Aussie shoppers remind other customers to cut store employees some slack: “Don’t abuse the staff”
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Even though major supermarkets nationwide have seen signs of improvement across their respective supply chains, the past few weeks have been undeniably hectic, both for the customers and retail workers.
Sharing on the online discussion site Reddit, one Aussie shopper understands that everyone was being affected by the supply crisis, and urges fellow shoppers to be more patient to staff and avoid “treating them as punching bags”.
One shopper urged fellow customers to be more kind and understanding with store employees. Credit: Reddit.
The Reddit user’s post gained a ton of attention on the forum and was flooded with comments from other users agreeing that store staff are being paid enough to stomach the abuse they receive from rude customers.
“Anyone who is taking their frustration out on staff is too stupid to understand the real reason to begin with, let alone be willing to accept it,” wrote one user. Another added: “Agreed, unfortunately staff deal with that sort of behaviour on a daily basis.”
A third person hinted at sarcasm and said: “You mean the 17-year-old girl stacking tins of baked beans on a dusty shelf in South Melbourne doesn’t control the countrywide stock levels at Australia’s two biggest supermarkets? I’m shocked. Shocked.”
Another person wrote: “Even in ordinary times, don’t abuse the staff anywhere. It’s just simple good manners.”
Meanwhile, other users – and store employees as well – shared their own experiences with abuse and harassment from bad-mannered customers.
One person shared: “I was stuck at Woolies click & collect for 20+ minutes once because they couldn’t find my order. They kept apologising, I kept saying it was fine and I just sat on Reddit.”
“When they eventually found my order, a lady who I believe was the manager came out with it and gave me a box of Favourites for being so patient,” he continued.
“Like, how much sh*t have they gotten in the past that someone just standing and waiting quietly - pretty much the bare minimum you have to do as a customer - warrants a free box of chocolates?”
Another shopper recalled his experience with a “scared employee” and expressed that the staff doesn’t deserve the unfair treatment they get.
“I stopped in at my local Woolies on the way home from work today. I didn't plan the trip so I didn't have my green bags with me. No problem though, I was going to buy some paper bags,” he said.
“When I got to the checkout, the timid bloke at the register asked me nervously ‘Do you need bags?’”
“Turns out, the shop was out of all kinds of bags – paper, green and reusable plastic. The poor guy kept apologising over and over as though he thought I was going to beat him with a stick.”
“Yes, it was mildly inconvenient that I had to stack everything in the car one at a time, but I survived. I got the impression this poor bloke had seen his share of irate customers because of an issue he (or anyone else in the store) had no control over,” he said and added. “As I told the poor guy, we're all just doing what we can with whatever we can get.”
“Please be kind to each other.”
On the other hand, a former employee shared her own encounter as well: “I just quit my job at a liquor store attached to one of the main supermarkets because the abusive customers wore me down.”
“The idea that I’m supposed to take being sworn at, spoken to like an idiot and threatened while maintaining a smile and being polite is a joke. As a small woman, I feel like I copped much more abuse than my large male coworkers,” she added.
“I recently got abused by a 50-year-old man because I restocked a 10 pack of cruisers in the fridge and he purchased it, drove all the way home, realised it wasn’t ice cold, drove all the way back to yell at me and tell me I should have ‘pre-refrigerated’ it before putting it in the refrigerator. He could have stuck them in his freezer for 20 minutes but he had to come back to let me know what a f**kwit I am.”
“I’ll never work in retail again.”
Panic buying in stores have been prevalent during the supply crisis. Credit: AAP.
Ever since the Reddit post gained traction and went viral online, the two major supermarkets involved – Coles and Woolworths – have spoken out and agreed that customers should take the situation of employees into consideration.
A spokesperson from Woolworths commended the number of customers who “did the right thing” and were respectful with the staff. They added: “We understand that it’s frustrating when our customers can’t get the products they need and we’ll continue to do all we can to meet demand.”
“We ask all our customers to be considerate of our team and each other as we work together to get through this difficult time.”
Coles on the other hand issued a statement saying “they do not tolerate abuse and disrespect towards staff and other customers” within their establishments.
“We know that the majority of our customers appreciate and respect our team members and the great service they provide them,” the spokesperson said.
“We thank our customers for their patience as we work with our suppliers and transport partners to increase deliveries and return a full range of products to our stores over coming weeks.”
“We ask that they continue to treat our team with kindness and respect, and to purchase only what they need.”
Do you have any nightmare stories from retail? Let us know in the comments below.
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