We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the most annoying misconceptions about retail workers. Here's what they had to say.
1. First things first: The idea that retail workers are somehow lazy or stupid is demeaning and untrue.
2. And the assumption that they're just high school dropouts? That's just plain false.
3. TBH, suggesting that retail workers could have better jobs if they worked harder is kind of offensive.
4. The truth is, people work in retail for a whole host of reasons — and many actually LIKE their jobs.
5. But despite what most people think, working in retail is no walk in the park.
6. Retail work is not just one easy job, but more like 25 jobs rolled into one: customer service agent, mathematician, organizer, decorator...the list goes on and on.
7. Of all the hats they wear, however, retail workers are NOT licensed therapists — so while they love engaging with customers, they don't really have time for your life story.
8. They aren't babysitters either, making "can you watch the kids for a minute?" a phrase you should probably NEVER ask them.
9. And while keeping the store nice and tidy is part of their job, retail workers have plenty to do besides cleaning up after messy customers.
10. Seriously, retail worker ≠ maid/servant.
11. With thousands of items around the store, they're also not a walking catalog of prices and locations of specific items.
12. While retail workers are extraordinary people, they're limited in a lot of ways.
13. For one, they don't control the prices. Period.
14. And, no, they can't bend the rules for you "just this one time." Their jobs are on the line, after all!
15. That's why treating them like trash when you're mad or having a bad day is mean and ineffective.
16. So no matter how high you raise your voice, you're really only shooting the messenger.
17. Come to think of it, "being bullied by customers" isn't in their job description at all.
18. Threatening to "take your business elsewhere" might sting for a minute, but it doesn't actually bother retail workers too much.
19. For all their greatness, retail workers can't make an out-of-stock item suddenly reappear. What's gone is gone.
20. And, no, they probably can't find it in the magical wonderland that is the ~back of the store.~
21. Contrary to popular belief, store hours are not merely suggestions. Retail workers have lives outside of work just like everybody else.
22. And most importantly, retail workers are no less a person than you or anybody else.
23. In fact, they're quite the opposite: the unsung heroes of the modern commercial world.
