Your worst experience in a retail envoirment,

wmpdd3

ps3man wrote: »

this thread seems to have died off, my worst retail experience now is the recession, i work in retail which is suffering and as a result im not gettin many hours, however none of the managers are gettin wage or hour cuts, all the part time staff are being nailed terribly and when they give us these awful shifts, 3hour shifts id say i wont do it because it nearly isnt work going all the way to grafton street for 3hours, im then told if i dont do it to p**s off elsewhere, in my opinion its blackmail

If staff's hours are cut the managers have to do the work as well as their own, roll on the 55hr weeks, all for no extra money as your 'salaried'......

On the other hand it stinks when staff that used to be on higher hours get stung when their hours are cut but they still do 5 days and can't claim on x and os

taram

wmpdd3 wrote: »

If staff's hours are cut the managers have to do the work as well as their own, roll on the 55hr weeks, all for no extra money as your 'salaried'......

On the other hand it stinks when staff that used to be on higher hours get stung when their hours are cut but they still do 5 days and can't claim on x and os

Where I work the managers frequently leave early, and just get senior staff to do the floor managing and merchandising since it's quiet some shifts at the moment and they sit inside in the canteen chatting :rolleyes:

But yeah, used to be on 30hours/week, now am on 15 hours, so 3 hours/day also means my day is wrecked spending nearly an hour getting there and back.

In terms of fitting things we're allowed bring three pairs to the floor at once, the amount of people who shout and swear at me when I refuse to bring them the 8 or 9 pairs they want is unreal. It's one thing with clothes that you can try on a few bits at once for an outfit, you cannot try on 8 pairs of shoes at once!! :mad: And ofc, those same people always leave the shoes on the floor for others to fall over :P

ps3man

wmpdd3 wrote: »

If staff's hours are cut the managers have to do the work as well as their own, roll on the 55hr weeks, all for no extra money as your 'salaried'......

On the other hand it stinks when staff that used to be on higher hours get stung when their hours are cut but they still do 5 days and can't claim on x and os

No they have the same hours however they also have a new reward scheme if targets are met (managers only) to encourage them to encourage us, no incentive for normal staff if targets are met

James Howlett

Unfortunately working in Retail is horrible.
Customers just have no respect for the the staff trying to help them.

I could give so many examples of customers being completely in the wrong and not having the common sense to cop on but I would only be repeating most of what has been said here already.

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned but another problem retail staff have to deal with is management. I'm fortunate in that most of the management staff I have worked with over the years have been sound but when you have to work with an asshole, you work with a complete asshole. The problem here lies in the fact that in most retail jobs its very hard to sign your name to work that you have done.

To cite one example; A regional manager was due to visit a shop. The Team Leader was to meet the Regional Manager and do a "walk-around" of the shop. The Team Leader screamed and shouted at the staff all day to "motivate" them to get the place perfect while she, well "she" was more of an "it" but thats another story, simply stood around drinking coffee all day. Eventually the Regional Manager comes for his walk around and you can clearly hear the Team Leader taking credit for physical work that has been done, or claiming credit for instigating new initiatives and yes if something was wrong she was only to quick to name and shame the quickest staff member she could think of.

But wait surely any member of staff could approach the regional manager and be listened to? Surely upper management have respect for their co-workers? Like I said; Retail is horrible.

wmpdd3

ps3man wrote: »

No they have the same hours however they also have a new reward scheme if targets are met (managers only) to encourage them to encourage us, no incentive for normal staff if targets are met

OK I can start Monday what's involved.

What ever sector your in must be bucking the trend as I haven't heard of a reward anything in atleast 10months.

More like your lucky to have a job etc. etc.

Does anybody work in a retail job where their workmates have been left go?
Not just temps or probation staff but actual redundancies?

deepriver

yup

ps3man

wmpdd3 wrote: »

OK I can start Monday what's involved.

What ever sector your in must be bucking the trend as I haven't heard of a reward anything in atleast 10months.

