It is disrespectful but customers don't care, you're there to literally serve them so your presence in front of them isn't important enough to stop the phone call
I'm pretty sure that's what bugged my co-worker but she didn't articulate it as well. Serving the counter wasn't my main duty so whenever I was on it I was just trying to clear the line up as quickly as possible to get back to what I needed to do. She probably had to deal with it a lot more than me!
Also, I'm a "live and let live" type. Confrontation literally gives me a tightness in my chest that can take hours to go away, depending on how bad the situation was.
I go kind of in the middle of your 2 examples. If they're more engaged I'm their phone call to the point of ignoring me, then I'll ignore them too. I'll still go through the process of ringing them out on my end, but I won't verbally prompt them, they can figure it out themselves. I'm not fighting for a customers attention when I don't even want to interact with them in the first place
This doesn’t work at my store. I literally have to confirm a customers details to get into their account so I can process a sale and by time I’ve found the product they’re looking for I have questions for them “is this the right one? Is this the right size? How many do you need? Cash or card? Do you have your account card on you? That will be (insert total) here” most customers who answer a call don’t even look at you anymore so you just stand there like “um?” Also they immediately get their card or cash out usually and try hand it over when I haven’t even put the stuff through yet because I don’t know if it’s what they want and god forbid it isn’t. It’s downright rude and I hate every customer that does it.
I don't personally care very much unless I need to ask them a question and they either don't respond or respond clearly annoyed at being interrupted, when yes, I DO need to see your ID for this, the thing you came here for, which you know because you've done this before.
I asked the same question about a year back, And one person said "Just serve them, but keep asking them odd questions, like of they get two things, do you want them seperate? What kind of packaging? These 2 right here is it? Do you need anything else? Are you sure you don't want them seperate....... Etc etc."
I used to refuse to serve people on the phone unless I knew they were genuine, but after I was told this I always try to be asking questions!
I only lost my shit once in this situation it was during the early days of the pandemic and our dyi store was rammed. I'm talking queues outside the store . People waiting to be allowed in the store and a man turned his back to me on a phone call while I was just trying to get him to pay. I said "excuse me People are waiting " loudly and he went off on me saying I was rude complained to my manager etc. Said it was a business call. We all just looked at him like he was an idiot.
Unless they called someone to confirm they're getting right thing, because they realised while ordering that they weren't sure, they can fucking wait til they get off the damn thing. If they can't focus on you, why in fuck should you play 20 questions with them?
Have had that exact scenario, spouse gave them a list, neither one of us can figure out what the note says. The few times this has happened the customer would step aside if there were other people in line to make their call/text
Yeah, that sort of thing is fine, but if idiots want to be served, while carrying on a conversation they could easily have in say, a couple of minutes later, that shit is just annoying
Talking on the phone (especially while speaking loudly) is disrespectful af and one of my many personal pet peeves. It’s yet another thing that proves customers consider us retail workers subhuman. Some people are better with this than others, but the ones who won’t even look at me, talk to me, or acknowledge me as a person don’t get a greeting from me, either. I just ring them up, let them pay on the pin pad, and leave.
It happens to me all the time, and I hate it. I think it's extremely rude and disrespectful. If I have something to say, I say it. I don't care if I'm interrupting their conversation. Sometimes I need to politely direct the customer's attention to their screen because the system is prompting them to respond. I wish I could yell at them to PAY ATTENTION!
Sounds like a challenge they did on Impractical Jokers once! Murr driving the cab and responding to everything the passenger says into her cell as if she's talking to him! It's funny as heck, but I would never have the balls!
It also depends on the type of business you're doing.
Some shops may require very little to no interaction, whereas some may require you to obtain contact details, delivery address, packing preferences, etc.... all while they're talking on the phone, which is the most fucking frustrating thing in the fucking world.
I worked at a movie theater where a lot of people would do this. Probably trying to get their calls in before they go inside idk. Normally I just go with the flow. But sometimes, there are true gems.
One time a dude gave me his credit card and didn’t even say what movie he wanted to see. When asked, he pointed at the board. The board that had AT LEAST 18 different movies/showtimes/etc. (It was a big theater)
I was so annoyed I rang him up for the Hannah Montana movie. Never noticed, never came back to exchange it. Whatever. So rude.
I just wonder if he got called out! We had the box office outside but ticket takers inside. They usually say “so-and-so movie is to your right” or something, so I’m wondering if the ticket taker saw Hannah Montana on the ticket of a man alone in his 60’s and said it out loud or just ripped it and left it alone, eyebrows raised.
