Why are Americans the Rudest Retail Customers?
By ErasmusNova
@ErasmusNova (86)
United States
June 14, 2007 12:30am CST
I've been in Retail almost 18 years now, and the one thing that holds true no matter where you go, Americans are some of the rudest customers to deal with. Why? Have we been raised with some sort of license to act like children whenever we feel like it? Im working at a Home Depot...and today just like every other day, its a losing battle against people who were born with some entitlement. Im waiting on this elderly couple, helping them make decisions, when this teenager just barges right between the couple and starts trying to place an order. Blows my mind how often this happens. I respectfully told him to back up although I really wanted to snatch him up. Then he has the audacity to get pissed at me. I just dont understand...had I acted up like that when I was young...Id be eating backhand. What do y'all think?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
14 Jun 07
Well, I've been in some places with some pretty rude people in a few continents, but I also know what you mean.
In America we are taught, "The customer is always right". Of course, working in retail, you know that that is just a nice thought, because there are limits to it. The problem is, no one gave the customer the memo that lists the limits... so they don't think there are any.
The other problem, is, not enough parents are willing to feed the back of their hands to kids. ;~D
1 person likes this
@gardengrrl (1445)
• United States
15 Jun 07
Don't know about any other countries, but Americans tend to be self-centered, egocentric and narcissistic. Add a healthy disdain for "wage slaves" like us, and you have the retail hell most frontline customer service people live with. Hard work used to be respectable, now if you don't work some high-level white collar job, you're a lower-class citizen.
Brief flights of fancy involving fantasies of taking them out the loading dock and smacking the poop out of them sometimes help! If not, the only other way to survive is to kill 'em with kindness. It can be a fun mental exercise, heck, you can even get good practice right here on myLot!
