If you want to know your limit to the amount of nonsense you can tolerate, just get a job in retail. From intense and long shifts to poor management, it gives you plenty of reasons to sigh and roll your eyes. But it’s probably the customers that generate the most fury.
The subreddits ‘Target’ and ‘Trader Joe’s’ unite many of the chains’ employees, providing a well-needed space for venting. But scroll through their content and you’ll see that these people would be a lot happier if it weren’t for us barbarians burdening them with our ignorance, pettiness, and nastiness.
#1 No Excuses
#2 Old But Gold
We reached out to both subreddits’ mods and the folks behind ‘Target’ were kind enough to reply. “[Our] community is great,” they told We. “It’s like one big, giant, friendly breakroom where Team Members can feel the same relief they do when they enter the physical break room. The community is almost exclusively Target Team Members.”
Because everyone is so tight-knit, they don’t have to do much “policing” too. “All the mods on the team are volunteers and have lives, jobs, families, and other responsibilities. The automod BullseyeBot is helpful to keep some simple tasks complete,” they explained. “The most common problem is spam or other trolling comments. We try to be pretty hands off but when comments are threatening, harassing, etc. we step in and remove them and potentially ban the user.”
#3 Every Single Sign In The Store
#4 Facts!
#5 Workers Have Spoken
The mods of ‘Target’ think the biggest complaints the Team Members have about their job is low pay coupled with the high expectations of their work but there are other cyclical problems too.
“This time of year, you’ll find complaints about not being given a day off or being scheduled too much, and then early in the calendar year, you’ll see complaints about low hours,” they said.
When asked about customers, the mods said that what really grinds employees’ gears is when they put unwanted items back in random spots in the store and also when they leave trash in random places like on shelves or in carts.
#6 Gotta Love It
#7 Thought This Would Fit Here
#8 Me Staring At The Customer Who Just Came Within 12 Inches Of Me With No Mask On To Ask If We Sell Covid Tests
#9 Getting Into The Holiday Spirit
According to its new survey, Mercer said 48 percent of retail and hospitality workers are looking to leave their jobs. And of those polled making less than $30,000 a year, 58 percent said they have their eyes on the door.
While some are considering career changes, many are stuck in low-paying jobs with few benefits or avenues to advance.
And while retail workers say their jobs keep them socially connected and mentally stimulated, researchers at Mercer noted that “the drawbacks outweigh the benefits for them right now. They find the work chaotic, overwhelming, and unfulfilling on a daily basis.”
#10 Happens Almost Every Shift
#11 An 8 Year Old Kid Can Destroy An Aisle With More Speed And Efficiency Than A Category 5 Hurricane
#12 Every Time
#13 Raise Your Hand If You “Ruined A Christmas” Because You Didn’t Have Some Popular Item In Stock The Day Before Christmas
Aside from not feeling supported, valued, or heard, respondents said that “they are exhausted by repetitive and physically demanding jobs.”
The researchers also highlighted that many retail and hospitality jobs “are customer-facing, and employees have to be always ‘on’ and cheerful, even while customers are increasingly negative and demanding, taking out their frustration over supply shortages, price increases, under-resourcing and/or dissatisfaction with health and safety policies.”
Which we can clearly see in the subreddits’ posts.
#14 Absolutely Hate People That Abandon Carts With Food
#15 It’s Called Etiquette
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#16 Target Employees Hate When You Think Your Tiny Car Can Fit The Biggest TV On Planet Earth
#17 Ah Yes, Those Guests That Tell You Their Whole Life Story After You Told Them In What Aisle The Item They’re Looking For Is At
When those polled were asked what would best support their mental health and ease burnout, retail and hospitality employees prioritized a reduced workload and flexible work schedule.
According to the researchers, this “is a key area employers need to act on to improve retention — especially because they cannot financially afford a further change in pay.”
To give the data more context, Mercer added that hospitality and retail workers “didn’t get to stay home during the pandemic — some were laid off, and the rest went to work, wore masks, installed glass barriers, and kept the consumer economy afloat.”
Then, at the end of 2021, the industry was hit with supply chain issues and labor shortages, followed by the war in Ukraine and now, inflation.
And it’s inflation that continues to take its huge toll. Mercer discovered that any money the workers had stashed away is now being used for food and rent as well as unplanned expenses. When asked about their top concerns, financial security was a prominent theme of those polled.
