I usually give them a chance the first time around and say "Hey guys I would really appreciate it if you put things back where you found them, and please don't play with the cat litter it's creating a huge mess that someone has to clean up" if behavior continues I get more firm "Hey guys I have already asked you once to please stop, this is the final time I am asking or you'll be asked to leave, also here is a broom and dust pan to clean up the mess you made with the cat litter" last time " I already gave you a final warning please tell your Mother you have been asked to leave for disrupting and being excessively messy in the store"
Usually doing the first is enough to get a parents attention and yes they can get mad but I just counter that this is a repeated behavior and I'm asking nicely that they stop. Other times it's enough to get them to leave. It can be intimidating but honestly feels good to stand up for yourself.
Tell the mother up front that children must be supervised at ALL TIMES and that disruptive behavior is not tolerated. Basically tell her that her not controlling her kids will get her banned.
I'd suggest pretty much what you think about saying to the mother but I work family owned consignment so we can do pretty much whatever we want. I would say catch the mother quickly and tell her that when she's not watching her children in the store, they are running around and risking getting hurt, grabbing carts and throwing items in them before leaving them randomly around the store, moving stuff, making messes, damaging goods, and disrupting the shopping experience of other customers. All of this not only heaps more work and cleaning onto your already busy workday, but it also leads to customer complaints about the state of the store and the ruckus. You appreciate that she's chosen your store to frequent but if these issues aren't addressed and stopped, actions will need to be taken and she won't be welcomed back.
We once had something similar, my dad told me that it was good I wasn't at the store because I would have had an aneurysm. A woman was trying on clothing and paying zero attention to her two kids who were making an absolute **WAR ZONE** out of the toy section. I went back after closing and I lost my mind for a while after I turned that corner. We get lots of little random toys from consignors, absolutely not worth pricing individually, so we'd bag similar stuff and price the bag. These kids *ripped open* and **DUMPED OUT** probably dozens of bags. There was a small mountain of toys taking up the entire walking space. Plus just ripping tags off of priced toys. I added *TWO HOURS AND THIRTY MINUTES* onto the end of my workday. I collected bags and tags, I matched tags to items where I could, and I set aside what they'd broken. I ended up filling **FOUR PLASTIC TOTES** with the loose toys, and two of those were the really big ones. Thank god that woman happened to be a consignor and she had credit. If I remember right, her kids cost her over $70. I added the tags I had, guessed for the tags I couldn't find, full cost on what they broke, plus some for my time, pain, and suffering. She didn't care, she was fine with losing the credit. She did keep the kids under control after that, though.
SAFETY! Make it a SAFETY issue for the mom and the kids. They probably don’t care if they make a mess that someone has to clean up. I’ve met some kids(and parents)who would either laugh or say, “That’s your job,” or both.
Wet cat litter is definitely a slip hazard.
Mom is allowing her kids to act in an unsafe manner when she lets them do this/does not pay attention to what they’re doing.
“Please actively supervise your children when you shop here. Keep them with you and watch what they’re doing. They have been creating unsafe conditions for themselves and everyone else in the store. We want everyone here to be safe when they shop.”
If you’ve got the manpower, send someone to follow the kids around. Kind of like you might do with shoplifters. When Mom objects(and she will), tell her that the employee is there to put things away right away when the kids leave them where they don’t belong. That the employee is there to clean up the cat litter immediately, so that the store is safe for everyone who’s there.
Make it uncomfortable for her.
Safety is key. Kids messing around with the mannequins. These are heavy & are a two person job to use, even the child size ones are quite heavy. I tell them that & they will get hurt if they keep on.
Likewise swinging on the queue barriers. Ok they’re metal & bolted to the floor but with kids swinging off them day after day.
Then there’s any shop floor equipment with wheels on becoming a ride on toy. I have to snap the breaks on to spoil their fun. Just running the length of the shop floor is dangerous at times.
Then there’s the ball kicking. Ugh.
I tell them immediate their behavior is inappropriate and they have to leave, lest there be greater consequences. There is no room for “Aww hey guys I’m sure you’re just kidding haha.” Kids/teens like that don’t care and think you’re a huge joke if you try to be nice.
