Can I help you find some manners?

For a college student with many trivial and not-so-trivial things to pay for, such as tuition, books, food, transportation, clothes and the interest-sucking credit card bill, one thing is inevitable: the part-time job. Most part time jobs that fit in with crazy college schedules are at places that involve some sort of direct customer service, and anyone who has ever worked one of these jobs is bound to have some stories about things people do that drive them absolutely nuts.

I've been working at Target for 2 years and there are things that people do (or don't do) that really bug me, and I'm sure anyone who has ever worked in retail has encountered these things as well.

The first thing that drives me crazy is when people open packages. Do you really need to open that factory-sealed box of pots and pans to make sure everything is there? It's the people that open these boxes the first time that make everyone else open them later on, because now it does look like there might be something missing. Another type of package that is always opened is the sanitary napkin package, and of course there's always one missing. Ladies, we all know to keep that stuff handy at all times, and in the event that you desperately need one, just buy a pack. It's still stealing if you just take one. Our store's most notorious opened packages, however, are multi-packs of underwear or undershirts. There are labels on every one of these packages that say what sizes are inside and almost always pictures of what they look like on a person. If you don't know what size you are, buy two packages of different sizes and take back the one that doesn't fit. Ripping the package open and pulling out a white T-shirt or pair of panties is just unnecessary in almost every circumstance.

Another thing that bothers me is the behavior of some women in the fitting room. Even before I worked in retail, I always thought that whenever I tried on a garment, it was only common courtesy to put it back on the hanger the way it was when I took it from the rack and either hand it to the fitting room attendant or ask them where I could leave it. Many people share this point of view, and for these people I am grateful. However, many other people will put clothes on hangers inside-out, drape garments over the rack where we keep tried-on clothes while leaving its hanger in the fitting room, or, and this is the worst, hand the fitting room attendant (whose hands are usually full at the time) one handful of hangers and one handful of balled-up clothes. If you are in such a hurry that you cannot put the clothes you have just tried on back on their hangers, then you shouldn't even be trying them on in the first place.

Perhaps the biggest annoyance that I encounter is the behavior of some children, many of whom seem old enough to know better. I never thought Target resembled a playground in any way but many kids seem to think it does. Our store sells these big, bouncy balls, and I have heard the awful thud of their bounce in every corner of the store, which also means I have picked up these abandoned balls everywhere. I also cannot stand Heeleys, those shoes with the skates built in. First of all, they look clunky and ridiculous but, more importantly, skating around a store is never safe and the last thing any establishment needs is a lawsuit because some kid refused to walk fifty feet with those things on. However, the worst thing that a kid or teenager can do is come through a perfectly clean aisle and trash it just because they are bored. I once saw a kid walk through an aisle and start throwing things on the floor while his mother didn't even notice. Things that fall (or are thrown) on the floor don't magically pick themselves up; there is always someone like me who has to pick things up.

Before I worked in retail, I probably committed some of these shoppers' indiscretions and didn't even realize it. Now, however, I am a wiser, more mindful shopper and I hope that bringing these observations to your attention will make you a considerate shopper as well.