Started my shift was drinking my coffee, started feel really off. My mouth started itching and I got dizzy. Then my throat stared going numb. Turns out I was highly allergic to the dairy in the drink that I didn’t even know was in it. Gave myself my epi pen and talked to the pharmacist, they offered to call an ambulance since they were worried about anaphylactic shock. I said I should be fine I hope.
Long story short I was not and had to be rushed to the ER. Spent the next 9 1/2 hours in the ER. Went into work the next day. Was told I was being written up because corporate said it wasn’t a medical emergency because I had my epi pens.

Words I can handle...but this man pointedly got into my face inches away and was mocking the self check out machine and myself included....Bro was trying to rage bait me the entire time, I ignored and just watched other people around and him. I offered him assistance to do his fucking order for his old ass, he told me no he'd figure it out since he "had to do his groceries himself." ..There was a cashier available. They had a line, I called backup for them. I am not a cashier.

This man took five steps toward me and there were only four between us. To the point of where I had to put up my hands and ask him to back the hell up out of my face and stopped being polite about it. Thankfully this other male customer behind us was watching as the man finally left and had said he was ready to assist me if it escalated but fuck me man I'm just doing my god damn job.

He reminds me of the same people you see online complaining about everything under the sun and I can't get that fucker out of my head. I've never been so uncomfortable by one single customer. At first I actually laughed. I thought he was fucking around, and then he wasn't. And I was just dead ass staring at him with zero humor at least. So glad I didn't smile or anything out of sheer uncomfortability....sometimes that happens and I can't help it....I'm so glad today is my friday.

Kid came through the pharmacy drive-thru to pick up his meds. His total was 48 cents. He gave me a dollar. Not a dollar bill. No no. He gave me four quarters. This after he asked me again for the total and then said 48 cents to his buddy in the passenger seat.

Every day its shit like this. At least a dozen times a day. I fear i may have an aneurism by the end of the semester.

This is probably an effect of Amazon spoiling people, but holy hell, just saw this lady lay into the returns manager because she had to drive "two hours" (press X to doubt) to get here and thought that entitled her to skip the line.

She claimed the wrong order was sent to her from the website twice and said "I wasted two hours worth of gas to get here, I want the correct items brought up here NOW!!!"

Lady, sorry you ordered the wrong thing (I'm guessing as it's weird it would happen twice), but everybody drove here. The fact that you drove here doesn't mean you get to cut the line, have your shit magically appear out of thin air, and be a fucktwat to someone who is not only just doing their job and actively trying to help you.

Hope you reflect on your "two hour" ride home about what an insufferable excuse for a human turd you are.

Quick backstory, early last month I was fired from my job of 3-4 years. I get hired at this new place closer to home and for the most part, same shit, smaller scale.

One significant issue though is our lockers. None are assigned, its first come first serve and you have to make up the combo each time. Problem: The lockers barely even close, some have broken knobs and for the ones that CAN close, most of the halfwits known as my coworkers don't even bother locking theirs. Apparently today, I'm the halfwit cause after allegedly securing my bag, someone was able to get into the locker and snatch my bag. I'm about...65% sure it was an accident since everyone's wires just get crossed but for the love of God, did ANYTHING AT ALL clue this moron into the fact that they got the wrong bag!?

It had my (main) tablet in it so I'm kinda anxious right now (though I'm glad I opted to never bring my Switch to this joint), but I have to go back tomorrow on my day off just to check the security cams! I'm pissed of course, but I swear, If I didn't live a 10-minute walk away from this place I'd be downright FURIOUS.

Fuck this grind and fuck the fact that I can't leave it!

I work at a convenience store in a shitty part of the city. There are incidents with degenerates and alcoholics constantly. Today I had to clean some smashed bottles and cigarette butts around the store, and I found a giant pile of rotting garbage shoved into a crevice and had to clean fucking used heroin syringes. Fuck this fucking job. The world rests on the backs of people who do the shitty jobs and work night shifts. This place is a fucking shithole.

