Why Are Some S'pore Customers Defensive & Rude To Retail Staff Who Are Just Doing Their Jobs? Netizen Asks After Seeing A Few Incidents

We've all heard the saying, "The customer is always right." But does that mean retail workers can't even ask a simple question without getting snapped at?

Apparently, some customers seem to think so.

A netizen recently took to Reddit to share three encounters they saw involving customers who allegedly reacted rudely to retail staff.

The OP came across the first incident at a supermarket, where a toddler was standing on a self-checkout machine while his mum was paying.

An elderly female employee noticed and warned the mother to be careful, as the child might fall.

Sounds like a reasonable concern, right? But the mother apparently didn't appreciate the warning.

Instead, she allegedly raised her voice and snapped: "I know my son more than you!"

In another encounter, the Redditor was queuing to make a purchase when the cashier asked the customer in front how he wanted to pay.

A pretty standard question, considering the number of payment options available these days.

"Can't you see I'm holding my phone out?" he allegedly replied.

Umm... Wouldn't a simple "by phone" have sufficed?

In the third incident, the OP recalled seeing a child playing with display items on a shop shelf.

A retail employee approached the child and asked them to be more careful.

But according to the OP, the child's father responded by glaring at the employee and asked: "Why? What's wrong?!"

The OP couldn't understand why the customers reacted so defensively.

"Why do some people get so defensive and rude when retail workers say something to them? Do they think that just because they're customers, they can treat these workers however they want?" they wondered.

The post struck a chord with other netizens, many of whom felt that service staff in Singapore don't receive enough basic courtesy.

"Not a lot of 'thank you' and 'please' in Singapore when people interact with both F&B and retail workers," wrote one commenter.

Another offered their take on why some customers behave this way.

"Superiority complex. These kinds of people think workers should only speak when spoken to. Bet they also treat their domestic helpers the same way," they claimed.

One commenter who shared their own experience working in retail recalled asking a customer whether he needed a bag for his purchases.

A perfectly normal question these days, we reckon. But the customer allegedly replied in a condescending tone: "Of course, how else would I carry all these items? Silly question."

The employee wasn't about to let that one slide, and replied: "Oh, some people might have their own carrier or what not.”

According to the commenter, the customer went quiet afterwards.

Others pointed out that service workers are often in a difficult position because they're expected to remain professional, even when customers aren't particularly pleasant.

And really, is it so difficult to be nice to someone who's just trying to do their job?

After all, saying "thank you" costs nothing. Unlike that five-cent plastic bag.