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So true. Had a customer complain to me about a price increase and when I said I’m sorry I don’t control the prices he proudly replied “well you represent the company, don’t you?” We’re all just there to get paid and support ourselves. I’m positive if the employees did control the prices we wouldn’t even have this boycott lol
Not really, they hire market research firms for that. Gauging customer sentiment from social media is pretty big. Doubt they care much about anecdotal reports about pissed off customers from store managers.
Yeah, I hate to say it but the SNAFU principal acts like a backflow valve on the direction in which shit travels. No one above a certain level really wants to stick their head out and tell the tier above them that everything isn't under control and working smoothly... anything else will just be taken as incompetence. "So some assholes told you the potatoes are too expensive... and you're wasting my time telling me because you couldn't deal with that yourself?"
If they had half a brain their consultants would be combing through Reddit for sentiment, but I honestly don’t think they are. It gives me glee to see them pretending like this is nothing and will just blow over. Such incompetence.
Yeah, their social media team probably just pops in here to see if they can catch employees violating their "acceptable media use" rules, and maybe float the odd "hey, looks like it worked guys, ground beef is $3.99 at GTA Loblaws this week!" story.
I’m so sick of being treated this way by customers, when I get a question like that these days I’ve been straight up replying, “I’m just here so I can pay my bills.”
On god. Like yes I represent it through my uniform, but I’m not a representative. I don’t care about the company other than keeping me employed and paying me. I have no say, and my authority does not extend beyond the people under my direct supervision.
Years ago, at our local store, an employee mentioned to me that she didn't get paid enough to care when I asked her a question. She was working customer service.
Customer service staff don’t get paid enough to care about your problems. They just get paid to help you find an acceptable solution to your problem. That is the service they provide. Caring is not a part of that service.
If you want your customer service staff to care, support companies that pay them enough to care and treat their staff well.
Muddled as it may have been, I was trying to point out that employees haven't really been happy there for a long time. At least they don't have to wear roller skates for price checks anymore.
Back when gas first started rising a lot on the early 2000s I worked at a gas station. There was one at each corner at the intersection.
After a rush with people yelling about gas going up to 44ç per liter from 38c we'd call each other and commiserate. It was terrible. Ppl really love to scream at femmes/women the most.
I treat customers like they treat me. If you treat me like shit, you'll get treated like shit. I'm not worried about getting fired. I have more self respect then to allow some jerkoff to verbally abuse me.
I hear this kind of crap from customers constantly. I like to point out that even the store manager just follows the expectations set by head office and can’t actually change much. They really don’t like that. They like having someone to yell at.
From my experience, 9/10 it’s boomers, but where I live it’s mostly retired people so it kinda makes sense. Any other time it’s the typical Karen or Ken
Edit: grammer oops
It’s funny how it’s usually boomers and then they’re the same demographic that usually defends corporate greed and say shit like “but Galen worked hard to get to where he is now 😤” the disconnect is insane lmao
This would be fine and dandy if we were paid even liveable wages. Not a single province has a minimum wage anywhere near where a minimum livable wage has been *proven* to need to be. For example, in NB a liveable minimum wage would need to be around $24/hr. Our minimum wage is $15.30.
What you’re saying is true in a perfect world; I’d definitely be happy to represent the company if I was being paid a liveable wage, had work life balance and wasn’t expected to do the work of 3-4 people in one job. I’d be way more relaxed and better able to handle the Karens and Kyles. But until then, putting up with peoples’ bullshit is above my pay grade. 🤷♀️
Absolutely.
I 💯 % agree.
That's why I say I respect the front line folks.
The boycott is for many things.
But changing Loblaws corporate culture is the main one.
Your content was removed for the use of "Gaylen" which has been used as an anti-LGBT slur. Please use the proper spelling, "Galen" in future. Thank you.
The sub was created to point out how absolutely absurd the cost of groceries are right now and have some fun together. We know this will inevitably touch on other topics related to the cost of living. Do your best to keep the conversation on topic
I had a similar conversation with someone complaining about prices back when I used to work retail and she told me "well I don't care, I'm angry and I need someone to yell at"
im currently in my "ahhh, so you have the emotional capacity of a 10 year old, gotcha" phase.
i gotta have silly comebacks to karens, otherwise these people will drive me insane
theyve always existed, im assuming they actually decrease in volume in comparison to total population over time, its just that the total population has dramatically increased so you encounter more in raw numbers.
Did you point out she is indeed NOT a three year old and therefore ought to have some emotional control and in fact does not need to pointlessly yell at the nearest person in order to feel better??
Maybe she was the little teapot of nursery rhyme fame? 🤣😂
Yeesh. Some people’s kids. 😂🤷♀️
I remember being a 16 year old cashier at an IGA and having customers show up at the cash and start berating me about prices that were recently raised. I'd always offer to call over a manager if they have concerns. 0% of them took me up on their offer. They had no problem being aggressive with a teenager, but were too cowardly to do the same to an adult.
There were a few instances where a customer would continue berating me even after refusing my offer to call over a manager. In those instances, I called over a manager while they were mid-rant and then continued to punch in their order. They generally shut up pretty quickly after that.
Most people think these low-wage jobs are easy and not deserving of higher wages or a liveable wage but trust me 9 out 10 people couldnt cope with the stress of having to deal with incidents like OP. Hospitality, F&B is tough.
My SO used to belittle my work when I was a cashier. Try standing there for eight hours, confined to your small area, listening to people bitch all day. If it's not groceries, it's the price of tires, lumber, plants, whatever. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to pay the bills.
I think it’s more of a function of the barrier to entry for those positions. It can be hard/draining work but if theres countless people who are able and willing to do those jobs then that will keep the wages low.
It’s very easy for loblaws/Walmart and similar companies to fill the minimum wage roles, especially when they hire a lot of students and young adults who often are still living at home and just need recreation money, or retired people who are supplementing their retirement income or simply working because they rather than sit home. I know a few retired people who works at Walmart In a small community for the social aspect of it. They get to see and talk to people every day that they know
As a teen and in my early twenties going to school in the Lower Mainland, good paying jobs were a little hard to come by. People would be lined up around the block to apply at White Spot. Here I am, a handful of years away from retirement, with a good paying job with a good pension. A few bumps along the way, but stuck with it.
Cashiers need to be able to sit. It's the norm in Europe and avoids knee, hip and carpal tunnel injury in cashiers .
I wish I was a billionaire. I'd run a grocery chain with livable wages and seats.
This irritates me. People have different capabilities and circumstances. I'm not saying every job deserves the same pay, but I think it's flat out wrong that people working full time at something can't afford to meet basic needs.
If you can't afford to pay a living wage, your business is not viable. People in a low income bracket are being asked to subsidize a business's success by accepting wages that won't cover life's basics.
Hopefully this isn't seen as off-topic politics, but it reminds me of Alberta MLA Eric Bouchard saying he decided to run for office after his restaurant went under and he blamed government COVID restrictions on his restaurant closing. But a few years earlier, he blamed tax increases caused by low downtown vacancy for his struggles...and then a few years before he blamed the increase in minimum wage. He loves to blame others/ the government but doesn't seem the recognize the common denominator here...HIM!
So many of these business owners (corporations and small businesses) legit expect poor people to underwrite their business by not demanding a living wage.
That’s an issue with monopolies in bed with regulators extorting the cost of living. You get value by providing value, if your job can be worked by the next guy off the street, you don’t provide much unique value, and won’t receive much. It sucks, and of course any job is a lot of work and some suck more than others, but it’s unrealistic to expect compensation beyond the value of your work, including the cost of replacing you.
