Retail Smegheads

One of the consistant places to run across annoying people is retail, on both sides of the counter. This is a place for your rant about the idiot you had to deal with today or your pet peeves. Tell about the smegheads making the sales and and the smegheads they sell to. I went to the bagel store and bought a bagel. They have just gone up in price recently. The sales person never told me what it costs. He just wanted me to give him my dollar and trust him to give me the right change. At least there if you looked around you could see the price. I've seen people do this at counters with no price list.

Another great place to see it from both sides is on Livejournal.

Customers Suck and Bad Service.

I've found myself being extra nice to people in service positions, lest I end up on there.

I work for a wood truss manufacturing and engineered lumber distribution company, and one of our largest customers is Home Depot. Since starting to work there, Home Depot has become the bane of my existance. The majority of the Pro Desk workers are less than clueless, and they all tend to "share" each other's work, so you have to talk to someone different every time in most cases when dealing with one frikken simple job.

In any case, one time while our designated "Home Depot Purchase Order Handler" was on a weeks vacation, my department had to handle her work. We can't process their orders unless we have a properly priced Purchace order and Jobsite Delivery Form, so we are often faxing back POs or making phone calls to correct what they send over. At one point, after several times of sending a PO back to be corrected, a couple of us were fed up by a particular Home Depot and decided if they couldn't put the correct price on the PO, they would pay what they put down. We charged them an additional dollar per linear foot for some material...they needed around 300 lineal feet...you do the math. We sent it back to be corrected and were sick of if coming back wrong. They weren't any the wiser.

Hokay, you asked for it. Today, at 11:30 in the morning, this elderly gentleman entered my store and asked if we had any Passion of the Christ left for rent.

Me: "Oh, sure. It's still early, I've got a bunch of them returned from last night."

I pull one off the cart, which is still behind me, for him to rent, scan his card, yadda yadda, am usual uber-scary-friendly videostore self.

Me: "That'll be 5.74."
Him: "I'm sorry?"
Me: "Your total today is 5.74."
Him: "It's the same?"
Me: "... Um, the same as what?"
Him: "It's the same."
Me: "Uh, the same as before?"
Him: "No, the same price as all the other movies."
Me: "Oh, yes. Yes, it is."
Him: "But it's special."
Me: "Well, I guess some people feel that way, but..." *gestures toward total on the message pole, unaware that she has just spoken the word of the devil*
Him: "But it's an *important film*."

I didn't want to offend him more by responding. He got these huge eyes and didn't say another word to me while I checked him out. Then he went outside to his (illegally parked) car and I watched him have a whole conversation with his wife before starting the car.

I mean, wtf, did he expect a discount? I probably shoulda told him I can get Prince of Egypt for free whenever I want. Shut that bugger right up.

Maybe he thinks it should be more money since it is "special." Next time that happens you tell the guy, This is a special film so the price is $8.95, but you seem like a good person so I'm giving you a discount, you can have it for only $5.74.

Toll Booth Willy: For you sweetheart, it's a dollar twenty-five.

I work at K-mart [and hopefully not for much longer]... and I've had a bunch of idiots come in.. People who ask me for a price check, and then yell at me cause that's not the price it was supposedly marked.. or cause that's just not the price they wanna pay. I'm just a cashier. I know nothing of how or why things get marked the way they do. I get people who yell at me cause I don't know exactly where every item is. Or cause I don't know if they SELL that item in the Garden shop..
I can't help it. It's not under my control. But I just have to smile through my teeth, and say "have a nice day, and thank you for shopping at k-mart!"... I hope this shithole goes under like it was gonna years ago -_-

I used to work at Kmart - I actually enjoyed it for the most part. I used to get people who would hand me their Club Z cards, thinking they were in Zellers. They usually take the hint when you push is back to them. But I had a woman who argued with me for twenty minutes about what store she was in (apparently the three foot "thank you for shopping at Kmart" on the wall, the uniform and nametag are all a plou *g*)

OH, the stories I could tell from K-Mart.� But I'm trying to suppress the memories for my sanity...

oh. i feel your pain. *wince* i've had all those kinds of customers, and there are others, too - like the kind who, because the store doesn't have the exact item that they want in stock, demand a discount on another product�or a freebie. argh. or the kind who think they know how your job is done. or the kind who just downright insult you to your face when you're just trying to be helpful and they have that look on their face that says, 'let's see your mad customer service skillz NOW, eh?' or, the kind who, just as you've finished aligning a whole aisle's worth of cans or bottles or something, go right in there and MESS UP THE WHOLE THING IN FRONT OF YOU. *fume*

yeah, i hate retail. but for some reason i keep going back. (maybe it's the money.)