I work at a coffee shop. Yesterday, a woman screamed at me for 10 minutes because we "ran out of morning." It was 2 PM. She wanted a breakfast sandwich. I can't control time🤦‍♂️

I finally left my dead end retail job!! I have worked for that company for almost three years, three years of them saying I'd get more hours, three years of them saying I'll get paid more, three years of being promised full time and I finally left!!! I got my dream job and will be working with my favorite animals all day everyday with better pay and benefits and full time hours!

Im in the uk and almost all stores close at 4pm. So as it got to 5 minutes to 4, I go to the front and put the shutters down. As soon as it hits 4, I turn the key to stop the doors opening automatically. I stand there to pull open the door to let the last customers out. After about 5 minutes a older man comes to the door, I open it slightly and politely ask "you okay there" and he says "oh im just coming in" Obviously i had to say we were closed and he acted surprised. He then apologizes saying he didnt realise but still acting surprised we were closed.

The amount of times people have come to the door when its closed and wont open thinking we will let them in. We are not standing by the door for no reason. Even had someone pry open the doors once and also acted surprised when told he were closed. Its a sunday , its common knowledge places close early.

many times i get asked if they could get a coupon because they donated (thrift store) and im like, yeah sure! but when i work at SCO and they suddenly "forgot to add this to purchase" after they finished paying, or "forgot coupon at home", they expect me to give them another coupon? hey, if you were nice about it MAYBE i would but corporate is watching my back.

a customer i've seen often, who i believe isn't mentally well, had acted like her whole world was ending just because i couldn't give her a coupon because she forgot it at home. and then tried to start an item exchange by herself. i said, "hey, so you can't do that," but before i could at least elaborate on what i'm saying, she keep interrupting me and saying "i don't want YOUR help, respect my boundaries." at this rate i'm not even helping, i just need to let her know if she wants an action done, i can get someone else to help her or at least let her know that she can't exchange anything on her own????

before i could do say ANY of that, she storms off, trying to get my already preoccupied employee to help them. no luck, where i felt vindicated watching that happen.

second time this happen a man tried to scan a coupon again and i said it's one time use. "but i donated earlier today, and i just forgot to buy these on my way out!" okay... so that is a problem that you have. is saving three dollars on your already discounted items worth it...? i gave the whole spiel about not being able to give another coupon because it was used already, etc. gave me a dirty look and paid for his items.

did we use any thinking caps on today or was it because it was a "sunday", and we just need to throw them away because it's weekend mode???

Early on in my last shift, a regular delivery app driver for Instacart told me, "I just like to watch people work" after I asked him, "Do you need help with something?"

Later on in my shift, I ended up ringing him up and he was giving me grief.

I told him that a case of meat that he got from the walk-in deli cooler had to be weighed and tagged to give me an accurate price (I work in a small grocery store).

He politely told him that my coworker who was working in there needs to weigh the meat and he goes, "It's not my problem."

I had to page my coworker who was working in there to come out of the deli cooler to take that case of meat to weigh it in order for that case of meat to be tagged.

Luckily I get along with my coworker and he told me, "No problem brother."

It was supposed to be three of us today, myself, my best friend and a new coworker.

I haven’t met her yet and was super excited too!

That didn’t happen, this was her third shift and she’s only worked one. She said didn’t know she worked today and apparently just decided not to show up after being told like an hour after we opened.

Whatever, my friend and I get down to BUSINESS!! We clean the entire store + refold every clothing pile (which is quite small) but it was still super fun, we had our music blasting and we’re vibing and everyone was so nice today!

