FAMILIES are being told to keep children away from supermarkets and shops to curb customer rage in the countdown to Christmas.Technorati Tag: childfree
The call for child-free zones follows complaints frazzled parents are causing maddening delays at cash registers.
Retail rage traditionally soars near the festive season as short-fused customers struggle to cope with crowds.
Some hot-tempered shoppers have even assaulted staff, industry sources said.
Australian Retailers Association executive director Richard Evans advised parents to leave youngsters at home when possible, especially in peak hours, to reduce the risk of abuse from aggressive and impatient fellow shoppers.
"By all means take the kids to see Santa, but don't take them shopping," Mr Evans said. "Some people snap at the sight of a mother with baby on hip, pram in one hand and trolley in the other holding up the queue.
"It's like being on a freeway when they've paid a toll and then get stuck in traffic.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
FAMILIES are being told to keep children away from supermarkets and shops to curb customer rage in the countdown to Christmas.
Tempers explode as customers lose their Yule cool
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3 comments:
I think both sides need to go to their neutral corners. On the one hand, parents who have a very young child or two going through checkout-particularly if the kids are acting up-are really going to get on people's nerves, particularly if they are in a hurry. These parents certainly need to be thoughtful of other shoppers, discipline their kids and keep themselves organized.
On the other hand, we have all been kids at some point in our lives. Are we so removed from our own experiences shopping with our own parents as kids that we cannot muster even a little empathy and goodwill during the holiday season?
That's one reason why I will volunteer to watch my grandson if my son and his fiancee need to go shopping.
Good thing I don't do Xmas!
Happy Birthday, baby Jesus--here's some crap for ya, fresh from that Chinese labor camp!
skoora
I think Nursedude said it pretty well. Everyone needs to calm down a little bit. It's Christmas, it's supposed to be fun. If someone's rude to you, by all means get angry. But there's no need to go nuts at the sight of lines.
I do think most parents should leave their children at home, if they can. Less stress for them, less congestion in the store, less stress for everyone else. If they can't leave them at home, they should try and come up with a plan of action instead of showing up at peak shopping hours and slowly trudging away through the stores with no idea what they're looking for. That's just asking for a toddler meltdown.
And no, I'm not a parent, but I've done three Christmases in retail, and I've seen it all play out.
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