Benefit of my job is that I can make up prices on the spot if neccessary, and adjust existing prices in any situation I deam special...

Customer: I'm just calling to see if this is right...I changed my overall quantities from 10 regular trusses and 2 gable ends to 12 regular trusses and no gable ends.

Me: Okay.

Customer: Well, now my regular trusses are $12 cheaper a piece.

Me: Yeah.� I see that.

Customer: I mean I understand you guys do quantity pricing, but that's a huge jump...are you sure it's correct?

Me: Well sir, if you would like, I can charge you the old price, or split the difference and charge you more.

Customer: *silent for a minute* Well...ummm...no...I guess I'll be okay.� Would you mind updating another quote for me and trade out the gables for regulars again?

Me: Sure.

NOTE - There was a total change of 24 cents per truss on THAT particular quote.

I try to make a general rule of not complaining about my customers as I think it's deleterious to the kind of attitude which fosters the truly superior customer service that my company is famous for and that I personally pride myself on...

But today was long and hard and I'm in a pissy mood.

Sunday mornings I work Loss Prevention (security). That means that I stand by the door and let my co-workers in as they arrive. It also means that I get to break the news to early morning shoppers that we don't open until 11 on Sundays. Our front doors are glass. I'm standing right there behind them. People come up to the doors and start yanking them and rattling them... never once looking at me... nor at the big sign painted on the door that says SUNDAY: 11AM - 8PM. I wave at them to get their attention and then point at the sign with a regretful expression and a shrug. I get all sorts of reactions... some people are embarrased. Some laugh and smile at me saying they'll be back then. Some stomp their feet and walk off in a huff.

This morning I got an interesting reaction:

I was at the door with Melanie, one of our LP managers. A youngish woman was standing outside the store talking with an older man and woman, probably her parents. It was pretty obvious to Melanie and me that they were about to try to come in, but they weren't looking at us, so we had to just sort of watch them while they talked in front of the store, oblivious. The young woman approached the door, still talking to her mother, not even looking toward the door she was reaching for and started pulling. It didn't open. She pulled harder, rattling the door. Melanie and I waited for her to look around for an explanation. When she finally did, Melanie pointed to the sign.

The woman shouted through the door "I thought you opened at 9!" Melanie pointed to the sign again. The woman shouted "But I thought you opened at 9!" Melanie opened the door. "On Sundays we don't open until 11. Sorry." "But I called," the woman insisted "and the recording said you'd be open at 9." I chimed in. "We're open from 9 till 9 Monday through Saturday." "But I *called*" she snapped "and the recording said that *this weekend* you'd be open at 9!" Melanie and I looked at each other. She picked up the LP cordless. "I'm gonna call and check," she said. Sweetly. With concern in her voice. "We're open at 9 on Saturday," I offered "and we're open at nine tomorrow, Labor day. Maybe that's what you heard." Melanie got off the phone. "Yeah, it says that we'll be open at our regular time, at nine, on Labor day, tomorrow." The woman let out a huff. "But I called *specifically* to find out when you would open today!" Melanie shrugged with a very sincere "sorry." Then the mother opened her mouth...

"What... we can't even just come in to look around??"

*blink*

*blink*

...

*blink*

At my store, we sell a closet orgalization system called Elfa. It's a wonderful system of shelves and rods and drawers that can seriously change your life. We do free space planning every day at my store which means that if a customer takes down the measurements of their closet, or any space really, we can custom design that space for them to suit their needs.

I am a trained Elfa planner, and apparently I am one of the brighter stars of the Elfa world. In my store, one is usually scheduled where one is found to be exceptionally skilled (except on really busy days when *everyone* calls out sick, in which case you get scheduled where you're needed most) and I find myself most often scheduled in the Elfa section of the store these days.

Another thing about my store is that there are certain supervisory positions which get handed off throughout the day since almost everyone who works at my store is considered a "manager" and thus such positions can be handled by anyone who has the training. One of these positions is the Elfa Sales Coach/Coordinator. The ESC is the person you go to if you want to have your closet planned. She holds a clipboard on which she will take your name and the time you arrived at the Elfa station. She will then issue you a pager and page you as soon as she has a planner available to help you. The ESC can talk to customers about Elfa, answer basic questions, but she cannot plan a closet nor can she run off to fetch products for a customer, since she has to be available to take the name of the next person who desperately needs their closet redesigned.

