I love older women customers. In my experience they are more cheerful and enjoyable than older men customers.
By older, I mean 75 and over.
Older women tend to know what they want, they enjoy a laugh and they are prone to flirting, yep, flirting – I like this on a slow day at the counter.
Older men tend to grunt rather than speak words, they rarely laugh and often don’t know what they want.
The older women lottery customers are the best. They share secrets, have a laugh and, if you are lucky, tough you for luck. I don’t mind being touched for luck. I enjoy them enjoying shopping in the newsagency. Even if they have a ticket which has not won they are usually cheerful and ready for a new dream from a new ticket.
Older men lottery customers are more likely to wonder why they are so unlucky. Occasionally, I find myself thinking that they have probably brought it upon themselves. not even a good smile can crack a response.
Thankfully, newsagencies attract more women customers than men. This means more good times in my experience.
Hi Mark,
Does not matter for us, they are all just old… One of the challenges is that when 70% of your customer base is over 60 and you get close to these people as you see them day in day out and become part of the their family as they do you yours it is sad when the inevitable happens. Which for us is a weekly occurance.
I suppose thats why we live in Gods Waiting Room… and we can only hope we make it that age to either be grumpy or flirtatious.
Cheers
Peter
Bribie Island
Can you send a few up this way, in our store the older women are the cows and the old blokes are the easier to get on with. Old women tend to be ignorant and rude to our younger staff and very demanding yet they are the ones that often hold up other customers from the counter, yet the older men are a lot more relaxed and seem to be more organised.
It must be your happy face that gets the old girls going Mark and want to flirt with you. But shoppers vary in each area.
old women want a bag to put that mag in when they are already carrying two.
Old men dont care.
Old women forage around in their handbag for that 25c to “make the change” easier from that $37.40.
Old men dont worry
Old women shuffle forward in the queue and when at the counter decide THEN to start looking for the money inside the purse which is inside the bag which is on the floor.
Old men have it in their hand ready for action.
I am introducing a female age limit in my shop.
Peter, I hear ya.
We’ve had a couple pass away, or take very ill during our time here. It’s a hard part of the gig which, to be honest we’d not even thought about before taking it on. The majority of our community is also elderly.
Having said that, if we visit someone in hospital, or are able to help out in another way, the joy is palpable. Goes both ways.
Mark, it took a while to learn not to let the grumps ruin our day. Best thing about that is that eventually we can engage them to a point where they themselves come in with a greeting. And, of course, there are those who born to mumble and grunt and point. And will die mumbling, grunting and pointing.. not only men, either.
Just yesterday, we had to ask someone to give us a minute to finish setting up the shop – before opening time. His reply? You won’t see me again…. WTF?
Y&G,
Given the trust they have with us and the fact that many do not have family local, it also presents a great opportunity. We vist our regulars and take a selection of mags with us which they will always take. They also know when we are comming and will often call and ask for us to take a selction of cards and gifts for specific occasions, along with the relvant postal packs and stamps.
The word spreads and very quickly we have customers we never had before who see this as a great service. It does not take too much, but has both personal and financial rewards.
We do charge to accounts and in the majority of instances monthly statements are sent to family members who dont live nearby. We have only had minimal bad debts.
Cheers
Peter
Bribie Island
We get good and bad of both.
Why do “Oldies” demand the ticket back after it has been checked and tear it up then go to hand it back to me, for ME to put in the bin???
Do half the percentage of Oldies do WTF actions??
It makes me laugh when the oldies go to the trouble of circling the lotto numbers on a megapick then getting me to check it again, or they scratch the entire scratchie and wonder why they do not know if they have won or not. Its mind numbing to think how long it would have taken them to do some of the things they do.
But hey they have survived on this planet for a bloody long time so they cannot be doing that much wrong.
be careful everyone, we too will get old and probably do the same things. or if you are lucky start a diary of all the things you will not do when you get old
Peter,
I think I’ll retire to Bribie Island, you sound like a wonderful newsagent to have.
All the very best to you,
Heather
Albury
Hi Heather,
With median age of 67 we have to do something… A lot cannot come to us so we go to them…
Cheers
Peter
Bribie is a lot nicer then Albury… We use to live in Wodonga
My side of retail about.. 80% are good. The other 20% are arrogant, rude, or expect the world owes them big time because they’re old.
Doesn’t really skew either way in terms of gender for me.