Keep being firm that they have to leave NOW or else security will force them, etc., no matter what they say. They usually try to sexually harass you or insult, but hold firm.
I have my “scary mom face.” I’m not a mom. But I look sternly at children and raise my eyebrows… don’t have to say a word. Sometimes I shake my head in disappointment. That usually gets them to go back to their parent and behave. Worked well when I worked retail. Still work well when I’m shopping and see spoiled, unruly children.
Oh it’s always best when their parents aren’t looking. Cuz they think they’re being sneaky! And then you catch their eye, and you shake your head, and they just can’t take it! I’m not quite 40- next month, but it’s worked for me for years.
The last time I did it, when my sister was shopping with me, she watched the exchange and then said “Damn, I wanted to go back to MY mama, and I wasn’t event doing anything bad!! That’s terrifying!” I didn’t even say anything to the kid. He was chucking toys around the aisle in goodwill without his mama in sight.
At this point, I just tell the parent something like "Hey, I'm really sorry but I can't allow those kids to do xyz, can you keep them with you and occupied so they're not being disruptive to other customers?" The majority of the time the parents are embarrassed and just stop. If I have to speak with them again, they're told once more warned of being removed from the store for being disruptive/destructive to store property.
When they argue, they are asked to leave the store, and security is called the second they start arguing. They're also expected to pay for any damaged items. (we dont charge customers if something is broken or damaged on accident)
Kids there without parents being like that? They're given one very firm warning to stop whatever theyre doing before we just call security and escort them out the store.
My store has a big problem with kids and teenagers hanging out there and treating the place like a playground., so all of us have stopped being patient.
Same. What triggers me most is teenagers sniggering at us doing our jobs. The same teenagers who will be needing a little part time job & will be trained by… me.
I turn it around on them. "you're the one whose here for 4 hours for free without money to buy a single beverage, if you were really so smart, you'd apply for a job at the place you love being at so much."
Tends to work. They hate being called broke 😂
I am exhausted of it all. At this point (working retail 20+ years, I tell the mom she needs to watch her kids. If she doesn't, another warning that she needs to grab her kids now or she will be trespassed.
Im trying to figure out how to hijack our intercom system. We have it, if worlks, none of us know how to use it.
"Attention customers, all children must be supervised by their parents and guardians."
We have plenty of kids who don't need supervision. The ones who do wreck the store
My co-workers know I don't like kids and that I'm very, doctors-are-schocked-I-can-care-for-myself mentally ill, so they usually diffuse the situation before they need to let me sit in the back and calm down because I'm catatonic or shaking.
Shittiest kids I ever dealt with at work were my coworkers'. They were like seven below and coworker was letting them scream and kick things in the lobby during close. Like kicking the big metal signs, repeatedly, with child energy. DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG REEEEEEEEEEEE
I could fucking feel my bones vibrating and I was burnt out from customer service since it was midnighT. I could hear them from the back of the store while the mom did little to stop it, knowing I have anxiety surrounding loud noise. One of the managers was trying to tell me something and I couldn't hear him so I finally just lost my shit and projected my voice across the store for the to sit their asses down and stop being little assholes before I go up there.
The mom was rightfully pissed but I bought everyone in the store silence whenever those kids knew I was in the building. I probably could have handled it better but that was the mom's job, not mine. Put your kids in the FUCKING car or go home early since you're not helping anyway, if you know they're bugging the fuck out of everyone in the building. Parent your damn fucking kids.
I don't normally have this issue, since I work in a high end clothing store. However, when I do run into kids making a mess, I tend to ask them if they're interested in something. I try to connect with the younger ones who may not understand and redirect them.
If they're older and should know better, I ask them to bring anything they decide against up front so I can handle it for them. It usually reminds them that even if their parent isn't watching, someone is.
As for the cat litter station... I don't know how I'd handle that. I would probably remind them that the merchandise available is not for human use. Maybe mildly insinuating that it's not safe for them to mess with, since with most litters, it definitely can lead to medical issues if ingested or inhaled.
I had a manager who would order problem kids to go stand by their mother. Nothing else, just a sharp “go to your mother!” And they’d scamper off in a fright.
