49 Retail Workers Share Customer Interactions That Made Them Question Humanity

Ask stupid questions and you'll get stupid answers. But it's not as straight-cut as that when it comes to working with customers. Retail and fast food workers are expected to be professional, even when faced with the least sharpest tools in the shed. While some encounters may want to leave them rolling their eyes, staff often need to blink twice... and smile.

Some experts believe that stupid questions are actually good for business. They often hold a remarkably deep source of wisdom, says communicator and copywriter Scott Flood. He explains that what might seem stupid to you, is not as dumb to the next person.

Flood explains that because you know a lot about your product or service, it’s easy to forget your prospects and customers know a lot less about it.

"They probably care a lot less about it, too," he writes. "When marketers become consumed by the details, they often lose sight of the basics – and those basics tend to be what matters most to your audience."

According to the expert, paying attention to stupid questions can help you see what really matters. "So don’t brush them off as the playground of the ignorant," Flood advises. "Listen closely, especially when you hear the same question again and again. Then weave the answers into your marketing messages."

Ian Heller is the co-founder and chief strategy officer for Distribution Strategy Group. He believes that some people have double-standards when dealing with dumb questions.

"We are all customers in some situations and service providers in others. Sometimes, as customers, we ask dumb questions, too," Heller says. "The problem is we are very understanding and generous with our own flaws, but can be unforgiving when other people make mistakes."

He likens it to road rage, saying that we sometimes accidentally cut off other drivers sometimes, but when someone does it to us, we assume it’s intentional. And completely lose the plot.

Heller advises workers to have more grace and compassion, as hard as it may sometimes be. He also suggests that managers train their staff on how to deal with less-than-smart customers.

"If someone tells a dumb customer story, tell them they need to come up with a smart customer story to match it," he explains. "Make sure they know that getting the same question from multiple customers probably means something is wrong with your website, marketing materials or policies."

Then there are those who are vehemently against stupid questions, saying they waste time, money and energy. As Cy Wakeman puts it, "A single stupid' question can commission hours of resources in the form of meetings, research, analysis and discussions that are a total waste of time, talent, and focus."

Wakeman, a Drama Researcher and author of No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Workplace Drama, End Entitlement and Deliver Big Results, says her own research shows that almost 2.5 hours per day per employee are wasted seeking an answer that "doesn’t exist, doesn’t matter, or reinforces the erroneous belief that others are the source of our problems."

Wakeman says you can avoid asking stupid questions by changing the way you ask them... The expert suggests changing every “Why,” Who” or “When” to either a “How” or “What.” Then follow with the words “can I.” End the question with some action word such as “do” or “help,” she adds.

“Why do things keep changing?” becomes “What can I do to get skilled up for change so I am unfazed by it?” or, “How can I help drive the change?” or even, “How can I quickly align with the change?” the researcher told Quartz.

Wakeman says questions worded this way are a lot more helpful and accountable.