More like your lucky to have a job etc. etc. quote]


i still apprecitae i have a job i just dont agree that we are the people making the money and they get the rewards, there only way of motivating us is by writing our names on a white board telling us to work harder with a caption underneath it saying if not we dont need you here (your gone) we working our a** of for these people and they reap the rewards

Nightwish

I spent the best part of 7 years in retail. Its a pretty thankless job. I did enjoy some social aspect to it, but once the Christmas rush kicked in, it was a nightmare for about 2 months every year.
My worst experience was working behind the counter of a well known UK retailer. It was December and the queues in the shop were out the door. One woman got so irate she shouted the most obscene abuse to me. Called me a retard, incompetent monkey and a stupid fu<king b!tch. I had taken quite a bit of abuse during the day and this woman was so loud and shrill, everyone in the shop went silent and stared. I stood there and burst into tears and ran off. I am quite embarrased looking back at it, but the manager came out, and kicked the woman out and barred her.

taram

wmpdd3 wrote: »

OK I can start Monday what's involved.

What ever sector your in must be bucking the trend as I haven't heard of a reward anything in atleast 10months.

More like your lucky to have a job etc. etc.

Does anybody work in a retail job where their workmates have been left go?
Not just temps or probation staff but actual redundancies?

I work in a department store, and have had two reward payments of about 120 euro in total in the last 3 months, and there's another reward scheme going on right now. This is for everyone, not just managment. Which is another problem, if person X who works full weeks gets the targets, but person Y doesn't and only work 4 hours on a sunday, they just split the pot evenly anyway. Seriously depressing, why bother so?

dh0661

taram wrote: »

I work in a department store, and have had two reward payments of about 120 euro in total in the last 3 months, and there's another reward scheme going on right now. This is for everyone, not just managment. Which is another problem, if person X who works full weeks gets the targets, but person Y doesn't and only work 4 hours on a sunday, they just split the pot evenly anyway. Seriously depressing, why bother so?

I presume that these reward payments are taxable, beware that these payments will not bring you over any tax thresholds.

You do not want to be earning less paying extra tax or losing any benefits you are entitled to.

bandraoi

midlandsmissus wrote: »

Same with trying on clothes. I used to put clothes back on hangers and the assistant would ALWAYS take them off and put them back on the correct way. Especially trousers where they have that weird way of creasing them. So I stopped putting them on the hangers and just handed them to her with the hangers. She looked at me like I was a murderer and i was like 'for god sake its never up to your standards when i put them on anyway!!!'

As a normal, non-retail worker shopper, this is exactly the conclusion I came to.

I can never get most clothes back on the hanger as they're presented in the shop. If I hang a skirt it's off centre, shirts end up skewed, trousers not a hope, jumpers I can probably manage just about.

Even when they are presentable looking, shop assistants have to check them for damage at least a little. No rips, no buttons missing, no make up, no faeces :eek:!

I don't think I've ever observed an item of clothing not being taken off the hangar and put back on it before being brought out to the shop. To make your lives easier I don't put it on the hanger in the first place. It's less work if you just have to put the clothing on the hanger.

ps3man

bandraoi wrote: »

As a normal, non-retail worker shopper, this is exactly the conclusion I came to.

I can never get most clothes back on the hanger as they're presented in the shop. If I hang a skirt it's off centre, shirts end up skewed, trousers not a hope, jumpers I can probably manage just about.

Even when they are presentable looking, shop assistants have to check them for damage at least a little. No rips, no buttons missing, no make up, no faeces :eek:!

I don't think I've ever observed an item of clothing not being taken off the hangar and put back on it before being brought out to the shop. To make your lives easier I don't put it on the hanger in the first place. It's less work if you just have to put the clothing on the hanger.

