![slumberblues:
fuckyeahretailrobin:
[Image Description: Background is several triangles in a circle like a pie alternating from true red, scarlet and black. A robin is sitting on his perch looking to the right. Top Text: “TREAT OLDER CUSTOMERS LIKE YOUR GRANDPARENTS” Bottom Text: “BELOVED BY THE ELDERLY”]
This doesn’t work for everyone, but I have found that treating elderly customers as I would my own grandparents improves my attitude and customer service for that demographic a lot. It’s not exactly a universal cure-all, but it makes me more conscious of how heavy a bag for a little old lady can be, less impatient when someone is moving slowly, etc. If I can be patient for my grandma, I can be patient for this grouchy old man.
Several people have rather taken my attitude to heart, too. Last week I ran into one of my regulars on the street and she scolded me for not wearing a hat!
So…. Just treat your customers as people and not “The general public”.
People are actually pretty nice when you treat them as people, and you stop being seen as “just another retail worker”.
Well sure they’re all people. But lots of people just want to get their shit and get out of the store. And there are lots of them. Lots and lots of them. I see a steady stream of people for eight and a half hours a day. I try to be nice and chat with them. But you know what, by around the seventh hour, it’s all I can do to muster a vague smile and hello, and most of them don’t really want to make an effort at that point, either. They’re tired, I’m tired, we don’t really care anymore, and you know what, every third customer is going to snark at me no matter how nicely I ask them how their day was. I have coworkers who are way better than me at doing the friendly chat thing, and I still hear them get yelled at every day.
But old people, I can make time for old people. They have special needs that don’t apply to most other customers. They need you to speak loudly and clearly. They need you to be mindful of how heavy their bags are. They need you to assist them with the debit machine, with their cards, with counting out change. They need you to be patient while they slowly open and close their wallets. They need you to remind them not to leave things behind. And they need you to not make them feel ashamed or flustered about these extra requirements. Elderly customers take an entirely different mindset, but they’re totally the most rewarding to serve.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly4vj11vMw1qm3qzeo1_400.jpg)
[Image Description: Background is several triangles in a circle like a pie alternating from true red, scarlet and black. A robin is sitting on his perch looking to the right.
Top Text: “TREAT OLDER CUSTOMERS LIKE YOUR GRANDPARENTS”
Bottom Text: “BELOVED BY THE ELDERLY”]This doesn’t work for everyone, but I have found that treating elderly customers as I would my own grandparents improves my attitude and customer service for that demographic a lot. It’s not exactly a universal cure-all, but it makes me more conscious of how heavy a bag for a little old lady can be, less impatient when someone is moving slowly, etc. If I can be patient for my grandma, I can be patient for this grouchy old man.
Several people have rather taken my attitude to heart, too. Last week I ran into one of my regulars on the street and she scolded me for not wearing a hat!
So…. Just treat your customers as people and not “The general public”.
People are actually pretty nice when you treat them as people, and you stop being seen as “just another retail worker”.
Well sure they’re all people. But lots of people just want to get their shit and get out of the store. And there are lots of them. Lots and lots of them. I see a steady stream of people for eight and a half hours a day. I try to be nice and chat with them. But you know what, by around the seventh hour, it’s all I can do to muster a vague smile and hello, and most of them don’t really want to make an effort at that point, either. They’re tired, I’m tired, we don’t really care anymore, and you know what, every third customer is going to snark at me no matter how nicely I ask them how their day was. I have coworkers who are way better than me at doing the friendly chat thing, and I still hear them get yelled at every day.
But old people, I can make time for old people. They have special needs that don’t apply to most other customers. They need you to speak loudly and clearly. They need you to be mindful of how heavy their bags are. They need you to assist them with the debit machine, with their cards, with counting out change. They need you to be patient while they slowly open and close their wallets. They need you to remind them not to leave things behind. And they need you to not make them feel ashamed or flustered about these extra requirements. Elderly customers take an entirely different mindset, but they’re totally the most rewarding to serve.