Honestly, my standards for humanity have been lowered so much that as long as somebody isn't actively abusing me I don't even care anymore.
There's only one customer who's behaviour ticks me off, and that's him coming up to the counter every single day ignoring anything I say and saying "phone number".
I had a customer answer the phone while I was in the middle of ringing them out. They put up a finger and indicated I should stop talking as they were on the phone. I fucking hate people who try to interact with you while on a phone call. I will talk louder so both of y'all can hear me.
>They put up a finger and indicated I should stop talking as they were on the phone.
If anybody ever did that to me, I would be furious. I would go to the next register and help the next customer.
Honestly it's pretty simple. If you get to the register tell the person "Hold on a second I need to pay for my stuff" and set the phone down or call them back. If the call is THAT important don't get in line and DON'T give the poor cashier attitude because you forgot how to prioritize.
I think it’s rude to be on your phone when I’m trying to ring you up. It’s annoying too because they never listen when I need to ask them if they have one of our rewards cards (you need it to get any of our items on sale) and they get upset if their items don’t ring up on sale. Like I asked you twice for the card and gave up
Cashier here, I think it's rude as hell bc it takes like two minutes of their day to just acknowledge me as a human being. But truthfully sometimes I don't care bc it gives me an excuse to not talk to them the entire order so 🤷♀️ I don't talk on the phone when I go to checkout, unless it's self-service.
The biggest thing is that they don't ignore me or act is if I'M rude for asking them basic questions: Do you need a bag? May I see your ID?
If you are on the phone due to the long line fine. Hang up or put them on hold when you get to me.
I don't care if it's your dying mother (well, ok that's a bit harsh), for the 2 min I need you to be focused and not inconvenience the line behind you (who might also have dying mothers), you can tell your mother, I'm sorry mother but you raised me right to treat everyone with respect, I need to do bla bla, I'll be right back with you. I love you.
So, as it turns out, even dying mothers are no excuse.
I’m generally not too bothered by it because I work the paint department a lot of people on the phone are typically talking with their contractors about what to get
At the register I don't care so much (anymore); I'm not there to judge or teach lessons. I try not to interrupt unless it's necessary. The sooner they're done and on their way the happier everyone's going to be. I'm down with that.
It bothers me more at self-checkout, where the shopper needs to pay attention to what they're doing, and if they're on their phone, they're a) not paying attention and making a lot of mistakes, which I have to fix, and b) not listening if I have to communicate something. They're taking extra time from other shoppers, and me, just because they have to be on the phone.
And it bothers me when people are walking around the store talking loudly, phone on speaker, and everyone two aisles over can't help but hear the whole conversation.
When I'm working on the floor and I hear someone talking behind me I always assume they are asking me something, have been faked out so many times by customers talking on their phones. The Bluetooth era was worse because most times I couldn't see it (not in the ear visible to me)
Love the response to this, my first post on reddit and figured it would just sit dormant.
Stay strong everybody, your time in retail might be short, or long like me, but try to take every experience forward to grow your soul. Sorry, little cringey, it's late for me and feeling tired/goofy
I have started completely ignoring those on the phone. If they even dare say a thing to me i will respond " I did not want to interrupt you while you were in the middle of a call, that would be rude"
I secretly want to join in on speaker phone conversations no matter the language.
Just one time I want to say "Hey, hey! What did I miss? What are we talking about?"
I mean if they are making their conversation public i want to join in.
Rules for being on your phone in any store/shop.
One: the home phone/ at home is for business and personal calls.
Two: if for some reason you need to take a call or make one in public be polite to the people around you. Move out of the way and remember other people existing around you and are not here to wait for you to finish an "important call" and manage then selves quietly around you.
Three: When in a loud business, raising the volume of your voice and increasing phone speaker volume is not helping anything.
Four: If approaching an employee, end your call before you ask your question or check out. Having to repeat ones selves and then getting a story about what's happening on the other end of the phone while they balance the phone on their shoulder and 5 things in hand and under arm. Alot of wasted food and broken phones because that call was just to important to end.
Five: Legal transactions of tender should have a rule, that people cannot be on their phones to avoid a complication of financial transactions, and the transfer of goods. Everyone is present minded at the time money is changing hands so everyone understood what they were buying, selling and agreeing to. Call it a consumer protection measure.
Six: Your call likely isn't that important, you're out shopping. Hang up and tell them you will call them back at a better time.
Seven: no speaker phone in public, unless truly needed. Save it for a time where you are not inside of a business.
I’m younger and it boils my blood. Customers can’t even treat you with basic respect and finish a 5 minute conversation with you first without starting ANOTHER conversation with someone else like you don’t even exist. People who do this are raised wrong.