#18 Coworker Found This Hidden In The Wine Section…. Yes Those Are Bite Marks
#19 Actual Guest Interaction Today
#20 Same Feeling When My Weekday Closing Lead Says “Have A Good Weekend Team” Over The Walkie On Friday Night
#21 I’m Dead
The report also stressed other concerns, which included better balancing of work and life; being able to retire, and maintaining emotional and mental health. Personal fulfillment, debt, and personal safety were other factors that made the list.
Action items that companies can do to mitigate some of these issues and maintain employee retention include offering competitive pay rates, offering wellness resources and working with employees on “designing a career” and other career development efforts.
Additionally, we, the customers, can do a lot better, too.
#22 A Guest Decided To Have Breakfast In Our Paper Aisle. Worst Part Is They Used Chocolate Milk
#23 Is It Me Or Are Guests, Target (Things In General), Getting Worse
#24 Yea Cus It’s Our Fault U Came In Less Than An Hour Before Closing
#25 Not A Target Worker But I Thought This Will Make You Relate
#26 There Should Be A Limit To How Many Items A Guest Can Order For Drive Up…
#27 So, A Customer Tried Paying With This Today…
#28 Every Time!
#29 Every. Damn. Day
#30 Why… Just Why?
#31 “Sir, You Have A Different State Selected”
#32 Especially When I’m A Cashier
#33 Stay Safe, My Friends
#34 When It’s Currently A Blizzard Outside
#35 When You Think They Can Pinpoint The Exact Moment They Ran Out Of Chicken Tikka Masala
#36 “I Got It Here Last Time. It’s Trader Joe’s Brand, It Comes In A Little Package Or Box. They’re Like These Little *does Unhelpful Hand Shape* Crunchy Snacks, I Got Them Here Just A Couple Weeks Ago. Idk What Flavor They Were But They Were So Good
#37 This Happens Too Often
#38 “I Want Everything In One Bag… But I Don’t Want The Bag To Be Heavy”
#39 When I Retrieve An Item From The Back For A Guest But They’re Gone
#40 *sideways In An Aisle*
#41 Especially In Appliances
#42 Them The Rules
#43 Yeah Well You Just Watched Me Ring Someone Else Up And Then I Waved You Forward And Started Scanning S**t Out Your Cart Soooo Yeah I’m Open
#44 Every Time
#45 Thanks, You’re So Helpful
#46 Coworker Made This Meme, Thought Any Employees Could Use The Chuckle Rn
#47 No… Just No
#48 😂😂
#49 God I Hate People So Much
#50 Dear Customers, If You See An Employee Pushing A Cart That Looks Like This, Don’t Bother Them. They’re Being Timed To Pick Items
#51 705 Pounds Of Soda, This Is One Order. Godspeed My Drive Up Homeboys
#52 Good Morning To Everyone Except This Guest
#53 They Also Hate When You Ignore Their Existence When It’s Convenient To You
#54 Every. Single. Time
#55 When A Customer Is Standing Too Close While You’re Bagging But Your Social Anxiety Prevents You From Saying Anything:
#56 Don’t Worry It Happens To Me Too
#57 Guests
#58 Trader Joe’s Employees Hate When You Remember Your Bags At The Very Last Second
#59 Oh You Didn’t Want To Talk? That’s Good Cus I Was Just Acting Anyway
#60 An Actual Interaction I Had With A Guest Yesterday
#61 Trader Joe’s Employees Hate When You Think They Aren’t A Pro At This Whole Bagging Thing
#62 Every Single Time Today
#63 Hot Wheel Collectors Are The Worst Change My Mind
#64 Customers When They See A Locked Bathroom
#65 New Jersey, Where The Crusty Custies Will Leave Their Dirty Bathing Suits In The Cart For You
#66 Some Jerk Just Came In And Returned 14 Bottles Of Formula Because They “Have A Chip In Them” It Really Sucks We Have To Dump It Out Seeing How Sought Out It Is Smh
#67 Suddenly The Ingredients List On Chocolates And Mints Are All So Fascinating 🤔
#68 Gotta Love It, Especially When There’s A Line Lol
#69 My Favorite Couple Archetype That Shops At Tj’s Is “Annoyed, Nervous Wife” Paired With “Bored, Horny Husband”
#70 For Real
#71 I Thought This Stuff Was A Fake Tiktok Trend Man