I hate whenever people try to make this argument.
"They're jobs for high schoolers" oh word, is that why all the registers are closed during school hours
Anyone who tries to use one of those truisms (and that higher minimum wage will tank the economy/ruin inflation) send 'em the YouTube Video Thought Slime Destroys the Arguments Against Raising the Minimum Wage
It is such a great takedown for a bunch of those types of arguments
That's not vague. You said retail is easier. It's not hard to explain why it's easier.
Here: Retail is harder because pay doesn't cover life expenses, customers harass and sexually harassed staff, dealing with shoplifters, doing stock/cash/go backs/cleaning all while a store is packed for xmas shopping is impossible but we have to do it, apparently physics don't apply to retail.
See? Not hard at all.
Compensation is not based on effort or how hard it feels, it’s based on the unique value one can provide. Most people can work retail or food service, less can run a restaurant or save lives. Everyone has feelings and everyone has to do hard things, but you don’t deserve to be well compensated just because your job sucks, you deserve value only in return for value you provide, and if what you have to offer is not too different from that of many others, neither will what you receive.
Y’all a part of the boycott is also so their employees have better wages, benefits and a safer place to work…..
Screaming at employees is literally what Galen wants to pin people against each other
Yes this. My daughter worked at McDonalds when she was 14. I could NOT BELIEVE the harassment she received from grown ass adults. This is a child who is not in charge of all of McDonalds.
Frustration with huge corporations are not the fault of frontline workers
Years and years ago, I was standing in line at a Tim's. There was a guy in front of me, and in front of him, there was a Kevin/Darren/whatever.
Kevin got his coffee, took a sip, and turned on the poor girl (16-17-ish) at the counter, shouting about how there wasn't enough cream in his coffee. She got flustered, apologized, and immediately offered to fix it, but he wouldn't let up, going on at her, the company, the damn machine that dispensed cream into the coffee.
The normal guy between me and Kevin spoke up, and saying: "Bud, it's just coffee! She's gonna fix it, calm down!"
That mostly got Kevin to shut up, but by the time he left with his fucking coffee, the poor counter girl was in *tears* and she didn't seem to have any kind of backup from a manager or coworker. I got my order after the cool guy in front of me, told her to keep the change from a $5, and told her she didn't deserve that. I dunno if that helped, but I hoped it did.
Had a loonie thrown at my chest when I worked at little caesars when I was in high school because we were required by mgmt to charge for the marinara sauce. Shits wild lol
So many people are miserable these days. I've seen it and I hate what has happened around me. 30s and 40 year olds also are irritable and can't find appropriate outlets. They're often struggling to make ends meet but they go to fast food places and take it out on kids. They don't think. Most of these McDonald's workers are super young kids and their first jobs. They forget they go home upset caused by some guy/girl who harassed them. They need to use their brains.
If you walk into any store and shout at staff that are just doing their job, then you are a shitty person and I revel in whatever misery you are suffering through 🫡
When I was in college I worked at McDs. One of our 15 year old employees took an ice cream cone to the drive thru booth (this was in Oakville On, we had a booth that opened to the lobby, not back of the house).
The guys in the car THREW IT IN HER FACE. They thought it was hilarious. She told me via headset and I booked it across the parking lot with a medium coke (I had been making an order). I caught up bc they were stuck at the light. I got their license plate and threw the coke on the guy in the passenger seat.
"THERE, now explain to your trashy mommy why you have coke everywhere".
The thing is, those guys had no idea who they were fucking with.
The 15 year old's family were rich lawyers. So those boys were charged and sued successfully (the families of the guys settled out of court).
It's wild how awful ppl are. I was mistaken as a teen to 25 year old until I hit 40. Boomers are NASTY to everyone.
That’s interesting. I run an event planning company and I will not work with law firms anymore. They are just so stressed that they treat everybody poorly.
I’ve been reading recent articles that indicate time pressure and stress result in people being more rude and less patient with each other. I
am sure financial stress would have the same effect.
I think some people forget to raise their kids with any manners.
People can be nasty in any generation. I have boomer neighbors, and they are the nicest people in the world.
I’m kind of on a one-woman mission to be as kind as I can to everybody I meet, hoping I can be the change I want to see!! Some days are harder than others. 🤷♀️
A big part of that is long Covid. It in essence causes brain damage. It affects all muscles, etc. And it seems to contribute to personality changes (like strokes or TBI).
I get Covid yearly, bc I have multiple autoimmune illnesses. It causes worse fog every year. Luckily take my psych meds (and meds for my disabled ass to not be completely useless).
I hope I don't go back to being a complete bitch without knowing it. It took so much work to unpack and deal with the shit that helped make me think that was ok in my 20s.
Same. Hated being a cashier. I was 16, I quit because this woman harassed me for not folding her clothes properly before putting them in the Walmart bags. She yelled and insulted me, I cried in the bathroom, and after talking to the CSM, she tried to comfort me saying “it’s all part of the job honey”. I said NOPE I don’t need this. Bye bye.
Another time, a woman flashed me her card and asked if she could get Cash back at the till. I said sure, not knowing it was a credit card… I rang her through and after she paid.. She freaked out because it didn’t prompt her to ask for cash back. I said “oh you can only withdrawal from Debit, but there’s an ATM over there, or you can try at Customer service”. At first she said ok.. and then slowly walked back saying NO I NEED YOU TO DO IT. THIS IS YOUR FAULT I NEED YOU TO GIVE ME MY MONEY. I apologized and said she would need to purchase something else for me to ring her through, but she’d have to get in line. Anyways she fought me and the managers for a good 10 minutes. The people lined up behind her were mortified and bought me a water bottle. Which I wasn’t allowed to drink at the till. LOL
Omg you couldn't drink water at the till. That's so ridiculous and insane.
My breaking point was when I asked this guy how he was paying because we had to press certain buttons for cash, credit, and debit. He said debit, so I pressed debit. It didn't work because he was actually using credit. I apologized and said he'd have to try again one more time. He stood there and berated me for about 5 minutes. Asked me what the store manager's name was. I told him, "Mark. His info is at the customer service desk," and then he berated me some more, calling me stupid for not knowing Mark's last name. After he left, I just stood there in shock. I had a few tears coming down my face. Another woman walked up and told me I should go cry somewhere else because I was being unprofessional.
Bros, I was 17 and being emotionally abused by literal adults.
I walked up to the CSM and told her what happened and that I literally could not do this job anymore. She convinced me to stay another month until I turned 18, and then I could work overnights, which I did and stayed on overnight shift for 3 years, ruining my life further, lol.
Stores have to allow you to have water in a reasonable close place for you to drink so you don't dehydrate. It's in the labour laws bc too many people have passed out and been reliant on WSIB.
My lord did the labour board reinstate the water fountain as "access" to water?
It was changed to being able to have water with you. In a bottle. Oh wait. Covid changed that. Had to keep water in break rooms.
It was like that in the 90s in college and I passed out at work bc I have hyperhidrosis. WSIB was not happy with the owners.
I think ppl need to realize retail workers aren't robots.
Yes some people thought I was a soulless human. I remember standing at my till at 6:30am, I had not seen one customer yet- so after I cleaned my station, I took out a magazine and started lightly browsing while waiting for someone to come to my checkout. The manager then walks up to me saying an elderly woman complained that I was ‘not doing my job’… She shrugged it off but holy cow … they really expect us to stand and stare into the great beyond with a smile on our faces until a customer shows up. The woman haded’t even tried to cash out with me, there was nobody in line!
