From “Can I speak to your supervisor?” to “Can I return this even though I used it?” retail employees deal with a lot of weird and sometimes rude customers. As a Target employee, here are three things retail workers would like the customers to know when shopping.

1. Our supervisors are going to say the same exact thing.

Unless we are really screwing up, the answer we give you (whether you like it

or not) is going to be the same as our supervisor. We aren’t purposely trying to make life harder; we just have to do our jobs and follow the same rules that you’d have to follow if you worked in retail.

2. If you’re nice, we are more likely to do nicer things for you.

One thing I always preach is that if you are just generally a nice person, I’m more likely to be lenient on coupons, price changes, etc. As a cashier, we have these coupons on the screen that we offer if you reach a certain price amount in a specific category. But sometimes these coupons exclude some items. If you are just nice and understanding about it and not rude, I am willing to reward the coupon if you miss it by a little bit or if something didn’t qualify. Treating the retail employee as a human being, like they should be treated, will get you farther than someone who curses or makes a scene in the store.

3. If you don’t want to buy something, please don’t shove items back wherever. I can take it.

         One of my biggest pet peeves is when I am cleaning and I find $100 worth of items in the wrong spot. If you change your mind on an item, just hand it to the cashier checking it out. It makes the system go by faster and keeps the routine in order. The worst is finding clothing items in the cooler or food items in the movie aisle (yes, both have happened).

One thing all retail employees want you to know is that yes we might mess up, but we truly do care about making this a nice and calm experience for you. We aren’t purposely trying to make everything more difficult. We just are trying our best to follow the expectations and also make it the most care-free experience for you.