30 Times Retail Employees Went The Extra Mile For Customers Who Didn’t Act Like Karens

30 times retail employees went the extra mile for customers who didn’t act like Karens:

If there’s one thing working in retail has taught me, it’s that people can be much bigger jerks than I ever imagined. But maybe you understood that from our list of the worst client stories alone. I’d say it illustrates the absurd side of the industry pretty well!

But not every interaction by the counter is unbearable. Every once in a while, when you least expect it, someone comes up and restores your faith in humanity. Even though you swore to your friends that you’ve become a misanthrope. And there’s one Twitter thread that proves it beautifully.

Created by Jenny from Washington, DC, it has people sharing feel-good memories about the times they went the extra mile for a customer just because they didn’t treat them like garbage. Continue scrolling and check them out!#1

Employees-Pulled-Through-For-Customers-That-Didnt-Act-Like-Karens

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Micah<33 months ago

So far, this is my favourite112 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#2

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ᴠᴀ̈ɪɴᴏ3 months ago

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You could argue that mutual understanding between employees and customers is now more important than ever. According to a new survey from Zipline, pandemic stresses continue to take a toll on American retail workers, with 48% of them saying they’ve considered quitting their job in the past year, and 64% saying they’re seeing more aggression from customers.

The survey of 512 full-time, in-store retail associates, fielded in November and December 2021, also discovered that the share of retail workers eyeing the exit door has grown: in Zipline’s previous workers’ survey, conducted last spring, around 41% of respondents said they had thought about leaving their job.#3

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william mcgloin3 months ago

Gotta remember that one.44 Reply View more comments#4

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NsG3 months ago

A feel good story disguising the fact that this woman shouldn’t have been in a position to have to choose. Unless her food consisted of caviar and imported camembert.137 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#5

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DUN DUN (she/her)3 months ago

BLESS HER!58 Reply View more comments

Among those who told Zipline this time around that they had thought about quitting, more than half said they were considering leaving the industry altogether.

Greater confidence in their job prospects is probably a big reason for some of those plans: 4.5% of retail workers quit their job in December—up from 3.1% who quit in December 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) report.#6

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WilvanderHeijden3 months ago

Imagine being a jerk and calling the police on someone who already is down on their luck.127 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#7

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DUN DUN (she/her)3 months ago

I’m sure you were blessed my many53 Reply View more comments#8

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Samantha Lomb3 months ago

He looks really good for 1865 Reply View More Replies…View more comments

And it shows. Retailers had more than 1 million job openings at the end of 2021 but hired just 861,000 workers in December, and that demand for labor has pushed up wages, with leading companies such as Walmart, Amazon, and SpartanNash saying in their latest earnings calls that rising labor costs have pressured margins.

So it’s a good time for everyone in the market looking for a job change. But for retailers themselves, results of Zipline’s survey point to potential risks that might warrant revisiting their workforce retention efforts. #9

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Buttercup3 months ago

You did something many would have hesitated to do.75 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#10

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Xīngxīng Emmersyn3 months ago

🎶Sir, I want to buy these knives for my mama, please It’s Christmas Eve and these knives are just right for her🎶27 Reply View more comments#11

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Qibli of the SandWings3 months ago(edited)

Benjamin is as sweet as the cocoa59 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#12

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WilvanderHeijden3 months ago

Something that will not happen if you think that it’s your royal right to be rude to servers because «Customer Is King».45 Reply View More Replies…View more comments

Zipline’s latest findings also reveal that:

40% of full-time retail associates reported worsening mental health in the past year;
48% said they had experienced or witnessed a verbally abusive customer;
48% said they feel they have management’s full support if and when a customer becomes verbally abusive;
Of the 32% of full-time retail workers who say they have an additional source of income, 43% say they have a nonretail job, and 11% said they have another job in retail—creating demands on time that may keep some interested employees from taking advantage of continuing-education or career-development opportunities that their primary retail employer offers.

