Stereotypes about teenage employees are misinformed

REbEccA vON TERScH 3 reviews

LUcy LOPSHIRE

Customers come and go, but their words stick.

“I walked into the store, and they didn’t even greet me. They just stared me up and down, following me around the whole store.”

Do they know we try to greet people?

Have they experienced five hours of difficult customers and only 10 minutes to themselves?

Slow registers, little stock, and tables left a mess. Refold, unpack the shipments, and ALWAYS keep a smile on your face.

Maybe you were a nice customer, but that’s not always the case.

We get blamed for matters out of our hands. You didn’t notice the exclusions on the fine print. The item you wanted was put in the sale section by accident. Your online return isn’t going through.

You want someone to blame, so you look to us: the teenagers who stand right in front of you.

Next time you walk into a store, consider that the workers are simply learning and trying their best. Be patient with us as we learn to navigate customer service in our teenage years.

For a lot of us, this is our first job and the first exposure we’ve gotten to the workplace, no matter the field. As we learn, we will get better, but the first step is to be patient with us.

Consider our feelings and what you say to teenage employees. One slightly hurtful phrase can make a world of difference in our minds. Alternatively, think about how you would feel in that position.

It takes a lot to handle five hours of customer service with barely a minute to relax. It can be both mentally and physically exhausting, and adding rude customers to that list makes it so much more tiring.

Please acknowledge our efforts the next time you shop since we are just trying our best.