Why do you think people berate employees working in the service industry?

[Date_a_Snob]

The service industry being (retail, banking, restaurant, fast food, hair salon etc.)

Updates

+1 y

I used to work in retail in customer service. Ifsomeone came in with a complaint or a return I would say "Im sorry to hear that. How can I help?". I didn't know if what they were saying was true or not so the 'Im sorry" was just to acknowledge what they were saying didn't sound good. Was I really sorry? Not a chance.

[Altheavas]

They are the people I humble myself to more when I communicate with them, with the reserved when they have a rude attitude towards me, then we go straight to the point, serve me my shit so I can go. I don’t have 2 shit to give, cause I walk off politely with no back and forth, and to not make their day worst.


I immediately think they deal with the crappiest characters daily. So I come in humble, always, if they’re nice I mirror their mood, and compliment them on something worth complimenting.

[harpergonez]

most people see us as being either uneducated or unsuccessful in life so there for they see us at the bottom of the totem pole so to say. in america especially people really look down on retail workers like myself and i usually get people who say well if you work here then you probably didn't go to college or you couldnt get a better job. in reality i actually did go to college for biology and im just waiting to actually be able to get a job in my desired career field. most people dont understand that jobs in my desired career field are very competitive so i have to take what i can get to at least pay my bills. being rich and not having to take lower paying jobs like retail work isn't a luxury everyone can have.

[Date_a_Snob]

I am in the same situation as you.

[harpergonez]

it is a sucky situation but its what we have to do to survive

[BoopBoopBeep]

I mainly see that on youtube, not in real life, but I have received some truly shite service at places since covid started, so I can't say I can't understand where it comes from. So many times it's like "if you put down your phone and made eye contact with the person this could have been avoided"... now that said the people I see on YT appear to just be rabid trash, but I accept that may be selective editing since we don't know what happened before the cameras rolled.

[MikeTheBartender]

There is probably a lot of answers here, sometimes we are the only people they may talk to, other times they genuinely think we are less. This is a huge red flag in dating if someone mistreats a server or a bartender. And of course sometimes we fuck up everything and we probably should get yelled at.

[TrueConfection]

I haven't actually seen that happen, but I was in a retail store recently and the employee was so incredibly rude that I wanted to say something mean. Instead, I smiled and told her to have a nice day. I can definitely see how someone could snap on an employee like her though!

[Date_a_Snob]

Was she actually mean or was it your interpretation?

[TrueConfection]

She wasn't mean or v personal, she was just rude. She was at the register, but clearly didn't want to be there. Lots of v sighing and she made an error, got annoyed with (herself? the process?) and didn't bother to fix it. Another employee stepped in and fixed whatever it was she was trying to do.

[Date_a_Snob]

I was that person - what I mean is that happened to me a few times when I worked in retail. I wasn't being rude.

[Sirenboobzilla]

False sense of entitlement and self importance. They believe that certain types of jobs are beneath them and require little to no intelligence. "The customer is always right" is a huge load of shit

[Date_a_Snob]

yes it is a steaming pile of horse manure

[CaptainSmartass]

More like "the customer is a raging bell-end" most of the time...

[Alwayreckles93]

Employees can be extremely rude you have no idea how many times I had to write people up and fire them on the spot. No customers is always right. I always tell my employees its all about wining the customer don't like your job the door is wide wide open for you to live.

[Friendlybro79]

People that haven't been in the service industry don't get it and never will. Some of these people are just having a bad day and literally take it out on the person standing in front of them. Many times their frustration is justifiable but they lack manners and regard for others. Also, people have been trained that screaming and berating is how you get what you want unfortunately.

[Chewy______]

Working retail is tough. I couldn't do it, dealing with all of those entitled first- world fucks everyday. Anybody that has to interact with a lot of people all day long like retail people, have my respect because they probably have to deal more jerk offs in one day then we will in a generation of living.

[Anonymous]

Most people it's just frustration and they take it out on an easy target. In my younger days I worked at a convenient store, and we'd get the people coming home from work that tolerated thier bosses bulls*** all day and now they were just a short fuse waiting to happen.

[ohmyguy]

Well cause often service provided falls rather short of the very definition of the word. .

How we interpret its meaning is night and day to some folks in discrepancies.. so it happens

[Date_a_Snob]

in my opinion poor service is never a reason to berate someone

[robhazelnut]

Such people have antagonistic personalities. The formation of personality types is still fairly mysterious.

[NathanDavis]

entitled Karens... do that

not people

[Date_a_Snob]

I disagree. Its about their right and your wrong not a sense of entitlement.

[NathanDavis]

berating people is not a right...

and yes, berating people like that is being an entitled Karen

[Date_a_Snob]

not I meant they berate the employee because they feel their right in regards to their complaint and the employee handling their complaint is wrong (i. e customer says they bought an item on the 1st and the computer says it was purchased on the 2nd).

[NathanDavis]

as a manager... I let them know better, lol

[Agape93]

Easy targets. The employee does anything about it and they could be fired.

[Date_a_Snob]

True - but even if the employee is an target what does the customer get out of it?

[Agape93]

Satisfaction of being able to abuse people with no real consequences and feel superior. It's a power play.

[Agape93]

And a pathetic one at that. It's like hunting a deer when it's tied to a tree with its legs broken.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Don’t know. I am always respectful to them.

[exitseven]

They often face the public when they are frustrated and angry. And some people just want to be assholes

[mandyfire98]

"The customer is always right" gives people a false sense of entitlement and power.

[Likes2drive]

They probably feel you’re expendable and it’s low paying and can just get someone else if you leave

[Nikki1989]

Humans are the worst!

[RedInnocent68]

To make themselves feel important.

[LunarEclipse433]

I couldn’t say it any better than @Sirenboobzilla

[Gezbelle]

Because they are literally slaves