forth, want to emphasize their displeasure with their shopping experience, or think it is above them to do what someone else is getting paid for.
Customers have the right to leave their carts or baskets anywhere they please; however, I find it very disrespectful when a customer purposefully does it to create more work for me.
When I am at work, I am not supposed to be lazy, rude, or haughty. I do my best to deliver quality customer satisfaction, because without that I am just another flake trying to pay bills. Even though I ring up customers who spend thousands of dollars, I am constantly realizing that the ability to spend money means nothing because the better people I have met in this world put their own shopping carts and baskets away when they are finished.