#13

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Lukas-not-Luca (he/him)3 months ago

This makes me sad- you know they were risking their job to help… this should be the norm, not throwing away perfectly good food…108 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#14

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r tommo3 months ago

Such a wonderful thing to do.27 Reply View more comments#15

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Tobias Rieper3 months ago

you are my hero53 Reply View more comments#16

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Buttercup3 months ago

One of the main reasons I want to become rich is to give it back to people who need it the most.93 Reply View More Replies…View more comments

«If there is one main takeaway from our survey it is this: mental health is declining as burnout increases at a rate we’ve never seen,» Zipline said in a blog post. «It’s a problem that, left unchecked, shows no signs of abating … More disturbing still, more than half of all retail associates surveyed said that their mental health was either not a concern to their manager or that their manager was harmful to their mental well-being.»

No wonder so many of the respondents are serious about quitting their job. They feel abandoned.#17

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Jose Antonio3 months ago

Something that should be known and may be helpful to others. alot of places like walmart and such will give you some syringe’s for free(without needles of course) if you just ask them politely.42 Reply View more comments#18

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Speedgoat3 months ago

Lightning wit strikes again, eh Bill?9 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#19

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Samantha Lomb3 months ago

What is a pink drink?16 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#20

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WilvanderHeijden3 months ago(edited)

Teachers having to buy school supplies out of their own pocket. In other news: College teams pay $500 million in dead money to coaches to not coach anymore.66 Reply View More Replies…View more comments

To fix the grim situation on the floor of retail stores across the United States, Zipline said managers should:

1. Be proactive about creating mental health infrastructure: sixty percent of the associates surveyed reported that their employer either didn’t have a mental health program in place or they weren’t aware if such a program existed;

2. Offer paid mental health days (at least): More than half of retail associates said the service they want most from their employer was paid mental health days with counseling and therapy coming in second place (18%) and paid gym memberships right behind (17%);#21

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Heather Lambie3 months ago

So sorry for the loss of your sister❤️56 Reply View more comments#22

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Suzanne Gannon3 months ago

I’m not nice to people because it pays to be nice, but it *is* a lovely perk.22 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#23

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Mal3 months ago

It’s not guilt, love. It’s empathy.51 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#24

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Janelle Collard3 months ago

Thank you for making her day a whole lot better! 12 Reply

3. Increase pay: increasing an employee’s pay can lessen or eliminate the pressure to take on a second job. This not only increases employees’ dedication to their company, it also gives them more time to relax and take care of themselves, which translates into improved mental well-being;

4. Demonstrate support for employees: the survey found that 64% of retail employees had noticed an uptick in verbally aggressive or confrontational customers during the pandemic, but fewer than half of the respondents felt they had their manager’s support during these interactions;#25

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Wesley Lucas3 months ago

Oh my god, I would marry this woman. I knit professionally and as a hobby so my yarn costs are through the roof! Those handmade sweaters, socks, scarves not only take a LOT of time to make by hand but often also cost way more than an equivalent item at the store because of the costs of quality yarn. Cheap acrylic stuff is usually anywhere from $2-7 per ball and the good stuff can cost anywhere from $9 to $300, depending on the fiber and size.17 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#26

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Layne Rodgers3 months ago

Those pens are soooo expensive. I just got some the other day!8 Reply View more comments#27

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Stephaniep3 months ago

I went to dunkin once really craving some munchkins, ordered a dozen and the lady says «it’s almost closing time can I give you 50 for the price of a dozen». That was a great day.64 Reply View More Replies…View more comments#28

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Brittney Gordon3 months ago

I hope when she presented the total, she totally did the Vanna White hand gesture!27 Reply

5. Acknowledge contributions: fewer than half of the survey respondents felt that their managers frequently acknowledged their hard work. Managers should make a point to show appreciation for their employees’ contributions to the team to build morale and boost job satisfaction.

Of course, there’s no quick fix. But if these strategies were implemented, chances are, the employees wouldn’t have to rely on customers to enjoy their work!#29