Things that are apparently my fault according to Customers
Things that are apparently my fault according to Customers
Graph by buttons988, via our GraphJam builder.
You May Like:
Make your own using our Graph Builder or upload your own files, images or videos. All our charts are user-submitted.
« Previous Chances Wife Will See You | Actual People On A Teenage Chatroom. Next »
» 100 TPS Reports
Get It Emailed Daily
Subscribe via RSS
Having spent 4 1/2 years behind the counter at a convenience store, I totally agree with this.
Being a snobby illiterate whiner — 100%
Or maybe not being snobby, and being a literate, justified-in-whining high school/college student who hopes to get a better job but doesn’t yet have the credentials for the job wanted.
The graph is titled:
“Things that are apparently my fault according to the customer”
To which I added:
“Being a snobby illiterate whiner — 100%”
Did I say I perceived the poster as being this? No. I merely added a category to the poster’s pie chart.
In that case, Literal, your post was rather misleading; I also interpreted it as a shot at the poster.
Also, when using quotation marks, be sure you quote verbatim; you got the title of the graph wrong.
See: Red herring here — perhaps a style over substance fallacy?
Regardless, you shouldn’t be pointing out other people’s flaws if you are prone to them yourself. And misquoting is not a stylistic fault; it can be very detrimental not only to one’s argument, but also to the reputation of the misquoted party.. While in this case it may be rather harmless, in others it can very well be damaging.
Aside from that, it was only meant as friendly banter. No need to be so defensive.
Let me get this straight. I shouldn’t be pointing out the flaws of others if I am prone to them myself? So is that an unfinished ellipsis or just an extra period after the word party? Erroneous punctuation can completely alter the intent of a statement and damage the reputation of the writer. Pot, kettle, and all that.
You misinterpreted the intent of my post, and I did the same. My apologies.
I wasn’t however, being defensive. I was merely informing you of my perception of the fallacy being used to respond to my post. A quick FYI — the logical fallacy of style over substance emphasizes the way in which something is presented over the actual content. It has nothing to do with being stylistically correct.
You are a sad and little person who loves to ruin comedy.
thats a bit unfair, i’ve worked in stores before, and he is pretty much right. think about that next time you spit on a store clerk.
I’ve never spat on a store clerk. They have, however, in going about their drooling, imbicilic daily rituals, spat upon me.
I did my time in retail; I remember the management’s “customers=cattle” and “warm bodies are better than nothing” mentality. I also know about the “it’s not my fucking problem” attitudes of those employed in the retail industry.
Two words. Internet shopping.
I’m sorry, “imbicilic”? Perhaps you might want to consider proofreading your own rants before calling someone else illiterate or snobby?
I’m sorry….what’s wrong with imbicilic?
It’s spelled imbecilic.
That’s okay, I’m sorry they’re “imbecilic” too.
And all you have to refute my assertion with is a typo? How sad for you, Piggle.
Indeed not. I simply wasn’t going to give the rest of that utter nonsense the time of day. I am not going to convince you of the flaws in your comment by responding in kind. Pointing out your ineptitude, though, may actually net a useful result.
Oh, now Piggle, please do point out what is utter nonsense about my assertion. Anyone who has worked in a retail chain store knows precisely how customers are viewed by management (and as a result, by employees), the depths to which management will stoop in hiring just to ensure a warm body will be present (and, as such, a liability to competent employees), and the attitude employees will adopt and display as a result of the aforementioned phenomena.
So please, do enlighten as to the flaws in my comment, which I clearly stated stemmed from my personal experiences in the retail industry.
And do be careful when accusing another of ineptitude for a single typo on a blog; you may one day find yourself in a similar situation and I am certain you would prefer to be judged by the content of your comment rather than a single error within. I do believe I sense a red herring here — perhaps a style over substance fallacy?
Well isn’t it also rather imbecilic to just assume that the poster graph is an incompetent worker. I’ve gotten yelled by a lower manager at for doing exactly what a higher-up manager previosly told me to do. Unfortunately incompetent managers fail to enlighten each other on what they’ve told workers to do when it’s warranted.
*poster of the graph
And where did I “assume” or even insinuate that the poster of this particular pie chart is an incompetent worker? Did I suggest that the poster was at fault for the content, or did I merely state what my experiences have been? Odds are I have never personally encountered the poster during a retail exchange, and thus my experiences are exclusively mine; this indicates nothing in:re the actual person behind the creation of this chart.
Are you at all familiar with the psychological phenomenon known as projection?
The attribution of one’s own attitudes, feelings, or desires to someone or something as a naive or unconscious defense against anxiety or guilt.
