It sickens me to read the complaints customers have, and then insult the staff the way they do. Let me put it into perspective for all of you...

I have 20+ years retail experience, 16 of those as a manager, in numerous cities across Canada. I have never, EVER seen the level of obnoxious, arrogant, idiotic behaviour as I see in the typical Canadian Tire Customer. Everybody wants something for nothing, and demands the utmost respect, as if they were a head of state, but bristle at the thought of respecting the staff in turn. Does it make you feel like a big man, to yell at that 17 year cashier, call her stupid, and a "fucking idiot" and make her cry? Do you feel like more of a man, to threaten to kick my ass after I am done work? Is your nazi feminism validated when you scream sexism because the staff member won't drop every other customer to help you find your 2 dollar item?

Well, I have some points for you to consider.

1. Noone in the stores I work in will ever respect you as long as you disrespect them, and rightly so. You don't deserve anything but contempt with your attitude. And I 100% support my staff if you curse, or call them names, regardless of the issue. And if you do curse, you will be asked to leave, and we will refuse to serve you ever again.

2. You don't intimdate me with your vulgarity, puffed up fake manliness. Don't think for a second I don't have the ability to remove my nametag and take you outside and beat some sense into your inadequate little head. I DON'T do it, because I, and my staff, are all better people than you. And we are proud to work for this company, and we do good work. We would never jeopardize our jobs fpr some sawed off little shit with Small Penis Issues.

3. Your conspiracy minded hyperbole makes no difference to us, if you don't want to provide a DL to do a return, then get the fuck out, and don't come back. We don't make the rules, we follow them, as staff are supposed to. I have the ability to override those rules, but I don't. Why? because at what point do one of you imbeciles start screaming racism because you saw me do it for someone else, and not you. Nevermind that he is the same colour as you. Really, get a hold of yourself.

4. And if its "only 7 dollars" so I should be able to over ride the transaction, then why are you bothering to return it in the first place? You expect the gold seal quality and warranty, yet want to pay the budget price. You are an idiot.

5. The customer is not always right. The gentleman who coined that phrase didn't have to confront the level of ignorance, stupidity, and just plain bad manners that all retail workers are met with every single day. Complain all you want, every time you open your mouth, you advertize how stupid and ignorant you really are.

What would you do if someone treated your wife, daughter, son or husband that way? how would you react then?

So, the next time you attempt to bully someone in a store, think about how little you are going to accomplish, and how foolish you will look. The minute you walk out the door, we post your picture, warn all staff about your unruly behaviour, and tell them to call a manager the moment you return. I have no problem throwing you out of my store, and when you refuse to leave, one quick phone call, and you're under arrest. Win, win for me, so by all means, keep shouting and swearing and threatening. I have had 7 people in the last 2 years alone charged with uttering threats, or violating a Trespass Notice, 3 of them spent up to 6 months in jail. So, go ahead, do your worst.

And for all of you that are truly a joy to serve on any given day, let me thank you, for having respect for our staff, thank you for being humane, and thank you for understanding that this job can be extremely difficult. We are there to help, and we love every one of those moments when we share a smile with you. Because you see the idiots too, and you make it worthwhile, just by understanding. We do make mistakes, some of them bad ones. But we will make it right, if you let us. Because that is our job.

A.L.

p.s. You bet your ass I am not going to schedule another cashier at customer service so we can process your returns faster. Don't want to wait? Then keep it, and leave.