Love the one you’re with

You are making the assumption that the clerk cares if s/he makes the sale. Even at stores selling big-ticket electronics, clerks are often only hourly-wage employees. While it may be true that over time this type of clerk-ly behavior will cost the store business and may even take the store down, hourly wage employees will just go get another hourly wage job at the competitor. Waiting ten minutes to give the clerk the bad news that s/he was losing a sale cost you ten minutes but probably did not even cause the clerk a passing moment of discomfort.

Be sure you're directing your anger at the appropriate party; many stores insist that no customer phone call go unanswered, and that customers never be put on hold. The natural fallout of this, of course, is that the customer actually in the store gets ignored while the phone customer is taken care of as a priority. This is a customer management problem that the floor staff are rarely if ever in a position to affect. I guarantee most of them realize how idiotic these policies are, since they are the ones who generally feel the brunt of customers' frustrations. Feedback on situations like these should go directly to management.

Personal calls are another matter entirely.

There should be restrictions on cell phone use and any other device that disctracts one from their real job functions. I see way too much of it and I'm constantly floored its tolerated in the work place, especially when it takes preference over waiting customers. I would love to know what is so important that people need to have a phone with them at all times! Its so irritating having to listen to people's phone conversations everywhere I go.

I disagree with both the L.W. and the Job Doc . I have been on both sides of the proverbial counter here: as the customer (a working professional) and as the clerk. The first point to make here is that these generalizations are hardly accurate. Not all clerks are rude, and not all customers are on their cell phones. However, if generalize we must, please understand two things.

First, I have seen the strange anomaly that occurs in grocery and retail stores: otherwise polite and respectful people become rude, very rude, when it comes to the folks who bag their groceries, ring up their purchases, and attend their fitting rooms. I have always believed that every person should work in the service industry at least once in their lifetime, if only to establish a modicum of respect for service workers. To the LW: pointing fingers at rude service people does not earn you a "win": it only affirms that there are many people in this world. Some are rude, some are polite, some are customers, and others are servicepeople. Try standing at a checkout for 12 hours and enduring unnecessary beratement by total strangers. Yes, it is absolutely that bad.

Second, shame on the Job Doc for taking the sale out on the clerk. Have you ever worked as a serviceperson? The minimum wage clerk isn't trying to earn the company a profit: he/she will never see any of it. The clerk is only trying to do his/her job and make boss happy. In many cases, that means answering a ringing phone and taking care of the call unless the boss sets a procedure in place otherwise. If you are unhappy with the procedure, take it up with the boss. Snarky comments from customers don't help clerks be friendier; they make it harder for clerks to provide the good customer service you speak of.

This weekend I was charmed to see the cashier and the bagger at the Stop & Shop in deep flirtation mode. They were talking about music, concerts, clearly working up to the offer of a date. I thought it was adorable. Until I got home and realized some of the groceries I'd paid for never made it into my bag. Distraction!

As an escapee from the world of retail, I can assure you that when clerks answer a work-related call while in front of you, 99% of the time it is because management absolutely insists all calls get answered by a specified number of rings. I'm not kidding. There will be "maximum allowable rings" before there is hell to pay. Having to follow those rules myself, I thought it was assinine. It guarantees ignoring customers right in front of you in favor of someone who hasn't even stepped foot in the store. But I cannot stress enough how strangely serious management takes the phone call thing. And this was not just one business. It's pretty standard in the retail world. And yes, as clerks we took hell for it from customers. One time a customer ripped me for taking a work-related call NEAR where he was being helped by ANOTHER clerk. He said hearing me talk on the phone was "distracting" as he talked to the clerk. I put on my best "I'm about to break down and sob because of you" face (and actually, I was) and he started apologizing quickly when he realized what a jerk HE sounded like.

Just cut these employees some slack. Sometimes they really are just trying to shuffle ridiculously contradictory rules in the face of abusive customers, all for pathetically low pay.

pet peeve of mine is getting up to the cashier, and she/he won't even look at you. I watched a girl in Wal Mart ring out about 10 people before she got to me. Not once did she acknowledge the customer with a nod, or a smile, or even a glance at the face. 2 people addressed her first & she did acknowledge with the one word response. Seems a bit rude.

Applause to Bee Bee and SDP. If a customer has a problem with service whether at the cash register or on the sales floor, that problem should be taken to management. If you are in a big box store, you may want to take it to corporate. Most rules setting forth how customers are handled, in what order, phone v. person in front of you, even to how many add-ons a sales clerk is supposed to try to foist on you, comes direct from corporate. These decisions are not made by the store manager and he/she has no power in the matter. As a cashier at a big box book store, I firmly believe that the corporate personnel of our store have never actually worked in a store, much less a book store.