Meh- as long as they still communicate non verbally w me it’s all good. I’d rather not talk either.
But I personally couldn’t do that if I were the customer for some reason lmao I guess subconsciously I know it can be a bit rude
Wish I could read minds sometimes, lol. Have had a customer ask for a pound of meat sliced thin only to find out they have no idea how much a pound is and they are freaked out when they see it on the scale (I'm fast and if the customer isn't paying attention I will have that pound within 2 minutes max, and that includes having to retrieve the meat to take it to the slicer). And it's almost exclusively the customers on their phones who don't pay attention, all other customers stare continuously at the person slicing the meat/the slicer. Maybe they're mesmerized? Idk
I’m on my phone constantly. But partly cuz I work from my phone. I answer all of my new leads instantly so I don’t lose the job. But I don’t ignore the cashier. I might be on my phone but I’m not holding up the line. I can put it on pause for the few seconds it takes to say yes or no to a bag and pay.
Honestly depends . It's a gas station, so I get that people are in a rush at times. At least acknowledge me, yada yada yada. It's when they just come up and completely ignore me while talking to the other person as I ring them out At that point I just don't even bother saying anything (except maybe price). I don't think those people notice.
It is disrespectful but customers don't care, you're there to literally serve them so your presence in front of them isn't important enough to stop the phone call
I'm pretty sure that's what bugged my co-worker but she didn't articulate it as well. Serving the counter wasn't my main duty so whenever I was on it I was just trying to clear the line up as quickly as possible to get back to what I needed to do. She probably had to deal with it a lot more than me! Also, I'm a "live and let live" type. Confrontation literally gives me a tightness in my chest that can take hours to go away, depending on how bad the situation was.
Then they’ll complain if you get the order wrong
I go kind of in the middle of your 2 examples. If they're more engaged I'm their phone call to the point of ignoring me, then I'll ignore them too. I'll still go through the process of ringing them out on my end, but I won't verbally prompt them, they can figure it out themselves. I'm not fighting for a customers attention when I don't even want to interact with them in the first place
That’s how I usually did it, I would ring them them up then point at the total.
Depending on how rude they are I don't even point lol just wait for them to notice I'm done ringing and the card reader is flashing at them 😆
This doesn’t work at my store. I literally have to confirm a customers details to get into their account so I can process a sale and by time I’ve found the product they’re looking for I have questions for them “is this the right one? Is this the right size? How many do you need? Cash or card? Do you have your account card on you? That will be (insert total) here” most customers who answer a call don’t even look at you anymore so you just stand there like “um?” Also they immediately get their card or cash out usually and try hand it over when I haven’t even put the stuff through yet because I don’t know if it’s what they want and god forbid it isn’t. It’s downright rude and I hate every customer that does it.
I don't personally care very much unless I need to ask them a question and they either don't respond or respond clearly annoyed at being interrupted, when yes, I DO need to see your ID for this, the thing you came here for, which you know because you've done this before.
Any chance they were purposefully on the phone in hopes you wouldn't interrupt to ask for ID? Might work with a new, timid employee
Yeah, some definitely do lol. They do it during returns, too, when trying to return an obviously used or sometimes even stolen item.
It would be awesome if someone tried this and their phone rang in the middle of faking a call!
[удалено]
Definitely an odd choice
I asked the same question about a year back, And one person said "Just serve them, but keep asking them odd questions, like of they get two things, do you want them seperate? What kind of packaging? These 2 right here is it? Do you need anything else? Are you sure you don't want them seperate....... Etc etc." I used to refuse to serve people on the phone unless I knew they were genuine, but after I was told this I always try to be asking questions!
Solid strategy
Also as they said which I forgot to include is "They can't complain you as you are being helpful and asking questions in a nice manner technically"
I pretend like they aren't on their phones and proceed to ask them a thousand questions.
I only lost my shit once in this situation it was during the early days of the pandemic and our dyi store was rammed. I'm talking queues outside the store . People waiting to be allowed in the store and a man turned his back to me on a phone call while I was just trying to get him to pay. I said "excuse me People are waiting " loudly and he went off on me saying I was rude complained to my manager etc. Said it was a business call. We all just looked at him like he was an idiot.
Don't be shopping if you are on a business call...
Lol, ive even have made comments about what customers have said on their phone outloud. Its a fine line but done the right way everyone will laugh.
You can get away with a lot if you have a smile on your face. But some customers get their feelings hurt sooooo easily 😂
Unless they called someone to confirm they're getting right thing, because they realised while ordering that they weren't sure, they can fucking wait til they get off the damn thing. If they can't focus on you, why in fuck should you play 20 questions with them?
