Emotional Punching Bag

[Sara Violet]

I love my job...I love my job...I love my job....Thats what I keep telling myself each and every day. In the video store industry is where i work. I love the industry I just don't like the customers )well some of them). Every day I literaly get paid to be an emotional punching bag. I have been put down all my life so im kind of used to being one. Being a store manager i get at least 5 customers a day with problems and im the one to blame. I had such a rough night tonight, i cryied the whole drive home. People are so self centered, mean, uncaring, cold, closed minded. I try every day to help people, I allways put strangers first. Like i said in earlyer posts im truely a very honest and kind little girl. I cant change that its who i am. I get taken adventege alot because of it. It seems like for every 3 people i help 1 of them take advantege of me. It only makes me more shy and scared of this world :( . Still I don't stop helping, I would never forgive myself if i did not help some one if i could. I have worked in 5 different video stores for 2 different companys, and i get customers asking about me all the time, some send me cards some even find out where im working and visit me. I have taken alot more abuse than most though. In my 5 years in the bizz i have had customers try to jump the counter to fight me. One time a customer tried to follow me home because he came 15 min. after close and i would not let him in to rent. Even my famly....i live with my dad....i cant talk to him...he allways is putting me down....he feels as though i dont have a real job. Im a girl, im not going to go work at a factory or construction. Would you sent a 10 year old girl to do that? Besides I just started with this company in sept. and i already make 33 thousand a year , thats real enough a job for me. Well got to got to bed got work in 6 hours. If im lucky ill wake up a 9 year old girl and have school instead....i can dream cant I. Just remember if you ever have late fees or an unreturned movie you swear you brought back...be nice to the person please..most the time its human error. Besides you could be yelling at a scared little girl named quidam, and she doesnt deserve to be anyone imotional punching bag. :(

[Sharon]

I spent many years as a retail manager Quidam, and I know exactly how you feel. But when I stopped to think about it at the worse times, I realized there were tons more customers who were happy than mad. You can't please everybody, no matter how hard you try.
Hang in there Sweety and just remember you have a happy place to come to here.
Love,
Sharon

[ChristineRenee]

I know exactly how you feel Quidam. I just recently retired from the work force for good after 35 years +. Virtually every job I ever did was customer service oriented. I've seen a lot of changes over the years. There are still a lot of wonderful people out there but it seems to me now that the jerk population has grown tenfold. It just got to be where it was no longer enjoyable to work anymore because of these obnoxious people who think they are the most important person on the planet and everyone else comes after them. Having started work back in 1969 as an 18 year old, I can definitely say that it has not changed for the better...particularly in retail. The other downer is that back when I started out in the work force you could work for one company for many, many years and you took care of business and they, in turn, took care of you as an employee. That is virtually non-existent anymore too. It is everyone for themselves, from the top on down.

So, where does this leave you? Easy for me to sympathize right, especially since I am out of the public eye, but all I can say to you advice wise speaking, is to get emotionally tougher and don't personalize things so much. Continue your excellent customer service yes, but don't let these jerk customers push you around emotionally or otherwise...you don't have to take any abuse as an employee. Do your job and when you leave at the end of your shift, leave all that negative baggage behind. Life is too short hon to carry around that kind of unnecessary weight...especially in these troubled times. Just hang in there babe, I know you can do it!:)


Love,
Christine Renee

[Wendy me]

quidam girlfreind............come over here big hugs.............i always treat sales people nice...........even when i am upset..........i say i sorry if i get upset i know it's not your fault but............... then what ever the out come i allways say thankyou..........
treat people how you want to be treated

[Nikki A.]

It is tough being in the customer service industry. It is also sometimes real tough being in the car business. First of all no one trusts you, so you have to try twice as hard to show them that you are different(yes, I am), the one thing that makes it worth it though is that to the ones that realize that you do have their interests in mind, they turn into really good friends and long time customers.
Just realize that they are not really mad at you but sometimes it is the frustration that shows through.

[Merinda]

I've worked in retail for many years and copped it from all sides , like yourself I have been abused many times for nothing or trivial things and threatened with jumping the counter for a fight.

I am the smallest person so I'm the easy target

What really gets me mad is the lack of suport from my superiors