If you can't reach an item on a tall shelf...

[sarahj]

PLEASE ask an employee to get it down. Even a short employee can quickly grab a little step thing-y from out the back and reach something up the top. Please ask! We are here to help!

What not to do:
1. Attempt to reach the rather delicate item (pack of biscuits) yourself.
2. Stand on a lower shelf to reach higher.
3. Jump up and knock the item to the ground, defeating your purpose as the item is now damaged/broken and therefore you still do not have the item as you wanted it.

What customers are never, I repeat: NEVER, to do again:
1. Complain that their item is broken/damaged as they come through the checkout, without indicating to the cashier whether they'd like to keep it or leave it or have the cashier ask someone to get another item down.
2. When the cashier offers to have a new item brought down, refuse and pout.

Seriously, an older lady was holding onto a small pack of biscuits yesterday as she came through my register. It was the last item. I asked if she wanted to take them, and held out my hand for them. She mentioned that she couldn't reach them on the top shelf so she managed to knock them down, but now they were broken. So I offered to have someone get a new pack for her. Nonono, she'd take them, but *sigh* they were so hard to reach up there on that top shelf.

I had to sigh as she walked off. Customers make themselves hard to sympathize with sometimes.

Edit: before someone says it, yes I know there was no SC here, this is a "the thinks customers do" eyeroll type thread. I'm hoping for similar stories in the comments!

[DarkProwler]

At 6'1" tall, I usually have little trouble reaching things on the top shelves at stores, but as an avid Transformers collector, it can be a pain sometimes. I can't begin to count how many times I've gone looking for a new TF figure, only to find they have just restocked and the one item I'm looking for is on the top of a stack of boxes, at least 8 high (often times more), on the top shelf. Now, if I can find an employee, I'll ask them for assistance. But more often than not, I can't find anyone in the entire toy department. I've become rather adept at standing on the junction of two shelving units, and lowering the entire stack down with one hand, remove what I want, and putting the rest right back where it was, without dropping it

[marasbaras]

I'm fairly short, 5'5" ... but, as such, am a master at knocking things off the top shelf and catching them.

[Apathy]

"If you don't want me to solve your problem, ma'am, please shut up about it."

I posted a bit ago about a lady who was trying to reach some high stuff, knocked a bunch of items off, took hers, and left the others on the floor.

[Evil Queen]

I'm rather short at 5' but my BF is 5'8 and my coworkers are a good 6' tall. I always have someone around to help me out.

But if I'm shopping by myself I will ask for help.

[freeatlast]

I am only 5'3" and have that problem all the time. Either the shelf itself is too high, or the supply is low and all that is left is at the back of the shelf. Especially when buying beer at Wal Mart. All of the 12 packs of Coors Light are on the top shelf, so I just have to be patient and wait for someone tall to come along. Most of the time, whatever tall man I ask to reach it for me will be very helpful. But I have been told on more than one occasion that I shouldn't be allowed to buy it if I can't reach it for myself. They are all comedians you know

[Salted Grump]

My personal advantage; 6'3" Prolly taller, and stretchable. I get stopped all the time and asked to help so-and-so with a tall shelf (99% of the time, in my area they're all older people who are very polite, so it gives me warm fuzzies even if it drags a 3-minute shopping trip into 10 minutes.)

[boringscreenname]

I'm 5'3'' so I run into this problem all the time. I make the boyfriend go shopping with me since he's 6'0" and has no problem with shelves.

[RetailWorkhorse]

A woman taller than me (I'm 4 foot 11 inches tall) asked me to get something off the shelf for her (she actually READ THE SIGN! ). So I trotted back to my register, grabbed one of the many canes, and pulled one down for her.

I actually use the canes a lot at work. Great for bringing down a set of giftbags.

[Nyx]

A woman taller than me (I'm 4 foot 11 inches tall) asked me to get something off the shelf for her (she actually READ THE SIGN! ). So I trotted back to my register, grabbed one of the many canes, and pulled one down for her.

I actually use the canes a lot at work. Great for bringing down a set of giftbags.

We have a winner in shortness. (I'm 5'0 for the record)

I remember one time at the shoe store, I heard a loud crash and went over to find that a group of customers, (a woman and her two teen sons?) had pulled all the shoes in overstock down on their heads. Some of the shoes in these boxes were heavy steel toed ones even. The woman looks up at me and replies calmly and sweetly, "Oh it's ok, we got the ones we wanted" They then "helped" pack up the shoes regardless of whether they went in said box or not, paid and left me to sort them out. I'd asked the AM many times if we could put up a sign asking customers to not pull down boxes. But she always said "corporate wouldn't approve".

[RetailWorkhorse]

We have a winner in shortness. (I'm 5'0 for the record)

*Takes a couple of bows*

Can't help being tiny.

[Eric the Grey]

While shopping for work (dinner, soda, snacks...) yesterday, I came down the soda aisle and found a somewhat shorter-than-me woman trying to get a 2-liter bottle off the top shelf and not quite being able to reach it.

I offered to get it for her just as she was about to stand up on the lowest shelf.

I'll never understand why people try that.


Eric the Grey

[DeltaSierra]

This has to make me giggle because I'm *barely* 5'2 and quite often I simply can't reach items on the top shelves of supermarkets. They're not THAT high up, but for somebody short like me, it might as well be Everest. If an employee isn't available, I've had the good fortune of simply being able to ask someone who is taller than me if they would mind grabbing said item off the shelf. I usually get a grin and a "no problem!" from them, regardless whether they're male or female.

I'll never forget being in the supermarket one day and my one of my brother's friends happened to come down the aisle (he stands 6'8, and though 3 years younger than me, always would ask "who put this arm rest here?" when visiting my parent's house when we were younger) and I told him I was SO happy to see him!! He said "Hey I'm good for something!"

[karath]

This has to make me giggle because I'm *barely* 5'2 and quite often I simply can't reach items on the top shelves of supermarkets. They're not THAT high up, but for somebody short like me, it might as well be Everest. If an employee isn't available, I've had the good fortune of simply being able to ask someone who is taller than me if they would mind grabbing said item off the shelf. I usually get a grin and a "no problem!" from them, regardless whether they're male or female.

I'll never forget being in the supermarket one day and my one of my brother's friends happened to come down the aisle (he stands 6'8, and though 3 years younger than me, always would ask "who put this arm rest here?" when visiting my parent's house when we were younger) and I told him I was SO happy to see him!! He said "Hey I'm good for something!"

Been there, done that; at 6'5" I get that all the time. Don't mind a bit unless I've had a really bad day (or it's early in the morning) but it's nice to know I'm useful for something!

[JustADude]

I've had the good fortune of simply being able to ask someone who is taller than me if they would mind grabbing said item off the shelf. I usually get a grin and a "no problem!" from them, regardless whether they're male or female.

Been there, done that; at 6'5" I get that all the time. Don't mind a bit unless I've had a really bad day (or it's early in the morning) but it's nice to know I'm useful for something!

Just a note:

While we tall people are generally glad to offer assistance to the "less vertically enabled " among us, there's a rather unfair double standard there. I highly doubt we'd get as cheerful a reaction if we were to ask someone who was about 4'10" to pass us something stuck at the back of the bottom shelf where we have trouble reaching.