In retail, the way staff interact with customers can define the entire shopping experience.

But when one toxic manager decided efficiency should come before warmth, he quickly realized his friendly employee knew best when his customers suddenly started dropping like flies.

You’ll want to read on for this one!

Told to “stop wasting time” on customer chats? Okay, no more small talk, EVER.

I’m a cashier at a small hardware store.

My manager, Dave, is obsessed with “efficiency.”

This manager was obsessed with efficiency to a fault.

Last week, he chewed me out for chatting with a regular about his DIY project.

He said, “Stop wasting time with customers. Scan items, take payment, done.”

He was just plain rude about it too.

His exact words: “No one cares about your little conversations.”

Fine, Dave.

So this employee decided to follow his instructions to the letter.

Now, I’m a robot. Scan items, state total, bag stuff, no eye contact, no words beyond “cash or card?”

Customers are confused. One old guy even asked, “You okay, kid? You’re usually so chatty.”

I just shrugged and said, “Store policy.”

It didn’t take long for the manager to learn just why customers had been patronizing them in the first place.

Sales dropped a bit because our regulars love the personal touch.

Yesterday, Dave got a complaint from a loyal customer who said the store’s “lost its charm.”

He’s been glaring at me, but can’t say anything since I’m following his orders to a T.

Now he’s stuck doing damage control, and I’m just here scanning like a good little robot.

Bet Dave wishes he would have kept his mouth shut now.

What did Reddit have to say?

Human interaction is good for us, especially when working a retail job.

There’s truly no limit on bad managers’ ability to completely mismanage their people.

Some managers go out of their way to encourage their employees to make customers feel welcome.

Other times, the excessive chattiness can hold up the line.

Ultimately, the store paid the price for losing its charm.

There’s a lesson for all managers here: Listen to your employees!

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.