How do I deal with an unprofessional/sexist coworker?

My coworker and I get along fairly well, and I know he would never intentionally try to offend anybody, but he's just completely clueless. He likes to keep a very casual tone with customers, and when speaking with a female client (usually middle aged women) he'll flirt shamelessly. Being a young guy (early twenties) some of them laugh it off, but I've seen him be extremely inappropriate. The director of the company came in to drop off a memo one day, and he actually called her 'sweetie'. She didn't say anything but it was clear she was not impressed. When an unattractive younger client comes in, or any man, it's another story. He'll try to continue a conversation with another coworker and shove a pamphlet at the client without so much as looking at them. I've seen people get very upset at this, and often they turn around and leave.





I don't consider myself a feminist, or easily offended by any means, but his conduct disgusts me. If I were a client, I'd never come back. I feel that he's hurting our customer relations and for a small business this is a big deal. His sales techniques are often inappropriate as well (like telling an elderly gentleman that our products will help him ';get into bed'; with his wife again. turns out he was a widower and was very offended, as was I.)





All this, combined with taking long, unauthorized paid breaks without even asking me (leaving me to handle the entire store, meaning I don't get a break my entire shift) and poor phone manners (';HALLO? WHO'SE THIS?'; is not a professional sounding greeting!) make me dread customers coming in, for fear of what he'll say next.





My boss knows I have a history of not getting along with coworkers (I left my last job without notice because of a workplace harassment case, but other than this I have an excellent work history) so I don't want to raise any complaints. I've tried talking directly to my coworker about this, telling him he's offending customers, but each time he's laughed it off saying that ';the ladies love it! everybody likes a compliment';. He's even said that he and I ';make a great team'; because I'm the professional one, and he's the funny one who makes sales.





Has anybody else been in a similar situation? How do I deal with this without causing trouble?How do I deal with an unprofessional/sexist coworker?
It sounds like he's proud of this part of his personality, so it's not something he's going to want to change willingly, and pushing it will feel like you really don't like him. I don't really think there's anything you can do other than mentioning your concerns tactfully to your boss.How do I deal with an unprofessional/sexist coworker?
tell mgt or call the police
Don't ask him to stop being smooth. Just ask him to tone it down a little. Tell him there is a fine line between being charming and just being sleazy. Sometimes he crosses the line and let him know he needs to work on it. I'm sure he wonders sometimes if he's crossing the line but probably to proud to admit it. It might sink in if you let him know about this. Here's a tip. Collect your thoughts before you talk with him. It'll help. Remember the use the word ';Charming';. He probably wants to be Charming but hasn't discovered this yet and doesn't have it just right. If you can help him identify a goal like ';Charming'; then maybe he can work on it.





Charming good, Sleazy bad.





Also, it's not your job. That's what Your manager is suppose to do. So don't feel bad or reserved about snitching if you lose hope. Suttle micro managing is a good thing. So long as you don't let it go to your head. Your superiors are your default.
You don't- let him hang himself. He'll call the wrong person sweetie or piss someone else off by doing what he is, and they'll report him. It's not your place, as a coworker to discuss this with him. If he were a close friend I'd be inclined to take him out to lunch and give him a heads up, but that does not sound like the case.
Well, you appear to be someone interested in the growth of the company. But remember, one should never do for others what they should do for themselves. Your boss is the one who should constantly watch how his employees are measuring up. He should be the one worried over declining sales. If the sales fall badly (like you mentioned those clients who will never return) perhaps your boss will wake up and question his employees. When you are being asked about your co worker's professionalism, only then should you remark on it. Not otherwise. Or else it will look like a complaint or tattle tale. You have good intention, but lady, you neither own this place nor are you the boss. All workplaces will have some workers having annoying manners, harassing people etc etc. It's all a circus. Just go along with the flow, be the strong adult that you are and get a little bit thicker skin for people like this.
This is really not a situation you can handle on your own not being in a management position. If it is as bad as you say, you need to let a member of management know what's going on.
He isn't sexist he is just an incredibly self important asshat. You can't deal with this guy without causing at least a little bit of trouble. If you work on a shift system tell your superior you no longer want to be on the same shift as him. Or if you work the same hours every day request to be in a different portion of the floor than him. Either way, when you are talking to your superior make sure you state that it is because of his behavior that you want to move. Calmly explain why you feel uncomfortable around him and cap it all off with ';I cannot work well with him.';