Another (gentler) approach you can take is step up where the kids and tell them theyre welcome to shop, but if they’re making a mess deliberately they have to clean it up. State that you have to put the items back they keep dropping and if they can’t comply they should probably “help” their mom with her shopping.
I was a department manager at Wally world back when that was still a thing. I worked in HomeGoods next to the toy department. A couple of teenagers were playing "volleyball" over the bike racks. I said "knock that off before you break something and have to pay for it, this is a store not a playground you can either act like mature people in a store or you can leave." One of the assistant managers happened to be walking up saw what was going on and gave me a quiet thumbs up and walked away.
If there’s a parent with them, I tend to try the parent first. Most are just busy people who can’t not take their kids with them and their kids got unruly while they were distracted. A simple “hi, are those your kids? Yes? Please can you try and keep a handle on them? They’re doing xyz”
If the parent is uncooperative, I just hit them with the “If you or your children cannot respect the store and my request, I’m going to have to ask you to leave” and then follow through with that. Highly depends on if your manager is good at advocating for their staff. Never really got that far in most cases, the vast majority of people aren’t deliberately jerks.
* Very obvious, practiced disapproving face. along with the disapproving head shake and raised eye brow of "are we really trying it right in front of me" kids mostly get the message.
* "hey guys, let's put that back/stop doing that/not run in the store/etc." success 2/10?
* "are you supposed to be doing that right now"
* "hey guys, if you did that at home, would you get in trouble? so why are you doing it here?"
* in the most serious voice "you break it you buy it and you do not want to know how expensive that is"
* make a big to do but be overly kind while cleaning up a mess or helping to make people feel bad about how they or their kids are acting. being overly nice/overly polite works surprisingly well at making people feel guilty about how they are acting sometimes. not all the time, but sometimes. learning how to control the tone of a conversation and bringing people back down to calm is definitely a learned skill in retail.
honestly though, kids can be kids and think that shit that makes messes for adults are just funny things they did that they forget about a few minutes later. that doesn't mean they lack empathy or anything like that, it just means they are kids and need to be taught better than that. sounds like the adults in their life could pay a lot more attention and parent a bit better, and consider the people working in stores they go to.
Tell the mother to take her shitty kids and GTFO. The store isn't a playground and retail workers aren't free baby sitters. Be sure and get the kids on camera before you do that.
Be direct, polite, matter-of-fact, and make a positive request. ie *pick that up now* in a pleasant tone will get a better response than *hey, don’t drop that!*
Quick question -- is your manager aware of their disruptive behaviors when they visit? I'd maybe touch base with them first to explain the situation and get their feedback to cover yourself. If these kids get injured in the store doing their nonsense it could cause issues for management.
When they come in and start acting ridiculous, I'd tell them to stop in a firm voice, usually something along the lines of "this is a place of business, not a park. Now stop being disruptive and return to your parent." and then tell the mother that children must stay with their parents, and any damages they cause will be fall on her to compensate for financially.
The manager would be me, so yes! They just haven’t been in on my shift yet. I think the ones who’s been at work have found the situation too unpleasant to say anything. They’ve explained the situation in our group chat which is how I’m aware of it!
Ah, okay.
Since you're the manager, and so far you personally haven't seen them on your shift, I'd maybe let your employees know that they can tell these kids to stop messing around and tell their mom to monitor them or they can leave without any repercussions from you. It'll not only keep disruptions down and products where they belong, but will give your employees peace of mind to know they can deal with these kinds of situations without the fear of getting in trouble.
For sure, they know I’m relaxed about these things, and they’ll speak up. I simply want to be able to give a direct message to this customer if I see them, because not all my colleagues feel comfortable to speak up in all situations.
I getcha. And those customers consistently being disrespectful and disruptive is messed up.
Hope you have the opportunity to see them in the act and drop the hammer on them, so to speak. You're a manager I'd enjoy working for.
I usually just say,
"Hey, let's not do that here. Wouldn't want you getting hurt"
They can't get mad at you if they think you're looking out for them.
It doesn't always work but oh well. Kids and teenage boys can be the worst in retail, at least in the obnoxious department.
