The customers are always right.
Unless, of course, they are completely wrong.
Who would have thought that retail worker abuse would be a thing?
I guess anything and everything is possible in 2020.
The topic for this column came from numerous conversations with various friends working in the retail sector who report incredible stories of name-calling and bullying. This is happening to both women and men. The offenders are of all ages. It is all related to pandemic guidelines.
Every single one said it's not the job that is exhausting them, but rather the stress of wondering who they will come in contact with and what kinds of situations they may have to face in the day.
Think about that for a minute.
You are doing your job, as usual, but now add it a slew of new rules and regulations, cleaning protocols and added responsibilities all while also worrying about your own state of health and that of your families at home.
None of this is in the power of the employee. The guidelines come from either the province, the local health unit and/or your employer.
So, why are some people lashing out at the service workers?
I guess because they think they can.
I truly don’t understand it.
Personally, I have been going out of my way to be more patient and more helpful to the workers assisting me at any store or restaurant. I make it a point to thank them for the extra cleaning. I think how tedious and tiring it must be to stand at the door all day disinfecting shopping carts or directing people to sanitizer or counting customers for entry. I appreciate them.
Same with the required rules. Just follow them. What's the big deal?
Remember, if you don’t wear a mask and the store is reported for non-compliance, it is the store owner who is fined.
The directional arrows took a bit of getting used to, but it is no big inconvenience. I find now I look for them. Without them, I just wander aimlessly.
Sometimes, you wait in line for entry. It usually moves pretty fast. You don’t want to wait? Then come at a different time or go to a different store.
Companies have bent over backwards to offer delivery or someone to shop for you. There are lots of options.
There’s no reason to huff and puff and loudly express your impatience.
People being what we are there are always days of intolerance where you feel the need for a heavy sigh or an eyeroll, but yelling, finger-pointing or cursing is not OK.
Retail workers have told me they have been hollered at and sworn at (with names not fit to be printed here) because shoppers were asked to sanitize and keep their masks on while shopping.
In malls, customers are asked to use the hand sanitizer before entering each store. The staff gets static.
“I just sanitized at the last store,” customers say.
As one employee told me: “That’s fine, but in the time you walked from one store to the next did you dig through your purse or wallet, blow your nose, touch a railing, hold your child’s hand, or look at your phone?”
There was one story of a father-and-son duo who repeatedly refused to wear their masks properly (over the nose) during a shopping spree. After repeatedly being asked to keep the masks on the entire time, the incident escalated to the pair getting in the employee’s face screaming obscenities.
Their justification was there were no other customers in the store.
No, but there were sales staff working who would prefer to not take germs home to their family.
There’s even a name for these people: Covidiots.
Why would people act like this?
It is likely because they are exhausted, scared, financially strapped, sad, and worried about the future.
Tough!
Those are not excuses for verbal or physical abuse. Full stop.
I hope, in most cases, management stands behind its employees and allows them to handle difficult situations the best way they see fit. If they need to refuse service or call security, then so be it.
Of course, most customers are just following the rules and doing so with a smile, but this column is about those who are not.
I saw a sign at a grocery store recently: “If you think you have a better way for us to do business, please do not tell the cashiers, but rather call head office and offer your ideas.”
There have been stories of employees breaking down at the end of a shift and driving home in tears after having dealt with too much negativity.
Let’s all just take a pause. Customer service should not come at such a cost.
