Okay so just a little heads up:
If you work in retail, or somewhere else that require costumer service, please do not think that customers are being rude if they do not answer you.
That customer may have anxiety, selective mutism, or be autistic. They might not be able to talk or they may be too afraid to make small talk.
So please don’t call us assholes, shitheads, or bitches because we can’t make small talk at the counter. It’s probably not our fault.
honestly the original post pisses me off so much… like thanks for guilting people for potentially not being able to speak or hear lmao… it’s really a shitty sentiment and unnecessary. like there’s rude customers, but people aren’t rude for exising as selectively mute, autistic, or hoh/deaf.
Also like, I am pretty sure that many employees are required to say stuff or go through a certain script with their customers– maybe there are some employees that have social anxiety and worry that people who don’t engage with the provided scripts hate them, but my friends who work retail have also told me that being made to be ‘perky’ to . every single. customer. rather than trusting their own instincts, is also extremely stressful.
oh please, almost every customer i’ve gotten who ignores me at the register always finds their voice when they find something to complain about. you know, if they’re not ignoring me for a phone call about how they forgot to put on deodorant (yes, really), or because they won’t take their earbuds out long enough to complete a transaction. every customer i’ve gotten who can’t hear or speak has let me know at the start of the transaction. i have apd and i can barely hear all you assholes who mumble and whisper the answers i need to complete your transaction (and then bring the volume up to complain when i don’t get it right because i had to guess from context and body language), but literally no one in this thread is taking retail workers into account i guess
i also like how none of the responses above are from anyone actually working in retail, just—at best—someone with “friends in retail”
Y'all are assholes. In my expansive retail career I have seen dozens of people quit retail within hours of their first day because of the anxiety caused by assholes customers, the amount of times a manger had to talk someone down out of a panic attack in a store or a crying fit is a fuckin’ standard. The amount of kids who have social anxiety or whatever who had to be counseled by their coworkers, myself included, that no matter what the higher ups said, it doesn’t get better, customers are almost always and asshole and they shouldn’t risk their health for it. TLDR: Just say you an asshole and GO!
I have social anxiety and I worked for 2 years as a Bagger and Cashier at a grocery store. Sometimes it’s either thinking you’re an asshole or taking it personally and breaking down crying, which is incredibly embarrassing. Those who are anxious like me who didn’t want to talk usually gave me a smile to let me know they heard me and I usually understood. Those who didn’t speak English and couldn’t understand me would let me know. Disabled customers would also let me know. I can’t speak for autism. Your mental illness isn’t an excuse to be shitty. If you can’t even muster an acknowledgement that your heard me say “How was your day?” but can tell me if you want paper or plastic, you’re the asshole here.
