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From finding urine in the fitting rooms to reasoning with rude shoppers, retail employees have to endure some of the most taxing and exasperating work on the planet — and all for just a few dollars an hour. Target employees recently shared some ideas on how to ease that burden and be a model customer (raising wages might be a good idea, too).
Related: Target Employees Reveal Customer Behaviors They 'Hate'
Help Target workers keep the store clean by throwing your trash (Starbucks cups included!) away. Littering is a common complaint among Target employees, who say that customers consistently leave their candy wrappers, coffee cups, and other junk strewn around the store.
An employee with respiratory issues requests that customers wear a mask, especially during cold and flu season. "For me, a common cold can put me on the sidelines for longer than someone who is healthy. I've been hospitalized before due to secondary infections," they wrote.
We've all picked up an enticing bag of chips or shiny video game, only to abandon it before checking out. Changing your mind is fine, Target employees write — just be sure to return the item where you found it or at the register.
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If you're picking up groceries via Target's app, be sure to let an employee know 10 minutes before you arrive. And don't forget to park in a drive up spot as close as you can to the store's entrance. It also doesn't hurt to roll down your windows and acknowledge the worker bringing your groceries, a Redditor wrote.
You should be out the door by closing time, one Redditor writes. Wouldn't you want to go home on time after a long shift?
"Don’t ask if I work here. Assess the situation," one worker writes. If they're wearing red and have a nametag, chances are they're a Target employee.
Workers can't always spend 20 minutes explaining the difference between iPhone and Android, especially during the holiday rush. It helps if you do a bit of your own research beforehand. "I have so much to do all the time and it’s overwhelming when I have to stop and read a box to a guest while other guests look at me expectantly," an employee shares.
Even if you're curious and can't wait to try a new shade of lipstick, don't open it before buying it. One Target employee said that they have to throw makeup away daily because customers open the packages and leave them in the aisles. "It's so wasteful," they wrote.