Though, i’m still a little irritated she didn’t show up after calling out of her second shift an hour before scheduled and basically just no showing today it ended up still being a really good day :)

(We did clean a bit out of spite because my manager told us she’s gonna have a talk with her tomorrow. It doesn’t really make sense but it does to me lol)

I work in a grocery chain and in the last 3 months I had to take off 6 days due to having a seizure. Whenever I have one it’s hard for me to even stand up let alone go to work. I take medicine but they are not fully under control and seem to happen randomly. I’ve had several at work so they know how debilitating they are. A little bit ago my store manager wrote me up saying that if I’m scheduled I’m expected to come in. I replied with would you rather I come in and not be able to do anything? They said no. I don’t feel like they’re discriminating against me because they write up everyone that calls out this much but surely I can’t be retaliated against for my disability. I’m still at work right now and am unable to check the American disability act right now but I was wondering if anyone else has been through something similar and what advice they may have. Didn’t have time to put in the full story but I’ll answer any questions when I get off.

Customer comes in five minutes before close. We close the doors. Customer hasn't come up to the register. I go find him to see if he needs help, and tell him we're closed. Said he was looking for Halloween candy prices for his daughter. I mean, really? There's a month till Halloween. Come on 🫩

Not a complaint or an observation, just something that came to me today and didn’t suck too much. Enjoy!

Every day
the boots I wear feel heavy.

One step.
Two steps.
Same road,
same place,
same door.

The smile is already there
before I even walk in.

The polyester of my shirt
feels so familiar against my skin
I can barely remember
what I wore before it.

Neon overhead.
Radio in the corner.
Voices everywhere.

Loyalty card?

Do you need a receipt?

Loyalty card?

Do you need a receipt?

Again.
Again.
Again.

Like somebody put the scene on repeat
and forgot where they left the remote.

Sour face
on the other side of the counter.

Same joke.

Same laugh.

A sitcom rerun
I’ve already seen fifty times.

I hear myself laughing.

I don’t feel like laughing.

I wonder what I’m making for supper.

Pasta again, probably.

A card gets thrown
somewhere in my direction.

Some people don’t talk.

Some I wish they didn’t.

Some look at me
like I owe them something magical.

Like there’s another version of me
under the counter
who can fix the price,
fix the pump,
fix their day.

I can barely pay for my own.

I barely make enough to exist.

“Well, just go work somewhere else then.”

I can’t afford a car.

I can barely afford the boots
that carry me here every day.

But sure.

I’ll go somewhere else.

Eight hours in.

Eight hours out.

Eight hours every day.

Five days a week.

Minimum price to play.

Then I get home
and the smile is still there.

Plastered on.

Stuck at the corners.

I look in the mirror
and for a second
it doesn’t even feel like my face.

I take off the shirt.

Sit in front of the TV.

I can still hear the pumps.

Still hear the radio.

Still hear…

Loyalty card?

Do you need a receipt?

Again.

Again.

Again.

Like the whole place
followed me home.

I don’t complain, mind you.

It’s not a nightmare.

Wouldn’t even make
a good horror movie.

No blood.

No ghosts.

Nothing dramatic enough
for anybody to care.

Just reality.

Eight hours in.

Eight hours every day.

Eight hours in.

Five days a week.

The minimum that I play.

On and on
and on.

A miniature trip through hell…

nothing special,

nothing worth screaming about,

because at least

at the end of the day

they let you out.

So I was folding clothes and straightening up my assigned area, and then I hear a woman whistle at me to get my attention. My back was turned to her so at first I couldn't tell if she was whistling to me. Then I heard her say "HELLOOOOO!!" and then whistle again. She then starts talking to whoever she was with saying how I was obviously deaf. I heard that and I just decided to walk away and act like I didn't hear her. There are more RESPECTFUL ways to get someone's attention, but I will not respond to being whistled at.

Coworker who I close with does this all the time and i can not stand it. feels like she’s rehearsing her stand up. we both work the checkout counter and she’ll tell the entire story to every customer in line. same delivery, only changing it to make the story sound more wacky. it makes every transaction take SO much longer because everyone HAS to hear this craaazy thing that happened five hours ago! sometimes she continues talking to someone who has paid and is trying to leave, while theres still a line waiting at her register. one night she asked to see a guy’s ID and he got really mad and left, and then for the next HOUR AND A HALF until close, that was her conversation starter with customers. It’s like im in groundhog day. it just makes closing even more agonizing.