So just leave it in a bundle on the ground,hanging clothes isnt complicated, il take a pic of what happens on a sat afternoon in our fitting room to illustrate the point of why retail staff are furious with the public, another thing people wandering around after the shop has been closed, pi#$ off ,missed so many buses home cause i cant close the shop because people dont get the message. Had a lady who just ignored everyone in the shop asking her nicely to leave, we close at 6.30, she left at6.58, unreal and she didnt buy anything

sdanseo

Was working in a shop, long-term staff. There was one or two people I didn't get on with, the odd spat but nothing out of the ordinary. Anyway, one of these spats ended up in an argument (which the public may have seen part of) and I was interrupted by, and shouted at, a supervisor who really has very little power at all. But the power-hungry tool said he was "sick of it" and that this would apparently be my last week in the place. Needless to say I worked there for another yera

Still get on all right with all of them thank feck, because it's a local place but it was scary given my age (18) at the time. Threat of being sacked, however unrealistic, that early on makes you change your tune. :P

razorblunt

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

I don't care if people put clothes where they don't belong, as long as fifty other people don't follow the example, or if it happens at closing time and we were otherwise prepared to go if everything else was done. Understandable, but annoying.

- People complaining about needing tags for a fitting room 'This is ridiculous!!' etc..sorry WHAT every other shop does this too!!
- Complaining about the (generous) 6 item limit. 'So I have to swap items over OMG', they never have 7/8 items either, it's always the people with 10/12...you were obviously going to hit a limit somewhere!
- Being handed 6 items in a ball followed by 6 hangers. I understand about side-hanging trousers being an insider skill, but common sense indicates that the front of the top corresponds with the size/store name of the hanger. Especially annoying with people who were in there for hours, clearly not in a rush!
- 'I left the tag in the changing room'- Can you go and get it please? 'SIGH! Fine!' etc. People are blind to the massive queues and amount of clothes I have to deal with, I don't have time to personally fetch their tags for them.
- 'I left the clothes in the changing room, here's the tag' Thanks for that absolute defeat of purpose, kindly get your clothes.
- I'm well aware there may be as few as 1 members of staff on the large floor but I cannot go to the stockroom for you and leave the fitting room, stop making a scene
- No men in the ladieswear fitting rooms! 'But..my wife' 'But I want to see' and lots of baffled looks and downright angry people.
- No you cannot try on briefs, you can only try on swimwear and magic knicker types. People get really angry about this one, and fail to understand why we don't have the policy other more upmarket places do of letting you try them on over your clothes. We're not upmarket and we've no way of eww judging if that's what you've done. They're €1.50 take a chance and buy them!
- We have to close the fitting rooms 15 minutes before the store does. For staff reasons, health and safety (the lights go off automatically) and because there's several rails of returns to go back out and customer service returns are still beign dealt with. It's just rude to try clothes on at that time.

The fitting rooms are far worse than the tills or the floor for general rudeness and angry, ignorant customers..

I worked in retail for 8 long years and I never understood that rule its completely sexist in my opinion, women expect to walk into the mens changing rooms with their husband but men aren't allowed in with their wifes. The only fitting room I was left into was Monsoon with my girlfriend, its a joke, either leave none in to each or all in.

Corruptedmorals

Yeah it should probably be the rule for each for the sake of fairness. But it's Dunnes, lots of little old ladies who'd be uncomfortable ha.

johndaman66

Ok, worked in a Centra grocery shop to get myself through college. To be fair apart from robbing the customers would generally be ok to the staff apart from the odd contrary one. One old lady in particular I'll never forget.

She came up to the counter with 2 irish independant's and 2 1lb blocks of kerrygold butter. She siad she wanted to pay for each separately as in 1 newspaper and 1lb of butter which was fair enough. She gave me one block of butter and and a newspaper which I scanned and charged her for. So I went to take the second lot, scanned em and asked her for same amount to which she said she already paid...Oh ok my misunderstanding you previously paid another till operator for the other lot. No she replies I just paid you. For only one lot though I say. She was full sure in her own mind she had paid me for both. No matter how hard I tried to convince her she couldn't understand she had to pay me again for second lot. In the meantime the queue was building right up behind her. Eventually with me trying to explain my case she half heartdly paid for the second lot. The chap behind her was getting a good laugh out of it and said something like oh my god you were up against it there to me.

