How To Shop (From A Retail Perspective)

If you've never worked retail in your life, you should. You'll learn a lot of great things, like basic manners and respect. For those of you that have worked retail before, you know the trouble we go to just to keep our cool when dealing with those customers.

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Honestly, I'm not sure how people are just so rude when they shop. Everything I list below is common courtesy. Regardless, here is the CORRECT way to shop in any store...

1. Put things where you got them, or hand them to an employee. You don't want it? Picked up the wrong thing? No problem. Put the item where you got it, or tell an employee you no longer want it. We know where it goes. It's such a bummer to think you're done and find a pile of clothing in the toy aisle. 
2. Pick up things you knock over. Don't leave that entire clothing rack on the floor. Don't kick it under the shelf. Seriously, it's right there. Pick it up. 
3. Notify someone of messes. We all drop things and they spill. It's actually very rare that any store has a "you break it, you buy it" policy. We will clean it up and damage it out, no problem. Just let us know so nobody slips and gets hurt when we are too busy to notice it ourselves. 
4. Don't argue over policies. If we make a mistake with pricing, that's fine. We will accommodate you. But if your coupon is expired, it's expired. If that brand is excluded, it just is. You can't always have your way, and there are rules for a reason.
5. It's probably not the cashier/associate/manager's fault. Sometimes our machines are slow or won't read your card. Sometimes the store is super busy and there are 5 people waiting for things before you. We are humans, we can only do so much. Sometimes we miss things or forget things. Sometimes technology doesn't work as it is supposed to. Don't get angry for things we cannot control. We are already stressed out enough as it is. 
6. Leave when the store closes. You would think this one is common sense. NOPE. If the music shuts off and the lights go out, chances are the store is closing. Hardly anybody in the store and the associates are up and down ladders? Probably closed. It's time to check out and head somewhere else. You wouldn't believe the people that ask when we close then stay another 30 minutes anyways. Or the people that ASK TO BE LET IN TO OUR LOCKED DOORS. And yeah, lots of stores are required to let you in. Which means we will be there an extra hour than we are scheduled, so we go over our hours, and we have to cut people other days, then you wait longer because nobody is there to help. See a pattern?
7. Don't shoplift then get mad at us for following you around. We are trained to spot you. We have cameras. We know what you are doing. Personally, if I know you are shoplifting, I will call over my other associates to follow you around. Then if you walk out with a bag of stolen items, we will take a picture of your car and license plate, then call you very rude names behind your back. And you absolutely deserve it. Just buy the things you want or go to goodwill. It's a horrible thing to steal. 
8. Don't leave your (empty or full) drinks/snacks on shelves. This one is so gross. We have trash cans. Use them. 

It's truly not difficult to respect retail associates. It makes everyone's life so much better. Just these few things will make a huge difference! Try them next time you go shopping!

xoxo, a.