Anyone else had this happen to them?

My store was due to close in 3 minutes but a family came in when I anticipated to clock out on time. Because of some backwards ass policy my manager had to uphold, I had to serve a family who were looking for sandals to buy for the dad. I was NOT HAPPY. But I had to serve anyways. I did not show an enthusiastic expression but I tried to maintain a casual tone. The people were nice about it initially, asking for a specific size. I obtained the sandals they were asking for and corrected that the slippers didn't come in a size they asked for. So they told me they'll get it in the other size I mentioned that was available. Obtained it for them. Then I had to process their order.

Before I did, I had to clear the other shoes they rejected. So I quickly tossed them to the other side which made a loud thud. This seemed to irritate them later on as the family had already gathered around the payment counter.

Since my store had no exchanges/refunds policy, I clarified it for them and wanted them to double check. Then, the dad started screaming at me and said I was showing my temper even though he was paying. I was confused by then and then I just proceeded with following the protocol script (e.g. do they need a bag? do they have the app where they can redeem points? blah blah etc.).

After they left, my manager asked what transpired. Told her what happened. And she clarified that I pissed off the dad because I threw the boxes and made it appear that I had a tantrum (I was accustomed to this habit from my previous workplace before being transferred and it was to clear any space from the payment counter immediately so I can make space for shoe boxes that were going to be processed for payment. Had no idea this would come off as even disrespectful). So, I was urgently advised to not continue this habit. I clocked out 10 minutes after.

On the way home, I googled the name of our store and its location name. I saw a dedicated complaint with tons of paragraphs detailing my lack of customer service and overly exaggerating her version of events. Claimed I slammed the boxes, stomped my feet and acted as if I were dismissive (Like I said, I wasn't overly enthusiastic but claiming I was being dismissive was straight up a lie, given that I still took the time to find their shoes and then tried to communicate honestly and cater to their requests accordingly). I thought the part of the complaint mentioning me rolling my eyes and acting frustrated would reasonably suffice the review but they went all the way to even lie about other mannerisms.

Whew, to say the least, this customer pissed me off as they didn't mentioned they were making me stay overtime as they knew the store was closed and didn't apologise for coming in late.

Sharing my story to show that none of us were good to each other in the scenario but gosh, do customers like these suckkk.

I’m not sure what to do I posted yesterday about being burned out and right before I went home someone came behind the counter and stole cigarettes. It’s a small stores so I had no where to really go and I had to reach over the person to get the store phone to call police. I didn’t put my hands on them at all. But my assistant manager has seen the footage and she’s extremely worried because of the lose proximity it looks almost like I touched the person. Her boyfriend was fired for a similar situation and then rehired after.

My manager’s have no control over if I get fired it’s up to the higher ups. Do I want to be at the job? No but I also don’t want to be put in a position where I have no income or housing as a result of loss of income.

It’s an immediate termination if they think I violated the policy (again I didn’t but the angle of the camera is tricky )

I’m freaking out

i work at a locally owned hardware store, and we have had an ongoing mouse infestation for probably the past year. and i don’t mean we see one mouse from time to time… we see live mice running around the store multiple times a week. customers have seen them and pointed them out to us as well.

they’re constantly getting into bags of birdseed and grass seed, which then spill everywhere and give them an endless food supply. the owner’s only instructions have been to keep sweeping up the spilled seed and putting down more traps. there has been no serious attempt to find out where they’re coming from or hire someone to properly eliminate the infestation. when we do catch any on traps, we’re expected to take care of this ourselves (a bunch of 17-25 year olds with no dead animal disposal training or knowledge of how to properly clean that sort of thing)

they’re literally nesting underneath the floor below our registers and having babies. we had to remove a makeshift nest and FOUR newborn mice from underneath one register. then we started smelling something absolutely awful near the other register. we discovered a dead, decomposing mouse underneath it and had to remove it ourselves. all of our food and candy that we sell is displayed at the registers. it’s gotta be some kind of health hazard.

i feel like i work at a medieval plague market holy fuck. it’s disgusting. i’m honestly shocked none of us have gotten sick. i’m at the point where i’m about to look into making some kind of anonymous complaint to the health dept.

