Women in retail reveal their weirdest encounters

Retail workers can have it pretty bad. Besides the normal everyday work they deal with, there can also be some unexpected occurrences that can turn any day into one to remember.

Unfortunately for women retail workers, they can be asked some of the oddest requests, from modeling clothes and jewelry to uncomfortably flirtatious men.

While working in retail I’ve been through it all. From trying on hats for a woman who ended up not buying anything, people who only buy clothes directly off of the mannequins (even if it’s not their size), and don’t get me started on holding up necklaces and modeling rings for guys who end up saying they will buy one for me if I give them my number.

Once I even had a woman walk up to me, say she wanted the exact type of jeans she was currently wearing, and proceed to pull down her pants to find out the size and type.

But that’s not all. These ladies know the pain of difficult customers and their requests.

Natalia

I work at a high end clothing boutique and one day a woman, probably in her 40s, came in. She didn’t try anything on, just pointed at things she liked and told us to get it in her size and she would buy it. She ended up spending $5,000 on clothing and jewelry she didn’t look at for more than five seconds. I’ve also had older gals ask me to try on clothes for them that they were giving as a gift so they could see what is would look like on someone younger.

Rafaella

I had people see me fold things and then mess them up right in front of me. No respect.

Rhea

This one grandmother had me try on 12 different outfits she was considering purchasing for her granddaughter because we were the same size.

Not only that, but a five-year-old once asked her to marry him with an ice cream cone.

Penny

I had one guy start taking his clothes off right in the middle of the store and I had to point him to the changing room. I’ve also had a dad ask for my number for his 13-year-old son.

Hayley

I used to work at an athletic store for women. I had a woman come in, walk over to me, lift up her skirt slightly to show me her camel toe. She said ‘I need you to find me pants that get rid of camel toes.’ I just stared at her.

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Odd customers, weird requests, and many uncomfortable situations are why retail workers need a thick skin. The job may seem fun and easy, but after one of these encounters, anyone could start questioning their life and what led them to that moment. That’s why we retail workers have to distract ourselves by pranking colleagues and belting lyrics to whatever song is being repeated on the playlist.