Yay! A customer has complained about me. It's not my fault she got pissed off with my information and she didn't even let me finish with what I was saying (I think some people just like to yell and complain for the sake of doing so. I was literally yelled at yesterday).

The customer asked if you can have a hamster with a pair of cats. I said yes, it could work. I’ve sold lots of hamsters to people who have cats. Then she started getting upset (in front of her children. I’d say they were 8 and 10). She said “[owner's name] said it won’t work”. I said "If there’s an area in the house the cats don’t go, you can close a door.." and that’s when she lost her shit.

Started yelling at me in front of her children and then started yelling at her daughter. She stormed out with the son and the girl said “she does this all the time [eye roll]"

So.... how is this MY fault?

If she was adult enough, she could've confronted me without her kids.

But no. She turned into a total bitch monster.

I LITERALLY CRIED. AT WORK.

Now I’m trouble. Boss said she's gonna have a “chat”

Did I do something wrong? If I did... please educate me without adding cruelty.

I make mistakes everyday. I'm not perfect. Thank you

[edit] Someone made a good point. Why did the lady go back to talk about hamsters when she was told it won't work

How... is that... at any point... YOUR problem? If your boss is fair, they'll hear you out. That's when I wish we had a retail version of the Purge and could treat customers like they treat us, holy crap.

I think you need to start wearing a video button with sound or whatever. And agree - why did she ask you when the owner said no? But honestly, I probably would have said yes you can have a hamster and it will be safe in a cage.

I'm so sorry she made you cry. She was the bitch for sure.

My personal experience is hamsters are horrible pets unless you get them very young and they can adjust to being petted. Esp around kids. They bite. But I never had any trouble with gerbils. I loved the black ones.

There are so many crazy customers out there. I'm sorry that happened to you. :( You definitely didn't do anything wrong! I used to work retail and I had so many interactions like that where customers just wanted to ask questions they already had an answer to (whether it was right or wrong) so they could scream at me for no reason. Idk, they must be really unhappy with their lives to take petty shit out on people who cannot get away from them. Maybe they were bullies when they were younger so they still seek that feeling of power from treating others like shit. Whatever the case, it's wrong and I wish retail workers could shut that shit down and kick people out of their place of work.

You didn't deserve to get screamed at and if your manager gives you shit she's an idiot.

I fucking bawled my eyes out earlier cause I'll be getting in shit. If I could speak my mind to customers who are like that... I wouldn't have a job.

I need to start job hunting, but I'm only focusing on one thing at a time. My top priority is my health, finding an apartment and then a job

I've had good experience with hamsters, but yes, if you get them young the sooner you can teach them that handling is ok. No child under the age of 7 should ever, ever have a hamster.

Thanks. My boss is pretty much a bitch, too. She treats me horribly. I get one shift a week and I've been there 8 years.

What?? That's so messed up. :( I hope either she leaves or you can find a better workplace. You shouldn't have to put up with that!

I don't think you did or said anything wrong, and it would be stupid for you get in trouble over that. There was no reason for her to even get mad, unless maybe she is having problems in her life and unleashed it all on you for whatever reason.

I used to work in a call center and constantly had to deal with irate customers who were mad at one thing or another. It was nice not having to be face-to-face with them because I could just take off the headset or mute my mic and vent to myself. Customers can really suck sometimes.

You absolutely did nothing wrong and this woman had zero reason to have such a meltdown. She's obviously having such outside issues and was just taking it out on you, especially considering what the daughter said. It's unfortunate they have to deal with such a mother, but at least they (or at least the daughter) know it's an issue with her and not normal. >_>

As for your boss, that's a tough one... I want to say you should speak up for yourself, because you should... but if she's already got it in for you, it might be better (for your sanity, and your position) to just take what she dishes out and be meek about it.

In conclusion, I'd like to mention that all Major Retail Establishments are starting their HIRE EVERYONE for the holiday season, so another job probably wouldn't be too difficult to find...

PS - I've cried at work plenty, there's no shame in it. Sometimes you just have to cry.

I hope that goes well for you... sooner rather than later because yikes.

I took the extra effort to go into my work place yesterday and get bitched at. I walked in, the boss saw me, didn't say a word. I spent some time slinking around and this was the following conversation:

Honestly... I might even try the labour board again, but then... it's probably not worth it. My brother told me there is a law that's required for part time workers. 5 hours a week is not part time.

I might even rage quit depending on how my Sunday goes. I'm not good enough to work, but I'm good enough to babysit her mother.

                                                                               
     ******* 
 

Our very good labour laws for Ontario:

First, there is no legal requirement to hire a person on as a full-time employee. Second, provincial employment standards legislation allows employees to work up to a maximum of 44 hours a week, regardless of whether the employee is full-time, part-time, a student or casual employee.

