# "Friendly" retailers make me stabby **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 27, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489 "2011-05-27T21:42:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/121 "2011-05-31T15:25:05Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > A lot of this stuff irritates me - and I’ve worked retail, so I know how annoying it is from the other side - but nothing irritates me more than people trying to pronounce my first name. I don’t go by my first name. It is a beautiful name, with much meaning, and I hate seeing well-meaning non-Indian people butcher it at me. Or worse yet, stare at it blankly. It makes me feel foreign and I am American. It always brings home with a jolt that I will never be Us, that I will always be an outsider…and I hate it. > > So, don’t pronounce my name at me, please! I’ve made it impossible for the cashiers at Safeway to mangle my name, and every once in a while I’ll get someone holding my airmiles card (which has my name whited-out) squinting away at it, trying to read it. Hello - that name didn’t get whited-out by accident! ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/122 "2011-05-31T16:40:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Once Mrs. J. and I were eating at one of those Texas roadhouse kind of places (this one was in West Virginia). As we were finishing our meal a bunch of waitstaff congregated nearby. Suddenly rancid country music began to blare from the loudspeakers and they all started doing a line dance in front of us and other shell-shocked customers. > > We escaped from the restaurant in time to avoid permanent psychic damage. Funny. We went to a Texas Roadhouse this weekend and got to view this ‘dancing’ as well. It was hilarious in that the dancing wasn’t very good. We were far enough away to avoid permanent damage. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/123 "2011-05-31T18:04:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Those people should be consigned to the same purgatory as the cheerful folk who bring you stacks of work and sing out “I’ve got a present for you-ooo!” Is “Merry Christmas!” or “Don’t tell me I never gave you nothin’!” still okay? ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/124 "2011-06-01T05:08:31Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’ve made it impossible for the cashiers at Safeway to mangle my name, and every once in a while I’ll get someone holding my airmiles card (which has my name whited-out) squinting away at it, trying to read it. Hello - that name didn’t get whited-out by accident! I called Safeway to have my name removed from the ‘get stuff cheap’ card; it prints on the receipt as ‘Safeway Shopper’. Yes, on several occasions I’ve been told ‘thank you, Ms. Shopper’. Then the checker gets that dejected ‘oh god, I need a beer’ look and I feel all bad and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/125 "2011-06-09T12:27:09Z")
There is a certain finesse required to come off friendly without making one feel stabby. The JCP clerk rang out a with a uber perky Hello when we entered the store yesterday. That is acutally nice, ok. So we were there about 20 minutes, found our stuff and got in line. Then she pulls out all the small talk opportunities, makes observations about how long we were there , a long time according to her. Notices how short the shorts are that we are buying, but she says when you wear leggings underneath it’s more modest. On and on she rambled about what I dunno I tuned her out. She never stopped smiling and talking. On average I would rather deal with a stabby friendly clerk than a glum disrespectful retail drone. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/126 "2011-06-09T13:27:40Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Then when it came time to pay I asked “do you take Discover?” And they answered “We take all major credit cards!” Ummmm, that doesn’t answer my question. At the time (~5-6 years ago) not everyone considered Discover a major credit card. But apparently I was supposed to magically understand that Firehouse thought that Discover was a major credit card. There is only one correct answer to that question, and it is [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u42c1LNUBmg). My favorite stores are the ones where the staff are friendly and available but not pushy. If you hover while I shop, I leave. Quickly. Even if I really needed whatever I came in for. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/127 "2011-06-09T16:53:20Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > My favorite stores are the ones where the staff are friendly and available but not pushy. If you hover while I shop, I leave. Quickly. Even if I really needed whatever I came in for. Seriously. Just this past weekend, I decided to pop into the bricks-and-mortar store for a catalog I’d never bought anything from, just to see whether I liked their fabrics, how their various sizes fit me, etc. I figured I’m short, and stores rarely carry the vast majority of the Petite selection they have online so I’d probably end up ordering online anyway, but I wanted to avoid ordering a bunch of stuff that didn’t end up fitting right in ways other than length and having to return it and eat shipping fees. (I order from Land’s End regularly, but that’s because I know my sizes there and it generally works OK.) A nice little older lady who was working there greeted me cheerfully at the door and offered to help me find whatever I needed. I told her thanks, I prefer to browse on my own, but would let her know if I needed anything. I swear, the woman followed me all over the goddamn store, never more than about 10 feet away. I know, it’s slow and you don’t have much to do, but sheesh! I finally left. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/128 "2011-06-09T17:12:59Z")
> [@Annie](#): > > I called Safeway to have my name removed from the ‘get stuff cheap’ card; it prints on the receipt as ‘Safeway Shopper’. Yes, on several occasions I’ve been told ‘thank you, Ms. Shopper’. Then the checker gets that dejected ‘oh god, I need a beer’ look and I feel all bad and stuff. I was with you up to the “feeling bad” part. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/129 "2011-06-10T07:08:24Z")
