I hate people.

In my elder years I have gotten quite intolerant of the entire human race. It has become pretty much a daily occurrence where people highly annoy me. I think this mind-set has intensified by my recent position at a local retail store.

Working in retail is very different from the consulting world. In the consulting world I have come to accept the fact that people have great vision of how things should work, or what should be done, but when it comes down to the government and the almighty dollar, nothing really happens. I have also learned that it's all about perception and politics. If you can talk the talk, know the right people, and get involved (as little or as much as you want) in high-profile work, you're pretty much money. Consulting is where I belong.

However, retail is another beast completely. 9 times out of 10, the customer is always wrong. In my career and life I have mastered the art of informing people when they are wrong. However, when working the retail gig, I have to catch myself from asking people if they are serious when they talk to me.

For example, a petite Asian lady comes up to me last weekend and asks me to help her carry some bowls that she would like to buy. Now, if she wanted more bowls that she could manage or that could fit into a basket, I would be more than happy to help her. Was this the case? No, she wanted 3 bowls. That's right, she wanted me to go all the way across the store and get 3 soup bowls for her. This not only annoyed me, but then her daughter was also trying to decide what color white plates she wanted. The six she decided she didn't want she just put on the floor and pushed under the shelf. When I saw this I immediately said, "Umm...we can go ahead put these back on the shelf instead of just leaving on the floor" (note- prob not the right thing to say, but do I care?)

Another thing that annoys me is when people expect you to be their personal shopper. This woman asked me the other day to help her with some glasses. Not a problem, so we walk over to a full shelf of wine glasses. She says, "I would like 6 of these wine glasses". I then look at her and said: "Ok, well let me get you a basket and feel free to get them". I’m sorry, I am not your servant.

Finally, one more thing that annoys me is when people don't really know what they want, but they ask you to get it anyway. For example, one couple asked me to get them 2 20-piece dishsets for a wedding gift. No big deal, that's my job. So I check the computer and go up to the stock room and pull down 40 pieces of dishes. I not only have to pull it off the shelf, but I have to get a stock boy to help me get down boxes of overstock dishes to complete their request. I haul down the dishes and place them at the register to start ringing them up. The lady then says to me....Oh, I don't like these, and we’ll just get something else. You don't like them? First of all, you can see exactly what they look like from the display wall. Secondly, it doesn't matter if you don't like them because they are not for you. *Sigh* What can I say?

Retail is not where I belong, but at least we entertain ourselves by making fun of customers. Who knows, maybe you've been one of our targets.....