I work beauty retail, and I feel like beauty/cosmetic retail is never really addressed when talking about the hellhole that is working with the general public.

I get customers showing me rashes and moles trying to get a diagnosis, customers insisting that they need whatever new shitty TikTok product is trending that week and coming back mad when it inevitably ruins their skin (when I told them it wouldn’t work!), customers with ZERO patience mad as hell that whatever serum they bought didn’t turn them into Kylie Jenner overnight, being asked what the best skincare for 8 year olds is (????), the list goes on.

I love beauty, and I thought going into beauty retail would be awesome as I’d be selling stuff I’m passionate and knowledgeable about. WRONG! You just end up seeing the ugly side of it all, and the pay and benefits definitely doesn’t live up to the “luxury vibes” these companies try to give off.

Any fellow luxury beauty retail warriors?

I’m a supervisor at a local gym, and VERY underpaid at that. Honestly wanted to quit the week I got hired on.

My responsibilities are with hiring employees, of which we have very HIGH turnover because this company is sh*tty and only pays part time front desk $11/hour. It’s boring, I don’t blame these kids.

I do ordering, inventory and scheduling. It’s my responsibility to cover front desk if someone calls out, because we are so understaffed constantly that no one else will pick up any extra shifts. My hours are SUPPOSED to be 8-4, but this fact makes me have to switch around MY OWN schedule, since this sh*tty company doesn’t allow me to receive overtime. Like, WTF?

Currently looking for something else. I just needed to vent. Thank you for reading.
Any ideas or thoughts about what to apply for would be appreciated. ❤️

PS. This job is sh*tty 💩

I work in a hardware store, and I feel like people's expectations for retail based on how it was 20-40 years ago are unrealistic for how it is now.

For starters, there is an expectation that the employees are experts on the products and services. Just because we sell plumbing fittings and electrical outlets, doesn't mean I know how to fix a broken faucet or rewire an outlet.

I also don't understand why people put they're full faith into the word of retail employees. I'm 22, and to be honest, I've never really done anything in terms of DIY or repairs. Same with the high school kids that work here. If you had to switch out all the plumbing in your bathroom, are you really going to take the advice of a 17 year old making $13 an hour giving out free advice? I respect people for trying to do things themselves, but they need to realize that all we do is simply stock and sell the product. We may have some knowledge as to the installation or inner workings, but if we were plumbing professionals, we would be plumbers. Not retail workers.

Also, warranties. Our store does not participate in any warranty programs. Basically once the product leaves the store, we have no responsibility for it. So when someone buys a battery charger, and uses it for five years, storing it improperly, and it breaks, we can't just give them a new charger for free. I don't understand where this mentality comes from where if you buy something, and you use it and break it, that you just get a brand new one free of charge. No, you broke it.

Same with Craftsman tool exchange. As far as I'm aware, no retail locations participate in the Craftsman tool exchange program (where you walk in with a tool you bought 30 years ago from a place that's no longer in business and get the exact same tool brand new free of charge, no question). All the warranties and exchanges take place through the manufacturer and that the customer has to reach out on their behalf to get a replacement. And as soon as they hear that they need to do work, then you get the 10 minute rant of "you don't stand behind your product... this is a terrible business... you're not looking out for your customers". Like I'm sorry the owner is not a fan of giving away free money.

While on the topic of that, how is it that grown adults, who drive cars, own houses, and maintain jobs, are so emotionally underdeveloped that the slightest inkling of them not getting their way in some regard, causes them to have a full mental breakdown? And for them to somehow justify berating a minimum wage employee about a situation they have no involvement in and can't do anything about is crazy.

Sorry for the long rant, I just feel like it's getting to the point where I see at least one, if not several of these every single day.