The 30 Worst Things About Working in Retail

Voting Rules
Vote for your least favorite aspects of working retail and add your own pet peeves.

This list of the worst things about working in retail stores includes some of the awful things that happen to people employed in retail. The retail world is a tough place. Retail, for most, is not a fun job. In fact it can be down right miserable. There are many times retail employees are day dreaming about having one of these best jobs in the world or these fun jobs that pay well. Because when it comes to working retail, almost anything will make you say, "I hate working retail."

Retail employees have a difficult job, and it's hard to understand if you haven't experienced it first hand. The expectations are always high and generally come from a corporate office that does not know what it is like to work on a sales floor. Not only do retail employees have to clean, stock, and maintain a store, they have to balance constant customer service, ringing a register, and some insane customers. While there are many positive things about a retail career and plenty of fun retail jobs, that's another list - this is a ranking of the worst aspects of working in stores.
Photo: uploaded by ejlinehan

  • 1
    2,488 VOTES

    Customers Who Keep Shopping Past Closing

    Customers Who Keep Shopping Past Closing
    Photo: uploaded by ejlinehan
    "No, please continue shopping. I love being here 45 minutes later than I should be because you want to keep looking and then spend $11."
    2,488 votes
  • 2
    2,318 VOTES

    Parents Who Let Their Kids Treat the Store Like a Playground

    Parents Who Let Their Kids Treat the Store Like a Playground
    Video: YouTube
    These are the type of parents who pretend to be shocked when their kid has an accident that makes the news.
    2,318 votes
  • 3
    2,096 VOTES

    Cleaning the Store

    Cleaning the Store
    Photo: uploaded by ejlinehan
    Approach endcap, fill, fold, organize by size, watch child throw 45 minutes of work on the floor, repeat.
    2,096 votes
  • 4
    2,576 VOTES

    People

    People
    Photo: uploaded by ejlinehan
    10% of customers are great people. The other 90% slowly force you to hate humanity.
    2,576 votes
  • 5
    2,061 VOTES

    Customers Complaining About Price

    Customers Complaining About Price
    Photo: uploaded by ejlinehan
    It's a chain store. Not a mom and pop. Their prices are not negotiable. And if they do "hook you up," it flags in the system and they are fired. But hey, you saved $5!
    2,061 votes
  • 6
    2,320 VOTES

    Clopen

    Clopen
    Photo: uploaded by ejlinehan
    Leaving a closing shift and doing an opening shift the following day.
    2,320 votes