On busy days, ESC is a *very* hard job.

Friday, I took over ESC from my friend Dan while he took his lunch. The second he left, suddenly five people showed up all at once wanting their closets planned, and all of my planners were engaged with other customers. Things got a little bit ugly.

Common conversations:

"I need to make an order."
"Oh you want to have a closet planned?"
"No, I don't need it planned, I already have measurements."

In case I didn't explain it clearly above, the way this works is that a customer takes measurements and then we design the space for them, with them. On a computer. That's why you take measurements, so that a planner can plan with you.

"I need some Elfa."
"Okay, let me take your name and I'll set you up with a planner as soon--"
"I don't need a planner, I already know what I need. I just need you to get it for me."
"Okay, I don't have anyone available just now to help you but if I can just take your name--"
"Well, why can't *you* help me? You're not doing anything!"

What the gentleman seems not to have noticed is that I, in fact, have three customers all pulling at me insisting that I answer their questions *right now* and getting pissed if I even look at anyone who isn't them.

"I need someone to help me."
"Do you want to have your closet planned?"
"No, I just need three shelves and two brackets."
"...what do you mean by brackets?"
"Brackets. You know?" *huffs* "BRACKETS!" *Indicates the _hanging standards_ on the display*
"You mean standards?"
"Whatever."
"Do you already have a top track?"
"I don't need one."
"How do you intend to hang the standards."
"They screw into the wall."
"Actually they don't."
"They don't?"
"Sir, let me set you up with a planner..."
"No, I told you, I already know what I need!"

And the really wonderful thing is this particular Friday when my father picked me up from work, I was describing this scenario to him and he said "This is a design flaw in your selling. You need to have someone available to retrieve pieces for people who already know what they need."
"But dad, these people almost never know what they need!"
"Gella, I'm telling you, people who already know what they need have to have someone available to get the pieces for them! You know, when it'll just take 5 minutes!"
"Dad... when someone comes up to me and says they know what they need, five seconds of probing usually reveals that they have absolutely no idea what they're talking about and those plans usually take the longest because of their insistence that they're right."
"Fine Gella. Whatever."
And then I remember... my father is one of those customers.

Sonya, the Sales Floor Coach that day: *handing me a pager* "A gentleman just gave me this pager and left... he said that his name was on the list and that you helped someone else before him. He was really mad."
Me: "That's impossible. I've only taken names down."
Sonya: "I dunno... he said he saw you helping two gentlemen"
Me: *looking at my list, then looking around* Those two over there. One of them is Curtis. He's on the list. I took his name down. I just took his name down. *looks at the list again* Dex must have seen me talking to Curtis and assumed I was helping him." *trying really hard not to get angry/upset* "I just took his name down, same as I did with Dex! I did exactly the same thing that I did with him!"
Sonya: You couldn't have done anything. He made an assumption. Its not your fault.
Me: *getting exasperated* I just took his name down! He didn't wait to find that out! He didn't ask! He just assumed! I did exactly the same thing with him! What does he want from me? What??"
Sonya *giving me a hug* "It's okay Gella. It's okay."

I love my job. And most of my customers are wonderful and very appreciative of the service they recieve at my store. But... on those really busy days, its the 4% that really stick out. And its really hard not to dwell on them, get mad wonder what you could have done, should have said, and beat yourself up. Fortunately I have wonderful supportive co-workers who can make anything better with a kind encouraging word and a warm hug.

But oh man... that Friday...

Elfa Rules! We're planning to redo our standard "shelf and bar around the whole closet" walk-in closet in our master bedroom with an Elfa design. I really like the wood tone stuff Elfa has. Now just gotta save up the money to do it.

Just so you know, anything in ventilated Elfa with wood has to be in a two-foot increment. The shelves themselves, as well as the top tracks and standards can be cut down to size, but we can't cut the fascia (the wooden paneling that can go on the front of the shelf) the dresser shelves, the decor drawer frames or the shoe racks.

Also, make sure you take precise measurements of the space itself, not just how much space you figure you want to work with. There are certain rules concerning how much shorter the top track has to be than the wall, and how much longer it has to be than the shelves, and the planner can draw in obstructions or doors and windows into the plan.

I guess what I'm saying is that you should trust that the planner knows what she/he is talking about. I've had frustrating experiences with people who are absolutely convinced that they know more about it than I do and that my training doesn't include how to deal with a radiator or a beam or duct in the ceiling.