Some people genuinley be away with the fairies

Scarinae

I worked part time for six months in a clothes shop in Bray. It got to the stage where I had absolutely no respect for the managers, they were the most penny-pinching people I have ever met in my life and I am certain that some of the stuff they did was illegal. For example, if a top was €21.99 usually, when the sales were on it would suddenly get a massive sale tag saying €22 on it. One time a woman returned a pair of jeans because the seam on the inside of one leg was wonky and was sitting funny, she got a full refund because the item was faulty, however once she had left one of the managers shoved the jeans into my arms and told me to put a price tag on them and put them back out on the shop floor. I was quite surprised, and said "But the seam is wonky!" and he was like "Ah, the next person probably won't bother returning them"

Horrible customers I can deal with to an extent, and I do sympathise with some of the horror stories in this thread, but horrible management has to be one of the most soul-crushing things there is

Joey the lips

Fishie wrote: »

I worked part time for six months in a clothes shop in Bray. It got to the stage where I had absolutely no respect for the managers, they were the most penny-pinching people I have ever met in my life and I am certain that some of the stuff they did was illegal. For example, if a top was €21.99 usually, when the sales were on it would suddenly get a massive sale tag saying €22 on it. One time a woman returned a pair of jeans because the seam on the inside of one leg was wonky and was sitting funny, she got a full refund because the item was faulty, however once she had left one of the managers shoved the jeans into my arms and told me to put a price tag on them and put them back out on the shop floor. I was quite surprised, and said "But the seam is wonky!" and he was like "Ah, the next person probably won't bother returning them"

Horrible customers I can deal with to an extent, and I do sympathise with some of the horror stories in this thread, but horrible management has to be one of the most soul-crushing things there is

None of those practices are Illegal. Sorry!

johndaman66

Joey the lips wrote: »

None of those practices are Illegal. Sorry!

I beg to differ. Knowingly selling faulty goods most certainly is illegal

Joey the lips

johndaman66 wrote: »

I beg to differ. Knowingly selling faulty goods most certainly is illegal

You beg all you want! quality under the trade descriptions act is defined as "Fit for purpose or suitability" in other words if it works its fine! The poster says the seam was "wonky and was sitting funny" I am assumeing it works fine in replying as if it was visable that it was bust it is fraud and this is an alligation!

Phone the consumer association if you dont believe me! I guarantee you will get this response.

Although the poster above is right the manufacturer usually takes it back

johndaman66

Joey the lips wrote: »

You beg all you want! quality under the trade descriptions act is defined as "Fit for purpose or suitability" in other words if it works its fine! The poster says the seam was "wonky and was sitting funny" I am assumeing it works fine in replying as if it was visable that it was bust it is fraud and this is an alligation!

Phone the consumer association if you dont believe me! I guarantee you will get this response.

Although the poster above is right the manufacturer usually takes it back

Hang on one moment. The Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980 provides for recourse to the consumer under the following criteria (amongst other): -

1) Of merchantable quality - the goods must be of an acceptable standard
2) Fit for intended purpose - be fit for the purpose they were bought for.

Now in particular under the item I've marked 1 and given that Fishie said and I quote "the item was faulty" the consumer would be entitled to redress in this situation.

Your assumption that it worked fine may well be an incorrect assumption. Hence the reason why too readily jumping to assumptions can be a bad idea.

Taking Fishies word the item was faulty and hence the consumer would be entitled to avail of the protections of the Act outlined above.

Joey the lips

johndaman66 wrote: »

Hang on one moment. The Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980 provides for recourse to the consumer under the following criteria (amongst other): -

1) Of merchantable quality - the goods must be of an acceptable standard
2) Fit for intended purpose - be fit for the purpose they were bought for.

Now in particular under the item I've marked 1 and given that Fishie said and I quote "the item was faulty" the consumer would be entitled to redress in this situation.

Your assumption that it worked fine may well be an incorrect assumption. Hence the reason why too readily jumping to assumptions can be a bad idea.

