Customers

If you work in retail like me, you start to hate people.  Not all people.  You'll still like your friends and family, but for people that don't fall in either category that you deal with at work, you just start to lose hope for the human race.  You start developing stereotypes for certain races, ages, and genders.  You can't help but feel disdain and sheer disappointment when a repeat customer (that you don't like) comes through your line.

I hate it when people question prices.  We have a screen at work (like most large retail establishments) where people can see the items as they're being rung up.  This happens literally every time I work, and I don't use the word "literally" too liberally.  They will question a price, and it's one of three things.  1) They couldn't see the sale price come off (idiot) and should just stick to looking at their receipt, which I tell people is a hell of a lot easier to read.  2) The price didn't come off like they thought, usually forcing me to do a price check.  These price checks usually result in people not being able to read price tags, like "Must Buy 4".
But it's not just the questions about prices.  It's their peculiarity that bothers me.  The lady that always requests paper in plastic.  The guy who always asks for double paper, shortening our paper bag supply.  The customers who (if you don't have a bagger and they have a large order) don't help you load a single bag into their cart.  Customers who stand at the end of your checkstand scrutinizing and glossing over detail on their receipt, assuming you, the cashier, got something wrong because THEIR total was higher than they expected.  Oh, and the customers who complain that something, or groceries in general, are expensive.  One, it's called inflation, and two, you obviously didn't do a good job of shopping if your total is so high and your cart not that full.

I'm fortunate that I am such a patient person.  Perhaps not with my friends and family, but at work in a professional environment I have the patience of a saint, and I have been told that more than once by people.  There are certain customers that I would love to just switch places with and see how they like it.  Oh, and if you ever come to my line in a bad mood, don't expect much sympathy or good service.  People have bad days, and frankly, we're not your therapist so we don't need to hear about it.  We're just one of the few people you might breeze by that day, and if your day happens to include something negative, we don't need to hear it.  It's literally a waste of your time, it won't make you feel better, and you just made someone else feel worse, too.

I hate to say this, but seeing as this is my uncensored and unfiltered blog, I'm going to.  There are certain customers, that, given the opportunity and if I was told there wouldn't be any possibility of any repercussions or consequences, I would beat the crap out of.  There are some I'd just like to scream at, but there are certainly some I'd like to take a punch or two at.  I don't care if you're an old lady.  If you're going to be a bitch to me, I'm going to wish you go to hell when you die.  There's this one old lady I've seen only about a half dozen times or so in my five years of working at Safeway.  She's obviously had a stroke, seeing as half of her face appears to be frozen.  She is by far, the rudest elderly woman I've ever met.  She's sworn in front of me, and yelled at me for bagging two 64 oz drinks together.  I swear, if she ever goes through my line again and is rude in an uncalled-for manner, I am going to let her hear it.  I've never blown my top with a customer, but there are a select few that I might do it for given certain circumstances.

So customers, I conclude with this:  I don't look forward to my job and I don't look forward to helping you.  (Well, the select few people I know outside of work are ok :) )  But if I only know you through Safeway, I don't really care to know you any more.  We checkers look on every customer as if they are a tiny reason we're tired and/or unhappy.  We do our job because the big guys upstairs pay us little as they can get away with because we need to get by in life.  We don't need you assholes making it any harder for us.  *Drops Mic*