I usually give them a chance the first time around and say "Hey guys I would really appreciate it if you put things back where you found them, and please don't play with the cat litter it's creating a huge mess that someone has to clean up" if behavior continues I get more firm "Hey guys I have already asked you once to please stop, this is the final time I am asking or you'll be asked to leave, also here is a broom and dust pan to clean up the mess you made with the cat litter" last time " I already gave you a final warning please tell your Mother you have been asked to leave for disrupting and being excessively messy in the store" Usually doing the first is enough to get a parents attention and yes they can get mad but I just counter that this is a repeated behavior and I'm asking nicely that they stop. Other times it's enough to get them to leave. It can be intimidating but honestly feels good to stand up for yourself.
Tell the mother up front that children must be supervised at ALL TIMES and that disruptive behavior is not tolerated. Basically tell her that her not controlling her kids will get her banned.
I'd suggest pretty much what you think about saying to the mother but I work family owned consignment so we can do pretty much whatever we want. I would say catch the mother quickly and tell her that when she's not watching her children in the store, they are running around and risking getting hurt, grabbing carts and throwing items in them before leaving them randomly around the store, moving stuff, making messes, damaging goods, and disrupting the shopping experience of other customers. All of this not only heaps more work and cleaning onto your already busy workday, but it also leads to customer complaints about the state of the store and the ruckus. You appreciate that she's chosen your store to frequent but if these issues aren't addressed and stopped, actions will need to be taken and she won't be welcomed back. We once had something similar, my dad told me that it was good I wasn't at the store because I would have had an aneurysm. A woman was trying on clothing and paying zero attention to her two kids who were making an absolute **WAR ZONE** out of the toy section. I went back after closing and I lost my mind for a while after I turned that corner. We get lots of little random toys from consignors, absolutely not worth pricing individually, so we'd bag similar stuff and price the bag. These kids *ripped open* and **DUMPED OUT** probably dozens of bags. There was a small mountain of toys taking up the entire walking space. Plus just ripping tags off of priced toys. I added *TWO HOURS AND THIRTY MINUTES* onto the end of my workday. I collected bags and tags, I matched tags to items where I could, and I set aside what they'd broken. I ended up filling **FOUR PLASTIC TOTES** with the loose toys, and two of those were the really big ones. Thank god that woman happened to be a consignor and she had credit. If I remember right, her kids cost her over $70. I added the tags I had, guessed for the tags I couldn't find, full cost on what they broke, plus some for my time, pain, and suffering. She didn't care, she was fine with losing the credit. She did keep the kids under control after that, though.
SAFETY! Make it a SAFETY issue for the mom and the kids. They probably don’t care if they make a mess that someone has to clean up. I’ve met some kids(and parents)who would either laugh or say, “That’s your job,” or both. Wet cat litter is definitely a slip hazard. Mom is allowing her kids to act in an unsafe manner when she lets them do this/does not pay attention to what they’re doing. “Please actively supervise your children when you shop here. Keep them with you and watch what they’re doing. They have been creating unsafe conditions for themselves and everyone else in the store. We want everyone here to be safe when they shop.” If you’ve got the manpower, send someone to follow the kids around. Kind of like you might do with shoplifters. When Mom objects(and she will), tell her that the employee is there to put things away right away when the kids leave them where they don’t belong. That the employee is there to clean up the cat litter immediately, so that the store is safe for everyone who’s there. Make it uncomfortable for her.
Safety is key. Kids messing around with the mannequins. These are heavy & are a two person job to use, even the child size ones are quite heavy. I tell them that & they will get hurt if they keep on. Likewise swinging on the queue barriers. Ok they’re metal & bolted to the floor but with kids swinging off them day after day. Then there’s any shop floor equipment with wheels on becoming a ride on toy. I have to snap the breaks on to spoil their fun. Just running the length of the shop floor is dangerous at times. Then there’s the ball kicking. Ugh.
I tell them immediate their behavior is inappropriate and they have to leave, lest there be greater consequences. There is no room for “Aww hey guys I’m sure you’re just kidding haha.” Kids/teens like that don’t care and think you’re a huge joke if you try to be nice. Keep being firm that they have to leave NOW or else security will force them, etc., no matter what they say. They usually try to sexually harass you or insult, but hold firm.