What is the minimum hours for part time in Ontario?

minimum 3 hours of pay If an employee regularly works more than 3 hours per day, but shows up for work and receives less than 3 hours of work, they are required to be paid for at least 3 hours. Same goes for shifts cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice.

I love your HA and...What a piece of shit!

W o w.

I would rage quit at this point. She's just being a bitch now. It's completely unjust and unfair for her to hang that over your head about having a "talk" on Sunday and then be this wicked about it. She's being INCREDIBLY unprofessional with her attitude, her speech patterns and what I'm getting are vague threats.

Wow. She's just jerking you around at this point. What is the point of letting you just stew in your juices until Sunday? If she has some issue with you she should just be up front about it. Wildly unprofessional. If she's scheduling you so few hours she obviously doesn't want you there.

I really wanted this hamster and everyone knew about it. They sold him. I knowthey did it out of spite.

i fucking hate my job and the asshole people I'm fucking crying

I know I'm not wanted. I feel it. I work so hard. And yet.. nothing is ever good enough. I also want to tell her to fuck off with her expectations of me babysitting her mother overnight and that she should find someone else to do it.

Yeah, I would find a new place of employment asap. That paltry amount of hours is pathetic, and dick employers usually do it so people will quit because they're getting paid nothing. I don't think a job that is only 5 hours a week is worth all of this stress and drama.

Also if her kids straight up said that that woman is just a huge bitch all the time, then it has nothing to do with you and she's just looking to ream someone out because her life is so miserable.

Working retail is hell, and the people who treat employees like shit are the worst kind of people.

Yes, everything that said times two.

Thank you.

I'll be going to the place for disabilities sometime this week to get help with making a resume, as I have no programs or a printer at my apartment.

I've worked retial for 10+ years and I've never had an issue. It's honestly been in the last 3 years where my current place of employment of 8 years has become living hell:

-I gave the store hamster herpes (I don't have herpes) -I killed an animal (I euthanized him because he was sick. I had a great rapport with my vet) -I shouldn't wear stripes because it makes me look bigger -People of my size shouldn't wear leggings because it doesn't look good -My legs look like olives o toothpicks -My mother shouldn't have had children knowing all the health problems we'd have

and that's just to list the few I remember because they were all recent.

What the actual fuck???! Your workplace is so fucking terrible, I'm so angry for you. :( There's got to be somewhere that's hiring in your area. My city is small but we do have some programs in the area to help people find jobs (youth programs, which I'm in rn because it goes up to 30 and adult programs). Maybe your city has something like these? Or there's Ontario Works which also has a job connection program. I know they don't offer much money but it would help for the time being and I think they have incentives for employers.

And yeah some employers in Ontario offer 12 hours minimum (Walmart for example) and even if they don't schedule you for 12 hours they're supposed to pay you for 12. But there's no minimum hours by law in Ontario. I hope that changes but of course the big corporations would kick up a fuss and things won't be changing any time soon because of our current provincial government. :/

OMG! Agree with ! Your workplace IS fucking terrible. How dare they say such obnoxious hateful things to you! And how stupid are these people anyway? Even if you did have herpes you couldn't pass it to any animal! You could walk in with full blown AIDS much less cold sores and only be able to barely possibly infect the people with exactly the right conditions and trade spit and no animal in the place would be in the slightest danger! What about Walmart or Target or something like that?

I think that everything everyone else has said is completely valid and I'm so sorry to hear about all of this crap you have to put up with. Not even the worst employee in the world deserves to be treated like that! With those hours and at this point I think that you need to ask yourself is it really worth the pain, anger, stress and humiliation? With you already having health issues, this CANNOT be good for you!

I had a boss who was kind of like that, but not even half as bad as yours. I worked at one of our local libraries (have you thought about one of them, usually as a clerk you just need to know the alphabet, have good people skills, be detail oriented, etc. It's a thought) for a couple of years and overall at several libraries throughout my job history when we got this new library director. As soon as she walked in the door I felt like I had a target on my back. I went from being an above average employee (their evaluation) to a troubled one (again their evaluation) in like 6 months or less. She made it impossible to stay working there, but fortunately for me it wasn't my only option even in our little town.

Do you have a college degree? Here in the States, if you have a degree no matter what degree, you can substitute teach in any public school as long as you apply for it. I make (after taxes) in our little town (pop. 2,400) $75 a day. I don't know what you could make in Canada, but you live in a bigger town it might be comparable. Even subbing in a high school I find a whole lot less stressful than working for that bitch;)