> [@xoferew](#): > > “Hi, welcome to store-name! Is this your first time in town? I’m so-and-so. What’s your name?” > > I admit I gave her my name from between clenched teeth, but I never went back in that clothing store again. I hate being put into a position where I have to play along or else look rude. How can you refuse to give your first name without feeling ridiculous? “Hi, I’m Charlie Manson. I’ve been… away… for a long time. Where are your butcher knives?” > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > OK, I have the answer. When you enter a store, you grab a reversible hat. The red side means “Just looking. I know what I want. Let me shop in peace.” The green side means “I need some assistance or information.” A feather on the cap means “Talk to me pleeeeeeeeease!!!” > > Oh, wait - some folks are colorblind. So instead of red and green, we go solids and stripes. Problem solved. You’re welcome. > > 😃 How about they hand me and all the other customers loaded guns when we walk in the door? I’m not really sure what would happen, but I would certainly feel like an empowered consumer. I think this would be an especially appropriate policy at Target. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/130 "2011-06-10T07:14:08Z")
Note to self: change name on Safeway loyalty card to say Anita Mandic. ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/131 "2011-06-10T10:03:12Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > On a side note, I get unreasonably annoyed at the universal practice of the help at food-court Chinese joints to shove a toothpick-mounted sample of something (always bourbon chicken, for some reason) at you whenever you walk up, Dude, I’m already going to get something, you really don’t need to do that. Dude, it’s _free food_. Might I suggest you ditch the tighty whiteys for some spacious boxers? ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/132 "2011-06-10T10:12:34Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > My response to mall food court shills shoving their samples in my face is, “Fuck off.” I’m sure this is, of course, 100% factual. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/133 "2011-06-10T12:26:03Z")
> [@Dietrich\_K](#): > > Dude, it’s _free food_. Might I suggest you ditch the tighty whiteys for some spacious boxers? It’s free food I don’t want, from a place I’m already paying for food from, and maybe you should relax a little as well, whoever you are. This isn’t something I incessantly dwell on, exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/134 "2011-06-10T13:28:35Z")
Well, some of us actually _like_ getting a little extra bite of something for nothing. And even when we don’t want said freebie(s), we smile and say “no thanks”, and don’t bitch about it on an internet discussion forum, intimating that getting something, however small or trivial, for nothing is a _bad thing_. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/135 "2011-06-10T14:04:02Z")
I worked in a video games store one Christmas period. We had to make sure that we asked everybody who entered the store if they needed any help. I was constantly amused by the people who would reflexively say, “No, I’m alright, thanks,” and then whip round and follow up with, “Actually, I’m looking for an Xbox game suitable for a 3-5 year old who likes space and monkeys, do you know of any?” Once the new year kicked in and people were shopping for themselves again, it became largely pointless, and I’m glad I don’t work there any more as it became harder and harder to motivate myself to check up on customers. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/136 "2011-06-10T14:10:08Z")
> [@Dietrich\_K](#): > > Well, some of us actually _like_ getting a little extra bite of something for nothing. And even when we don’t want said freebie(s), we smile and say “no thanks”, and don’t bitch about it on an internet discussion forum, intimating that getting something, however small or trivial, for nothing is a _bad thing_. Welcome to the Dope. I’ll give you some free deadly neurotoxin in a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/137 "2011-06-10T14:43:06Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Welcome to the Dope. I’ll give you some free deadly neurotoxin in a bit. Just so we’re clear: I don’t _necessarily_ have to accept, correct? No? All right then. I’ll pass, but I thank you very much for your kind offer. :: Goes about business as usual, and doesn’t even _consider_ getting on the SDMB and whining about the free offer he was just made. :: ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/138 "2011-06-10T14:55:55Z")
> [@Dietrich\_K](#): > > Just so we’re clear: I don’t _necessarily_ have to accept, correct? Do you know what rhymes with Science? Compliance. Do you know what doesn’t rhyme with Compliance? Neurotoxin. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/139 "2011-06-10T15:25:33Z")
> [@Dietrich\_K](#): > > Well, some of us actually _like_ getting a little extra bite of something for nothing. And even when we don’t want said freebie(s), we smile and say “no thanks”, and don’t bitch about it on an internet discussion forum, intimating that getting something, however small or trivial, for nothing is a _bad thing_. Didn’t say it was a bad thing. Said it was a bit silly and pointless when one is actually standing in line to buy the very thing I’m being offered a sample of. Also never said I didn’t politely decline the offer. Troll fail. ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489/140 "2011-06-10T16:22:12Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Didn’t say it was a bad thing. Said it was a bit silly and pointless when one is actually standing in line to buy the very thing I’m being offered a sample of. Really? Is that what you said? > [@El\_Kabong](#): > > On a side note, I get **unreasonably annoyed** at the universal practice of the help at food-court Chinese joints to shove a toothpick-mounted sample of something (always bourbon chicken, for some reason) at you whenever you walk up, Dude, I’m already going to get something, you really don’t need to do that. (My emphasis.) See, to me, at least, “unreasonably annoyed” doesn’t seem to equate to feeling that said practice is “a bit silly and pointless”. > [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Yes, I’m cranky. But at least we can agree on this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-retailers-make-me-stabby/583489.md?page=8)