#customer etiquette

[luffymonkey1227]

Guidelines to Being a Customer in 2025: Karen Behavior and Worker Harassment (Inspired by BlackbusterCritic)

Ah yes, the timeless spectacle of the “Karen” — you know, the customer who treats minimum wage workers like they’re auditioning for a lifetime sentence rather than just trying to pay rent and maybe afford a sandwich. By 2025, this behavior is still alive and thriving, now with extra digital flair. But here’s a newsflash: yelling at someone who scans your groceries or rings up your coffee isn’t…

Guidelines to Being a Customer in 2025: Karen Behavior and Worker Harassment (Inspired by BlackbusterCritic)

[talesfromthehotbox]

‘Come In, Come In!’

How Hospitality Can Cost Drivers’ Their Job.

We’ve all been there.  It’s a dark, rainy, miserable night and you decided to order some food.  The driver arrives and is standing on your front porch, only for you to realize that you don’t have the money ready and they are going to be stuck standing there, getting more and more soaked, with the cold wind freezing every inch of exposed skin.

You pull the door wide and say ‘Come in out of the rain!’ but the driver declines, saying that they’re fine.  They obviously aren’t fine, the weather is atrocious.  So why are they being rude and refusing your hospitality?

The answer, quite simply, is that they value their job.

Delivery drivers can have a pretty dangerous line of work.  People assume that they carry a lot of money and so they are frequent targets for robberies.  They also risk being attacked by angry customers who didn’t get their order delivered on time or with the extras that they ‘forgot’ to mention wanting when they ordered.  

The best way to lessen the risk?  Ensure that you are always in a publicly viewable place.  A front porch, driveway, or front lobby of a business are all easy to be seen by neighbors or passersby, which means that should something happen, help could be only seconds away, rather than never coming.

‘Oh, but I would never do that!’ you might think.  And it’s great that you wouldn’t.  But there is also another element of risk to a driver walking into a customer’s house.  The risk of damaging customer property, which the store becomes liable for.

Say the customer is an older person and their house is somewhat cluttered with all manner of precious knick-knacks.  What happens if a driver, often carrying a bulky heated bag, walks into their home and happens to bump a crystal vase, which topples and shatters?  Suddenly, the company that they drive for is liable for the cost of replacing the vase.

‘Oh, but I don’t have anything precious that could get broken!’ you protest.  That’s fine, but the driver is also concerned for your safety.  Even if they personally would never attack you, there is nothing to stop somebody less savoury from taking advantage of a delivery job to rob, maim, murder, or worse those customers who offer the driver to come inside.  And even if the driver didn’t actually do those things, what is to stop a customer hoping to get some cash from the company from claiming those things happened?

Drivers are not meant to enter the homes of their customers, for the safety of the driver, the customer, and the company.

So when you offer the driver a chance to come out of the rain and cold, but they turn you down, please don’t be offended.  They’re just looking out for everyone’s best interests.

[pluckedanarchist]

Basic Store Etiquette

As told by a cashier: -Greet when greeted, if you can. At least smile, again if you can. -Keep an eye on your kids. -Put anything you don't want back in its place, OR hand it to the cashier so it can be sent back. -Get off your phone at the register. -Ask before you get cash back if they have enough, ESPECIALLY at a small store. -Try not to open food or drinks before you pay for them. -Don't let your kids break things. Or at least pay for them. -If your child starts screaming, take them out of the store and calm them down. -Never ever go behind the registers. If you need something from back there, ask the cashier. -If you approach the register and don't see a cashier, just wait a few seconds. Set your things down on the counter. Chances are that noise will draw a cashier's attention. -Don't stand at the register and scream until we get up there. We're busy. -If you have a reusable bag, tell us before the transaction. -We are not your garbage collectors. Is there a trashcan outside? That's a public trash can, throw it away there. -If you see an employee that is obviously off duty, leave them alone. -If you have a question and the cashier is helping someone else, wait until they're finished. -Always hand your money to the cashier. This isn't a casino, stop putting it on the counter. -Don't throw money or product onto the counter. Just tossing it at us shows how little you think of us. -When you reach the store parking lot and are about to go inside, make sure you have at least two things: Your ID and a form of payment. -Make sure your ID is not expired! Especially if you are buying alcohol. -Don't give the cashier trouble if they card you. Most of the time it's not their choice. Other retail workers: feel free to add onto this list!

