One horror story could be the extreme rush during holidays. Employees have to deal with hordes of customers. I heard an employee talk about how they had to constantly restock shelves while being bombarded with questions from customers, and there was no time to take a proper break. It was pure chaos and exhaustion.
Sure. There are customers who can be really rude. One employee said a customer threw a product at him just because the item he wanted was out of stock. The employee was just doing his job and had no control over the inventory situation, but still had to face such aggression.
The worst for me was when I was in line for a sample of a popular new coffee blend. There were so many people pushing and shoving in the line. By the time I got to the front, they had run out of samples. I wasted a good 15 minutes waiting in that chaotic line for nothing. It was really frustrating, especially since I had specifically made my way to that part of the store for the sample.
There was a case where a couple booked a cruise via Costco Travel. During the cruise, they faced issues with the food quality. It was not up to the standard that was promised. Also, some of the excursions they booked through Costco Travel were mismanaged. For example, the transportation to one of the excursions was late, and they almost missed the activity. They had to constantly complain to Costco Travel to get some sort of compensation.
Yes, I once got a sample of a frozen meal. It was thawed out but still cold in the middle. It tasted really bland and not at all like what the description said. It was a big disappointment.
One horror story is about an employee who was constantly overworked. The boss kept piling on tasks without any regard for work - life balance. He had to work 12 - hour days regularly and was expected to be available on weekends too. Eventually, he burned out completely and had to take a long break to recover his health.
One horror story about Walmart could be long checkout lines during peak hours. You might have to wait for ages just to pay for your items. At Target, there could be issues with inventory management. For example, you see an item advertised but it's not in stock when you get to the store. As for Costco, sometimes the crowds can be overwhelming, especially on weekends. It can be really difficult to move around and find what you need.
One horror story could be long lines at the checkout. People have to wait for hours sometimes, especially during peak hours like weekends or holidays. It's really frustrating when you just want to quickly buy your stuff and leave.
One horror story could be getting a sample that was clearly spoiled. For example, a customer took a bite of a sample sandwich only to find the meat smelled rancid. Another might be when the sample giver was extremely pushy. They wouldn't take no for an answer and made customers feel uncomfortable. And there was a case where a sample had an ingredient that someone was allergic to but it wasn't clearly marked. A customer had a minor allergic reaction right there in the store.
Another horror story was the lack of proper security measures in the store. There were instances of shoplifting that put employees in danger. They were not trained well enough on how to handle such situations, and sometimes they were blamed for the losses even though it was not really their fault. Some employees also had to deal with people coming into the store just to use the facilities and make a mess without buying anything, and they had no real way to stop them.