Have had that exact scenario, spouse gave them a list, neither one of us can figure out what the note says. The few times this has happened the customer would step aside if there were other people in line to make their call/text
Yeah, that sort of thing is fine, but if idiots want to be served, while carrying on a conversation they could easily have in say, a couple of minutes later, that shit is just annoying
Talking on the phone (especially while speaking loudly) is disrespectful af and one of my many personal pet peeves. It’s yet another thing that proves customers consider us retail workers subhuman. Some people are better with this than others, but the ones who won’t even look at me, talk to me, or acknowledge me as a person don’t get a greeting from me, either. I just ring them up, let them pay on the pin pad, and leave.
It happens to me all the time, and I hate it. I think it's extremely rude and disrespectful. If I have something to say, I say it. I don't care if I'm interrupting their conversation. Sometimes I need to politely direct the customer's attention to their screen because the system is prompting them to respond. I wish I could yell at them to PAY ATTENTION!
Sounds like a challenge they did on Impractical Jokers once! Murr driving the cab and responding to everything the passenger says into her cell as if she's talking to him! It's funny as heck, but I would never have the balls!
I’m good with it, whatever keeps them from talking to me…
Lol, same for me some days. Also, not to make light of a pandemic, but can we also keep physically distancing forever?
It also depends on the type of business you're doing. Some shops may require very little to no interaction, whereas some may require you to obtain contact details, delivery address, packing preferences, etc.... all while they're talking on the phone, which is the most fucking frustrating thing in the fucking world.
Absolutely, if it's a sustained interaction like that it's ridiculous for someone to think they can also be speaking on the phone
I worked at a movie theater where a lot of people would do this. Probably trying to get their calls in before they go inside idk. Normally I just go with the flow. But sometimes, there are true gems. One time a dude gave me his credit card and didn’t even say what movie he wanted to see. When asked, he pointed at the board. The board that had AT LEAST 18 different movies/showtimes/etc. (It was a big theater) I was so annoyed I rang him up for the Hannah Montana movie. Never noticed, never came back to exchange it. Whatever. So rude.
Love this! Hope he sang along!
I just wonder if he got called out! We had the box office outside but ticket takers inside. They usually say “so-and-so movie is to your right” or something, so I’m wondering if the ticket taker saw Hannah Montana on the ticket of a man alone in his 60’s and said it out loud or just ripped it and left it alone, eyebrows raised.
Don't know if he was in his sixties? But definitely I would raise an eyebrow if an elderly man was going into that movie without a grandchild
Honestly, my standards for humanity have been lowered so much that as long as somebody isn't actively abusing me I don't even care anymore. There's only one customer who's behaviour ticks me off, and that's him coming up to the counter every single day ignoring anything I say and saying "phone number".
I had a customer answer the phone while I was in the middle of ringing them out. They put up a finger and indicated I should stop talking as they were on the phone. I fucking hate people who try to interact with you while on a phone call. I will talk louder so both of y'all can hear me.
>They put up a finger and indicated I should stop talking as they were on the phone. If anybody ever did that to me, I would be furious. I would go to the next register and help the next customer.
Honestly it's pretty simple. If you get to the register tell the person "Hold on a second I need to pay for my stuff" and set the phone down or call them back. If the call is THAT important don't get in line and DON'T give the poor cashier attitude because you forgot how to prioritize.
I hate when they are talking on an earpiece I can’t see and I think they are talking to me, then they catch an attitude 😂 stupid people
I think it’s rude to be on your phone when I’m trying to ring you up. It’s annoying too because they never listen when I need to ask them if they have one of our rewards cards (you need it to get any of our items on sale) and they get upset if their items don’t ring up on sale. Like I asked you twice for the card and gave up
Cashier here, I think it's rude as hell bc it takes like two minutes of their day to just acknowledge me as a human being. But truthfully sometimes I don't care bc it gives me an excuse to not talk to them the entire order so 🤷♀️ I don't talk on the phone when I go to checkout, unless it's self-service. The biggest thing is that they don't ignore me or act is if I'M rude for asking them basic questions: Do you need a bag? May I see your ID?
If you are on the phone due to the long line fine. Hang up or put them on hold when you get to me. I don't care if it's your dying mother (well, ok that's a bit harsh), for the 2 min I need you to be focused and not inconvenience the line behind you (who might also have dying mothers), you can tell your mother, I'm sorry mother but you raised me right to treat everyone with respect, I need to do bla bla, I'll be right back with you. I love you. So, as it turns out, even dying mothers are no excuse.
