Continued from the previous blog.
#4: Read sale signs carefully.
Many signs have the sale price in huge lettering and the details of the sale in smaller lettering - much smaller. It can say anything - select items, single unit price, graphic tees, excludes white - but it's in small print. Why? Because the marketing division thought that would be a good way to trick you into buying things that aren't really on sale. If a sign says select items, make sure you know which items those are (usually the ones with sale stickers on them), so that you don't have a reason to complain and hold up the line when you get to the register.
#5: Don't snoop behind the counter.
It's none of your business what's back here. Do I peek into your purse or wallet as you pay? No, I don't. It's not any different, really. One thing that really annoys me is not possible at most stores, but our layout is weird. It is actually possible for a customer to stand right next to me (on the other side of the counter) and watch me ringing things up. I have actually had customers do that - sometimes kids, sometimes adults, always annoying. Why? Because they're basically breathing down my neck (and I don't like strangers being that close to me - it's weird) and if it's a cash transaction, I get paranoid that they're going to try to grab all the money out of the drawer when it opens. So, really, don't do that. It's extremely rude.
#6: I only have an attitude because you're not getting what you want.
This happens very frequently. Every thing's going fine, the customer is happy. Then, suddenly, the transaction isn't going their way. The item they're returning without a receipt (which they paid full price for) is now on sale for less than half what the original price was. An item they thought was on sale isn't. Their coupon expired. It could be anything, but it's always magically my fault: I once had a lady returning an outfit she got as a Christmas gift. I work at The Children's Place and the outfit (a red velvet jacket and matching skirt) had been given in a Gymboree box (classy) without a gift receipt. I explained that she would be able to get whatever the current selling price was. The jacket, initially $29.50, was on sale for $14.99. The skirt had no tag, so my manager told me to use a dummy sku (a generic barcode) and put it in as $3.99. Being a good little employee, I did as told. The skirt was initially $24.50 or $19.50, I don't remember which. Well, $18.98 just wasn't enough for the lady. She was getting a few other things, and her total would have been $2.11 if she'd returned the outfit. She complained about the price multiple times and decided to just keep the outfit. I attempted to void the returned items, but the computer wouldn't let me, so she very rudely told me to cancel the transaction. I went to my manager again, and she told me to just "re-buy" the outfit, so I did. The lady then became furious when I still needed to get her name and address - if a transaction is initiated as a return, we have to get that information, and it can't be bypassed. She ended up giving me a fake name and address (aren't we just mature) and then complaining about my attitude and demanding to talk to my manager. I was so stressed out by her that I was shaking violently through most of the transaction. I went to the back room, told my manager that someone out front wanted to talk to her, and stayed there for about five minutes. I couldn't go back out because I was having a panic attack - shaking and crying violently. Another associate later told me that she thought I'd handled it well and that, yes, I had a bit of an attitude, but only after the lady started getting bitchy (which is, of course, normal human response - especially in my family. You get bitchy with us, we get bitchy back, and that's a hard reflex to fight, though I tried my best).
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Bitchy customers always infuriate me. I'm just glad your manager stood behind you on it. When I was a waitress at a breakfast joint I had a woman who ordered a chicken ranch sandwich. I brought it out, but the kitchen had forgotten to put the bacon on it. When I gave it to her she said "is this suppose to have bacon on it?" as a question not as a correction to our mistake. I never remembered having bacon on the sandwich so I mistakingly said "I don't remember the sandwich having bacon, but I will definately go check with the kitchen and get the bacon for it". She then later told my manager I had told her that the sandwich had no bacon (even though I quickly brought out the bacon and apologized for the mistake) like she didn't know what was suppose to be on her own sandwich.
My manager then (in front of the entire wait and cook staff) yelled at me (within ear range of customers) even after I told him I hadn't said she was wrong, simply that I had a bad memory when it came to that particular sandwich (I'm vegetarian so I had never had one myself and it wasn't ordered that often) and that I had quickly fixed it. He still thought it necessary to continue yelling at me. What ever happened to supporting your good employees?
Think about it...
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tomorrowtoday
retail and food service.
There is no desire or need to support the employees. High turnover, there is always someone that they can hire (generally for less money) to work really hard until the 'new employee zeal' wear off, then they get burned out and quit, then someone else is hired.
The only thing those people care about is the bottom line. Both of those groups have bred a rude and angry customer who complains loudly and with anger.... over the littlest things... because they've been trained that if they DO such a thing, they get free stuff and treated like royalty.
"The Customer is Always Right" is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. I am polite and kind in stores, even if they are rude to me. I don't complain.... if I get bad service, I make a mental note, if it happens once, it could be an off day... if it happens with multiple people, or multiple times with the same person, I avoid that person or that place.
I was once called a racist because I wouldn't give a guy cases for DVDs.
Though, this is my favorite story. A lady complained because I (Yes, specifically me, not the generic corporation) stole her dvd that she KNOWS she returned and saw her kid drop in the box. I was a thief and a liar. I said that I have enough things to do in a day that I don't dig through the movies to find a customer to screw with.
a month later, I got a call from the library. Someone had dropped one of our DVDs into their drop box. I ran the numbers and, sure enough, it was this one. I normally don't, but I made the point of calling her and saying "I just received a phone call from the library and it seems that the DVD was just returned there."
