Archived Guest stereotypes

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Haha funny! We have a lot of Russian immigrants around here who do the resale thing overseas. Nice!
 
I don't have a clever name for it, but the people who never have small bills but don't buy enough stuff to warrant paying in large bills.
The negotiator/haggler
Last minute registry shoppers. They're always shocked all the things they picked when they looked at the list weeks-months ago are already gone... as they shop on the day of the shower.
 
Oh, I have a lot of these:

1. The Couponer
a) The Reasonable Couponer: this subtype of coupon user has a lot of coupons, is generally very friendly/sometimes chatty, and will generally accept the fact that some coupons cannot be accepted, are expired, etc. They are still a bit of a pain because their transactions are complicated and inevitably result in an "R", but they are at least courteous.
b) The Nightmare Couponer: OK, cashiers, we've all had these! They are horrible. They are retail leeches who want everything for free. Nightmare couponers are rude, pushy, entitled, and they won't take "no" for an answer. They almost always demand to see the manager, and if they still can't use all their coupons, they will typically leave all of their shit on the belt for us to put back. They hold up the line, annoying legitimate guests who actually want to pay for their stuff, and they result in an "R" always.

2. The "Wacky" Guest
These guests think they are so charming and hilarious. Usually they are young people; sometimes, it's a teenager and her parent. They sort of put on a "show" while you are checking them out. They want you to laugh at them/with them, to be dazzled by their wit and charm. Whatever you do, do not acknowledge their "humor." Be focused on your task and pretend like you are not paying attention to their half-staged conversation (unless they are addressing you directly). Note: this category does not include guests who are actually funny, only self-satisfied narcissists who THINK they are.

3. The Nutjob
These are the crazy people. They say bizarre things, have eccentric requests, ask you to do inappropriate things, steal any spare change you may have lying on the POS, talk to themselves, etc. Be friendly, and get them out of there as quickly as possible.

4. The Bagging Critic
These annoying guests come in different degrees. They may remove items you have already bagged and re-bag them, or they might give you very specific instructions on how to bag everything, as if you haven't done this a thousand times over. Sometimes they will watch you bag something and then immediately re-do it themselves. Sometimes they will say "Oh, I'm not picky!" when you ask if they want something bagged separately, but then they will "fix" everything, or they will instruct you to put everything in one bag when that is not the best way to bag the items (or even possible). They may also complain about the amount of plastic bags they have at home, as if that's somehow your doing.

5. The Protestor
This guest requires a lot of price adjustments and usually a price check or two. "Oh, no! There was a sign back there that said ....," "That was supposed to be on sale!", and "That had a price cut...." populate their vocabulary. Usually, they are looking at the wrong sign, or they didn't read a sale sign correctly. Your GSTL or GSA will usually instruct you to just "just change it." This category also includes the dreaded "That was supposed to come with a gift card!" variety.

6. The Red Flag
These guests are usually scammers. They will try to write a check with a questionable ID, pay with a fake traveler's check, or use funny-looking coupons for high amounts. These are usually (but not always) lower-income people buying expensive items (stacks of brand-name clothing, VISA giftcard, electronics) or carts full of stuff. If they really don't look like they can afford it, chances are, they can't. Note: this category can sometimes overlap with the "Nightmare Couponer."

7. The Shocked Guest
A guest buys something expensive, like a Fieldcrest comforter, and they are totally shocked by the price. Or, their card is declined, and they at like they don't understand how that could possibly have happened. They expect you to tell them what the problem with THEIR card/account is, when a payment is supposed to go through on their card, etc. All the while, they are holding up your line. Sometimes they end up leaving behind groceries they can't pay for, which always seem to include ice cream, meat, milk, and other perishables which must now be defected out. This category can sometimes overlap with "the protestor."

8. The Independent Guest
These guests act like they are checking themselves out on a self-checkout. They may be on their phones during the entire transaction; they may not even say one word to you during the process. They might be carrying on a conversation with their party during the entire transaction, without once acknowledging your presence. The good thing about this guest is that you don't really have to interact with them much. The bad thing is that it's impossible to push Red Cards.

9. The Normal Guest
Luckily, most people tend to fall in to this category. They might have a legitimate request or question, but they are not a pain to deal with. Most of them come in, load their stuff on the belt, pay for it, say "thank you," and leave.
 
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The "Trick or Treater"
The pharmacy guest who ONLY gets controlled substances filled, may or may not have insurance, is usually "early" (and always has an excuse why: they fell in the sink/toilet/garbage, they're "going on vacation", they were "stolen" or "lost", etc.), sees different doctors and has a variety of different "ailments" for which they are being treated, and is NEVER nice about ANYTHING!!!
 
Invasion of the Bag Snatchers
Because the store now charges for bags, they'll decline them & carry their stuff......until they get down to a closed/unattended lane where they'll snatch a bag off the holder before rushing out the door.
 
The district over from ours is in a town that started a bag ban.
 
I dont know what the Stereotype would be called but the Parents that have screaming children that can be heard throughout the entire store and they dont do anything about it...:eek:

Usually happens around the Pharmacy area the most. I remember one time on break all i could hear is the screams of a child for like 10 minutes straight ...what an enjoyable break
 
I dont know what the Stereotype would be called but the Parents that have screaming children that can be heard throughout the entire store and they dont do anything about it...:eek:

Usually happens around the Pharmacy area the most. I remember one time on break all i could hear is the screams of a child for like 10 minutes straight ...what an enjoyable break
Oooooh......sounds like you had a couple of "Kiddie Sirens". Yep, they can be heard throughout the ENTIRE store.
And once they're gone, it's almost eerily quiet.
 
