Something that is far from lauded in modern media and society is the use of generalisations and stereotypes. A simple utterance of one can completely null and void an argument you may have, and all because of the stigma of “oh you’re making a sweeping generalisation there!” Well, yes, of course I am. The interesting thing about social groups is that they follow certain traits and maintain similar personalities. In making a stereotype or whatever, of course I am grouping everyone in that group into one mould. Chances are, it’s true. Hence it’s ‘general’! Just because you know one Jewish person that isn’t stingy with his money doesn’t mean it’s true for the vast majority of others!
This point brings me not-so-swiftly onto the point of generalisations and stereotypes that I’ve experienced in my day job. I work for a British-made company that has avoided paying over half a billion pounds worth of tax in the past five years, and due to my location - slap bang in the middle of middle-classed Surrey but near enough to Greater London to have significant diversity - the clientele to said establishment is varied. Simply through an inquisitive mind and an easily agitated attitude, it’s very easy to observe the key differences between customers you serve and, over time, you begin to paint a picture of their actions across their social group or class. Yes, it is a general statement. Yes, it isn’t always true. But experience - and logic - tells us that for the majority of the times, it is (otherwise it wouldn’t be a generalisation, would it... Key lesson learnt here!)
Just as a quick precursor, none of what I am about to say is designed to be derogatory. It is statement of observation. And to the educated mind, none of this is racist or sexist or ageist or anything else. It’s an analysis. So get over yourselves.
I’ll start with one of the most common groups you come across in retail, especially during the week. The elderly. Generally frail ladies who are softly-spoken and say ‘dear’ a lot. They mean well, and sometimes come out with the odd racist or xenophobic statement, but that is just a part of the time they grew up in. They seem to understand that you’re not always interested in what they have to say, and they’re exceptionally polite. This is the sort of person you’ll actually end up having a prolonged discussion with (generally about the most mundane things - “yes, tuesdays haven’t been this windy in a while” and “mhmm, Waitrose does seem to employ a lot of coloured people, I agree”) and they actually brighten up your day in some respects. Other members of ‘the elderly’ are the men - again, most commonly wearing old fashioned clothes (we’re talking caps, tweed, holding a walking stick of some variety) and, while less conversational, are polite enough too.
The thawn in the side of the elderly is the bitter, twisted old woman who has a son that hates her guts and a husband that’s dying of cancer. They are condescending and visibly detest interaction with you. Any slight slip up on your behalf - perhaps missing an item they’ve asked for or retrieving the wrong thing - results in the most sarcastic replies you’ll ever hear. These are the sort of people that make you think that the old age pension is a pain and that free TV licenses for retired people are a mickey-take. This demographic-within-a-demographic is relatively rare, but they pop up to ruin any sunny day.
The next ‘type’ of customer I’ll talk about is the atypically middle-class conservative. As my job almost demands, most of these customers are women. A nice description would be to say their affluence moulds their integrity, but the truth of the matter is they are snobby. They don’t actually do much to annoy you - they are mostly polite (perhaps over-polite) and quick with what they’re getting through, which is always a joy. But beneath the rubbery exterior of their converses is a fakeness that would perforate even the most patient of people. The condescension, too, is thinly disguised, and the obviousness with which they look down on you is degrading and enraging. Whatever the actual problem is, they exacerbate it by a hundred. A cold is a full on cancer-of-the-nose. Having the wrong eyeliner is akin to a global economic disaster. Perish the thought, but waiting in a queue is simply unacceptable. Serving too many of these customers can be seriously detrimental to your own mental health and well being.
Moving casually on to ethnic groups, I find most black women to be rude and obnoxious. This is not a racial dig, it is merely a statement of my experience. I have had many a nice woman who fits in to that racial group, but most of the time they really do test your self-control. They do not say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’, they click their fingers, and they try to insinuate you are being the rude one. Forcing your perceived manners on to someone is rude in itself, thanks! Just because it is a cultural norm in your country to suck your teeth, point and be blunt, does not mean it is here! Quintessential British demeanour is to be polite to even the most hateful of people. They just don’t understand it.
Although it would seem to contradict what I have literally just said, I would hasten a guess at those coming from areas of traditional poverty (Ireland, the North, Scotland, etc.) are almost a delight to work with. They are engaging and polite, genuinely interested and happy to talk - which makes a stark difference to the stony expressions on some faces.
I’ll say something relatively controversial here, and state that the most friendly people are (mostly) mothers of young children and middle-aged men. Teenagers are either quiet or complacent, which is fine but does not provide a different experience to general transactions. As a man-boy, I find talking to men above the age of 21 to be quite enjoyable. We can make generalist statements about women (mostly demeaning, I’ll admit), complain about the prices of womens products (when the man is generally buying for their partner or child) or talk about the football/rugby/any sport. Young mothers are used to be tested every second of the day by their unruly and wild children, and so can easily stand talking to a stranger. If anything, it provides an intellectual break for them. If you are in a particularly stupid frame of mind, a young mother is used to conversation at your level, too, and so you can at least talk about Peppa Pig or the Transformers and they’ll know what you’re on about.
As I said, this is all generalised but that is the point of it. I don’t mean to deliberately single out specific groups, it’s just what I’ve seen.
And of course, that being said, the rudest and nicest of customers generally break convention.
Sorry this went on for a while.
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