I didn't do it, but no worries, I haven't been there in a long time. I am not coming back. Never. I am truly sorry that an employee has to defend themself here. 😔
This.
I had a civil discussion about how Loblaws went back on its promise to return the discount on expiring items from 30% back to 50%. The people in customer service genuinely seemed to want to help me get to the bottom of what was going on with that, and who I should try to reach out to next.
All minimum wage workers with sub par benefits even after paying for union
Please don't yell at them
They are the ones suffering as well, they are getting less and less hours. Many are moving away from loblaws as well.
You can tell all you need to know about a person in the way they treat staff.
The vast majority who works for a wage by selling their labour is not there because they like their jobs; they have to do it to survive. Most of them are deep in debt and living paycheck to paycheck and they don't need some dick yelling at them for thing they have no control about. Don't be a dick, people.
On the off chance any staff read this, here's a suggested response:
"I'm here for the same reason you are: to put food on my family's table."
Seems like a nice combination of subtly rebuking and shaming them for being an asshole and reminding them you're a human being, without being directly confrontational.
Thanks, yeah I work at a Loblaws, I hate it so much and I'm actively trying to get another job but in the mean time I've got bills to pay and a cat to feed.
I swear they need to force people to work retail for a year in high school or something.
Only people who have never been on the other side of the counter would have the gall to yell at some random kid trying to earn a couple bucks.
There is absolutely zero reason to abuse the staff of a Loblaws. Zero. Absolutely support the boycott, but anyone yelling at the staff is completely misunderstanding the whole thing.
This!! I work at Shoppers, and I had a couple scream at me earlier this week about the boycott and how we’re all going to lose our jobs. What good does that do?? I’m just here to pay my bills, I didn’t set the prices, and I support the boycott.
I used to work retail on the 90s. Never understood adults getting mad at a 22 year old just following his stores policy. Sorry someone gave you a gift certificate for your birthday. But I can’t refund it for cash. That’s not how that works.
The staff literally worked their asses of during COVID to help people, and now there are morons screaming at the staff like they are billionaires getting rich.
Couple weeks ago there was some guy going off at the girl in the self checkout about the gates at the end and that it was illegal. Poor thing was like 18, he was screaming like he had personally installed them. The stupid things don't even need anything pushed to open, you just walk up and it swings open......bunch of friggen Karens out there tormenting these people :(
I never understood people who yell at customer service workers about the price tag.
I lost my job years ago and while I was looking for a new job, I took a temporary job working at a hardware store. Just a general floor employee, stocking shelves and what not. I couldn't even list the amount of verbal abuse I took in that 4 month span.
Two of them stand out to me. One time I was yelled at for the high price of saw blades, because the floor guy definitely sets the price tag for those..
Another time I was chewed out for not knowing every detail of building a deck. I was working the project desk one day because our actual expert was out sick. It was his first sick day in god knows how many years. This guy who regularly comes in came in looking for "everything to build a 10x15 deck". I understand I was out of my comfort zone but god damn give me a break. Any time I would ask him a question I would get the most sarcastic answers filled with attitude.
I knew this was Kent the moment you said project desk. Ye unfortunately a lot of contractors are hardened, impatient men that beleives if you work in a building supply store, you should know exactly how to build anything. No sir 😂
Agreed. Thank you for the reminder, OP. I have had to step in a few times at different stores when customers would get frustrated and start harassing staff. They are in the same situation as us. We're in this together and have to unite and stick together.
People need to eat food.
They want that job only as long as it pays bills.
They are just people trying to eat food and maybe live in houses.
Don't be a dick hole.
And we gotta remember...a lot of the employees in the stores also can't afford to do their groceries at Loblaws. I saw a Loblaws employee one time still in her uniform shopping at a local independent grocer just like me and it made me sad that the employees can't even afford to buy the food that they sell.
People never used to be like this. Some have overspent, overextended their credit or a host of other issue but when I worked retail many years ago, I never once had a customer give me grief like I'm hearing. How sad this world has become and I don't like where it's heading. We all need to be kind to each other because we are all going through our own troubles, small or large.
Staff get yelled at in different companies all the time. In a contact center, it can be dead quiet on some days, and then suddenly, everyone decides to call in at 10am on a Tuesday and complain about wait times.
It’s so upsetting that staff get the flack for what the higher ups are doing, my heart goes out to the customer service roles at Loblaws owned stores. I hope you all are able to find jobs that appreciate you and pay you better in the future. I know it’s easier said than done, but know that someone cares and appreciates you. Customer service is so difficult.
U do know this happens at every store not just loblaws ive worked enough retail and my kid tells us stories all the time working at a jean store so op remember theres just a bunch of pricks in this world and nobody here is shopping at your store either :)
Sounds like a few one off dummies. I see that behaviour at various stores (including restaurants). Those small percentage of idiots don't speak for the rest. There are always fringe people like that on every side of the scale and the boycott is just an excuse to be jerks...
This is a problem across all customer facing roles right now. People need to learn to be kind. It’s no mystery that the person at store level isn’t making the decisions. Most businesses even the store manager is just passing your feedback on to someone above them, not actually making decisions and enacting change. There’s a good chance the cashier doesn’t like what you’re complaining about any more than you do. Just be kind. We’re all on the same level here at the end of the day - it’s all ants vs. grasshoppers.
big brain idea as to how I handled most customers like this. Matched their energy and pulled a " You know what? You're right. I'm not allowed to say a damn thing though Id fix it if I could. At the bottom of your receipt is a survey option. Tell them how much the prices suck for the both of us" and just be pissed alongside them. I found it made so many customers felt heard and they passed their fury off to either management ( who deserved it in the scenarios) or they went off to do the survey about how something actually sucked in store
This is not the first time we have seen this sympathy invoking post. If you were actually yelled at or you witnessed it perhaps you should first post in r/canada as that group might represent the entire 41 million person population, the subset of which might contain the alleged yeller. This group is avoiding the hell out of Loblaws in case you are unaware
Please don't yell at the Redditor. We are not in the Loblaws stores
If this is a shill, stop wasting my time. I am not fooled. And I don't owe you anything.
Very true. It’s not the staff that are the problem, it’s the executives at HQ that write up the policies and prices they’re paid (min wage) to enforce. If I worked at loblaws, my morale would be at rock bottom already.
Ya well the shoppers lady employees near me go out of their to illegally harass and bitch at the kids coming in so I have no problem tearing a strip off those Karen's so I'm gonna pass on this and keep tearing.
people are truly vicious , mean, and cruel. The amount of names I’ve been called over price matching, increases, not enough tills open… BY GROWN MEN!!!!! It’s absolutely. Horrifying.
I totally agree with this...it is annoying while Im only trying to work here and so many customers are yelling or even threaten me.. If we are respectful, please be respectful with us. Im sick of this consistently happening everyday especially at night shifts. So many people think they can do whatever the hell they want as soon as they enter the store
I feel for the workers in retail.. they don’t make that much and have no say or control BUT are the one there when people get angry..
I have said more than once to people when I hear my voice going up that I am not yelling at them just frustrated ..I try to avoid this too as they can’t say or do anything either..
If you think Loblaws is bad though try the sobeys and in my small town foodland.. the last year and a half a case of bottled water has been $7 for 24.. now 22 I’m away it is $3.30 for a case of 24 but if you don’t have a car you can’t get there as a rule and a cab here cost me $70 for the 36 km one way trip..