Ah, yes, but see I am not projecting, just going by the tone of voice your posts have been giving off to me. Also, by your reactions to people: i.e. the little projection description above, and the strong language you use to respond to others (”utter nonsense” and “everyone who has worked in a retail chain”), your language is like that of a know-it-all who always needs to get in the last word. How do I know? From being one myself in situations like this argument. (Cut you off from that one.)
Oh, and by the way “everyone who has worked in a retail chain knows” is an assuption about each worker’s knowledge, as well as assuming that the attitudes of managers with any certainty affect the attitudes of workers in such a way as the a worker’s attitude becomes the same as his/her manager’s/managers’ attitude(s), which is simply not the case as I still view customers as people and treat them respectfully, offering assistance when I could have easily ignored the person.
So I am guilty of generalizing, you say? Well so is the graph. I have never accused any retail clerk of any of those things, and yet I am lumped into the group of “customers” since I am a person who patronizes stores. According to the graph-maker, that’s how I, as a customer, am viewed.
Again, if you provide such excellent service and have a satisfactory relationship with your clientelle, why do you feel the need to defend those who do not?
Having read further, I can presume there is NO comedy in your life.
AGREED.
Being a snobby, illiterate hypocrite – 100%
If a typo makes one illiterate, this place is just chock FULL of children who were left behind.
the “its not my fucking problem” attitude comes from customers giving us shit for shit that ain’t the normal employees fault. Like a item being out of stock, its not the employees job to make the order. its the managers
Kind sir, it WILL be your fucking problem when you are unemployed due to lack of a consistent customer base resulting from an absolute refusal on the part of the customer to eat any more shit from retail clerks.
Again, internet shopping.
The internet can’t save you from products being out of stock.
And retail clerks can’t magically make the item appear, nor can warehouse employees that send you your package.
It’s perfectly understandable for people to get upset/angry when people give them shit about things they can’t fix.
you, sir, are the asshole that the employees laugh at, and if you act like that at any place that serves food, they probably spit in it too.
Oh, that hurts; I has a sad. High school drop-outs and their ilk laughing at me … ouch!
And I act like what? The person who shops on-line to avoid dealing with the very things the chart-maker is addressing?
Fortunately I prefer to prepare and eat my own cuisine, so sputum is never a problem. And on the rare occasion I do eat out I treat and tip accordingly.
Tipping doesn’t seem to saved you the misfortune of being a jackass, sir.
Aside from that, don’t assume that the mere fact that a person works in retail means that they are high school drop-outs or that they’re illiterate or anything less than you, because the truth is that many intelligent people drop out of high school or simply choose not to go on to college or university, or they can’t afford it. How does working to support oneself make them any less of a decent person than you?
And, let’s be honest, the reason you really shop online is more likely that others can’t stand you, not the other way around. Sir.
See, I can be condescending just like you!
I don’t see being a jackass as a misfortune. I have high standards, and expect others to have the same. If I am disrespected, I will absolutely drip kindness. And then the letter-writing campaign begins. If I am treated well, expect that I will, and many times have, emailed/phoned-in compliments about you to your supervisor.
And nope, I don’t think retail workers who put forth an effort and treat me with respect are anything less than me. Not at all. However, I so rarely encounter them that I have ceased to try.
I left home and dropped out of high school myself at age 16. I worked my ass off in retail and the medical field for the next 12 years to end up where I now am now. I work closely with college students on a daily basis instructing and planning their futures. I don’t hear any complaints about my high standards amongst my students.
And I’m a well-married female with four children.
I understand full well you have high-standards. But the fact that you generalize all retail workers as illiterate high school drop outs who are lower than you does not make up for the fact that that you are a so-called “decent human being”. Congrats on getting to where you are. Really, I am in awe of your awesomeness, since you feel you have to define it SO many times on a random blog.
Retail sucks as a job, as does every other job. But you know what? I don’t criticize anyone else when they complain about *their* job. Let these people rant about their job for once.
I am a call center rep, and I try my damnedest to be respectable to people who have quote-unquote “high standards” such as yourself. However, they tend to not have the high standards they claim but instead prefer to demean the people they requested help them.
Why thank you for recognizing my “awesomeness.”
And every job doesn’t suck. I love mine. The jobs I held while paying for my education did not suck, either, because I realized they were a means to an end rather than a drudgery I could not escape through hard work, intelligence and student loans. I appreciated being gainfully employed and genuinely believed the people patronizing said establishments did so out of preference. The attitudes of many retail workers I have encountered reflect their lack of initiative to change their circumstances — their jobs and lives suck and the only way they feel empowered is taking it out on the customer. If you feel so demeaned in your job by people such as me do as I did and change your circumstances.
Please tell me where I generalized that every retail worker is an illiterate high school dropout who is lower than me. If you’re so literate, what is it about: “And nope, I don’t think retail workers who put forth an effort and treat me with respect are anything less than me. Not at all.” that you failed to comprehend?
