Priscilla, 32, store manager, London
“Last month I was told ‘the customer is always right’ but that’s not the case. People don’t adhere to rules and everyone thinks their scenario is worse than anybody else’s so you’re expected to go above and beyond. In many cases, resolving an issue is out of our hands but there’s a lack of understanding.
“The first time I experienced customer abuse it totally threw me. We have a policy that we can’t refund or exchange toilet seats due to hygiene and a customer was upset. In her hand was her old, unclean toilet seat and when I explained the reasons why we can’t exchange, she threw her old toilet seat at me. Security told her to leave but it left me shocked. You laugh it off, I guess because you don’t want to make a fuss.
“Being a woman in this business means customers often look past me and speak to a male colleague instead. I try to get the customer to see that I’m a human being too, just like them and I try to empathise with their situation, but you can’t always help.”