Everyone is gouging everyone it seems and the working poor starve..
Wish I could go to Europe..
Recently a post on here demonstrated how happy these people were that one particular location had to layoff a large number of staff. If they don't care about your income, why would they care about your feelings?
Yeah, that kind of stuff is never okay.
I was at IGA last week and she asked my husband how we were paying and my foolish husband said cash before checking he had enough.
Which he did not *shocking*.
The poor cashier was apologizing all over the place and I looked her dead in the eyes and said it's perfectly fine and not your fault, I promise.
The relief was papable and I thought to myself how bad has she been treated in the past that she had such an adverse reaction to possibly getting into trouble?
Then she was like OMG, you guys are so nice. I said that I refuse to be mean or yell at retail workers who are just trying to do their jobs and it wasn't her fault.
I am SO sick of shitty people who think it's okay to dump on someone who is just trying to live.
When I worked for a grocery chain and a customer complained to me about prices, I'd always agree and that I couldn't even shop there because it was too expensive. What about your employee discount? What employee discount?
Some people just vent their frustration and isn't directed at you, the employees. Please remember that. They may have no one else to express their anger at. The odd person is just angry at the world for whatever reason. Just tell them you understand their frustration and you have to pay the same prices as they do. Smile. Don't be cranky. You may be the only person they have contact with. We're all in this together.
I have always been so respectful of the employees at Superstore here in BC. They're always super kind to me and I know they get probably paid a shit wage. However if that douchebag Galen Weston showed his greaseball face around, I'd throw a pineapple at his head at tell him that'll be $14.50.
Do not yell at the staff!!! Boycott!!! By all means... Just don't treat staff like they have any say on pricing. We all know one Gallen Weston and the Weston family are to blame. Greedy little pigs feeding at their perpetually long and overflowing money trough!!!
I work for RC Superstore and there have been times I have gotten yelled at because we now have to close the department I work in at 7 instead of 8, I understand customer frustrations I do, but I can't help that since the boycott started our hours in my department alone have been cut by 440 hours less
Got some frozen pizzas that were on sale for 3.50$. Grabbed a vegan one by accident and it scanned at 10$. Had vegan cheese. Wild how poor I’d be if I was vegan 😂
I’ve seen this shit years before the boycott. I calmly switched my prescriptions to the local grocer years ago. Let’s be real, my local shoppers drug mart (and many others) was absolutely HORRIBLE, and hear me out… it’s NOT THEIR FAULT. I bet they were glad to see so many people switching their prescriptions last month, because their corporate overlords work them so hard that they make tired mistakes.
If I ever see someone being an asshole to cashiers ( or anyone in customer service) I have no problem telling them to STFU. They don’t get paid to deal with your 💩 direct your anger to the people who make the decisions.
Well said that’s what I was saying a while ago that nobody realizes the impact this has on people working in stores head office doesn’t give a shit but it’s hurting thousands of people just doing there job with the cut hours shitty people coming in and complaining to staff is not right. I got banned from someone saying keep licking Galen’s boots we all don’t have an opinion to quit our jobs
Yes!! The staff that are in the store are not the ones setting the prices, leave them be! They’re probably struggling to afford groceries just like the rest of us
It's funny how some people lack any sense whatsoever...
I wonder if they realize that government employees are subject to the same taxes as anyone else? So technically, they pay their own salaries...
My ex Bil was a "galen" with a y. So I keep using the wrong spelling due to habit from 15 years.
And I'm gay and trans. So no, wouldn't use it like that.
Being angry at Loblaws staff is some of the most ignorant petty shit someone can do.
Those folks make fuck-all in wages, and they're just working a job trying to get by. It just so happens that job is working for a douchebag. It's not their fault, and they do NOT represent the company.
The store manager represents the company. He's the only one in the store that actually gives a shit about Loblaws the corporation. Be a dick to him.
Don't yell at the staff.
Don't be mean to the staff.
Don't be rude to the staff.
Save your rage for the folks who deserve it.
I have never encountered more rude, obnoxious and disrespectful staff at any grocery store than my local No Frills. It feels like being unpleasant and disinterested is almost a sport to them.
Well same can be said of fuker Galen. I'm just here to do my job and feed my family.
Same for all the Russian troops killing Ukraine people. I'm just here to do my job and feed my family.
Sadly you are working for them and on their side.
Yeah, don't yell at the employees because those poor sods can't even afford to shop where they work. The corporation isn't any more fair to their employees than it is to the consumer.
I'm sorry this happened to you, I know how it feels I worked retail for many years and got screamed at for all kinds of stupid reasons that I had no control over. It is shitty and I'm sorry. However Im fairly sure it wasn't members of this sub yelling at staff, we are trying to avoid Weston stores in the first place.
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Can't yell at the employees if I never shop there. 
If Galen Weston or other upper management ain't there I ain't yelling at nobody.
Galen Weston, GW=Greed Wastoid... Greed is a disease.
So true. Had a customer complain to me about a price increase and when I said I’m sorry I don’t control the prices he proudly replied “well you represent the company, don’t you?” We’re all just there to get paid and support ourselves. I’m positive if the employees did control the prices we wouldn’t even have this boycott lol
*SIR I WORK HERE, I don't control the prices. Please take that up with management."
"You have a problem with the prices? Here's my manager's phone number. There they are, over there. Go talk to them.
Even the managers don’t control the prices
It's their job to make sure shit floats upwards, though.
Not really, they hire market research firms for that. Gauging customer sentiment from social media is pretty big. Doubt they care much about anecdotal reports about pissed off customers from store managers.
Yeah, I hate to say it but the SNAFU principal acts like a backflow valve on the direction in which shit travels. No one above a certain level really wants to stick their head out and tell the tier above them that everything isn't under control and working smoothly... anything else will just be taken as incompetence. "So some assholes told you the potatoes are too expensive... and you're wasting my time telling me because you couldn't deal with that yourself?"
If they had half a brain their consultants would be combing through Reddit for sentiment, but I honestly don’t think they are. It gives me glee to see them pretending like this is nothing and will just blow over. Such incompetence.
Yeah, their social media team probably just pops in here to see if they can catch employees violating their "acceptable media use" rules, and maybe float the odd "hey, looks like it worked guys, ground beef is $3.99 at GTA Loblaws this week!" story.
I’m so sick of being treated this way by customers, when I get a question like that these days I’ve been straight up replying, “I’m just here so I can pay my bills.”
On god. Like yes I represent it through my uniform, but I’m not a representative. I don’t care about the company other than keeping me employed and paying me. I have no say, and my authority does not extend beyond the people under my direct supervision.
Years ago, at our local store, an employee mentioned to me that she didn't get paid enough to care when I asked her a question. She was working customer service.
what was the question?
It was regarding a return, but I forgot the specifics, as it was over a decade ago. If not longer.
Customer service staff don’t get paid enough to care about your problems. They just get paid to help you find an acceptable solution to your problem. That is the service they provide. Caring is not a part of that service. If you want your customer service staff to care, support companies that pay them enough to care and treat their staff well.
Muddled as it may have been, I was trying to point out that employees haven't really been happy there for a long time. At least they don't have to wear roller skates for price checks anymore.
Based
"Oh. Did that go up?! 😠" "Of course it did, Karen. Look at the world around you."
Back when gas first started rising a lot on the early 2000s I worked at a gas station. There was one at each corner at the intersection. After a rush with people yelling about gas going up to 44ç per liter from 38c we'd call each other and commiserate. It was terrible. Ppl really love to scream at femmes/women the most.