I merely generalized the group who would “laugh at me” and “spit in my food” as illiterate high school drop outs. What normal person seeking a better future would feel such actions necessary?
In this job market, (and I know this because my own fiance is one of these people) there is very few jobs available and too many people who are looking for work. So no, it’s not easy to just jump out and get a decent job that you’ll love forever and ever. Sometimes you have to settle with the retail/fast food business, and trust me, if you have to settle for a job, you won’t like it. And that’s why I don’t like it when people say “try and find a better job”. Well, if you’re unable to obtain your degree at the moment due to a certain circumstance, whether lack of funds, family issues, etc., how exactly must we find one?
And yes, I do treat my customers with respect. And its not so few and far between to find people who do so.
My point exactly, Kim.
In this economy, no company can afford to provide poor customer service, thus losing customers, thus laying-off retail workers …
It’s a vicious cycle which begins and ends with respect.
I apologize for calling you sir if you are not; however you should have addressed that earlier, before I had even posted [bunnyrut referred to you as such and you did not disagree].
And while you may not see being a jackass as being a misfortune, it is the reason that the people on this blog feel the need to attack you. You present yourself here completely differently than how you claim to treat others in your day to day life.
My hat goes off to you for making something of yourself. I honestly have great respect for people who take control of their lives and make something of themselves when everyone else seems convinced they’ll never amount to more than a cashier in retail.
I am in a similar situation as you in that I come from a less-then-privileged background and must work very hard to get to where I want to be.
But that still doesn’t excuse you from showing respect here or calling people like myself [who work in retail] illiterate “[h]igh school drop-outs.”
High standards are great, but keep in mind that different people will have also have high standards but they will differ from your own.
High standards are great, but what you are displaying here, ma’am, are not high standards but condescending criticisms of people you likely do not even know.
…less-than-privileged.*
Point out one place where I attacked and criticized any single individual (other than responding to posts directed toward me.)
Point out one place where I called ALL people who work in retail illiterate high school drop-outs (save for those who would laugh at me and spit in my food.)
Note I was called derogatory names.
Note I didn’t respond in kind.
High standards in:re customer service are universal.
Good luck to you in your quest to achieve your goals.
No you didn’t call anyone names directly, but rather made indirect implications as some sort of shabby attempt to cover your own ass, while not exactly being above-board about it.
Sweetie, why ever would I need to cover my ass? I have no idea who you are and thus don’t give a rip what you think of me. If I wanted to call someone names rest assured my vocabulary is extensive and I could have come up with some doozies. Instead, I refrained and remained civil.
And indirect implications of what, precisely?
At this point, me thinks thou dost protest too much.
So true. I just had a flashback to when I worked retail- ugh.
Don’t forget lack of stock, working in a supermarket i get the guilt trip from customers as its my fault the store didn’t get the items they need from the deppo. in my opinion i would say that its their fault; they buy the items which means one less for the shelf, if they didn’t buy anything the store would still perfectly stocked /rant
Yeah, definitely. Being yelled at for product that is out of stock is the one thing I would add. Most flyers/ads tend to change on Sundays, and what really gets me is the people that come in the Friday or Saturday after that expecting us to still be in stock on the most popular items… Thank goodness the holiday season is over, but now everything out there is backordered, and out of stock. /rant
Ugh, about 5 years ago my store switched from having the new ads start on Sunday to having them start on Monday, and we still have a lot of people coming in on Sunday expecting the new sales to be in effect, and complaining (loudly) when they aren’t.
I would also add “Machines not working because the customer isn’t using them correctly”. I work in the self-checkout, and I get this all. the. time. Really, if you just follow the instructions the machine gives you you’ll get through without any problem most of the time, but if you keep picking things up after you’ve been asked to leave them where they are or pushing buttons at random, you’re going to have problems and there’s nothing I can do about it except try to tell you how to fix them. If you then decide you’d rather rant at me and continue causing problems than do what I’m asking you to do, well, there isn’t much else I can do to help you.
Preach it, brother.
I love the customers who come in trying to return the sex toy because “she didn’t like it” and then cuss me out for not accpeting the return.
“Um.. ew.. no.. get that off my counter.”
“What type of piece of shit establishment is this?”
“The type that doesn’t take back used dildos, now get out!”
I’m a bit perturbed that anyone has actually tried that.
My favorite was the girl who was “drunk” (with an itchy nose and not even a scent of alcohol) wanting to get lingerie for her “boyfriend” that she was meeting at the hotel. She tried on a top and it started to tear from being to tight. We grabbed the same outfit, I showed her it wasnt torn, she bought it.
She can back a few HOURS later, sober, with the lingerie damn near torn in half, trying to get her money back. I told her not no, but heeeell no. She cussed for a while and left.
