Do people take kindness for weakness? I work as a cashier at Walmart and the more I do the less respect I get.

Question

I'm not generalizing ALL people this way but dam a lot of them do...should I be more cold or something??

Answer 1

Being nice doesn't guarantee a promotion or appreciation, but being cold or rude can get you fired or hold you back in terms of promotion. This is true of most workplaces, not just WalMart. Just be polite. No one is asking you to bend over backwards, but just be nice, follow store policies and don't expect too much from cranky customers. BTW, some customers (like me) do appreciate the kindness shown by WalMart employees. Yes, courtesy and competance DO MATTER. There was a time when WalMart just got started and the discount store business was dominated by K-Mart. I noticed that a lot of the K-Mart employees just didn't care. If one asked them where an item was, they would just say "I don't know" and keep walking. WalMart ppl OTOH would either know where an item was or they would call or find another WalMart employee who could give me an answer. At the end of the day, you will be better off just by doing the right thing. You will have some spending money (maybe not a lot, but some), some health insurance benefits and the employee's discount at WalMart. And if you decide to get another job, hopefully a good recommendation from your boss.

Answer 2

I work at a department store and I greet, talk to and smile at the customers.. Most are elderly and they are faily nice... I get some meanies.. I don't let it bother me.. I continue to be nice and help people the best that I can.. .I CAN tell you the client base at Walmart at least where I live is low end redneck hillbilly so, I usually don't shop there... Although, the very few times I have the casheirs have been friendly and nice.. Or else I would NEVER shop there.. I think it has more to do with the people that shop there than YOU ! I would continue to be gracious, polite and do your job the best you can.. Do, what you feel is the RIGHT thing and smile even if someone is giving you a hard time ! Good luck

Answer 3

I seem to have this problem too, I have been in retail, worked as a waitress, now I am a CNA. With me it's the co-workers. It seems like if you are nice to them, they think you are someone to walk all over. I wasn't raised to be nasty to people. I've even thought that maybe I should try to be mean and bulldoze all over people so they would have more respect for me. But it's not in me. I don't ever treat cashiers badly, and I am sorry for the abuse you get. I think you just have to realize you are the better person for being kind.

Answer 4

I know my mom and I both appreicate the friendly cashiers at Walmart. So many of them are grumpy and don't want to be there so they give no personality and such attitude that it makes us feel miserable but when we come across the wonderful cashiers with personality it is great to see and we always return it with a great attitude back and joke with the cashiers. Of course when it comes to managment at Walmart as an exemployee no matter what you do it feels like it isn't good enough.

Answer 5

i know how hard it is to be nice to all people cause i have a similar experience,but if you try to be more professional and say rather different things to each other, such as I like this cerial too rather than hello how are you. it may sounds very stressful at first, but actually it is not. it makes you feel better and you will love your job more. when i worked as a receptionist in one company, i did it and it worked.
and dont think too much . a few days ago i read one writing that said people ,busy, just tend to think of cahsiers, receptionist, etc just as one thing they have to pass just like a automatic machine or something. i am sure some may not but sometimes when i am really tired or something i do that too. so dont get it too seriously, it is not really taking your kindness for weakness.

Answer 6

I don't think so. Personally, I would treat a person much better if she or he were kind towards me and definitely I would respect them more. However, I do know of one so called "friend" who take advantages of people's kindness for his own advantages. You don't have to act cold but continue doing what you are doing right now.

Answer 7

try being a waitress... people are ridiculously rude, especially girls in their late teens... i am 22 and it seems that they always look at me like i have 2 heads, it gets really old after a while... although i have great self esteem so when they make those faces at me, they actually look like total morons but i don't think they realize it... it does get tiring after a while though dealing with ALL people, sometimes when i'm having a bad day i take the more rude approach... maybe not so much rude, more like not allowing these tools to ruin my day even more... unfortunately being a waitress, it gets people to shut up but you might lose business...

my second job is grooming dogs.... they are much more fun to work with than people. i find animals to be a great outlet for me. maybe you could get into something with animals or botany or nature... something super interesting with as little human contact as possible... and the people you do have to deal with are as into it as you are, so its no stress...

i know i know... gotta pay those bills though.

Answer 8

But the take a look around, how many people smile now?

People in the UK take kindness only with trauma, apart from that, they've got their heads to firmly up their own ars£s to be polite.

In my profession I am always kind, even when they are being totally abusive.

Answer 9

i've learned from personal experience that it's kindness is a good thing when used in moderation. If you're always nice and willing to help it's come to be expected out of you, so my suggestion would not necessarily be more cold, just do what is expected of you and only occasionally go out of your way. you can't be fired for doing only your job,and it puts more on the other employees to actually do their jobs vs expecting that you will do it for them.

Answer 10

I think a lot of low-class people do take kindness and courtesy as a sign of weakness. I say keep on being nice, and take comfort that people who act like that are clods who aren't worth a second thought.