CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Friday, November 10, 2006

An Open letter to customers of ___ ____ in __________.

(I wont actually mention the store name or location......I do like having a job!)

After dealing with your charming selves for nearly a year, I feel it is time to mention a couple of things.

First off, just because I work behind a till does not make me an idiot. I work in a shop, this is true, but it is my CHOICE, not because I am too stupid to work anywhere else. I am intelligent and capable, and 9 times out of 10, I generally have a higher IQ then you. The action of working behind a till makes me in no way inferior to you, and there is no reason to doubt that I am able to speak coherently or keep up with current events.

There is no reason to look at me in shock when I say something like 'Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening', it's just plain good manners, its not special treatment, its not because I am attracted to you, it is simply because I have manners and use them. It worries me that you find this so surprising. Looking at me like I've grown an extra head, or, my current favorite, looking up and saying 'WHAT?' is not necessary. Just because I am able to pay attention to you as I serve you, whilst you are oblivious to my existence is no excuse for being rude.

I do not appreciate trying to serve you your goods while you are chatting away on your mobile phone. Again, we are back to basic manners. How am I supposed to be able to ask you for the money you owe for your goods while you are busy making up with your girlfriend?

Also, if I ask you if you require anything else, I am generally referring to the tobacco products that are behind the till. I do not expect you to say......'yes, butter.' and then head down to the other end of the shop while other customers are waiting for you to come back just for butter. This is also bad manners! And by asking if you want to purchase anything else, I am, again, not signaling that I am attracted to you, but asking politely if you need anything else. Therefore, when you ignore me, and then 2 minutes later come back and say 'oh....I need (insert product here)', it makes me just a little cross. I understand that you don't really see me, that I am just white noise to you, but manners people, MANNERS.

If you have a problem with a member of staff, there is no reason to come and find me and tell me about it incessantly. For a start, you likely treated him with as much disrespect and indifference as you do me, and secondly, if you have a complaint, talk to management. Why you seem to expect me to send him home and run the shop on my own is beyond me. There is nothing I can do, expect waste 10 minutes of my shift listen to you repeat yourself.

When you are drunk, it is in no way amusing to see you come in, walk to a section of the store that I have actually faced up and start rearranging stock. You may think your funny, but your not, and I think its possible you have this problem in a lot of areas of your life.

Asking me if I would let you 'make love to me', 'take me home and **** me senseless', or 'bend over again so I can see your bum' in no way makes me think better of you. If I was interested in you, I would display this in some other way than asking you to leave the store. I am not at work for your amusement, or for you to hit on. Can I make this any clearer?

As for my collar. It is discreet. Most of the time, the buckle is tucked under my hair so it just looks like a chocker anyway. It is a symbol of the fact that I am comfortable with, and proud of, who and what I am. There is no reason to assume that it means I am either easy or 'making a statement'. Nor am I rebelling in anyway. It is not a 'phase', or just decoration. It is personal to me, and while I am happy to explain its symbolism to you, its impolite to ask. I don't ask you why you wear the absurd clothes that you do, or the ridiculous jewelry. At least mine is just plain black.

And finally, when I tell you something that you don't want to hear, for example, that we don't have any carrier bags, or that you can only purchase Lottery products with cash, I AM NOT LYING TO YOU. Why would I be lying about carrier bags? With all the effort I put in to be pleasant and polite, what makes you think that the words 'I'm very sorry but we are out of carrier bags' is actually me telling you that I am hiding them behind the till/out the back/up my ass. I am not trying to inconvenience you, I am letting you know something that is fact. There is no reason to lean over the till, into my personal space to check whether there are any bags there. And as for Lottery products, for as long as I have worked in retail, (6 years or so) LOTTERY HAS ALWAYS BEEN PAID FOR WITH CASH. It is store policy, and always has been. I am not denying you the right to a ticket or scratchcard, and I am not doing it for my own amusement. It is the way it always has been, and its just the way it is.

Oh, and one thing I forgot...

THE EGGS ARE IN THE MIDDLE AISLE, AT THE END, ON THE LEFT HAND TOP SHELF.

Your long suffering, friendly shop-girl.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

*much clapping* Well said! And...eggs are just invisible to customers.

Graeme said...

I am absolutley loving this. How fantastic is that? I salute you. If only we could print that off and send it out too all the customers in *** **** **********.

Of course, we could just printi it off ans stick it on the notice board alng with the letter from the little old lady....lol.