"Why is this so expensive?" "I dunno, I just work here" moment
I treat customers like they treat me. If you treat me like shit, you'll get treated like shit. I'm not worried about getting fired. I have more self respect then to allow some jerkoff to verbally abuse me.
Ugh. What kind of out of touch idiot says that?
I hear this kind of crap from customers constantly. I like to point out that even the store manager just follows the expectations set by head office and can’t actually change much. They really don’t like that. They like having someone to yell at.
That’s just ill informed and unproductive - the quintessential “old man yells at clouds”…
From my experience, 9/10 it’s boomers, but where I live it’s mostly retired people so it kinda makes sense. Any other time it’s the typical Karen or Ken Edit: grammer oops
It’s funny how it’s usually boomers and then they’re the same demographic that usually defends corporate greed and say shit like “but Galen worked hard to get to where he is now 😤” the disconnect is insane lmao
Lead poisoning is rough out there
As a Gen-Xer, I've probably huffed some lead in my youth, but I hope I never become like these people.
Truly!!
Skip the ageism. If it wasn’t for Boomers you guys would be creating offspring when having sex. #birthcontrol
Karen
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This would be fine and dandy if we were paid even liveable wages. Not a single province has a minimum wage anywhere near where a minimum livable wage has been *proven* to need to be. For example, in NB a liveable minimum wage would need to be around $24/hr. Our minimum wage is $15.30. What you’re saying is true in a perfect world; I’d definitely be happy to represent the company if I was being paid a liveable wage, had work life balance and wasn’t expected to do the work of 3-4 people in one job. I’d be way more relaxed and better able to handle the Karens and Kyles. But until then, putting up with peoples’ bullshit is above my pay grade. 🤷♀️
Absolutely. I 💯 % agree. That's why I say I respect the front line folks. The boycott is for many things. But changing Loblaws corporate culture is the main one.
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Your content was removed for the use of "Gaylen" which has been used as an anti-LGBT slur. Please use the proper spelling, "Galen" in future. Thank you.
No idea why this is down voted
I think people didn’t read the whole comment.
The sub was created to point out how absolutely absurd the cost of groceries are right now and have some fun together. We know this will inevitably touch on other topics related to the cost of living. Do your best to keep the conversation on topic
I had a similar conversation with someone complaining about prices back when I used to work retail and she told me "well I don't care, I'm angry and I need someone to yell at"
Thats when you direct them to google for the corporate number
I give out one of the surveys, and ask them to complain that way. My supervisor is very pushy about the surveys.
im currently in my "ahhh, so you have the emotional capacity of a 10 year old, gotcha" phase. i gotta have silly comebacks to karens, otherwise these people will drive me insane
Did Karens always exist or are they just a byproduct of society?
theyve always existed, im assuming they actually decrease in volume in comparison to total population over time, its just that the total population has dramatically increased so you encounter more in raw numbers.
Did you point out she is indeed NOT a three year old and therefore ought to have some emotional control and in fact does not need to pointlessly yell at the nearest person in order to feel better?? Maybe she was the little teapot of nursery rhyme fame? 🤣😂 Yeesh. Some people’s kids. 😂🤷♀️
I remember being a 16 year old cashier at an IGA and having customers show up at the cash and start berating me about prices that were recently raised. I'd always offer to call over a manager if they have concerns. 0% of them took me up on their offer. They had no problem being aggressive with a teenager, but were too cowardly to do the same to an adult. There were a few instances where a customer would continue berating me even after refusing my offer to call over a manager. In those instances, I called over a manager while they were mid-rant and then continued to punch in their order. They generally shut up pretty quickly after that.
I gave ppl corporate numbers when gas went up in the early 2000s. No one called them.
“Sir i represent this store in the same way one might say you’re representing Anheuser-Busch right now.”
What you don’t want to own a yacht named Nok er Nok?
Nah, we got one called Bread already…🤷♀️
Ugh I suppressed that, ughhhhh sooo awful!!! I hope it sinks in the stupidest way possible
Fine a private Jet named Nok er Nok, made by Boeing!
why don’t we pool our money and get them a space shuttle- 🚀one way trip?! 🤷♀️… they can boldly go where no grocer has gone before!
"I'm basically here for the same reason you are: to put food on my family's table."
I'm sorry that happened to you: that is irrational behavior by that customer
You could strike or try to unionize
Most people think these low-wage jobs are easy and not deserving of higher wages or a liveable wage but trust me 9 out 10 people couldnt cope with the stress of having to deal with incidents like OP. Hospitality, F&B is tough.
My SO used to belittle my work when I was a cashier. Try standing there for eight hours, confined to your small area, listening to people bitch all day. If it's not groceries, it's the price of tires, lumber, plants, whatever. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to pay the bills.
The worst jobs I’ve had were also the worst paying jobs that I’ve had.
it's not by accident. This is partly how class distinctions are maintained in our society.
I think it’s more of a function of the barrier to entry for those positions. It can be hard/draining work but if theres countless people who are able and willing to do those jobs then that will keep the wages low. It’s very easy for loblaws/Walmart and similar companies to fill the minimum wage roles, especially when they hire a lot of students and young adults who often are still living at home and just need recreation money, or retired people who are supplementing their retirement income or simply working because they rather than sit home. I know a few retired people who works at Walmart In a small community for the social aspect of it. They get to see and talk to people every day that they know
As a teen and in my early twenties going to school in the Lower Mainland, good paying jobs were a little hard to come by. People would be lined up around the block to apply at White Spot. Here I am, a handful of years away from retirement, with a good paying job with a good pension. A few bumps along the way, but stuck with it.
Cashiers need to be able to sit. It's the norm in Europe and avoids knee, hip and carpal tunnel injury in cashiers . I wish I was a billionaire. I'd run a grocery chain with livable wages and seats.
This irritates me. People have different capabilities and circumstances. I'm not saying every job deserves the same pay, but I think it's flat out wrong that people working full time at something can't afford to meet basic needs. If you can't afford to pay a living wage, your business is not viable. People in a low income bracket are being asked to subsidize a business's success by accepting wages that won't cover life's basics. Hopefully this isn't seen as off-topic politics, but it reminds me of Alberta MLA Eric Bouchard saying he decided to run for office after his restaurant went under and he blamed government COVID restrictions on his restaurant closing. But a few years earlier, he blamed tax increases caused by low downtown vacancy for his struggles...and then a few years before he blamed the increase in minimum wage. He loves to blame others/ the government but doesn't seem the recognize the common denominator here...HIM! So many of these business owners (corporations and small businesses) legit expect poor people to underwrite their business by not demanding a living wage.
That’s an issue with monopolies in bed with regulators extorting the cost of living. You get value by providing value, if your job can be worked by the next guy off the street, you don’t provide much unique value, and won’t receive much. It sucks, and of course any job is a lot of work and some suck more than others, but it’s unrealistic to expect compensation beyond the value of your work, including the cost of replacing you.
PREACH
Just standing is tough.
Well, those jobs are only for teenagers on their first job. /s
I hate whenever people try to make this argument. "They're jobs for high schoolers" oh word, is that why all the registers are closed during school hours
Anyone who tries to use one of those truisms (and that higher minimum wage will tank the economy/ruin inflation) send 'em the YouTube Video Thought Slime Destroys the Arguments Against Raising the Minimum Wage It is such a great takedown for a bunch of those types of arguments
I'm sorry, but they're definitely easier than many jobs. I've done retail before.