I was at the self service checkout at Pathmark. All I bought were a package of basket coffee filters and a packaage of cone coffee filters. the baskets were $1.98 and the cones listed for $3.09 but were on sale for under $2. I didn't remember the exact price. It was probably $1.98 too. When I scanned them the monitor showed:

Pathmark Coffee filters $1.98
Cone filters $3.09

I thought the problem was that it hadn't properly scanned my pathmark card. I hit "cancel" and wanted to start over again. The woman in charge of the self service area asked me [in a rude tone of voice], �Why did you cancel the sale?� I explained what happened and then she help up the basket filters and asked another worker to �check the price on these.� I said, not those, it was the cone filters that were wrong. She said, �I was watching you, it was the second item and that was these.� I said, �look, it says �cone filters $3.09.�� She insisted I was wrong and wouldn�t even look at what it said on the printout she was holding. At that point I lost it. I said. �I can read and I see that it says that it is the cone filters that are $3.09. Is the problem that you can�t read?� She just glared at me. The coworker came back and of course said that the basket filters were $1.98. I might have been cheated out of a few cents but at that point I didn�t care. I am actually hoping that I misread the signs and that the cone filters were really $3.09 and that she let me have them cheap because she wouldn�t bother to read the printout.

Retail is a horrible way to make a living(I know as I have been doing it since I was 15). I stress that to my college age daughter on occasion, hoping it will motivate her to work harder in college. It doesn't even pay well anymore. I used to work nights because it payed more and you could get full time with benefits but not today.
Can I rant about retail bosses in this thread? Most are so cluless, and beyond creating reams of documents that nobody reads they are pretty much useless...They can fax and email with abandon but actual communication skills to solve problems is a skill that eludes most retail managers.
They screw things up totally and I have to bail them out on a daily basis and they get paid alot more than I do.
I work in marketing designing, implementing and troubleshooting hot beverage programs for a convenience store chain. Ok I am done ranting(till next week anyway.)

"Information is put out. Communication is getting through."

I love my company.

Give some examples. That is the most fun to read and feels the best when you get it off your chest.

Ok heres one:

My boss scheduled a training meeting for a new beverage dispensing machine being placed in our stores. The meeting was a training meeting for the maintenance people who will be repairing the machines. I attended the meeting and brought the machine which would be used for the training. The machine was one that was damaged during shipping and needed some minor repairs. Also attending the meeting was a representative of the company making the machines. He ran the meeting presented information and answered questions about the machine. He was also supposed to bring the parts to repair said machine. Somehow he didn't get the correct info and didn't have the parts(imagine that!). So I gave him my address and told him to ship the parts to me and I would install them and voila a working machine at a nominal cost to our company, much cheaper than shipping the machine back to Canada for repair.

When I told my boss about it he complained:"Why did you do that?? Why did he(the company rep) do that? He shouldn't be doing things like that? Why wasn't I consulted?? etc. etc"

Ooh, I've got one. It's kind of long, though.

J. is our district manager. J., for some reason, is completely distrustful of anything I say.

Every Monday in our stores, we're supposed to highlight the top ten rentals with numbered cover boxes. It's very snazzy. Unfortunately for a long time my store didn't receive the lists and so the Top Ten would go unupdated for long periods of time, unless another store was nice enough to pass on their list which they somehow got on voicemail.

J. was constantly in my store going, "Why isn't this being done? Why aren't you listening to voicemail?"

Repeatedly I told him I had never received Top Ten communications on voicemail. Ever.

Repeatedly, he said, "Of course you have. C. sends them out to every store."

I said, "I've never even received any voicemail from C. the whole time I've worked here. This sounds like a problem, could you ask him to make sure he's got us on his list?"

J. said, "Of course he's got you on his list. You're just not listening to all your voicemail."

Um. Okay. Eventually, I let it go. Some time passed and Jim was back in the store going, "Hey, why isn't the Top Ten up to date?"

*facepalm*

I reminded him of our previous conversations. He was still adamant that I was somehow just missing C.'s messages. He said, "Let me call him, I'll prove it to you."

And he got on the phone with C. Turns out I was right: C. had never had my store on his mailing list -- and we'd been going a year without a weekly message from him which made a lot of our merchandising much less of a mystery now that we could hear it.

The kicker? I got scolded for not being more forceful the first time I asked J. to call C. Apparently it was my fault for not being more insistent, instead of his fault for thinking I was lying.

ARRRGGGH! Can I beat him up for you?

That really is a typical response. A person makes a mistake and then rather than accept responsibility looks to pass it off on the person that pointed out the mistake.

Why call him J most of the time and then Jim later? ;)

friends don't let friends work retail.