The harder decision is figuring out what I want to talk about first. So much happens to me on a daily basis; my work, my employees, my customers, I can't imagine sharing all those interactions with you at once. Of all the things that rub us managers the wrong way more than anything is rude customers.
You are in my way.
I've worked in the South, the Midwest, and on the East Coast, and one thing is more consistent than any other. People are rude. Southern hospitality. Midwest Manners. None of that stuff actually exists once you step foot inside a grocery store.
As a customer, you never say it, but you think it about once every thirty seconds. Whether it's another customer or myself, an employee who is trying to put up another case of cookies for your chubby fingers to wrap around, we are simply objects in which you must navigate in order to fill up your cart.
I don't know if you noticed, but there is a human being under this shirt. And believe it or not, I'd actually like to get to know my customers. We're happen to have a conversation with you from time to time. It's called customer service, not customer servitude.
No phone call is that important.
One thing my mother always taught me was to be polite and courteous. Even when I was five as I stood in line at the local market and pointed at the obese woman in front of me and yelled, "Mom! Look how fat that woman is! How did she get so fat!?" ... That actually happened.
Still, my mother eventually succeeded in instilling a sense of consideration for others. However, I feel as if some parents, and individuals themselves, failed at cultivating/maintaining this. Example: no customer waits longer than a few minutes in line at our stores, that's just the way it is. And it's our job to chat you up while we ring you up. We can't do that if your talking to your girlfriend on the phone about the new pair of "oh my gah legit shoes" you got at DSW.
An 'out of stock' product is not worth getting upset about.
Just as it has become clear our politicians have lost touch with reality, this is also present on a daily basis with our customers. There are millions of Americans who can't afford a decent meal on a daily basis.
However, when I tell you your favorite potato chip or weird cookie is out of stock right now, the most valid response you can give me is an "aww schucks, maybe next time." Getting visibly upset over it is a clear indication that you haven't been told no very often and maybe in fact need to re-evaluate your overall perspective.
Motorized carts are for the handicapped, not the fatty-capped.
We welcome customers of all shapes, sizes, and all eccentricities. We actually welcome the weird ones with open arms. What we don't appreciate is someone who is able-bodied using our motorized carts to promote their laziness (most definitely what caused their obesity in the first place) while there are others who actually need the cart to do their shopping.
Walking will do you some good. And don't worry, given what you're buying anyway, those calories you're about to burn will be doubly replaced before you pull your shock-broken car out of the parking lot. Having cankles isn't a handicap.
And with that, I'm off to work.
Sincerely,
Your Neighborhood Grocery Store Manager
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