I have my “scary mom face.” I’m not a mom. But I look sternly at children and raise my eyebrows… don’t have to say a word. Sometimes I shake my head in disappointment. That usually gets them to go back to their parent and behave. Worked well when I worked retail. Still work well when I’m shopping and see spoiled, unruly children.
I do this, I’m 53 with a very well practiced stern face. Especially when their parents aren’t looking lol
Oh it’s always best when their parents aren’t looking. Cuz they think they’re being sneaky! And then you catch their eye, and you shake your head, and they just can’t take it! I’m not quite 40- next month, but it’s worked for me for years. The last time I did it, when my sister was shopping with me, she watched the exchange and then said “Damn, I wanted to go back to MY mama, and I wasn’t event doing anything bad!! That’s terrifying!” I didn’t even say anything to the kid. He was chucking toys around the aisle in goodwill without his mama in sight.
At this point, I just tell the parent something like "Hey, I'm really sorry but I can't allow those kids to do xyz, can you keep them with you and occupied so they're not being disruptive to other customers?" The majority of the time the parents are embarrassed and just stop. If I have to speak with them again, they're told once more warned of being removed from the store for being disruptive/destructive to store property. When they argue, they are asked to leave the store, and security is called the second they start arguing. They're also expected to pay for any damaged items. (we dont charge customers if something is broken or damaged on accident) Kids there without parents being like that? They're given one very firm warning to stop whatever theyre doing before we just call security and escort them out the store. My store has a big problem with kids and teenagers hanging out there and treating the place like a playground., so all of us have stopped being patient.
Same. What triggers me most is teenagers sniggering at us doing our jobs. The same teenagers who will be needing a little part time job & will be trained by… me.
I turn it around on them. "you're the one whose here for 4 hours for free without money to buy a single beverage, if you were really so smart, you'd apply for a job at the place you love being at so much." Tends to work. They hate being called broke 😂
lol yes very true.
I am exhausted of it all. At this point (working retail 20+ years, I tell the mom she needs to watch her kids. If she doesn't, another warning that she needs to grab her kids now or she will be trespassed.
Im trying to figure out how to hijack our intercom system. We have it, if worlks, none of us know how to use it. "Attention customers, all children must be supervised by their parents and guardians." We have plenty of kids who don't need supervision. The ones who do wreck the store
My co-workers know I don't like kids and that I'm very, doctors-are-schocked-I-can-care-for-myself mentally ill, so they usually diffuse the situation before they need to let me sit in the back and calm down because I'm catatonic or shaking. Shittiest kids I ever dealt with at work were my coworkers'. They were like seven below and coworker was letting them scream and kick things in the lobby during close. Like kicking the big metal signs, repeatedly, with child energy. DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG DWONG REEEEEEEEEEEE I could fucking feel my bones vibrating and I was burnt out from customer service since it was midnighT. I could hear them from the back of the store while the mom did little to stop it, knowing I have anxiety surrounding loud noise. One of the managers was trying to tell me something and I couldn't hear him so I finally just lost my shit and projected my voice across the store for the to sit their asses down and stop being little assholes before I go up there. The mom was rightfully pissed but I bought everyone in the store silence whenever those kids knew I was in the building. I probably could have handled it better but that was the mom's job, not mine. Put your kids in the FUCKING car or go home early since you're not helping anyway, if you know they're bugging the fuck out of everyone in the building. Parent your damn fucking kids.
I don't normally have this issue, since I work in a high end clothing store. However, when I do run into kids making a mess, I tend to ask them if they're interested in something. I try to connect with the younger ones who may not understand and redirect them. If they're older and should know better, I ask them to bring anything they decide against up front so I can handle it for them. It usually reminds them that even if their parent isn't watching, someone is. As for the cat litter station... I don't know how I'd handle that. I would probably remind them that the merchandise available is not for human use. Maybe mildly insinuating that it's not safe for them to mess with, since with most litters, it definitely can lead to medical issues if ingested or inhaled.
I had a manager who would order problem kids to go stand by their mother. Nothing else, just a sharp “go to your mother!” And they’d scamper off in a fright. Another (gentler) approach you can take is step up where the kids and tell them theyre welcome to shop, but if they’re making a mess deliberately they have to clean it up. State that you have to put the items back they keep dropping and if they can’t comply they should probably “help” their mom with her shopping.
