Some things reall AREN'T your business

[Evannah]

People can be SO rude. I don't get the whole 'service with a smile' thing. I like my current job and I do smile more often that not. I don't have to try. But with the heat, I can't sleep, and some days I'm more tired than usual, and it does show in my face. I may not be smiley, but I am VERY courteous. And if people think I'm rude for not saying "please" and "thank you" and "have a lovely day" with a smile plastered on my face then they're the one with the problem, not me.

[Cazzi]

I am 53 and this is the visible tattoo I have.

I just hit 50 & have several that are in easy to hide places (due to the job I had when I had my first)

However my next one is going to be wrist/forearm

My mum is in her 70's and has a few too, including the back of her neck!

But back to topic, I think the most I've ever asked a cashier on a personal basis is how their day was going or carried on a conversation that they've initiated.

Some people!

[wolfie]

IMNSHO, the ONLY time it's appropriate for a customer to comment on a retail worker's tattoo is if it's clearly well-done - and they want a recommendation for a tattoo artist.

[RealUnimportant]

I thought you had to be a rich celebrity before people felt this entitled to the ins-and-outs of your life... :-/

[EricKei]

"Smiles cost extra."

or

"They don't pay us 'smile wages' here."

SC: WOW...no one closer would hire you so you need to invade our town and take our jobs.

DURKA DURR! THEY TOOK OUER JOBS!

[sms001]

I can't tell you how many times people have asked me if they are all wedding rings.

"Yes, yes they are. Kinda sad to have been widowed five times at my age." Pause, then chirpily: "But hey! At least I'm not in prison for any of them. Anything else for you today?"

[Jester]

If the town I work in were a bar, it would be "Cheers" because everyone knows your name...and THINKS they are entitled to know your business too.

Much like Vegas, here there is a saying that "What happens in Key West, stays in Key West." Which, as I've pointed out to many a tourist, is great if you're a tourist here. But it also means that if you live here, everyone knows your shit.

SC: WOW...no one closer would hire you so you need to invade our town and take our jobs.

This is what qualifies as an invasion these days?
And if this is "your" job, what horrible line of work did you fall into from me taking it? Attorney? CEO? Oh, you have your own business. Sorry about my theft of what would have been your low level retail job forcing you to go into business for yourself. That wasn't very nice of me, was it?

SC: (Grabs cashier's arm) WHY??!!?? Why did you do this to yourself??

Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!

SC: That's it? That's all you are going to do...speak to her.....she is a miserable person...she shouldn't be interacting with the public...you need to fire her.

A few years ago, when some customer was making some ridiculous and unwarranted complaint about something minor relating to one of my coworkers, my Rocking Manager, who had had enough of this particular pain in the ass and just wanted them to fucking leave already (they were just about on their way out when they made this complaint), told the customer with a straight face that she would fire the offending employee. "I'm just gonna fire her for that, okay ma'am?" Which shocked the customer, as it had been a minor thing, and had the desired effect: they shut the fuck up. RM then went in the back, told said employee what had just happened, and to hang out in the back for a few minutes until the complainer had left.

There's a reason she's still my favorite manager after all these years.

Bet they weren't a day younger than 40, there's a real hard generational line out there regarding tattoos. People under 40 don't see what the big deal is, and people over 40, well, might as well be Victorian England, so sure are they that tattoos can only ever coincide with criminality.

That "hard generational line" may only be where you are. Because to me, it seems my generation started the whole relaxed attitude toward tattoos, and getting them willy nilly....and I'm 44. And while I don't have any myself, I'm not particularly opposed to them, either. Actually, the last girl I was involved with had quite a few tattoos. And while I'm not always a fan of body art, for her, it really, really worked.

Also, a former coworker of mine has, in the last few years, started getting more and more tattoos. He's 55.

IMNSHO, the ONLY time it's appropriate for a customer to comment on a retail worker's tattoo is if it's clearly well-done - and they want a recommendation for a tattoo artist.

