Why do most store clerks never say thank you?

Question

it seems I am always saying thank you to them.....and the reponse is some thing like "....." or you bet or worse yet, YOU'RE WELCOME....like they did me a big favor in checking me out!!! STORE CLERKS are the ones who should say thank you for shopping!@

you people dont get it....THE CUSTOMER SHOULDNT BE SAYING THANK YOU!!!!

puppy luv....exactly my point!!!

the people who dont get it must be the exact people I am talking about. Listen, I am paying for a product in the store you work in...you better appreciate that product goes to pay your wages...I bet your manager would say thank you and especially the OWNER OF THE STORE or fast food place.

Answer 1

Because they're not trained by their managers to say thank you. I always get "here you go" when I go through a drive-thru fast food place. No, "thank you". Not even a "hello" when I pull up.

I work retail, and I always say thank you to the customer, so it chaps me when I go elsewhere and I'm not given the same courtesy.

Kids who work retail and aren't courteous enough to say "hello" or "thank you", just don't get it. You thank the customer because if it weren't for the customer, you wouldn't have a job. If you're polite, they're more inclined to return to your place of business again. Courtesy is becoming a lost art in the United States. Thanks to those who gave me a thumbs down, because you helped me prove my point.

Answer 2

As a person who was a very successful store clerk and *always* said thank you to my customers :) Here are the list of reasons why other don't.

I don't want you to take this as an attack, it isn't. It's just the truth.

1. They are disgruntled. They make 6 to 8 dollars an hour, get little or no respect from their lazy bosses, have no healthcare and have to deal with irrational customers all day. Maybe not you, but a lot of people treat them like dirt. I once got screamed at by a customer for explaining to a customer that I trusted him and would take his return even though it was past the thirty days. There is always someone who will "Have your Job". Retail sales people are really whipping boy to the universe.

2. It's not like they make any money off the sale. What did you do for them? Most of them don't work on comission and maybe they might get a 10 cent an hour raise. Maybe. Trust me, your not doing them a favor, either, your doing there boss a favor and they probably hate him.

3. They are overworked. Sure, then only work 40 hours a week (because overtime is anathma - it's easier to just hire a bunch of them and then fire them when you don't need them any more- they're disposable) But there is a thing in the industry called a Suicide Shift. It's Closing/ Opening. OK, so here is the deal, I have to stay here till 11 O'clock when the store closes, maybe longer because at the last minute some guy walked in and just couldn't live without a slim jim and a quarter of milk, and now he's browsing till nearly twelve, then I get off, go home, get there at one, sleep til 4 am and go back to work at 5 or 6. This is an extreme, but it's happened to me. A lot.

4. They are young. If they aren't, they feel like failures. :)

5. They have been on their feet for 8 hours and they are tired and want to go home.

It isn't personal, it's just the nature of the beast. Like Chris Rock said "They call it minimum wage because they would pay you less if they could.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

You are in the wrong era.

Before the Wal-Mart era, shoppers in stores paid a fair price for goods, and the store clerks were knowledgeable and paid well. They took pride in their appearance and in the store's merchandise, and were justifiably ready to serve you and equipped to do so.

Today, when US shoppers have been acculturated to treat each shopping trip as a pirate's raid, with every effort being made to obtain a $10 item for $1.99 (or 40% off that), the store clerks are underpaid and probably working off-the-clock, the place is maintained by illegal immigrants, and even the vendors have been cheated to provide an outlandish margin for the corporate owners of the store.

In this situation, you are lucky if the clerk can speak the same language as you to even understand your 'thank you' and that they are not so grumpy, sleepy, or dazed by mistreatment that they are able to respond at all.

The only solution is for you, as a consumer, to find those few stores left (hint: they are usually locally owned) where the employees are valued professionals paid and treated well in the old American tradition of free citizens, the goods are well-supported by manufacturers who are fairly compensated, and the building is adequately maintained by people who don't have to be locked in all night to prevent insider theft.

Answer 4

while it's true that a pleasant cashier will thank you, I think it's because they are nice people outside of work(as well) and that's why they do it.

I suppose when they dawn on that apron and start hearing the music of over-rides, clearance items and kids non-stop b.itching their attitudes get effected.

Try changing the time when you go shopping. Maybe it's at the end of a long thankless shift.

It doesn't make you right and it doesn't make them right, it just means that sometimes it's not all about us.

Answer 5

Even though sales are what give clerks their jobs, they don't identify so much with their stores anymore, so they don't take the sale personally, meaning they don't think to thank you for it. They feel they are doing the work by checking you out, so naturally accept your thank you when they are finished. They see you as merely waiting to get your stuff; they are performing the service. You'll probably notice that store *owners* will always thank the customer, because they *do* understand how sales impact them. I wouldn't take too much offense, even though you are correct. They are not doing it to be spiteful or ungrateful. If I say "thanks", and they say "you're welcome" with a smile as they hand me my bag, it's good enough for me.

Answer 6

Normally saying "you're welcome" is a proper response to "thank you". They are doing you a service by checking you out.

If you are so worried, then why don't you go find a store with a self serve scanner.

Better yet, why don't you find a store that has their employees say "thank you"? As far as I know, Kroger owned stores instructs their employees to say "thank you".

You've never been a retail cashier before, have you? It's not a fun job.

Answer 7

Most store checkers make just over minimum wage and don't really care. Honestly, I just want to be out quickly and don't care if they say thank you or not.

Answer 8

Here's one that drives me nuts- I order a salad from Wendy's or someplace like that, and the person behind the counter says "What's ya dressing?"

I feel like saying to them "Excuse me, are you attempting to ask me what type of salad dressing I would prefer"?

Some people have atrocious English skills.

Answer 9

lol, wtf? What response do you expect when you say "thank you?"

They didn't do you any favor. They're doing what they're paid to do. And you're paying for the products that make the profits for the company that is paying their salary.

It's all mutual benefit--there are no favors here. Don't ask for gratitude you haven't earned. That's just arrogant.

Answer 10

Yeah, but they are dealing with customers all day, most of which don't say please, thank you or excuse me. If your nice to them they are nice to you.