[customerserviceguru]

8 Ways To Be The Perfect Customer (And Happier, Too)

As consumers, we often don't realise that we're more responsible for our own happiness than we think. Follow these 8 tips for guaranteed good shopper-karma.

[greentaleteller]

About Being A Commissioner

I've commissioned a couple of people and sometimes they voice kind of... Fears, about doing commissions. So I thought I'd make this, just to collect some thoughts. These might be good things to have in mind when commissioning your favorite artist!

Know who you are commissioning. With this, I don't mean you should be their friend, that might make things both easier and harder. But, know what you are buying. Look at their style, think about what you want, and then decide. Don't go complaining about how they're not drawing something in a style you don't want. You choose to commission them, so you choose the style.

Art costs money. Because guess what, the artist has trained and put a lot of energy into learning how to draw those lines! You're paying for the fruit of a lot of hard work. So, please, don't complain about their prices, it's very rude to do so.

Know your limits when asking for things. As in, both your own and the artist's. Basically, be aware of what you're paying for, and then ask for it! Most often you get what you're paying for, but if you don't like the eyes for example, politely ask them to change them. It's as simple and complicated as that.

Accept that artists can be a little... Different. No artist is the same as the next one, because they're human and humans are unique. Some might be quicker than others, some less pleased with their work, and so on. It's like style, don't push them to be something they're not.

Have fun together! I swear, being in a stream where your commission is being streamed is awesome! It also makes you appreciate the art much more, so I highly recommend it. If the artists usually streams, I'm sure they can set up a personal stream or so for your commission.

While working as a florist I quickly learnt that nice customers are great customers! So I guess the last part is the most important one. Enjoy art, because art is great and should be appreciated.

Also, paying for art with serious prices helps the art industry. It's sad and bad how often artists are paid "with publicity"... Let's change that!

[catandmara-blog]

How to Be a Better Customer

Meanwhile, back at work...

Hostess: Hey, I just sat you a party of 12....

Me: Thanks! Why the strange look on your face?

Hostess: 10 of them are kids.

Look, I like kids (mostly). I don't have kids, and I'm sure when I do, maybe I'll take even more of a liking to them. But something I will not do, is take a small army of children under the age of six to a restaurant (unless there is some sort of plastic play pen or virus ridden ball pit in the vicinity).  If you are a parent who commands respect and quietly disciplines your child in a manner that is not disruptive to the strangers around you, then by all means, bring your polite, well behaved rugrats on in. But, if you allow your children to run amok around a crowded, busy restaurant you should really just hit the drive thru. My coworkers and I are not your babysitters; it is not our job to escort your budding explorer out of the back of the kitchen where he could fall prey to any of the dangers that lurk in a bustling professional kitchen.  And I wouldn't feel one ounce of sympathy if your snotty little kid (who refuses to say please or thank you, by the way) collided with my legs and a heap of molten hot sweet potato fries fell right on his rambunctious little head.  

I know it sounds harsh. But if your kids (and you, for that matter) are well behaved and polite, then I truly don't mind cleaning up all the food they threw on the floor, or that milkshake they spilled all over the chair or the twenty straws and heap of napkins they wasted by turning them into air blown projectiles.  After your family leaves, we have a lot of cleaning up to do. And we have to do it quickly, because there's a screaming baby on the wait list that needs that table so they can scribble all over it with mom's sharpie. 

If you bring your children to a restaurant, it is not OK to let them run all over the place like a bunch of wild monkeys. Oh, and PLEASE don't call me over insisting you're ready to order when you haven't even moved past deciding if little Timmy is going to drink milk or lemonade. I love you and sincerely appreciate the 15% you may or may not leave, but I've got shit to do. As soon as you're really ready, I'll be the first one there ready and smiling through all the spitballs being propelled in my direction.