I'd say one other appropriate comment would be if the customer is genuinely curious on the meaning of various tattoos. Not being an asshole about it, mind you, but just wondering what this or that one means, if anything.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I once had a customer put in a formal complaint about me cuz I wasn't smiling, and was looking miserable on the till. My supervisor at the time calmly told the SC that it was my granny's funeral the day before, and the SC was shocked into withdrawing the complaint. Well, if he'd bloody well asked me what the matter was, I would have told him. I was only working that day cuz I had to, cuz I wasn't able to get both days off, only the one for the funeral.

I also have Aspergers so smiling feels strange to me, the facial equivilent of standing on one's head. It's very difficult, so I try to put on a cheery voice instead, use please, thank you, goodbye, hello etc liberally, and not actually frown. If anyone asks me why I don't smile, I tell them. It's amazing how many people think that in order to look normal, a person has to walk around with a wide manic grin on their face. Personally, if I saw someone like that, I'd wonder what drugs they were taking. O_o

[Jester]

I once had an odd complaint against me at The Bar. A few years ago, this one couple bitched about me to my manager as they were leaving. Their problem with me? I wasn't joking around with them like I normally did when they were in there. Why not? Because I was fucking slammed! As my manager pointed out to them, considering how busy I was, they should have been happy that I was still able to make sure they (and everyone else) got all their food and drink in a timely and efficient manner, and that it was damned unrealistic of them to expect me to ignore other customers in order to causally joke with them.

Yeah, that was a complaint that went exactly nowhere.

[protege]

I also have Aspergers so smiling feels strange to me, the facial equivilent of standing on one's head.

I hear ya. I don't have Aspergers, but smiling does feel a bit odd--not to mention painful--at times. I messed up my jaw in an auto accident years ago. My face hit the steering wheel and did some damage The joint doesn't quite fit the way it's supposed to, and sometimes makes a loud "cracking" noise if I attempt to.

[gerund]

I have a thing I do when I see someone who is unhappy, or perhaps having a hard day. There is no way ever I would say "Why don't you smile?" That is counter-productive.

No, I think of something amusing I can say to them that will lighten up their day. I never say anything personal about their appearance, unless it is to say something nice.

For instance there is a lady who works in our Local Post Office, and she never smiles. I have been collecting packages there for about 4 or 5 years and she knows me well.

Lady: "Hello"
Me: "Hello"
I hand over the ticket for a package and the man who works there walked out of the back room. He looked at me.
Man: "Hello"
Me: (To the lady) "There is an echo in here. Wait! I know the answer to that." (To the man) "Hello"
Man: (Amused) "You know the answer to 'Hello'?"
Me: "Yep, yep"

He smiled, she smiled, I took my package and walked out a winner, as I had made both of them smile. It was a small meaningless interaction, but if I can do something similar (and different) every place I go, I get better service and the people who come after me get better service.

And it amuses me to do so.

[Talon]

Some busybody demanding a smile?

How about this?

Or perhaps this? (wait till the end)

[notalwaysright]

We once got a comment on the online survey where the customer said he was glad he got a nice, happy cashier because the "one who is normally working looks like she would rather be at home slitting her wrists." And... Yeah, there was one cashier who often had the meanest glare on her face. Think snotty valley girl who is being told off by a teacher. Even the dark tan (in winter, in a place where you forget what the sun looks like), streaked hair, and heavy glittery makeup.

I don't go for psycho grin, just a generally non-glaring expression.

[Evannah]

Some busybody demanding a smile?

How about this?

Or perhaps this? (wait till the end)

FF10 ftw

[raudf]

Since I went to the store today, I decided to try something. An experiment if you will. I smiled as I shopped for my items. You know what? I saw a whole lot more people smiling, like smiles are contagious or something. They'd be blank faced as they approached and for some reason start smiling. Even the employees would smile when they came into range!

So not everyone smiled. That's cool. I didn't need them to smile so I can be happy. I was happy all by myself! I think that those who demand others (employees) smile aren't happy and aren't likely to be happy unless they force others to be miserable happy!