Working at a supermarket is not always easy or pleasant, especially when you have to interact with hundreds of different customers every single day.

One upset deli worker at Woolies has taken to social media to talk about some of the things that customers do that make them feel 'immense rage', saying that these people make their job much harder than it already is.

Sharing in a Facebook group, the employee complained about some of their supermarket pet peeves, which are:

• customers at the deli who aren't clear about what they want
• customers who rarely point to the item they want to buy
• customers who leave handprints all over the display glass

'For my deli people, anyone else feels immense rage welling up when a customer comes up, rubs their greasy hands on your glass window display trying to think what they want?' said the staffer in their Facebook post.

A Woolies deli worker ranted about some of their customer pet peeves. Credit: Facebook/Cranbourne West Shopping Centre (left), Getty Images (right).​

'Only to look at you and say "I'd like that ham" while gesturing and or pointing to an object that isn't even ham.'

The employee didn't give their name, but explained what usually happens next with customers in these situations.

'So you try to coerce a proper answer from them, then have them stare at you with disgust that you are trying to figure out what the mysterious "that ham" could be,' the anonymous employee went on to say.

'All the while still not being helpful only for them to want the deli leg ham that you pointed at mid-way through, asking them exactly what ham they wanted. Asking because I have this happen once every hour.'

The deli worker's online rant caught the attention of many of their fellow supermarket employees, who then commented and added their own customer pet peeves to the list.

'This has summed up my daily frustrations of life in the deli, PERFECTLY', one said, with another adding, 'This happens every 5 minutes!'

Meanwhile, a third user said he's tired of hearing customers say 'that one' because, most of the time, he has no idea which 'one' they are referring to.

A fourth user agreed and said he also experienced a similar situation. 'Even better when they're standing by the bacon asking for leg ham,' he said.

More supermarket workers agreed that they find these situations annoying. Credit: Dallas Kilponen/Woolworths.​

Someone even shared a conversation they previously had with a customer, prompting a few giggles from other users in the discussion.

'How much would you like?' said the employee, to which the customer replied: 'A handful.'

After the employee grabbed a 'handful' worth of the product, the customer then said, 'That's way too much! (Sometimes, they say it's way too little)...'

So what are your thoughts, folks? Are you guilty of some of the 'pet peeves'? Or do you have more to add to their list? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[Anoush]

my pet peeve with Woolworths is not so much their cold cut cabinet but their fish one,,when I go in I often make a wide step away as it's very smelly,,I asked a deli worker one day about how they cope with the small,,they said they are used to it,,I mentioned about that particular day and was told the cabinet hadn't been washed and cleaned properly,,,well ,I would have thought it would be thoroughly cleaned before being filled,,I never buy fish in any supermarket

 

[Evol P]

Ha ha! Everyone who has ever worked in retail will have similar stories.
My story as a Queenslander starting to travel in NSW - stood at the deli counter and asked for 500g of cheerios. Of course I didn't have to point, everyone knows what cheerios are. "We don't sell cheerios says the lass" "yes you do" says I and she asks me to point to them. OK, Cocktail franks, little boys would've got them.
NOW I agree that the teeny, weeny, little labels should be a LOT bigger for us blind people so we don't have to get our eyes, glasses and hands too close to the glass cabinets.

 

[Evol P]

Well, if Woolworths went back to their deli labels from a few years ago when the product name was actually big enough for the customer to read then that would eliminate one of the pet peeves !!!!

NOW I agree that the teeny, weeny, little labels should be a LOT bigger for us blind people so we don't have to get our eyes, glasses and hands too close to the glass cabinets so we can actually SEE what we want and not guess what's written.
,

 

[DrChip]

I Learnt a long time ago the "NO" the customer is not always right, but they are always the customet

 

[Groovy]

Many years ago when I was a student I worked in the deli department to pay my way through school. We had to use any customer free time to practice picking and weighing the variety of foods available. I knew exactly how many slices of whatever it took to make up the customers order and roughly how much a given number of slices would weigh. We also sliced meats to the customers choice of thickness and cut cheese to their required weights. All this was done with a smile on our faces as we realised that without the customers we would be out of work.

I love the ham or any cold meats to be cut fresh and thin and that’s a policy at the supermarkets. But when I ask they don’t like and try to sell me what is on display. But because I refuse, they get the meat and instead of cutting it nicely, they just shaved it fast in pieces and put it in a plastic bag. Some of the staff do it properly but the majority just doesn’t care.
Thanks Rici, for letting us know that, there was a time that food was properly handled to the customers, not put in bags like people were dogs.
And no I’m not guilty of ”pet peeves” presented above.

 

[Senor]

Gee! Whatever you do, when you're at the Chicken counter, never EVER compliment the size and presentation of their Breasts....

That is hilarious. No wonder the girl behind the counter looked at me funny every time I said that. Not really guys.

 

[JustPat]

I've been well educated by my daughter who was working in deli at 15 and a deli manager by 19 and at 21 quit through frustration at the job and wanted to transfer to another department for better promotion but it was not on, turned out good for her but yes I feel their frustration and as she told her poppy "don't point at what you want for they can't see from the other side what you are pointing at" so please note explain just what you want and if you are trying to give direction such as what piece of fish you want remember they have got it in reverse and their right is your left. My sympathy goes to the deli staff. And oh my daughter is now 36.

 

[Defiant540]

Or maybe it’s your eyesight that’s deteriorated from a few years ago!

that is NOT funny! wait until it happens to you!

 

[Lynmar]

I bet the majority is female, not sexist but they often are not aware of anything or any inconvenience to other customers or staff. Many times I had to wait while they couldn't make up their mind or kept looking at their phone rather than having a look at the display cabinets or list of meals and decided what did they want so when their turns came they could tell the staff promptly. Very rare that I observed these behaviours in men.

Probably because men doing grocery shopping are in the minority and have been told exactly what to order on the odd occasion they do the grocery shopping

 

[Ma-to-3]

Or maybe it’s your eyesight that’s deteriorated from a few years ago!

Definitely my eyesight has deteriorated but the size of the product name is ridiculously small for the distance some of the labels are from the front on the cabinet. I might start taking binoculars with me . I did mention it in a customer survey when it first changed - and my were much better - maybe need to keep bringing it up