lifestyle

The customers Japanese convenience store clerks hate the most

16 Comments
By Ooma McGee, SoraNews24

Japanese convenience stores, or konbini as they’re known in Japan, are wonderful little places where you can print your own photo postcards, purchase sakura cakes, and try out Final Fantasy chicken nuggets, any time of the day or night.

While there’s a lot of love in Japan for the konbini, things can look a little different from the other side of the counter. Like any job, working at a convenience store isn’t always smooth sailing, and Japanese artist and Twitter user @kimuti_X is bringing this issue to everyone’s attention with a tweet that shows “Four behaviors disliked by convenience store employees."

So what are the four things that get on the nerves of a convenience store clerk?

First up, we have the customer who shows a barcode to the clerk without saying anything.

Having a barcode on your smartphone for the clerk to scan makes cashless payments easy, but that’s no excuse to not say onegai shimasu (“please”) and arigato gozaimasu (“thank you”) during the transaction.

The second annoying behavior is when customers request something by just using its generic name.

The example @kimuti_X gives for this one is when a customer requests a Cafe au Lait, without providing any other details for the request, like what size they would like. The vaguer the request, the more questions have to be asked, so it’s best to be more specific in order to get exactly what you want. Staff aren’t mind readers, after all.

The third type of annoying customer is the one who loses it if you ask them to repeat what they said.

There can often be door chimes and cooker alarms going off in the store, and some customers speak quietly and under their breath, so if you’re asked to repeat yourself, there’s no need to blow up at the staff and take it out on them.

The final annoying thing that customers do is run back to get something else from a shelf mid-transaction.

Once a staff member begins ringing up your items, the transaction can’t be simply put on hold at the register, which means the clerk has to stand there and endure death stares from other customers waiting in line until you return.

The tweet from @kimuti_X quickly went viral, earning over 50,000 likes and 12,000 retweets, with konbini clerks nodding their heads in agreement at these annoying customer behavior.

So next time you’re at a Japanese convenience store, you might want to keep these points in mind to avoid aggravating the people who work there. And don’t forget to brush up on these six ways to avoid looking like an idiot while you’re shopping there too.

Source: Jin

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- “The world does not revolve around you!” Japanese shop clerk unleashes frustration on Twitter

-- Foreign shop clerk and Japanese customer fail to communicate because of Japanese language quirk

-- Should saying thanks at a Japanese convenience store go without saying?

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

16 Comments
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Mirai - it's not really a "news" story and isn't meant to be.

It's taken from soranews24 and posted in the lifestyle section.

Such tid-bits and minor interest tells, are common on such.

What is of interest to me though is the out-moded concept that customers are royalty so they have a right to act like snivelling nobles.

Should be a requirement ( ha, ha) for all people to do an "internship" on the other side of the counter - whether it be conbini, restaurant, supermarket, hotel etc - to experience the simple reality of working in service / hospitality industry.

BTW I assume most customers to be perfectly civil, but the lack of please and thank you in stores here is noticeable.

Such simple words can have a positive impact.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

So many people really are inconsiderate.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Whenever I buy a coffee at family mart, I always say "L size", and without fail each time, they give me a small cup, or ask if I meant "S size". Every time.

How does L and S sound anything alike, even the Japanese pronunciation doesn't sound similar does it?

5 ( +7 / -2 )

@Mirai, it is a simple article focusing on respect. We all like to be treated with respect but we have to give that which we expect to receive.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I love going to Lawson and asking for a Double Espresso Latte. Their faces go blank like naaani??? Then I have to say it right: daburu esupresso raate otherwise they won't get it. Maybe they think I'm a bit annoying too?

2 ( +7 / -5 )

As a customer, the most annoying other customers are the ones that order oden and are undecided about what they want at the busiest time of day. Or, its people that go to pay ALL their bills when its busy. Personally, I go late at night to pay my bills so I don't cause inconvenience to other customers.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

For a country renowned for its politeness, I am always amazed by the lack of "hello", "please", "thank you" uttered by customers. I'd say 75% of customers don't say a word when they get the cash register. The clerks are not animals, I don't understand how you can ignore this basic decency.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Whenever I buy a coffee at family mart, I always say "L size", and without fail each time, they give me a small cup, or ask if I meant "S size". Every time.

How does L and S sound anything alike, even the Japanese pronunciation doesn't sound similar does it?

OMG!! This used to happen to me so much that I used to practice saying it before going inside (not FM though). I got so frustrated that I stopped going to that shop. It's a strange thing to say but it was great reading that I wasn't the only one feeling this way.

KniknaknokkaerToday  01:42 pm JST

It's not just rude customers that don't say hello, please or thank you. There are plenty of clerks who don't even look you in the eye, let alone attempt to say anything!

So true. Happens to me regularly.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Images?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I find L and S quite different in all languages.

OK, but how about Elsie and Essay, which are more or less as different as L-Size and S-Size?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Fun fact, I can usually make friends with the konbini staff by saying, 日本人は意地悪。They laugh, we talk in English for a bit. Customers in Japan could be a bit nicer.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's their job and they should just get on with it .

0 ( +1 / -1 )

How does L and S sound anything alike,

L-Size and S-Size, when spoken with a typical English pronunciation, are both two-syllable utterances, starting and ending with the same sound. There's only a small sound difference at the join between the syllables. To someone expecting a four-syllable utterance, where the second syllables are quite different (ru versus su), it can be hard to distinguish,

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I find L and S quite different in all languages.

I find it strange when a clerk asks me if I want a bag when I am buying 6 items for example....um...unless I am allowed to eat it next to the register, come on people.!

I find it quite annoying when a clerk asks me if I have a point card....oh suer, let me get my wheel barrow.

I find it quite annoying when a clerk allows someone to jump the line acting clueless but knowing damn well everyone is lined up at one line.

I find it annoying when I walk into a conbini and there are three lines and not one. I leave.

I find it sad that thee people have to deal with clowns all day long, and I am always polite, thank them and tell them to study hard so they do not have to do this for life.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Really? Who cares? We all have gripes about our jobs. Why is this even a story?

-5 ( +11 / -16 )

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