Taking Fishies word the item was faulty and hence the consumer would be entitled to avail of the protections of the Act outlined above.

No! if you read what she said she assumes its faulty cause the seem was wonky! Now if thats not what she said she needs to define why its faulty! """"One time a woman returned a pair of jeans because the seam on the inside of one leg was wonky and was sitting funny, she got a full refund because the item was faulty""""" I am sorry to say a wonky seem on the inside leg is not illegal under the sale of goods and supply of services act 1980.

You can bark all you want you wont have a leg to stand on. guaranteed!

Dan133269

Joey the lips wrote: »

None of those practices are Illegal. Sorry!

If you advertise a product as being on sale, the old price must be displayed and the product must have been on sale for that price for the previous 30 days.

Joey the lips

Dan133269 wrote: »

If you advertise a product as being on sale, the old price must be displayed and the product must have been on sale for that price for the previous 30 days.

Thats not correct sorry! But if you can show me where it says that in consumer law I will accept it.

Aoibheann

Unfortunately guys, it does appear to be hazy.. we were always told the 28 day rule, but in practice, it doesn't appear to be the case.

Source: http://www.valueireland.com/tag/sale-pricing/ (and from that, the NCA)

The relevant legislation regarding sale prices is the 2007 Consumer Protection Act, section 43.6 (a) & (b), which states:

if the commercial practice involves a representation or creates an impression (whether in advertising, marketing or otherwise) that a product was previously offered at a different price or at a particular price, consideration shall be given to whether the product was previously offered openly and in good faith at that price and at the same place for a reasonable period of time before the representation was made

The key text here says “a reasonable period of time” which, as you can probably guess, could mean any period of time depending on who you ask. If you were to ask me, I’d say that such a fuzzy term in the legislation was actually intended to ensure that no business could be prosecuted.

In 2007, the NCA started a consultation on what might be defined as a “reasonable period”. This documentation for this consultation states:

The 28 day rule had been in place for almost 30 years and the requirement that an indication that products were ‘offered openly at the same place within the preceding 3 months for not less than 28 successive days’ has been accepted throughout the sector.

However, I can’t find any follow up to this consultation, so I guess it’s been forgotten about.

In its place, the NCA are now putting together “Draft Guidelines” on price discounts - details available here. This effort backtracks on the 28 day rule (maybe retail pressure groups had success in suppressing the consultation in 2007) and tries to come up with different rules for “reasonable period” depending on the products on sale.

Even if these “draft guidelines” are accepted, it’s worth remembering that they’re just guidelines and therefore would have no legal standing - so the only legislation in place is the original act stating “reasonable period”.

Which brings us back around to the fuzzy legislation that the National Consumer Agency will say that they can’t really follow up on to make prosecutions under the Act, even if they wanted to (which as we know, they don’t really want to anyway as that would mean work).

Joey the lips

Aoibheann wrote: »

Unfortunately guys, it does appear to be hazy.. we were always told the 28 day rule, but in practice, it doesn't appear to be the case.

Source: http://www.valueireland.com/tag/sale-pricing/ (and from that, the NCA)

Well done I got this as well. the biggest problem is its a b1tch of an impossiability to prove and can be easilily gotten around by retailers..... I did and believe me I am very aware of consumer law.

PS this is consumer agency guidelines and not an offence under the sale of goods act which is where I asked to see a quote. The reason I asked is the sale of goods act is a contract and it has penalties if broken!

johndaman66

Joey the lips wrote: »

No! if you read what she said she assumes its faulty cause the seem was wonky! Now if thats not what she said she needs to define why its faulty! """"One time a woman returned a pair of jeans because the seam on the inside of one leg was wonky and was sitting funny, she got a full refund because the item was faulty"""""

Well I don't want to fall out with you about this but a statement such as "she got a full refund because the item was faulty" is more than an assumption that the item was faulty. The statement looks rather definate to me. Perhaps another way of looking at it was that Fishy was concluding that the item was faulty, having regard to the definition of faulty. I don't see any onus on the part of Fishy to define faulty as such.

