Anyone her ever worked in retail? Any horror stories?

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Absolutely worst job for someone with AS. You get to deal with bright flourescent lights, noise, and crowds for one thing, as well as physically demanding things like standing and bending a lot. You get to deal with as*hole coworkers that think it'll be "fun" to bully you because you're socially awkward. You get to deal with long periods of time doing absolutely nothing but standing and thinking, which is hell for someone that already feels trapped with their mind. And if all of that isn't bad enough, you'll probably get in trouble with your boss because you socialize badly or don't make enough eye contact with customers. I know people that have worked these jobs for years and can't imagine how they stand it.

I have twice worked retail.

The first time was in a cigar shop. It was the best job I've yet to have. I ran the shop alone, with no coworkers to interact with unless the manager stopped by to place an order and pass out on the sofa in the back. I hung out in this charming little shop all day, cleaning, organizing, counting, and playing on the internet, while occasionally selling people cigars.

The second time was in a little tourist shop. It was the worst job I've yet to have. The job itself was fine: I worked a register, answered tourists' questions, stocked shelves, and kept things neat and organized. The coworkers, however, were so bad that they were what led me to see a psychiatrist and therapist for fear that I would never be capable of working with others and would therefore end up homeless and starving to death under a bridge or stuck in some shelter. Being a quiet, polite, and reliable worker was apparently taken as a sign of weakness. I was ostracized and harassed mercilessly and for seemingly no reason. I guess they were bored, and I was an easy target--like adolescence all over again, only this time, I risked starvation. Also, I was expected to use a vacuum which was particularly loud, and made me as anxious as if I was facing death itself every time I had to turn it on.

I have to agree, that in retail, the co-workers can be worse to get along with than the customers. Most of our customers are sweet, polite and mannerly on the phone and are a pleasure to deal with. A number of my co-workers are the exact opposite, backstabbers, uncouth, etc.

I work in a call center of a well respected US retailer. I love how much good customer service is based up on how much free things and services that you can offer. I hate it when customers contact us and want to price match, want us to waive the shipping, try to use non valid coupons on merchandise, basically want something for nothing. It can be a pain in the hind quarters to process these requests (especially price matching). When we don't honor these requests, people get angry and upset, or will just keep calling the 800 number until they find someone who does. I wish that people realized that the price is what it is for a reason, and that we have to charge shipping to pay our carrier.

I also love customers who throw a fit because something is out of stock. What do you expect me to do, pull it out of my anal orifice? This was especially bad at Xmas time on hot merchandise. I nicely told a customer that she should of ordered the item earlier if she wanted it. It ticked her off, but it is common sense.

One guy threatened to 'beat me up, if I didn't bag his groceries quicker.'

Needless to say, I had a nervous breakdown, and right after that was committed to a mental hospital.