Alternatively, one could take some ownership of the situation and figure out why there isn’t a price tag on an item, fix the problem and try to do something so it doesn’t happen again. Or you could perform the price check yourself. Or, knowing you’re understaffed, you could work a little harder to pick up the slack. Work that way long enough and you just might be able to move beyond manning a cash register.
Someone’s never worked retail.
I’m afraid you’re incorrect, Bill. I worked in a wine shop to help pay my way through school. It was a small place, so I stocked the shelves, priced the wine, ran the register, answered questions, and so on. In other words, I did what needed to be done so that our customers would be able to enjoy buying things from our store. And guess what…when you’re nice to people and try to help them out they’re almost always nice to you.
Hear, hear.
Despite the recent intrusion of the shallow end of the cesspool of humanity (aka WalMart Super Store) and it’s subsequent barrage of flyers inviting me to experience low, low prices (read: underpricing the competition out of existence) I continue to patronize the higher-priced local grocery, as the friendly college kids who shift-work there know if they treat customers like shite they are out of a job. I expect, and am treated with, a level of respect that is mutual and reciprocal, and thus I never have a reason to complain.
Dave: Working in a small store means nothing compared to working in a big store.
Literal: You may very well be treating the employees at your favorite store with some form of disrespect and not nticing it, seeing as you think so highly of yourself.
To both: Many times in the store I work at, which is a largest store as part of a small chain, if someone went to resolve a situation outside of his/her department in a timely manner when no one else will do it and no manager knows of it…they get their asses handed to them without being asked why they were doing it or even what needed fixing. They don’t care about solving customers’ problems and thus think it’s okay to verbally backhand employees who try to solve said problems instead of doing strictly what they were told to do.
In many situations, an employee go to a manager to get the problem solved, the manager sees it as the employee being disrespectful and/or overstepping his/her boundaries, and the manager cuts the employees hours the following week or worse.
Wow. Does that chip echo when you speak? Or are you just jealous that your resentment prevents you from engaging in satisfactory customer interactions?
I enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with the employees at my local grocery — they know my name, I know theirs, they inquire after my family, I inquire after their academic progress and significant others, the guy at the meat counter knows what cuts and seafood varieties I like and gladly discusses recipes with me, I always have assistance in carting my groceries to my car — yet somehow, someway, I am dissing them and just not noticing it.
I think I’ll jump on the service counter tomorrow afternoon and self-flagellate, and if I am not forgiven perhaps I’ll set myself on fire and chant your name as the flames consume me.
HEH.
Woww…. that doesn’t sound like fun… it sounds kinda of like breaking your back and being burned to a crisp….
Do you need a teddy bear? *gives teddy bear* Here you go.
I think you need someone to hug you. =3
Mine does, but with people like you who are also holier-than-thou know-it-alls, I don’t care. More importantly: Does the chip on your shoulder echo?
Oh yeah, well yo momma!
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
By the way, I am very respectful to my customers who show me respect and have similar conversations with them. Many customers comment on how I actually listen to them and dare I say remember those little details. I will be honest and say I am saying this only to show how I am a nice employee, just as stated you are a nice customer. I also said may be treating them as such. I did not say you definitely did. Just as much as I need to check my attitude, you need to check yours.
If you give such excellen service, why do you feel the need to defend yourself so strongly?
*excellent
Let’s see… He accused you of treating the employees at you grocery store with disrespect. You responded by saying you had a good relationship with them, and accusing him of being “jealous that your resentment prevents you from engaging in satisfactory customer interactions”. He reponded by saying that he was respectful with his customers, and had similar relationships with them. So if we’re just going by your responses, either you’re both being defensive (and by your reasoning, disrepecting people and lying to cover it up), or you’re both responding honestly.
.
And before you try to say that I must be defending him because I’m a horrible cashier, let me say this. Like the employees at your local store, I know most of my regular customers’ names, their families, jobs and common interests, and have nice conversations with them when they come in. With customers I haven’t seen before, I am generally friendly and polite. Most of the time, people respond by being friendly and polite with me, but it doesn’t work with some people. Maybe you’re polite with retail workers who are polite to you, but not everybody is like that. I have actually seen an especially nasty customer make a cashier cry by yelling at her for something she had no control over. She hadn’t been rude to him or anything, but he was rude and mean every time I saw him and seemed to delight in making people (not just employees, but also other customers) feel stupid and inadequate. So while I think I provide pretty good customer service (like jjmblue7, I’ve been complimented on it many times), I also understand where people are coming from when they complain about bad treatment from customers, and I don’t assume it must be because they are rude and unhelpful.
Yet, you still work there apparently, which leaves me to think that it doesn’t bother you to work for a company that doesn’t value your work and that you aren’t doing anything to change the situation, i.e. acquiring the skills you need to get a different job that you enjoy more. Essentially, it seems to be that you think the right thing to do is to take the path of least resistance because it’s the easiest. If you don’t like how you’re treated at work, work to change it, or do what’s necessary to find a different job.