Joey the lips

johndaman66 wrote: »

Well I don't want to fall out with you about this but a statement such as "she got a full refund because the item was faulty" is more than an assumption that the item was faulty. The statement looks rather definate to me. Perhaps another way of looking at it was that Fishy was concluding that the item was faulty, having regard to the definition of faulty. I don't see any onus on the part of Fishy to define faulty as such.

Nor do i want to fall out with you. Its important to know that if a retailer knowing puts a faulty item back out for display its fraud and is a criminal offence so we have to assum it was not faulty as such but just a faulty seem line which might mean nothing, but really having said all that I dont care as much as to be upset.

Its just nice to compare notes as such..... Thanks

johndaman66

Joey the lips wrote: »

Nor do i want to fall out with you. Its important to know that if a retailer knowing puts a faulty item back out for display its fraud and is a criminal offence so we have to assum it was not faulty as such but just a faulty seem line which might mean nothing, but really having said all that I dont care as much as to be upset.

Its just nice to compare notes as such..... Thanks

Ok. Fair enough.... we will just assume it was not faulty and there is absolutely no need whatsoever to call into question the integrity of the Dunnes staff/ management concerned.

ps3man

going a little off topic, start a thread about consumer law and continue discussion there, cheers

wmpdd3

Customer today wanted to return some jeans she bought bin another store at the weekend. She gives me the receipt, the jeans aren't on it.

She says the 5 items and the jeans are all she bought in the store that day. I ask could she have picked up the wrong receipt etc.

Looks like she wasn't charged for them, I try to explain, expecting her to say well in that case I'll swap them for something else, No she demands a refund in cash.

After 20 mins and much repeating, she says she will report me to the consumer agency!

I give up....

Blitzkrieger

Opening hours are the thing that really bug me (though I'll admit to being a hypocrite when it comes to closing time in the pub). Was working in a chip shop before and you never get to close on the dot. On one particular day it was quite busy and I was on my way to close the door when some ****er comes in twenty minutes after closing time. I had seen the fecker going into the pub across the road four hours previously, but all of a sudden he must have chips and has the cheek to ask me to hurry up because the taxi is waiting. I locked the door before taking his order and told him "Your hurry is not my hurry, bud". Don't think he heard me because he was starting to make a call.

A golden rule while working in a take-away is never cook anything for yourself if you're waiting for someone to leave, but that day I was starved, so I cooked a meal for myself. While leaving Jackass A out the door Jackass B comes up and tries to get in. Jackass B has also been in the pub across the road since we opened, but now that he's seen us turn off the lights and lock the door, decides now is the time to get chips. I tell him we're closed and to go to the chinese down the street (who got their planning permission on the condition that they close at 12 but is always full of noisy ***** at 2am). At this point Jackass B starts to push his way in while shouting the managers name. The manager is hiding in the kitchen while I'm firmly blocking his path and eventually he steps back and starts giving out about me refusing to serve him and turning away business while I close the door in his face.

It drives me nuts! The local supermarket opens at 7am and closed at 11pm, but you still get ****ers racing through the town to get there at 10:57. Their lives are so busy that at no time in the previous 16 ****ing hours could they have gone to the shop but now they expect the staff to let them in for their weekly shop.

ztoical wrote: »

A number of times we found ourselves with Kids and no parents when closing shop as we closed 30 mins before Boots and Dunnes. And I'm taking young kids around 5 and 6 here.

Free slaves FTW...

werewolfsalami wrote: »

he worked in a tescos during college and one day to his delight he found a used tampon in the pic'n'mix!

I threw up a little in my mouth. I don't go near those things anyway - this re-enforces why...

mateo

A friend of mine told me about a young boy managing to get upstairs, through locked doors, to a stockroom or something and doing a sh#t up there!

ps3man

Jesus this thread is old..

found a bra in the changing room in work.. owner showed up about 110 minutes later, probably not the worst experience in retail but certainly the most awkward one..