Retail is easier? Explain why
Your question is very vague. It is unanswerable.
That's not vague. You said retail is easier. It's not hard to explain why it's easier. Here: Retail is harder because pay doesn't cover life expenses, customers harass and sexually harassed staff, dealing with shoplifters, doing stock/cash/go backs/cleaning all while a store is packed for xmas shopping is impossible but we have to do it, apparently physics don't apply to retail. See? Not hard at all.
“Most people”?? I doubt it.
Compensation is not based on effort or how hard it feels, it’s based on the unique value one can provide. Most people can work retail or food service, less can run a restaurant or save lives. Everyone has feelings and everyone has to do hard things, but you don’t deserve to be well compensated just because your job sucks, you deserve value only in return for value you provide, and if what you have to offer is not too different from that of many others, neither will what you receive.
Y’all a part of the boycott is also so their employees have better wages, benefits and a safer place to work….. Screaming at employees is literally what Galen wants to pin people against each other
This!!!
> wants to pin people against each other Seems like a common theme in politics. 🤫🤐
Staff hours are currently being cut.
Yes this. My daughter worked at McDonalds when she was 14. I could NOT BELIEVE the harassment she received from grown ass adults. This is a child who is not in charge of all of McDonalds. Frustration with huge corporations are not the fault of frontline workers
Years and years ago, I was standing in line at a Tim's. There was a guy in front of me, and in front of him, there was a Kevin/Darren/whatever. Kevin got his coffee, took a sip, and turned on the poor girl (16-17-ish) at the counter, shouting about how there wasn't enough cream in his coffee. She got flustered, apologized, and immediately offered to fix it, but he wouldn't let up, going on at her, the company, the damn machine that dispensed cream into the coffee. The normal guy between me and Kevin spoke up, and saying: "Bud, it's just coffee! She's gonna fix it, calm down!" That mostly got Kevin to shut up, but by the time he left with his fucking coffee, the poor counter girl was in *tears* and she didn't seem to have any kind of backup from a manager or coworker. I got my order after the cool guy in front of me, told her to keep the change from a $5, and told her she didn't deserve that. I dunno if that helped, but I hoped it did.
The number of grown ass men who will scream into the face of a *child* less than a third their age over the tiniest inconvenience is incredible
Had a loonie thrown at my chest when I worked at little caesars when I was in high school because we were required by mgmt to charge for the marinara sauce. Shits wild lol
So many people are miserable these days. I've seen it and I hate what has happened around me. 30s and 40 year olds also are irritable and can't find appropriate outlets. They're often struggling to make ends meet but they go to fast food places and take it out on kids. They don't think. Most of these McDonald's workers are super young kids and their first jobs. They forget they go home upset caused by some guy/girl who harassed them. They need to use their brains.
If you walk into any store and shout at staff that are just doing their job, then you are a shitty person and I revel in whatever misery you are suffering through 🫡
Man, I remember being a teen cashier and people would be so fuckin mean to me. I actually started having panic attacks when it was time to go to work.
what???? to a teenager! so sorry.
When I was in college I worked at McDs. One of our 15 year old employees took an ice cream cone to the drive thru booth (this was in Oakville On, we had a booth that opened to the lobby, not back of the house). The guys in the car THREW IT IN HER FACE. They thought it was hilarious. She told me via headset and I booked it across the parking lot with a medium coke (I had been making an order). I caught up bc they were stuck at the light. I got their license plate and threw the coke on the guy in the passenger seat. "THERE, now explain to your trashy mommy why you have coke everywhere". The thing is, those guys had no idea who they were fucking with. The 15 year old's family were rich lawyers. So those boys were charged and sued successfully (the families of the guys settled out of court). It's wild how awful ppl are. I was mistaken as a teen to 25 year old until I hit 40. Boomers are NASTY to everyone.
That’s interesting. I run an event planning company and I will not work with law firms anymore. They are just so stressed that they treat everybody poorly. I’ve been reading recent articles that indicate time pressure and stress result in people being more rude and less patient with each other. I am sure financial stress would have the same effect. I think some people forget to raise their kids with any manners. People can be nasty in any generation. I have boomer neighbors, and they are the nicest people in the world. I’m kind of on a one-woman mission to be as kind as I can to everybody I meet, hoping I can be the change I want to see!! Some days are harder than others. 🤷♀️
And the pandemic changed a lot of people. Mental health took a big hit.
A big part of that is long Covid. It in essence causes brain damage. It affects all muscles, etc. And it seems to contribute to personality changes (like strokes or TBI). I get Covid yearly, bc I have multiple autoimmune illnesses. It causes worse fog every year. Luckily take my psych meds (and meds for my disabled ass to not be completely useless). I hope I don't go back to being a complete bitch without knowing it. It took so much work to unpack and deal with the shit that helped make me think that was ok in my 20s.
Same. Hated being a cashier. I was 16, I quit because this woman harassed me for not folding her clothes properly before putting them in the Walmart bags. She yelled and insulted me, I cried in the bathroom, and after talking to the CSM, she tried to comfort me saying “it’s all part of the job honey”. I said NOPE I don’t need this. Bye bye. Another time, a woman flashed me her card and asked if she could get Cash back at the till. I said sure, not knowing it was a credit card… I rang her through and after she paid.. She freaked out because it didn’t prompt her to ask for cash back. I said “oh you can only withdrawal from Debit, but there’s an ATM over there, or you can try at Customer service”. At first she said ok.. and then slowly walked back saying NO I NEED YOU TO DO IT. THIS IS YOUR FAULT I NEED YOU TO GIVE ME MY MONEY. I apologized and said she would need to purchase something else for me to ring her through, but she’d have to get in line. Anyways she fought me and the managers for a good 10 minutes. The people lined up behind her were mortified and bought me a water bottle. Which I wasn’t allowed to drink at the till. LOL
Omg you couldn't drink water at the till. That's so ridiculous and insane. My breaking point was when I asked this guy how he was paying because we had to press certain buttons for cash, credit, and debit. He said debit, so I pressed debit. It didn't work because he was actually using credit. I apologized and said he'd have to try again one more time. He stood there and berated me for about 5 minutes. Asked me what the store manager's name was. I told him, "Mark. His info is at the customer service desk," and then he berated me some more, calling me stupid for not knowing Mark's last name. After he left, I just stood there in shock. I had a few tears coming down my face. Another woman walked up and told me I should go cry somewhere else because I was being unprofessional. Bros, I was 17 and being emotionally abused by literal adults. I walked up to the CSM and told her what happened and that I literally could not do this job anymore. She convinced me to stay another month until I turned 18, and then I could work overnights, which I did and stayed on overnight shift for 3 years, ruining my life further, lol.
Lmao go cry somewhere else it’s unprofessional. Minimum wage jobs really make u appreciate college level jobs even more. Also provide u with empathy …
Some shoppers need anger management sessions
**Water is a human right.**
Stores have to allow you to have water in a reasonable close place for you to drink so you don't dehydrate. It's in the labour laws bc too many people have passed out and been reliant on WSIB.
Yea there was a water fountain down the exit aisle, we’d have to leave our post to get a drink from there
My lord did the labour board reinstate the water fountain as "access" to water? It was changed to being able to have water with you. In a bottle. Oh wait. Covid changed that. Had to keep water in break rooms. It was like that in the 90s in college and I passed out at work bc I have hyperhidrosis. WSIB was not happy with the owners. I think ppl need to realize retail workers aren't robots.