I have two terms I use quite a bit to describe people -

1) Revolvers - The ones that the world revolves around. Everything is about them and no one else matters.

2) Squirrels - (If you've seen the movie "Up", you'll understand)....these are the ones who walk around with their eyes looking up and around all the time, oblivious to anything in front of them.....
 
2) Squirrels - (If you've seen the movie "Up", you'll understand)....these are the ones who walk around with their eyes looking up and around all the time, oblivious to anything in front of them.....

Or down at their phones because they have to get their minutely fix of texting/iApps/other inane electronic whimsy.
 
What about the blockers or standing arounders? These are the type of guests that will stand in pathways of the sales floor and you basically have to move around them because they refuse to move and if they do choose to move, it's such an inconvenience for them. It's extremely annoying. The most popular area where guests do this is the area between the cash registers and the wall where optical and the breakroom are. Please do not do that. It's very rude and you're better than that.
 
ERMERGERD! I HATE blockers!
They'll stand in front of the register at SB waiting on their order so I call out to the guest behind them so they'll move down to the hand-off counter. Some will continue to stand there even when their drink is down at the other end & they'll WAIT for the barista to bring it down to them.
Idiots.
 
I have two terms I use quite a bit to describe people -

1) Revolvers - The ones that the world revolves around. Everything is about them and no one else matters.

2) Squirrels - (If you've seen the movie "Up", you'll understand)....these are the ones who walk around with their eyes looking up and around all the time, oblivious to anything in front of them.....


LOL both of these reminded me of Brian Reagan jokes.

1. The "Me Monster"
2. When hes talking about Idiots and Flying...so many classic examples.
 
What about the blockers or standing arounders? These are the type of guests that will stand in pathways of the sales floor and you basically have to move around them because they refuse to move and if they do choose to move, it's such an inconvenience for them. It's extremely annoying. The most popular area where guests do this is the area between the cash registers and the wall where optical and the breakroom are. Please do not do that. It's very rude and you're better than that.

OMG...there were 2 ladies talking down the market main aisle, down the main raceway. I had to go back and forth with the Pfresh pulls and they were literally talking, each on one side of the aisle, for like 30 minutes. I guess simply moving to just one side of the aisle was TOO HARD
 
I just don't get it. It's not only rude and immature but it's not safe. What if there was an emergency? I can understand if you have a health problem or health condition which impairs your mobility but other than that, you don't really have an excuse. Please do not block pathways. I don't think you would like it if I came to your house and went into the kitchen and blocked your path every time you went to the fridge.
Sometimes, guests annoy me so much that I want to be like the voice over guy in the Cinemark cell phone commercial in the movie theaters and tell them "do not be the person we ask to leave the auditorium because we will". If it's an emergency, step up out into the hallway, otherwise it can wait.
 
I just don't get it. It's not only rude and immature but it's not safe. What if there was an emergency? I can understand if you have a health problem or health condition which impairs your mobility but other than that, you don't really have an excuse. Please do not block pathways. I don't think you would like it if I came to your house and went into the kitchen and blocked your path every time you went to the fridge.
Sometimes, guests annoy me so much that I want to be like the voice over guy in the Cinemark cell phone commercial in the movie theaters and tell them "do not be the person we ask to leave the auditorium because we will". If it's an emergency, step up out into the hallway, otherwise it can wait.

You don't really expect guests to be polite, mature, and safe, do you? ;)
 
Not really. I expect most of them to be uppity douchebags. Sometimes I wish I had Christian Bale on speed dial on my phone and could somehow get him to come to the store and act scenes from his movies when he goes off on a rant. Somedays, I'd take Patrick Bateman and some I'd take Jim Davis. Jim Davis is less psychotic than Patrick Bateman but still gets the job done when it comes to ranting and going off. I would just love to see the reaction of the blockers and standing arounders when they see Christian Bale going off on them.
I'm not asking for a million dollars. I am just asking for adults to act like adults. Have some manners and common courtesy. Target isn't your house so please don't just stop in a pathway and start talking to someone. Take that shite outside or go to Starbucks or Food Avenue and mingle.
 
I dont know what the Stereotype would be called but the Parents that have screaming children that can be heard throughout the entire store and they dont do anything about it...:eek:

Usually happens around the Pharmacy area the most. I remember one time on break all i could hear is the screams of a child for like 10 minutes straight ...what an enjoyable break
Yep....have these almost daily! Today, had one and the mom was just walking through the store, yapping away on her phone, ignoring the poor little guy. I felt so bad for him :(
 
Target isn't your house so please don't just stop in a pathway and start talking to someone. Take that shite outside or go to Starbucks or Food Avenue and mingle.
NO!!!!!!
DON'T send them over here!
I get enough yuppie yappers standing around in their little yoga outfits yammering about playdates & the like.
 
Better advice: use your inside voice and have some respect for other people in the building.
 
The Circular Logician. I find this type primarily in Photo. These are the types that outright demand that they use their little snowflake's professional photo to make copies for pennies on the dollar that the photographer would have charged. Their arguments hinge on stating that it's their photo and their kid.
 
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