Why are people so mean to cashiers?

Question

Today I was at the market and this guy got angry with the cashier because she told him that she couldnt scan his water while it was in the cart. She needed him to hand it to her. Anyways, she was holding her arms out over the belt and one of her hands was actually on the belt. This jack *** slammed the water down on the belt onto this young lady's hand. She was obviously in pain so I walked over to the line across from hers. This *** hole stood there. So, she called the manager and told the guy that her hand hurt really bad and he said to her "Stop your whining, I have my own problems. But I guess this means you wont be finishing my order." The manager had the nerve to come over and apologize to the man for any inconvience. When the man was in the wrong. He probably broke that girls hand and he gets an apology but does not offer one. Anywhere else and that would have been a lawsuit.

At a food lion in Maryland.

Andreika C- you just assumed alot. This girl was fairly young and I am fairly sure she wasnt over 18. Also, if I remember correctly he was holding a foodstamp card. Which, in my opinion makes the cashier better then him because atleast she has a job.

Answer 1

Anyone who has worked in retail realizes that it is much like getting dropped behind enemy lines during wartime, you aren't going to get much support and you just need to keep your head down and stay alive until your mission (or shift, in this case) is complete.

People can complain all they want about poor customer service and how people in retail sitautions are dumb, but all I have to say is this: not everyone who is hired to be cashier started out cynical and hateful of humankind. Dumb inconsiderate jacka**es are mostly to blame for the lousy service most of us experience nowadays.

The sort of behavior only happens in large chain stores. If a customer came into my establishment and pulled that kind of crap, you'd better believe he'd be out on his a** on the sidewalk. And that is why large chain stores can't keep good employees, because they don't back them up when a customer is clearly out of line. And so cutomer service suffers and then customers' attitudes get even worse.

Retail employees need to be given the opportunity to defend themselves against abusive customers. I hope the cashier sues that pr*ck.

Answer 2

Cashiers are the first and last person customers see in almost any type of grocery business. If customers become angry in the store (or even before hand) they end up taking it out on the one person they see, the cashier!
The manger should have helped his cashier first then finished that guys order. And when the change is handed back to this creep, the manager should have said "Here is your stuff, now don't ever come back".
I hope the knucklehead used a credit card to pay for his groceries. This way the cashier would have a name so she could pursue a lawsuit.

Answer 3

I can't believe that jerk got an apology. Some people are so clueless. I'm always as pleasant as I can be with cashiers and waitstaff. I've been the cashier and I was a dishwasher in a cafe during the busy summer season. I know how hard they work and the kinds of people they have to deal with. People can be selfish and rude and couldn't care less what it's like for the person waiting on them. It's a really sad truth. P.S. Isn't there a policy in place that says they have the right to refuse service to anyone? I would've called the police - that man should be liable for the poor cashier's injury.

Answer 4

People with low self-esteem will often put down other people, to make themselves feel better, or more important. The jerk customer probably had people (maybe a boss, spouse, etc.) dumping on him. Being rude to the clerk made him feel better about himself. Or, he's just an immature jerk who throws a tantrum when he can't have his way.

I DO wish stores, restaurants and other employers would stop codling these rude people though. The Manager should have politely but firmly explained to the dick head that the water had to be put up on the conveyor to be scanned, and that assaulting employees would not be tolerated. Who cares if the idiot takes his business someplace else?

If I had been in line at that supermarket and saw that, I probably would have spoke up to defend the girl. Of course, that's not always the smart thing to do, since the jerk can wait for you in the parking lot. I have a hard time ignoring social injustice. I definitely would have spoken to the manager, and told him the proper way to handle that situation. "I don't want to shop someplace that has no respect for it's own employees". Let him worry about losing ME as a customer, not the rude jerk.

Answer 5

This is not just mean. It is sadistic!
She could charge that man with assault and perhaps she should. Any work environment in which the manager allows his employees to be injured and is supportive of that should be fired!
The unfortunate part of all of this is the vulnerability of the cashier. The customer sees her as an easy target for his frustrations and aggressions. I call it, "Kick-the-Dog Syndrome"
His anger and behaviour had nothing to do with the cashier and everything to do with other things happening in his life. And because he perceives her as lower status than him,(and has a fairly good idea that she needs the job so badly that she will put up with it.) he feels free to use her as the attack dummy.
The manager failed in his duty. If she has a union, it should be reported to the steward. If not, she could file a complaint with the police or the manager's superior. She should also look for another job. She is not physically safe there!
He assaulted her!

Answer 6

I have seen this before. The grocery stores preach customer service to their employees. They told us to follow "store policy". But if a customer complained and we told them it was "store policy" the manager would not back us up and would apologize to the customer. Being a cashier is often a lose-lose situation. If it's sunny outside, it's "too hot" and people are crabby. If it's raining they come in in a bad mood, too.
All I could figure out is that when people buy groceries, they get ticked off at cashiers because they're taking it personally that they must hand over their money to you.
And to many customers' way of thinking, cashiers are inferior to them and don't deserve respect.
I knew a similar situation to this, where a man threw a liter of juice at one of the (petite) female cashiers. She was dissolved into tears. But did the managers DO anything to help her? NO. She found a better job and left soon after. Good for her; I don't blame her.

Answer 7

Very, very good question. A lot of people seem to think they are somehow 'better' than cashiers, and, as such, don't have to show cashiers any respect and/or consideration. I believe a good majority of people who feel this way are either very unhappy within themselves or have very low self esteem. When you feel good within yourself and about yourself, you naturally treat others with kindness and consideration. Show me an ****** customer and I'll show you someone who is leading a very unhappy, unfulfilled life.

It's very, very difficult to work in the retail industry, because the buying public can be very, very difficult to deal with. Granted, a fair amount of people make great customers, but, if you've ever dealt with an ****** customer, you know it sometimes only takes one difficult customer to ruin your whole day. And it only adds insult to injury when the manager kisses the ****** customers' butt. For once, I'd like to see a manager stand up for the cashier when a customer is out of line. As a customer, witnessing that would go a LONG way in making me a faithful customer to that store.

Service jobs are unpaid and generally thankless. That's one of the reasons I go out of my way to be polite and friendly when dealing with service personnel. It's a tough, tough way to have to make a living and/or earn a few extra dollars.

Answer 8

Andreika C- You are a real idiot and you are obviously not that smart. Most cashiers these days are high school and college students that work part time. Also, if the poster says the person may have broke the cashiers hand it obviously wasn't one bottle of water, it was a case, idiot. Get a clue.

Anyhow, that's terrible. I would have quit on the spot.

Answer 9

Some people are just really inconsiderate jerks. They think the world is made to cater to their needs and no one else matters. Lifting that water bottle was probably the only exercise the guy got all day. I hope that woman's hand is all right, though. She really should sue him and her job for not doing anything about it.

Answer 10

People are just rude now in general. That's really sad about that poor girl though :( I hope she is alright and knows she didn't do anything wrong. I don't think that people have very much patience these days. They get mad if they can't have things their way and don't really care about the reason behind it.. We all need to calm down and be more empathetic and understanding i think.. Have a great day!