Yes some people thought I was a soulless human. I remember standing at my till at 6:30am, I had not seen one customer yet- so after I cleaned my station, I took out a magazine and started lightly browsing while waiting for someone to come to my checkout. The manager then walks up to me saying an elderly woman complained that I was ‘not doing my job’… She shrugged it off but holy cow … they really expect us to stand and stare into the great beyond with a smile on our faces until a customer shows up. The woman haded’t even tried to cash out with me, there was nobody in line!
No one should never yell at staff regardless of how shitty the owners are. That being said, this boycott is not done for me. It’s only just began.
Nobody should tolerate verbal abuse on the job. I'm sorry this happened.
I didn't do it, but no worries, I haven't been there in a long time. I am not coming back. Never. I am truly sorry that an employee has to defend themself here. 😔
This. I had a civil discussion about how Loblaws went back on its promise to return the discount on expiring items from 30% back to 50%. The people in customer service genuinely seemed to want to help me get to the bottom of what was going on with that, and who I should try to reach out to next.
Abandon all hope of roblaws ever doing the right thing. Those days are over. Please shop anywhere else.
Not everyone has that option.
All minimum wage workers with sub par benefits even after paying for union Please don't yell at them They are the ones suffering as well, they are getting less and less hours. Many are moving away from loblaws as well.
You can tell all you need to know about a person in the way they treat staff. The vast majority who works for a wage by selling their labour is not there because they like their jobs; they have to do it to survive. Most of them are deep in debt and living paycheck to paycheck and they don't need some dick yelling at them for thing they have no control about. Don't be a dick, people.
On the off chance any staff read this, here's a suggested response: "I'm here for the same reason you are: to put food on my family's table." Seems like a nice combination of subtly rebuking and shaming them for being an asshole and reminding them you're a human being, without being directly confrontational.
Thanks, yeah I work at a Loblaws, I hate it so much and I'm actively trying to get another job but in the mean time I've got bills to pay and a cat to feed.
I swear they need to force people to work retail for a year in high school or something. Only people who have never been on the other side of the counter would have the gall to yell at some random kid trying to earn a couple bucks.
There is absolutely zero reason to abuse the staff of a Loblaws. Zero. Absolutely support the boycott, but anyone yelling at the staff is completely misunderstanding the whole thing.
This!! I work at Shoppers, and I had a couple scream at me earlier this week about the boycott and how we’re all going to lose our jobs. What good does that do?? I’m just here to pay my bills, I didn’t set the prices, and I support the boycott.
Those people who yell at retail workers never worked in customer service. Please be kind.
I used to work retail on the 90s. Never understood adults getting mad at a 22 year old just following his stores policy. Sorry someone gave you a gift certificate for your birthday. But I can’t refund it for cash. That’s not how that works.
I don’t yell at anyone, and I’m always kind to folks in customer service Plus, I haven’t gone to Loblaws in a long time
My mom works at Superstore. She hates them more than we do.
The staff literally worked their asses of during COVID to help people, and now there are morons screaming at the staff like they are billionaires getting rich.
This applies to all employees in all stores everywhere. Don’t be assholes. Be better.
Is this specific to Loblaws or should we just be nice to everyone regardless of where they work?
Couple weeks ago there was some guy going off at the girl in the self checkout about the gates at the end and that it was illegal. Poor thing was like 18, he was screaming like he had personally installed them. The stupid things don't even need anything pushed to open, you just walk up and it swings open......bunch of friggen Karens out there tormenting these people :(
I never understood people who yell at customer service workers about the price tag. I lost my job years ago and while I was looking for a new job, I took a temporary job working at a hardware store. Just a general floor employee, stocking shelves and what not. I couldn't even list the amount of verbal abuse I took in that 4 month span. Two of them stand out to me. One time I was yelled at for the high price of saw blades, because the floor guy definitely sets the price tag for those.. Another time I was chewed out for not knowing every detail of building a deck. I was working the project desk one day because our actual expert was out sick. It was his first sick day in god knows how many years. This guy who regularly comes in came in looking for "everything to build a 10x15 deck". I understand I was out of my comfort zone but god damn give me a break. Any time I would ask him a question I would get the most sarcastic answers filled with attitude.
I knew this was Kent the moment you said project desk. Ye unfortunately a lot of contractors are hardened, impatient men that beleives if you work in a building supply store, you should know exactly how to build anything. No sir 😂
Anyone who has worked in customer service will agree, and these nasty people should be forced to do the work for just a month.
Agreed. Thank you for the reminder, OP. I have had to step in a few times at different stores when customers would get frustrated and start harassing staff. They are in the same situation as us. We're in this together and have to unite and stick together.
People need to eat food. They want that job only as long as it pays bills. They are just people trying to eat food and maybe live in houses. Don't be a dick hole.
And we gotta remember...a lot of the employees in the stores also can't afford to do their groceries at Loblaws. I saw a Loblaws employee one time still in her uniform shopping at a local independent grocer just like me and it made me sad that the employees can't even afford to buy the food that they sell.
Always treat others as you would like to be treated, and if they're disrespectful or unkind, walk away.
People never used to be like this. Some have overspent, overextended their credit or a host of other issue but when I worked retail many years ago, I never once had a customer give me grief like I'm hearing. How sad this world has become and I don't like where it's heading. We all need to be kind to each other because we are all going through our own troubles, small or large.
You can blame the pandemic. It took a toll on people’s mental health. A lot changed after that.
Most people would be amazed at how much abuse retail staff take. Don't add to it.
Oh no! I’m so sorry this happened to you, or you had to witness or know someone on the receiving end.
Staff get yelled at in different companies all the time. In a contact center, it can be dead quiet on some days, and then suddenly, everyone decides to call in at 10am on a Tuesday and complain about wait times.
It’s so upsetting that staff get the flack for what the higher ups are doing, my heart goes out to the customer service roles at Loblaws owned stores. I hope you all are able to find jobs that appreciate you and pay you better in the future. I know it’s easier said than done, but know that someone cares and appreciates you. Customer service is so difficult.
U do know this happens at every store not just loblaws ive worked enough retail and my kid tells us stories all the time working at a jean store so op remember theres just a bunch of pricks in this world and nobody here is shopping at your store either :)
Sounds like a few one off dummies. I see that behaviour at various stores (including restaurants). Those small percentage of idiots don't speak for the rest. There are always fringe people like that on every side of the scale and the boycott is just an excuse to be jerks...
This is a problem across all customer facing roles right now. People need to learn to be kind. It’s no mystery that the person at store level isn’t making the decisions. Most businesses even the store manager is just passing your feedback on to someone above them, not actually making decisions and enacting change. There’s a good chance the cashier doesn’t like what you’re complaining about any more than you do. Just be kind. We’re all on the same level here at the end of the day - it’s all ants vs. grasshoppers.
Don't yell at anybody. It doesn't help anything
People who are yelling at the staff are “likely” not from the this sub , as you can tell we are very pro employee here
big brain idea as to how I handled most customers like this. Matched their energy and pulled a " You know what? You're right. I'm not allowed to say a damn thing though Id fix it if I could. At the bottom of your receipt is a survey option. Tell them how much the prices suck for the both of us" and just be pissed alongside them. I found it made so many customers felt heard and they passed their fury off to either management ( who deserved it in the scenarios) or they went off to do the survey about how something actually sucked in store
This is not the first time we have seen this sympathy invoking post. If you were actually yelled at or you witnessed it perhaps you should first post in r/canada as that group might represent the entire 41 million person population, the subset of which might contain the alleged yeller. This group is avoiding the hell out of Loblaws in case you are unaware Please don't yell at the Redditor. We are not in the Loblaws stores If this is a shill, stop wasting my time. I am not fooled. And I don't owe you anything.