Agree with SDP - I will also note that once you leave Massachusetts (or maybe just the Boston area) you find that sales clerks are far nicer and more attentive - because they aren't been snarked at or condescended to by customers all day! My husband worked retail in MA and it was horrible the way he was treated. We live in Maine now and I have never, not once, had a sales clerk been anything but friendly and helpful, even when the transaction did not go smoothly (was interrupted by calls, etc).

Customers in this town need to realize that they should not expect to be treated with courtesy if they aren't going to reciprocate!

I've worked both sides of the counter over the years. As a customer/consumer I expect at least a minimum of professionalism from the clerk, cashier, or customer service rep. that I'm dealing with. If I sense that I'm getting "attitude" from someone for no obvious reason I'll call them out on it right then & there. Some individuals don't realize that they're being abrasive towards customers. If a sales person is outright rude or otherwise disrespectful I go right to the manager/supervisor. As a manager I would want to know what my staff are doing whether it's good or bad. For that matter I will take the time to seek out a manager to compliment an outstanding employee: good actions need to be acknowledge, negative actions are opportunities for staff improvement.

Most of these posters are absolutely right. Just because some of us are stuck in a low paying service job we are viewed as not smart enough to find something else. And on top of having to answer work related phone calls at a checkout counter is de riguer for store employees. In fact, the big box store I worked for had radios that had to be on at all rimes. Even if you were waiting on another customer, you were required to answer the radio even though you were already engaged, or the call station kept paging you even though you were the only one in your department. People who have not worked in this type of service industry have no idea how badly we are treated for very low pay and it isn't that easy to find another job especially in this economy. My personal pet peeve is women customers who try on clothes and drop them on the floor as if no one after them would want to try them on after them. The floors are not 100% clean! And the ones who try on 20 dresses and we have to put them all back in perfect condition. I ALWAYS treat service employees as real people and I sympathize with the abuse they have to put up with. Remember the Golden Rule. Since you are an employee at will (and not a member of a union)., you can be fired for ANYTHING at ANY time. Who would want to work under these conditions? Well, a lot of us do and we're not paid to think or even care.

I CAN TOP ALL OF THIS - WHEN I WAS GETTING MY HAIRCUT THE STYLIST RECEIVED A PHONE CALL ON HER CELL AND WAS TALKING WHILE CUTTING MY HAIR WITH HER SCISSORS.
I ASKED HER TO PUT DOWN THE PHONE WHILE SHE WAS CUTTING MY HAIR AND SHE TOLD ME, "it's my mother." SHE IS THE OWNER OF THE BEAUTY SHOP - GREAT EXAMPLE FOR HER STAFF! nEVER GOING BACK THERE!!!!!

OK, I have worked in retail, as a cashier, service desk and supervisor - I can definitely relate to the rude customer syndrome.
But this entire thing with personal cell phones in the workplace has got to stop. What if I want to ask the yakking clerk a question? Or get something that is only behind the counter? - then as they roll their eyes in exasperation at ME the customer for daring to 'interfere' with their personal phone call! Yes, I have to say I have just turned around and walked out the door, and took my business to the competition - department stores are a dime a dozen!
Parents, employers etc need to teach their staff ediquette both phone & manners!

WELL SAID Bee Bee and SDP!!!! I work in retail and agree 100% with both.

I was greeted at the Macy's register the other day with a grunt followed by five minutes of gum chomping and a cash register malfunction frustration attitude. I got a thank you on the way out which was a total surprise.

While traveling recently I was floored by the behavior of a checkout clerk. I put all of my intended purchases on the counter while he pointedly ignored me. He then PICKED UP THE PHONE and dialed out to make a clearly personal call. He was asking the person on the other end what time the party started, could someone pick him up, etc. This went on for five minutes. I was floored. He finally finished, rang me up, and gave me too much change. I pointed out his error, gave him back the excess cash, and got the filthiest look I had ever seen in return. I was about to over the counter after him but my husband didn't want me to start an international incident so I refrained. (This was the only store within walking distance of our hotel - otherwise I would have been long gone by the time he hung up.) I agree with the other posters that it isn't always the clerk's fault, but in many cases, it is.

I have a device to kill cell reception that I use when people exhibit rude cell behavior. It's the best!

I have been both a service clerk and a customer, for minimum wage one is expected to juggle Herculean tasks, smile, be nice, and be a spokesperson for your store, while the manager hide in the back, talk on their cell phones about Saturday/Sunday game, and ignore their employees. Clerks are expected to make many decisions on their own, with no serious back-up or training from management.
Many clerks are waiting for rest room breaks, and management is not paying attention. Calls for assistance from a supervisor are generally ignored until the crisis has passed. Rather than annoy customers I quit retail, and will not return.