I was a department manager at Wally world back when that was still a thing. I worked in HomeGoods next to the toy department. A couple of teenagers were playing "volleyball" over the bike racks. I said "knock that off before you break something and have to pay for it, this is a store not a playground you can either act like mature people in a store or you can leave." One of the assistant managers happened to be walking up saw what was going on and gave me a quiet thumbs up and walked away.
If there’s a parent with them, I tend to try the parent first. Most are just busy people who can’t not take their kids with them and their kids got unruly while they were distracted. A simple “hi, are those your kids? Yes? Please can you try and keep a handle on them? They’re doing xyz” If the parent is uncooperative, I just hit them with the “If you or your children cannot respect the store and my request, I’m going to have to ask you to leave” and then follow through with that. Highly depends on if your manager is good at advocating for their staff. Never really got that far in most cases, the vast majority of people aren’t deliberately jerks.
Your children are destroying merchandise, if you can’t make them behave you’ll have to leave the store.
* Very obvious, practiced disapproving face. along with the disapproving head shake and raised eye brow of "are we really trying it right in front of me" kids mostly get the message. * "hey guys, let's put that back/stop doing that/not run in the store/etc." success 2/10? * "are you supposed to be doing that right now" * "hey guys, if you did that at home, would you get in trouble? so why are you doing it here?" * in the most serious voice "you break it you buy it and you do not want to know how expensive that is" * make a big to do but be overly kind while cleaning up a mess or helping to make people feel bad about how they or their kids are acting. being overly nice/overly polite works surprisingly well at making people feel guilty about how they are acting sometimes. not all the time, but sometimes. learning how to control the tone of a conversation and bringing people back down to calm is definitely a learned skill in retail. honestly though, kids can be kids and think that shit that makes messes for adults are just funny things they did that they forget about a few minutes later. that doesn't mean they lack empathy or anything like that, it just means they are kids and need to be taught better than that. sounds like the adults in their life could pay a lot more attention and parent a bit better, and consider the people working in stores they go to.
Tell the mother to take her shitty kids and GTFO. The store isn't a playground and retail workers aren't free baby sitters. Be sure and get the kids on camera before you do that.
Depends on your manager and if corporate doesnt care about customer complaints. Most likely theyll say to suck it up and take there money
Of course, that's what the min wage workers are there for. To take the abuse and get paid so the managers and store can save face.
Be direct, polite, matter-of-fact, and make a positive request. ie *pick that up now* in a pleasant tone will get a better response than *hey, don’t drop that!*
Quick question -- is your manager aware of their disruptive behaviors when they visit? I'd maybe touch base with them first to explain the situation and get their feedback to cover yourself. If these kids get injured in the store doing their nonsense it could cause issues for management. When they come in and start acting ridiculous, I'd tell them to stop in a firm voice, usually something along the lines of "this is a place of business, not a park. Now stop being disruptive and return to your parent." and then tell the mother that children must stay with their parents, and any damages they cause will be fall on her to compensate for financially.
The manager would be me, so yes! They just haven’t been in on my shift yet. I think the ones who’s been at work have found the situation too unpleasant to say anything. They’ve explained the situation in our group chat which is how I’m aware of it!
Ah, okay. Since you're the manager, and so far you personally haven't seen them on your shift, I'd maybe let your employees know that they can tell these kids to stop messing around and tell their mom to monitor them or they can leave without any repercussions from you. It'll not only keep disruptions down and products where they belong, but will give your employees peace of mind to know they can deal with these kinds of situations without the fear of getting in trouble.
For sure, they know I’m relaxed about these things, and they’ll speak up. I simply want to be able to give a direct message to this customer if I see them, because not all my colleagues feel comfortable to speak up in all situations.
I getcha. And those customers consistently being disrespectful and disruptive is messed up. Hope you have the opportunity to see them in the act and drop the hammer on them, so to speak. You're a manager I'd enjoy working for.
I usually just say, "Hey, let's not do that here. Wouldn't want you getting hurt" They can't get mad at you if they think you're looking out for them. It doesn't always work but oh well. Kids and teenage boys can be the worst in retail, at least in the obnoxious department.