In my line of work there is no room for excuses like that (”I’m just going to provide bad service because it’s easier”). I’m responsible for what happens on my watch, which includes the actions of other people that I don’t directly control. So, if there’s a situation that needs to be changed, I change it to ensure that my clientelle get the best service I can deliver.
You’re obviously not working as a part-time cashier, then.
That’s my position. (First job, saving up money for college. I’m only 18, I got the job last year.)
I’m in the same position as jjmblue7. I’m not allowed to overstep my boundaries or I get in trouble. When there’s anything that’s not my job to deal with, I’m supposed to page one of the supervisors. I’m not allowed to go further that that and take matters into my own hands or I’m out of a job.
“I’m responsible for what happens on my watch, which includes the actions of other people that I don’t directly control.” That’s an obvious sign that your store is being managed by people who don’t know what they’re doing.
“Or you could perform the price check yourself.” That, we’re allowed to do.
“one could take some ownership of the situation and figure out why there isn’t a price tag on an item, fix the problem and try to do something so it doesn’t happen again.” That, we’re not. It’s not our job, we just report it to the supervisors.
“Or, knowing you’re understaffed, you could work a little harder to pick up the slack.” You can only do so much in one position.
“Working in a small store means nothing compared to working in a big store.” Exactly.
Luckily, I work in a store where the supervisors care about the lower positions and are ready and willing to help when needed.
People who do what’s in their power to address a situation are not the ones to whom my comments are directed. However, most people I come across in retail settings, especially larger stores, don’t do anything at all to address a situation. A common response to a simple question is a blank stare, or “I don’t know”, or “I work in x dept, so I can’t help you”, and so on. I know that the cashier doesn’t run the store, but I also can tell the difference between those who are being lazy and those who are simply limited in what they can do. My comments are directed at the former group.
I don’t for one second buy that working in a big store is any excuse for providing poor service. Sure they’re different environments, but the basic principles of providing good service are the same.
Finally, regarding being responsible for what happens on my watch – I’m a physician. If I order a lab test and it’s not being done, I take ownership of the situation and figure out why. Has the nurse not drawn the blood? Has the specimen not made it to the lab? Is the lab being lazy and not getting it done? And so on. The nurses and lab techs do not report to me, but I’m responsible for seeing that their work gets done. It wouldn’t look very good to miss a heart attack for hours and only be able to say, “I ordered the tests, it’s not my fault they didn’t get done.” Obviously that’s different than working in a store, but the basic principle is that if something needs to get done, someone with a decent work ethic is going to do what they can to get it done and not just sit around blaming the system.
Oh, and good luck getting started with school and with whatever career path you choose.
Lemme get this straight: jjmblue sounds like he’s in a store where the management doesn’t care about their employees’ well-being as long as they’re making money. I misunderstood Dave, thinking he was just insulting any employee in grocery stores and similar stores that doesn’t do more than they’re allowed to in order to help the customer, when he was really saying that it’s just important to provide the best customer service you can. Dave also works in a situation where everything falls on his shoulders if something goes wrong. I think I’ve got it now.
“A common response to a simple question is a blank stare, or “I don’t know”, or “I work in x dept, so I can’t help you”, and so on.”
Yeah, I DO hate that. I sometimes end up saying those things, but it’s because it’s true and either I don’t know or it’s outside of what I’m allowed to do, and I at least help the person as much as I can and try to find someone who can help more…
“I don’t for one second buy that working in a big store is any excuse for providing poor service.”
No, it’s not, but when there’s only so much you can do, sometimes it seems like you’re providing poor service when there’s nothing you can do to make it better.
I hate when people just don’t care so they blow the customers off, too. It’s happened to me a few times in stores and I try to do whatever I can for the customer. (I actually ended up running up and down the store a few times for one item a customer wanted. First run was to have a supervisor call into the storeroom to check inventory levels on an item that wasn’t on the shelves, and when we found out the store was out of the item, I suggested an alternative and went back across the store again for the item… All for a bottle of soda. I also ended up working back and forth between my normal position at a register in the cafe and cleaning tables and trays because someone called in sick today. Luckily, we weren’t very busy today… Still, I don’t like bussing tables, but I do like helping the store keep its reputation of being clean. Ever heard of Wegmans, by the way? That’s where I work. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008/ #3. That’s Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 companies to work for based on random employee data. http://money.cnn.com/video/ft/#/video/fortune/2008/01/22/bpw.wegmans.fortune Also, watch that video if you have the time, it’s about 3 minutes long. I actually work in that store, Kevin’s one of my supervisors, Cherianita’s one of my co-workers, and so on. I was part of the first group to train in the store. If I wasn’t going to move with my family in a few years, I’d try to move up through the store and stick with them.)