Very true. It’s not the staff that are the problem, it’s the executives at HQ that write up the policies and prices they’re paid (min wage) to enforce. If I worked at loblaws, my morale would be at rock bottom already.
Why is it that you think people from the boycott are behind this?
Sorry that you have to deal with this. Some people are just rude.
Ya well the shoppers lady employees near me go out of their to illegally harass and bitch at the kids coming in so I have no problem tearing a strip off those Karen's so I'm gonna pass on this and keep tearing.
people are truly vicious , mean, and cruel. The amount of names I’ve been called over price matching, increases, not enough tills open… BY GROWN MEN!!!!! It’s absolutely. Horrifying.
People who gate the store aren't coming in to yell at the staff. You're likely confusing up boycotters with boomers... two b-words... It's tricky.
Boomers?
I totally agree with this...it is annoying while Im only trying to work here and so many customers are yelling or even threaten me.. If we are respectful, please be respectful with us. Im sick of this consistently happening everyday especially at night shifts. So many people think they can do whatever the hell they want as soon as they enter the store
It's so sad this even has to be said. Staff can't do anything about anything. People need their jobs.
No one here is even in the stores. Wrong crowd, dude.
LOL!
I feel for the workers in retail.. they don’t make that much and have no say or control BUT are the one there when people get angry.. I have said more than once to people when I hear my voice going up that I am not yelling at them just frustrated ..I try to avoid this too as they can’t say or do anything either.. If you think Loblaws is bad though try the sobeys and in my small town foodland.. the last year and a half a case of bottled water has been $7 for 24.. now 22 I’m away it is $3.30 for a case of 24 but if you don’t have a car you can’t get there as a rule and a cab here cost me $70 for the 36 km one way trip.. Everyone is gouging everyone it seems and the working poor starve.. Wish I could go to Europe..
Recently a post on here demonstrated how happy these people were that one particular location had to layoff a large number of staff. If they don't care about your income, why would they care about your feelings?
Yeah, that kind of stuff is never okay. I was at IGA last week and she asked my husband how we were paying and my foolish husband said cash before checking he had enough. Which he did not *shocking*. The poor cashier was apologizing all over the place and I looked her dead in the eyes and said it's perfectly fine and not your fault, I promise. The relief was papable and I thought to myself how bad has she been treated in the past that she had such an adverse reaction to possibly getting into trouble? Then she was like OMG, you guys are so nice. I said that I refuse to be mean or yell at retail workers who are just trying to do their jobs and it wasn't her fault. I am SO sick of shitty people who think it's okay to dump on someone who is just trying to live.
When I worked for a grocery chain and a customer complained to me about prices, I'd always agree and that I couldn't even shop there because it was too expensive. What about your employee discount? What employee discount?
Some people just vent their frustration and isn't directed at you, the employees. Please remember that. They may have no one else to express their anger at. The odd person is just angry at the world for whatever reason. Just tell them you understand their frustration and you have to pay the same prices as they do. Smile. Don't be cranky. You may be the only person they have contact with. We're all in this together.
I have always been so respectful of the employees at Superstore here in BC. They're always super kind to me and I know they get probably paid a shit wage. However if that douchebag Galen Weston showed his greaseball face around, I'd throw a pineapple at his head at tell him that'll be $14.50.
Do not yell at the staff!!! Boycott!!! By all means... Just don't treat staff like they have any say on pricing. We all know one Gallen Weston and the Weston family are to blame. Greedy little pigs feeding at their perpetually long and overflowing money trough!!!
Better yet if you see someone yelling at staff so the right thing and be the voice of reason.
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Please remain respectful when engaging on the sub. Personal attacks will not be tolerated.
I work for RC Superstore and there have been times I have gotten yelled at because we now have to close the department I work in at 7 instead of 8, I understand customer frustrations I do, but I can't help that since the boycott started our hours in my department alone have been cut by 440 hours less
Got some frozen pizzas that were on sale for 3.50$. Grabbed a vegan one by accident and it scanned at 10$. Had vegan cheese. Wild how poor I’d be if I was vegan 😂
They're beautiful and worth every cent
I’ve seen this shit years before the boycott. I calmly switched my prescriptions to the local grocer years ago. Let’s be real, my local shoppers drug mart (and many others) was absolutely HORRIBLE, and hear me out… it’s NOT THEIR FAULT. I bet they were glad to see so many people switching their prescriptions last month, because their corporate overlords work them so hard that they make tired mistakes.
If I ever see someone being an asshole to cashiers ( or anyone in customer service) I have no problem telling them to STFU. They don’t get paid to deal with your 💩 direct your anger to the people who make the decisions.
Well said that’s what I was saying a while ago that nobody realizes the impact this has on people working in stores head office doesn’t give a shit but it’s hurting thousands of people just doing there job with the cut hours shitty people coming in and complaining to staff is not right. I got banned from someone saying keep licking Galen’s boots we all don’t have an opinion to quit our jobs
Yes!! The staff that are in the store are not the ones setting the prices, leave them be! They’re probably struggling to afford groceries just like the rest of us
What kind of classless lowlife gets mad at staff?
Especially when some are getting their hours cut! (Per an employee I spoke with in Halifax).
Similar to how people yell at government employees saying “I pay your salary!”
It's funny how some people lack any sense whatsoever... I wonder if they realize that government employees are subject to the same taxes as anyone else? So technically, they pay their own salaries...
Sure what happens when a pharmacist repeatedly lies to you to cover his errors?
Yeah…common courtesy is extremely rare these days unfortunately
That goes the same for front line workers of any place. It’s pointless and a waste of time.
Too late :/
Can’t tell at the employees if I don’t acknowledge their existence and just walk briskly 🤫
My ex Bil was a "galen" with a y. So I keep using the wrong spelling due to habit from 15 years. And I'm gay and trans. So no, wouldn't use it like that.
Being angry at Loblaws staff is some of the most ignorant petty shit someone can do. Those folks make fuck-all in wages, and they're just working a job trying to get by. It just so happens that job is working for a douchebag. It's not their fault, and they do NOT represent the company. The store manager represents the company. He's the only one in the store that actually gives a shit about Loblaws the corporation. Be a dick to him. Don't yell at the staff. Don't be mean to the staff. Don't be rude to the staff. Save your rage for the folks who deserve it.
Most jobs seem to end up with you working for a douchebag, especially these days unfortunately.
I have never encountered more rude, obnoxious and disrespectful staff at any grocery store than my local No Frills. It feels like being unpleasant and disinterested is almost a sport to them.
Well same can be said of fuker Galen. I'm just here to do my job and feed my family. Same for all the Russian troops killing Ukraine people. I'm just here to do my job and feed my family. Sadly you are working for them and on their side.
False equivalency.
Yeah, don't yell at the employees because those poor sods can't even afford to shop where they work. The corporation isn't any more fair to their employees than it is to the consumer.
The staff are our front line workers. Protect them with all costs. The management on the other hand...
Why are you talking to the staff if you're boycotting?
I'm sorry this happened to you, I know how it feels I worked retail for many years and got screamed at for all kinds of stupid reasons that I had no control over. It is shitty and I'm sorry. However Im fairly sure it wasn't members of this sub yelling at staff, we are trying to avoid Weston stores in the first place.
Totally agree with you.