Why sales people are aloud to chew gum in customer presence?

Hello polachicago!:-) Maybe so they don't chew the customer:-) Though I have never skipped shopping because of lousy cashiers but I do, sometimes, get irritated by unwarranted delays especially when I know that I am going to miss the bus/tram if they don't do it normally.

Oh yes, or I will ask for the manager and ask them why iti s so hard to get taken care of why their employees are so rude. I have no problem with giving someone a piece of my mind, which is why I have so little of it left.

I agree with you that it looks very disgusting if the sales people are not tidy and smart. They have to be smart and attentive towards the customers. Their lousiness or laziness can cost them their custormers. Given the choice, I would not like to go to a store, where sales people are not smart and do not pay attention towards their cleanliness. Good Post indeed! :):):):)

I guess it depends on what store and what they are selling. If the sales person is rude when I asked where is this and that etc I will not buy and will consider go to the manager. Most of the time if it's cheap store, they just hire anybody to deal with customers. if it's elite or franchise store they will be more careful. I sure will skip shopping if any store employee is rude, I am not rich but I don't mind being regular customer if I like the employees and products.

Chewing gum is acting lousy??? It wouldn't phase me. Everything I've bought is wrapped so I'm not worried about germs. I don't say this to offend you, but -- lighten up, hon.

Don't get me started. While I read most of the responses here, I believe many are missing the main factor. While I too believe that is rude in front of customers, the main factor is customer service. Too many employees in today's market don't have a clue on what it is or where to begin. I don't care if it is a high schooler in the town market or at a fancy shop in the city. I'm sorry to say, I put this on management's head. This is something that should never have to be corrected because it something that should be learned during the training. I am very big on quality customer service being in sales for almost 15 years now. Customers come first, last and always!! Period! The unfortunate element here is that most of society has grown accustomed to this kind of behavior. I applaud you for mentioning this but in my opinion (not attacking) you should have gone to the manager or made a complaint via e-mail, complaint card or phone call back to the store. Why should you or any other customer stop shopping because of the lousy service? They are there for you, not the other way around. Little by little, we can make this world a better place. It's just going to take some time!

by the time I get to check out I dont pay attention to what the checker is doing unless they mess up something and then have to do it all again! For if it is in Wally world I have already spebt an hour or 2 and ready to get out of there. Dont think I have run up on one chewing gum thats rude specialy with mouth open!

I may not walk out at the check out, but the way staff treat me definitely can change my shopping habits. I like to be treated like a human being.

It is very bad manners for a clerk to be chewing gum or eating while serving customers. It is made even worse if they are smacking or chewing with an open mouth. You can not assume her nails are unclean. Most people who have long nails are very attentive to them so they don't break and chip. I would have contacted the store manager and lodged a complaint or asked about the store policy on employee gum chewing.

With my big mouth, I wouldn't forgo shopping but would certainly tell the cashier in a loud voice to please close her mouth cause I don't want to see/hear her chewing her gum. That is rude in my book.

As long as the cashier is polite otherwise, I don't see gum chewing as such a big deal.

Having experience on both sides of the counter, and as a store manager, I have two pet peeves with cashiers, one is chewing gum and the other is talking on the phone while waiting on customers. The first is just disgusting and the second is rude.

Hello dear polachicago. I can see how you feel with such a salesgirl before her customer. This shows to us that the basic and key requirement for a business to run well and boom is to have its staff perform excellently to maintain and keep their business booming to attract more customers, who are considered to be God. This is a very good discussion and I thank you very much, dear polachicago.

I agree this is not a good habit. But people always chew gum in from of customers in America. Are you born in the States? You should have got used by now. I don't chew gum, but this is not what I pay attention to when I talk to somebody.

I find it hard to be around anyone who is chewing gum. My mom mentioned to me a very long time ago to stand in front of a mirror and see what I look like chewing gum. I did and it is not a pretty sight. Since that time I do not chew gum unless I am in the privacy of my own home. So if a sales person is chewing gum to me that is disrespectful of the customer. I simply would not do business with her. I also would mention to the manager that I did not appreciate her chewing gum while around customers. It probably would not do any good but the fact that I got it off my chest would.

Actually I haven't met any sales people who have chew gums in front of a customer. It is very rude and impolite. It is impossible I will buy their products.

Where we live there are many lovely stores and if shopping is not a pleasant experience is it possible to go to another store. Chewing gum with the mouth open shows very poor breeding and so do dirty fingernails, so I could easily say "I don't need this" and walk away. On the other hand if the bargain were really good and the merchandise was self-serve and highly washable (and not edible!) maybe I would put up with the clerk's obvious poor taste to get a good deal...and maybe not. If the experience was unpleasant, though, it might be a very long time before we shopped there again.

Hi polachicago! I guess if i feel a little bit down, I will skip shopping if the cashier is acting lousy. I wouldn't be that patient and kind to wait. I am in the selling business and my orientation is to entertain customers as efficient as you can and satisfy them so they will come back and shop again in your store. Just my thoughts dear. Take care and have a nice day! :)

Chewing gum is an American habit. Some people can quit smoking, but they will never give up chewing gum.

This is not the worst thing they do, people who are not professional. They have bad manners and do a poor job, without chewing gum.