There was a “snowstorm” here this weekend and people acted like it was the end of the world Saturday. It turned out that we only got a few inches, hehe. Anyways, I had to say “I don’t know because I don’t work in X department” many times when bringing returns to the proper shelves. I stopped what I was doing, asked the customer to excuse me for a minute and checked the back room to see if the item was in stock, and I would ask a department manager for help if all else failed. When you are handling returns this is well within the bounds of accepted behavior because it happens at least once every time, but again, Saturday was crazy.
I actually enjoy busy days, too. Time goes by SO much faster.
Sounds like my Saturday, except we didn’t even get an inch of snow.
The way your first comments sounded made you sound like you were generalizing all retail store workers as people who do that. Now, your latest comment is pointing out that you realize some people aren’t like that. (I’m not sure Literal knows that, though.)
“A common response to a simple question is a blank stare, or “I don’t know”, or “I work in x dept, so I can’t help you”, and so on.”
I hate when people say that and end it there. At least do what I do, do what you can to help until you can find someone else who can do better to help the customer…
“I don’t for one second buy that working in a big store is any excuse for providing poor service.”
Nor do I. But some people don’t realize that a person’s doing all they can and say the employee’s providing poor service when they’re really doing all they’re allowed to do.
“Finally, regarding being responsible for what happens on my watch – I’m a physician.”
Very different. But I see why you’re responsible for those other people now.
“the basic principle is that if something needs to get done, someone with a decent work ethic is going to do what they can to get it done and not just sit around blaming the system.”
Most of the time, in my position, that’s just calling the supervisor. Today, that wasn’t the case. (Working in the cafe end of the store I work in, we’re more responsible for what happens because the supervisors are all in the front end.) I ended up running to the other end of the store, getting a call made to the back to check inventory on an item, running back, suggesting an alternative, running to the other end of the store again to grab an item for the customer, and running back again. All for a bottle of soda. (We were out of the 20 oz. bottles of diet soda, but the 2 liter bottles are cheaper anyway. The store is completely out of the store brand diet soda until the truck comes in with more in a few days.) (The store is Wegmans, by the way, ever heard of it? 11 years in Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 companies to work for, top 10 for about half of that time. http:// money .cnn .com/video/ft/#/video/fortune/2008/01/22/bpw .wegmans .fortune Put that together and watch the video, it’s about 3 minutes long and actually shows the store I work in. This site seems to block my post without the spaces. But it’s a pretty cool place to work for.)
“Oh, and good luck getting started with school and with whatever career path you choose.”
Thank you.
I am currently in college to get my degree and get a better job, and I am almost finished. Thus my winter and summer break job has been at this location as most other places actually hiring in the local area will start me at minimum wage. I need as much money as possible so I have to take their bullshit currently.
I’ve worked in retail for 4 years putting myself through school so I know what it’s like. One of the worst is Best Buy. It’s full of shifty managers that hire in people they know and do a shit job taking care of the stores. That’s why employees have shitty attitudes, because they know it can be run better but no one will listen.
On the note of customer treatment, policies only allow an employee to do so much. If they seem like they don’t give a shit it’s because they can’t do anything else to help you and you’re probably not listening to what they are saying. Take it up with corporate.
Now, if a customer treats me like shit when I am trying to help them in their situation, GUESS WHAT, I’m going to treat them the same way. You wouldn’t fuck with the people changing your oil or cooking your food or performing a heart transplant on you because they will more than likely fuck with your car, spit in your food or be the first dr. to implant a penis where your heart goes. Bottom line, treat your sales associate with the same kindness you would like to be treated with and it will be returned.
I’ve met some men who had intercrainal addidictomies … you know, a penis where the brain should be, but the thought of a penis where the heart should be is pretty damn funny.
And personally, I’ve never even seen a Best Buy; I’ll have to Google it to see what they sell (I vaguely recall seeing a commercial, and I believe it’s a technology store).
Reciprocal kindness. What a novel concept, and thanks for suggesting it. I do believe there is a dearth of that in the world today.
About half of that I agree with, the biggest one you didn’t add was not having an item in stock. I work at Best Buy and can’t count the number of times I’ve had to stand there and take shit from customers who were pissed we didn’t have any Wii’s in.
That’s an item one should expect not to be readily in stock…still.
Glad I got mine.
Four collective years myself at two seperate stores, one a popular stuffed animal chain and the other an office supply store I can tell you this; be nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. Be shitty to me, I continue being nice to you, which typically pisses irate customers off more. That is, until you’ve pushed me too far, then I get passive-aggressive on your ass.
And to the guy up there bitch-fitting that about snotty-illiterate whiners, you’re probably the customer we all hate most.
