Thrift Store Employees: PET PEEVES while working at the Thrift Store

[Autie Kittie]

There are a couple of Customer Pet Peeves topics... well what about an Employee pet peeves topic?

I'll start by listing five of mine.

1. When customers rub off prices or switch tags.
I mean, we run for Charity!  Why would someone want to steal from a charity organization!  Besides, the prices are low enough as it is!

2. When customers leave the store a mess, leaving clothes on the floor, over the racks, putting stuff in the wrong places, etc.
Is it soooo hard to clean up after one's self?  Put that shirt back on its hanger and hang it up.  Put those shoes back where the shoes belong, not with the glass dishes!

3. When parents allow their kids to run around, messing things up, playing on equipment, and making noise.
Not only are rambunctious children an inconvenience to both other customers and employees, but they present a SAFETY HAZARD and could injure themselves or the people around them when they are hiding in the racks or climbing the shelves, etc.  The last thing the store needs is a lawsuit because of the parent's irresponsibility.

4. When customers try to haggle prices, or return/exchange items, despite many signs posted around the store, "Prices are NOT negotiable!", "NO Returns", "NO Excahnges".

5.  When people donate TRASH to the store. 
Hellooo?!  We don't want that broken, dirty junk!  Take a look in the store and they will see that we do not sell tvs with shattered screens, trash bags full of leaves and sticks, or used condoms.  Please take that trash to the dump.

[valleythriftshopper]

Many of those complaints are annoying to the customers too, especially the out of control children.  Fortunately I get to leave the store if I've had enough, sorry you have to put up with it.  I hope you get first pick at some good donations to make up for it. 

[mccoysnina]

I used to work in a retail store.  <ost of those complaints were ones I had too.  No one donated junk to us, but everything else.  Store retunr policy was clearly displayed, butr people would still try and return things w/o receipts, merchanidse obviously used etc.   One woman tried to return something she had bought ten years earlier, had the receipt to prove it.  I told her I had no idea how to do the paperwork on a sale that old, wasn't even sure we had paperwork for a sale that old.  She got mad and walked out of the store.  One woman tried to retun merchandise we didn't even carry.  No receipt of course, and when I pointed that out, she said it wasn't her problem and we had to accept it.  I declined to take it back. She left mad too.

[Autie Kittie]

Remembered another.   

People NOT leaving the store when we make the closing announcements. 
30 minutes, 20 min, 15, 10, 5, 3, We're closed! 
But some people will still walk around browsing like they'll stay in there forever.  They're not even rushing!  We tell them that we're closed, they say "Okay." and continue shopping, not even making their way to the register. 
WHY?!  And of course, the delaying customer gets all upset when we tell them to leave.

Another one is when people knock on our locked doors after we have closed, and they know we are closed, but they ask, "Can I just come in to look around a bit?"
I just want to say, "WTF?!  Come back when we are open!"  (I say it more politely than that, though.  )
Some of those people also get upset when we don't unlock the doors.  Maybe they think they are entitled to special store hours just for them, or something.
 
Us employees have lives after work, too.

[sneezy1974]

Donators who explain what every item they're donating is. I know it's a coffee maker. These people are usually very sweet, and I suppose there is a feeling of loss that goes with donating. Thankfully these kind usually only donate a small amount, I have customers waiting.

Shoppers who shop out of the donations we haven't been able to bring to the processing room yet. "How much will this be?"

People who call asking if we have a black dress, with a lacy collar, in a size 6...or whatever "Ma'am, I'm stuck behind the front counter and can't get away. You'll have to come see our awesome sellection of little black dresses."

[tsmanager]

Here's another disgusting pet peeve. People who use my dressing rooms as a potty. Or allow their child to run around with poopy diapers , dumping it all over the place. No kidding folks. I haven't been open a year yet and have had all these happen at least once. Dressing rooms as bathrooms tiwce - the first time they were nice enough to use a crystal ice bucket. CAN you say I don't get paid enough for this.
In addition to the all other ones mentioned. this one takes the cake.

[Mattie]

I worked in retail for ten years and this thread is bringing back all the horrible memories!   

Mccoysnina, I had a guy try to return something we didn't carry, and he said, "You have to accept returns, it's a universal rule!"  I blurted out, "In what universe?!"  Everyone in the store laughed and he left in a huff.  Another guy tried to return half a pad of drawing paper.  The sheets he'd used, he said, were "defective."  I had to restrain myself from telling him the paper was not responsible for his lack of drawing talent.  I could go on and on...

Tsmanager, customers used to pee and poop in St. Vincent's dressing rooms.  The staff would get angry and close the dressing rooms "permanently" due to "customer misuse" then a few weeks later they'd open the rooms again.  I felt sorry for them.  The store didn't have a restroom, though, so folks who couldn't hold it had to go somewhere.  I think the store's new location has a restroom, thank goodness.

[Frchgrl]

Wow, that's really awful! I don't feel so bad! I do linger a bit but I do leave when it's closed.  I think some parents feel like when they go to a store that EVERYONE has become their babysitter. Hello?  Can you control your kids please?

[Lcmsa]

oh I've got to add mine
1. Customers who come in around april 15th and want us to back date receipts for them!?! When we tell them that this is Illegal they want us to break the law and do it any way and we are a church based thrift. !!!!!
2. the customers who think we are there to watch their kids and watch their coats and stuff (even their purses) while they shop !!!!!
3. the customers who say they don't understand english but infact do and then want EVERYTHING for free because they don't understand english HUH?
4. the people who bring very old,dirty smelly clothes and look at you and say "it is all good stuff"
5. when we tell people we don't take certain items (ie toys,baby items, furniture) and they leave them anyway and we have to pay to have them taken away. 
6. the people who let they children pee and poop on our playground (swear to god this actually happened) or people who have taken a crap/pee in our thrift store up stairs.
7. THE PEOPLE WHO COME TO OUR SHOP EVERYDAY AND RIP OPEN OUR SALVAGE BAGS, SPREAD IT ALL OVER OUR PORCH AND WHEN WE CALL THE COPS, THEY( THE COPS) SAY YOU GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE ANYWAY DON'T YOU?
Having worked at our thrift store for about 10 yrs I've seen alot of s@#T, I could write a book.  LCMSA

[valleythriftshopper]

One of the Sal armys in my area has a loading dock in the back with bins to drop off clothing anytime and you can leave other stuff on the dock, but you are only supposed to do that during store hours.  Of course people drop off plenty of crap during the night, but also beacaus ethere are no cameras and really nothing else back there people go and pick through the donations.  Nothing they can really do about it and I have never heard of anyone getting arrested for it so probably the police don't patrol the area looking for donation theives.