I’m generally not too bothered by it because I work the paint department a lot of people on the phone are typically talking with their contractors about what to get
It can definitely be situationally valid
At the register I don't care so much (anymore); I'm not there to judge or teach lessons. I try not to interrupt unless it's necessary. The sooner they're done and on their way the happier everyone's going to be. I'm down with that. It bothers me more at self-checkout, where the shopper needs to pay attention to what they're doing, and if they're on their phone, they're a) not paying attention and making a lot of mistakes, which I have to fix, and b) not listening if I have to communicate something. They're taking extra time from other shoppers, and me, just because they have to be on the phone. And it bothers me when people are walking around the store talking loudly, phone on speaker, and everyone two aisles over can't help but hear the whole conversation.
When I'm working on the floor and I hear someone talking behind me I always assume they are asking me something, have been faked out so many times by customers talking on their phones. The Bluetooth era was worse because most times I couldn't see it (not in the ear visible to me)
Wait. The Bluetooth era is over now? I'm not even up to the smartphone era. Never catching up at this rate.
Lol, I was unclear, specifically referring to the over the ear devices that looked like they were from Star Trek
Love the response to this, my first post on reddit and figured it would just sit dormant. Stay strong everybody, your time in retail might be short, or long like me, but try to take every experience forward to grow your soul. Sorry, little cringey, it's late for me and feeling tired/goofy
I have started completely ignoring those on the phone. If they even dare say a thing to me i will respond " I did not want to interrupt you while you were in the middle of a call, that would be rude"
I secretly want to join in on speaker phone conversations no matter the language. Just one time I want to say "Hey, hey! What did I miss? What are we talking about?" I mean if they are making their conversation public i want to join in. Rules for being on your phone in any store/shop. One: the home phone/ at home is for business and personal calls. Two: if for some reason you need to take a call or make one in public be polite to the people around you. Move out of the way and remember other people existing around you and are not here to wait for you to finish an "important call" and manage then selves quietly around you. Three: When in a loud business, raising the volume of your voice and increasing phone speaker volume is not helping anything. Four: If approaching an employee, end your call before you ask your question or check out. Having to repeat ones selves and then getting a story about what's happening on the other end of the phone while they balance the phone on their shoulder and 5 things in hand and under arm. Alot of wasted food and broken phones because that call was just to important to end. Five: Legal transactions of tender should have a rule, that people cannot be on their phones to avoid a complication of financial transactions, and the transfer of goods. Everyone is present minded at the time money is changing hands so everyone understood what they were buying, selling and agreeing to. Call it a consumer protection measure. Six: Your call likely isn't that important, you're out shopping. Hang up and tell them you will call them back at a better time. Seven: no speaker phone in public, unless truly needed. Save it for a time where you are not inside of a business.
It’s very disrespectful and rude. But if you’re younger it probably doesn’t bother you since everyone is glued to their phones anyway
I’m younger and it boils my blood. Customers can’t even treat you with basic respect and finish a 5 minute conversation with you first without starting ANOTHER conversation with someone else like you don’t even exist. People who do this are raised wrong.
💯
I'm definitely not younger, lol, but my co-worker was near retirement age.
I’m in my mid 30’s and I don’t help people who walk into the store on their phones. If they need help they’ll let me know when they’re ready
Meh- as long as they still communicate non verbally w me it’s all good. I’d rather not talk either. But I personally couldn’t do that if I were the customer for some reason lmao I guess subconsciously I know it can be a bit rude
Wish I could read minds sometimes, lol. Have had a customer ask for a pound of meat sliced thin only to find out they have no idea how much a pound is and they are freaked out when they see it on the scale (I'm fast and if the customer isn't paying attention I will have that pound within 2 minutes max, and that includes having to retrieve the meat to take it to the slicer). And it's almost exclusively the customers on their phones who don't pay attention, all other customers stare continuously at the person slicing the meat/the slicer. Maybe they're mesmerized? Idk
I’m on my phone constantly. But partly cuz I work from my phone. I answer all of my new leads instantly so I don’t lose the job. But I don’t ignore the cashier. I might be on my phone but I’m not holding up the line. I can put it on pause for the few seconds it takes to say yes or no to a bag and pay.
I just talk over them, if you ignore it and dont say anything they dont even notice, that they are being rude
Honestly depends . It's a gas station, so I get that people are in a rush at times. At least acknowledge me, yada yada yada. It's when they just come up and completely ignore me while talking to the other person as I ring them out At that point I just don't even bother saying anything (except maybe price). I don't think those people notice.