I totally agree with the sale-ad thing. 60% off a laptop WOW get your ass in here on Sunday if you want it/need it/your husband is going to be so disappointed biotch.
Oh I could keep going….
I did not, as you say, “bitch-fit” up there in the least.
And believe me, I am not only NOT the customer you hate the most, I am the customer with whom you never interact. I have chosen to remove myself from retail outlets altogether, thus saving us both from the experience of interacting with one another.
And if I were compelled to shop retail for consumer items (other than groceries, mind you) you can rest assured you would never hear a word from me other than “thank you, have a nice day” at the check-out. There is nothing in my life I need badly enough to increase my blood pressure and make myself angry in an effort to procure it.
customers since the 1980’s have been progressively whiny…it’s all the fault of that bastard who made up a story about nordstrom’s giving a refund for tires, even when they didn’t sell them, and saying “that’s customer service!”. corporate asswipes never take into account the fact that anyone who thinks they can get free shit by calling an 800 number and complaining will do it…even it there is no problem at all. sometimes, the customer IS wrong. and these days, in the food industry at least, people are more likely to take out their agressions from the whole day on the “little people” (and i don’t mean midgets, i mean the people who serve them)
Yep. “The customer’s always right!” WRONG. Unless the customer is following the rules of the store, the customer’s wrong. I make it clear to customers that I won’t bend the rules for them. (I was once reported to customer service for that, but the manager of my department was right there and explained that I was right, and because I didn’t have a bad attitude when telling them, nothing happened to me.
)
Maybe people need to pay attention to the rules before they complain?
I second that whole Power Outage thing… I work in a call centre for a power company… and the number of times I’ve been sworn at because of delays… Some people truly believe there is a huge room which has every single house connected to it…
In my experience, the category missing here is customers getting shitty at the person at the counter about the price of things. I work in a very small cafe, and I can’t even count how many times people have come to the counter with bottled drinks etc, and then snapped at me and stormed out after I tell them how much it is… For future reference – I DON’T PRICE THINGS, I’m just sell them!
This graph rings very true…
OH GOD yes that’s so true. The bakery I work at is in a grocery store, right? We’re a smaller chain so we can’t afford a lot of bulk items and so they cost more and the corporation jacks up the price too but when I tell them a gourmet pecan pie is 30 bucks and comes in from another company they get angry at me…
I don’t get it.
I think if the customers thought about it instead of just freaking out they’d realize I’m on the bottom of the totem pole and there’s nothing I can do about the prices. The managers wouldn’t even do anything about it.
Oh, yes, that too. There’s one customer in particular who complains EVERY TIME HE COMES IN about the price of one particular item. Sorry, but I have absolutely nothing to do with pricing, and in fact, the prices aren’t even set by anyone in our store, so even the manager can’t really do anything about it. If you want to call corporate, maybe you can find somebody who has the authority to change the price, but even then, I doubt they actually WILL. And no, I don’t know why it costs that much, either. Again, maybe somebody in corporate has an explanation, but all I know is that that’s what we’re supposed to charge.
Oh yes, I worked at a library, meaning you get blamed for everything.
Someone else has the book checked out? — My fault.
You return the book late? — My fault.
You wrecked a book and have to pay for it? — My fault.
We don’t have some obscure lithuanian book? — My fault.
You can’t remember the alphabet, and thus can’t find something? — My fault.
You don’t understand the Dewey decimal system? — My fault (natural history should be under “N”, not 508)
Oh yes, I worked at a library, meaning you get blamed for everything.
Someone else has the book checked out? — My fault.
You return the book late? — My fault.
You wrecked a book and have to pay for it? — My fault.
We don’t have some obscure lithuanian book? — My fault.
You can’t remember the alphabet, and thus can’t find something? — My fault.
You don’t understand the Dewey decimal system? — My fault (natural history should be under “N”, not 50
This made me laugh!
Library customers are the worst! They are getting a basic free service and still find so much to complain about. Give a person bread and they want butter on it.
Their kid throws a book at you and you refuse to check it out to them: you’re unreasonable. They put their kid on the counter when its diaper desperately needs changing and your face twitches ever so slightly: you’re unreasonable. They want you go go out and buy 85 copies of the totally insane book they espouse, so the library ‘has enough copies’ for the hordes who will soon be in demanding it, and you explain the whole library purchasing stream: you’re prejudiced against whatever it is their nuts book is about. They try to return a CD without the artwork, you refuse to check in it until they do: you’re unreasonable. Cj, let’s meet for lunch, we could go on and on. Sometimes I thought the only thing that kept them from going totally ballistic on me was they had a vague notion I was a volunteer. I wasn’t. Do this for free? I don’t think so. Can someone please write a rant about how public libraries get NO money, and with it these days we have to have ranks and ranks of computers, all of them commandeered by surly teenager who look at porn all day? Thnx.
