this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
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I saw this earlier and I'm glad it was removed almost immediately.
Working retail/service in the US is a joke because people have become so entitled that they don't even think of service workers as humans anymore. When I used to work retail at a certain big blue box electronics store I was screamed at, yelled at, belittled, called names, and in a couple very extreme cases had items thrown at me and one person took a swing at me.
This is just another example of that. People here in the US are so detached from reality and laser focused on their routine that they literally cannot comprehend that workers may want to spend a holiday with their family too. Or worse than that, they think workers don't deserve to be at home with their families on a holiday, because they deserve service more than you deserve to see your family. God forbid they microwave a meal that one day.
It's pure entitlement and it's disgusting. Surprisingly I found that the lower income/societal class the person is the more entitled they would act towards me as a service worker.
One time I was dealing with a really bad migraine while I was running register at Walmart. I was barely functioning and could barely stand up straight. This lady comes through my line starting out all compassionate until she suggests that she lead me in a prayer that Jesus might heal me. I try to politely decline because I'd rather not hold up the line forming behind her. Well, also because I'm atheist but I had been in customer service for years at that point and knew better than to bring that tidbit up.
This lady starts into the most hate fueled tirade I've ever heard. Talking about how I'm a heathen, my migraine was a punishment directly from God, I deserve every second of my suffering, and calling me everything but a child of God. All because I tried to politely decline a performative prayer from her because there were now 3 people in line behind her. Like 20 minutes later I got taken out in an ambulance because I fainted from the pain trying to stand up after using the bathroom on my break.
Another guy tried to get me to discount his entire order because he supposedly knew the guy that owned the contacting company that built the store. Try to tell him that I don't have the ability to do that and he'd have to talk to a manager. He gets right up in my face and starts yelling about how no one else ever had a problem with it and how with one phone call he could make it so I would never be able to work at Walmart again. Along with several threats to my person. If I never set foot behind a cash register again it'll be too soon.
Despite never really having any problem customers in my 14 or so years of working in food service, I'm right there with you. Between the stress of dealing with people day in and day out, working every holiday with no overtime or holiday pay, and being expected to do the work of 2 people and not take any vacation time because "the company can't afford to hire more people," I will never work retail/service again. People talk about dreaming that they're back in high school, I dream that I'm back working there. Even 3 years after I left the industry.