She demanded to know when we were going to pick it up, and made a point of saying that she dropped it off and that there shouldn't be any more late fees.
I told her that dropping it off at a library isn't the same as dropping it off at the store and when she brought it in, then we'd check it in. Then I said "I guess I didn't steal it and lie about it after all." She didn't respond.
It doesn't matter if it's a cashier or a sales person, most companies have a "right to refuse service" policy. Basically, if you as the customer get out of hand and start doing things like yelling, swearing, and being excessively rude and causing undue stress on the associate who is working with you, they have the right to refuse you service.
Believe it or not, they're people too, and are just trying to do their job. Yes, denying you the discount you think you deserve because you had to wait for two minutes before someone was able to talk to you (especially this time of year) is doing their job. They can get fired if they do some of the things you want them to do.
Also, threatening them with legal action is the fastest way to get kicked out of the store with the company's legal department phone number in your hands. Associates are no longer allowed to talk to you when you threaten to sue or threaten to call your lawyer. So doing so will not scare them into giving you what you want. Instead, you'll probably have the manager leading you out of the building and telling you that if you ever set foot on the property again, you'll get escorted out by the police (this also goes for the irate customer).
-- quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Well, while shops have the RIGHT to refuse service, they almost always do not refuse service.
They believe that if a customer has a bad experience, they will never come back (sometimes true) and that the store loses in the long run.
What they mis out on is the gobs of money wasted on training new employees when disgruntled ones quit, not to mention the other customers annoyed at having to wait while some prick vents at an employee for something the employee is not able to control. (Particularly annoying if the customer is the one in the wrong, but is trying to wiggle out and cast blame on others.)
I've had death threats against me once....... because I wouldn't return a cabinet. (It was a special order item, and I had suggested that he remeasure, as the measurements he gave me didn't seem right, but he wanted to order it. I told him that he couldn't return it so it is better to remeasure... he got upset with me and demanded that we order it because 'knows' that he's right..... turns out he was wrong and it didn't fit, then he demanded that we return it because we 'ordered the wrong size' . . . When I said no, he got irate. When I told him that this is exactly why I suggested that he remeasure before we ordered, he told me he was coming down here to '[censored] kill you, you [censored]'
Well, while shops have the RIGHT to refuse service, they almost always do not refuse service.
That's because most people don't know they have such a right. It's not widely advertised because companies don't want people to abuse it, which makes sense.
They believe that if a customer has a bad experience, they will never come back (sometimes true) and that the store loses in the long run.
Only the new people really think that and only for about the first week or so. Then they realize (especially once they see things like Black Friday) that for every person that walks out those doors, there are three more coming in that will probably spend more anyway.
One thing I've learned from working retail is that the ones that get irate and have a hissy fit will actually lose the company more money if they buy anything, because they're looking at the things that have little to no (if not negative) profit margins and won't be buying any of the higher profit items.
When I said no, he got irate. When I told him that this is exactly why I suggested that he remeasure before we ordered, he told me he was coming down here to '[censored] kill you, you [censored]'
And that's where you immediately call your manager and politely tell the customer that you're done with him and he can speak to your manager (probably as said manager walks him out the door, perhaps into the arms of a police officer for harassment).
Although I never had the "pleasure" of having to deal with customers that got that irate, my husband has actually been physically attacked a few times by such people. Thankfully, his supervisor and the store manager are both very large people, who have actually picked the assailants up and took them to the door where the police were waiting.
I pity the seasonal my husband's store had this year, though. On Black Friday, he was going into work and someone in the line tripped the kid (foot between the legs, so he didn't have a chance to recover) and nearly broke his arm. Suffice to say, the local precinct had one more name to add to their laundry list of jackass customers from that store that day.
-- quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
oh, they know. However, the employees are bound by company policy. While the business may have the right, the employee may not have the ability.
When I worked at a video store, we were specifically told that unless they touch us, we couldn't ask them to leave. They could yell and scream and curse all they wanted, and it was our job to make them happy... if they did something wrong and complained at us, and we didn't make up for them doing something wrong (like, they returned a movie a week late and didn't think they should have to pay a late fee because we had 'other copies'. . . . which happened) then they could go complain to the district manager who would give them a bunch of store credits and free popcorn and sodas and giftcards, then chastise us for not making the customer happy.
You are correct, but generally corporate policymakers never worked retail... THEY don't know that.
it was over the phone. When he hung up on me after saying that, I told my manager that I might need to clock out in a little while so that this customer can kill me and I won't get blood on my uniform. I chuckled, then told him what happened in the phone call (he already knew about the rest as I told him when we ordered the cabinet that was too large). . . he said "if he shows up, we'll call the cops and hide you."
he never showed up.
I understand completely... I work at a Super Walmart... @-)
There are some days when I wonder how I get through the day without getting arrested. Its been close on a few occassions because I've been pushed passed even the panic attack point to the point where I just start getting more and more angry and annoyed. So all I can say is just keep breathing! And good luck... :)