Yeah, that surprised me to. Do it for free? Does it look like I have a hole in my head?
Oh, and then there are the people who want to know what happened to their book they just left over there (point to completely wrong shelve) just a few days ago, because they want to pick it up now….
Hi Alcari – don’t you love it when get a scolding from the Real Librarian because you’re a lowly part-time circulation clerk and had the temerity to recommend a favorite title to a patron, and book recommending is RL territory and don’t you forget it.
Also lovely when a patron yells at you because he checked in a book yesterday and now wants to check it out again but it’s in the middle of 8 book-carts full of not-yet-reshelved books because we don’t have the budget to hire enough shelvers, and the RLs wouldn’t lower themselves to reshelve and the circ. clerks aren’t allowed to.
We had one beauty who had exceeded his renewals and so resorted to putting it on hold, checking it in last thing at night, then hovered to grab it and check it out again immediately. Went on for weeks. Jerk.
It was fun every year when the Sports Ill. swimsuit issue came out. Picture it: 14 year old boy in a parka. He goes out through the security gates. Ding ding ding. (Notice to creeps: almost all library material has tattle-tape, and thanks for adding to our budget woes.) ‘Sorry, kid, do you have a book in there somewhere?’ Clutches coat to ribs, runs hands through pockets. Turns, returns to library, returns mag., slinks out later with no ding-ding.
Back to retail: can I mention here that I’ve often seen larger, often male (apologies to the many perfectly nice male customers I’ve had over the years), retail customer reaming a smaller, often female, clerk, but I’ve never seen anyone ream any of the larger male clerks? Interesting, hm?
Can someone please make a chart that reflects that fact that a shop is never, ever going to let the customer anywhere near an employee who actually has the discretion to DO something about what they’re whining about? What, you think an $8 an hour clerk is allowed to reverse company policy just because you asked, in your oh-so-charming manner? Can people please get it through your heads that ALL policy decisions in a store are made by someone far far away, totally isolated from you, the customer? And that you the customers are, to them, simply a wallet on legs, from which money is to be extracted and never returned? Customer care is a thing of the PAST, retail these days needs cash and they need it now, there’s no such thing as a loyal customer anymore, we all shop for price, so really, why should they bend the rules for you? (Pause to let heart-beat settle.) Ok, rant over, thanks for reading, that’s been on my mind for awhile now. I’ve been a clerk in stores large and small, and a low-level manager in a big chain, and a small store owner, so trust me, I know these things.
Having worked at JCPenney’s for a long enough time as SALES SUPPORT (never involve myself in Point of Sale crap), this is perhaps the most accurate.
Wolfram – too true. Point of Sale is the worst place to work in a store. We need a chart to show likelihood of getting reamed accorded to your position within the store.
After having my very own independent bookstore go belly-up when the box stores moved in I worked for Barnes and Borders. Hor. ri. ble. Total Walmart attitude, to them the books are just product. I was ostensibly their Special Orders expert, but in truth they didn’t give a damn whether you got your terribly obscure book or not.
May I say here: to all those people who ever came in and ranted at me because their terribly obscure book wasn’t on the shelves, and called me a bad bookseller because of it? Think about it a minute: perhaps the reason you’re having so much trouble finding it is because it’s OUT OF PRINT, and has been for decades? Bricks-and-mortar stores selling new books don’t DO out-of-print, it’s a whole other pursuit.
Thank you. As a universty student (illiterate?) working part time over the holidays in a supermarket in New Zealand, this still manages to sum up my job for for me on a bad day. It feels rather cathartic and I didn’t even make the graph. Working in retail appears to be the same the world over.
omg, soooo true!
i work at toys r us, and this always happens!
im on the registers, and customers are always angry about not enough people on the floor, wrong prices and things like that. seriously. gah!
What’s with everybody in here bitching so much, jesus… BAH YOU DID NOT HAVE PROPER WORD ORDER IN YOUR SENTENCE I SHALL PUNISH YOU NOW WITH MY HARSHEST OF WORDS bluh bluh bluh
all you whiny little perfectionists sound like pricks
This is the most ridiculous off-topic banter I have ever heard. It made my night.
Okay, maybe not so off-topic. But awesome.
One other thing lacking in this multi-part rant: the people who come in to best buy (or other stores) to gloat about circuit city (or one of their recently bankrupt competitors), just so they tell you how lucky you are to actually have a job. I actually had a customer the other day say to me, “You better give me great customer service or your store will be out of business too. You should know how lucky you are to have your job.”
The other thing that has really been bugging me lately is all the haggling going on. Everyone wants a deal on something, and now the managers are so desperate to get decent numbers that they’re actually agreeing to it. Example: product down to $399.99 on clearance, open item/display price down to $319.99 and the managers give it away for $299.99… (at around 5% above cost).
Soooo true.