Customer Service

[MIKE1218]

So, finish the story. Did the guy leave, chew out your manager, what??

I don't know exactly what he said to the manager, but I believe he was asked to leave if he cannot control himself.

 

[DaveE]

I worked retail when I was in college. I worked part of that time at Sears when they were serious about the customer is always right and take anything back.

Most people treated the policy in a reasonable way but some were just nuts. I've forgotten the details except that a woman was giving all kinds of crap and screaming at me. I let her go for a few minutes and then stopped her. With a big smile on my face I said, "Could you excuse me while I get my manager, because to be honest, I don't get paid enough to take this shit."

I would have been fired if she had complained but I didn't care. Instead, she just paused and then got nice. Most people back down when they realize you won't roll over.

And Mike, I thought you handled the guy very well.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I've worked in customer service for almost all of my working life, and it still amazes me just how rude and just outright mean customers can be. Sometimes I want to say to these people "Hey, where do you work? I'm going to go to your place of work and get in your face when your helping someone else/refuse to acknowledge my unrealistic request/give me a refund for no reason...."

Even in the hypersensitive world of retail/customer service, where customer retention and service are priority number 1, I refuse to take any verbal abuse from a customer, and I don't believe ANYbody has to take it. There's no excuse for sinking to their level and being rude right back, but there have been times where I've had a customer rude and abusive to the point of almost needing to have the police called (happened one time) where I've had to say "Look, if you're going to talk to me or my employees that way, you're going to have to leave. When you can talk to me or my employees like a civilized adult, we will be more than willing to assist you."

I worked retail when I was in college. I worked part of that time at Sears when they were serious about the customer is always right and take anything back.

Most people treated the policy in a reasonable way but some were just nuts. I've forgotten the details except that a woman was giving all kinds of crap and screaming at me. I let her go for a few minutes and then stopped her. With a big smile on my face I said, "Could you excuse me while I get my manager, because to be honest, I don't get paid enough to take this shit."

I would have been fired if she had complained but I didn't care. Instead, she just paused and then got nice. Most people back down when they realize you won't roll over.

And Mike, I thought you handled the guy very well.

Not insinuating this is in any way the case with Mike, as he could only do so much, as was the case.

Up here in the NE though, I actually believe it is many of the people in retail establishments that need to learn how to appropriately treat their customers. I worked retail up until the time I was about 22-23 and based on how we were expected to treat customers, I only see a small amount of people up here that would last more than a week. Seems like the majority of people up here have the attitude they would rather be on unemployment than show any weakness by treating customers with any type of respect.

I still go back to the Midwest alot, and it seems like once you cross the Mississippi River things change. The Majority of the people in retail up here have no business being in retail, and have a chip on their shoulder. In the process, it is sometimes hard to expect the customer to give you the benefit of the doubt. Any more it seems that I only shop at places that offer self service so I can simply avoid the staff. I think if people do not learn to realize that what seperates them from a computer self checkout is being courteous. Yet most up here expect from their customers what they will not provide and return, and it is becoming more and more common to see them replaced by machine as a result.

Because of my past and upbringing I am as nice, understanding and courteous as a customer as anyone you will ever meet, but it is hard sometimes to realize many of the people are entitled to make a living and not return the same to their customers.

I am really not kidding when I say that I have bad experience with retail employees up here a very, very, high majority of the time. Not just isolated incidents. Have even said on here in the past that in my life, my experience in Orlando the first time was the only place I ever saw that was worse, and as a result, my second time down there I only stuck with big chains, golf courses, and resorts. Usually big chains are sometimes the few places you see reasonable service the majority of the time in areas such as this. They never know when someone is going to send in a secret shopper as was the case in most of the places I ever worked.

 

[DaveE]

Not insinuating this is in any way the case with Mike, as he could only do so much, as was the case.

Up here in the NE though, I actually believe it is many of the people in retail establishments that need to learn how to appropriately treat their customers. I worked retail up until the time I was about 22-23 and based on how we were expected to treat customers, I only see a small amount of people up here that would last more than a week. Seems like the majority of people up here have the attitude they would rather be on unemployment than show any weakness by treating customers with any type of respect.

I still go back to the Midwest alot, and it seems like once you cross the Mississippi River things change. The Majority of the people in retail up here have no business being in retail, and have a chip on their shoulder. In the process, it is sometimes hard to expect the customer to give you the benefit of the doubt. Any more it seems that I only shop at places that offer self service so I can simply avoid the staff. I think if people do not learn to realize that what seperates them from a computer self checkout is being courteous. Yet most up here expect from their customers what they will not provide and return, and it is becoming more and more common to see them replaced by machine as a result.

Because of my past and upbringing I am as nice, understanding and courteous as a customer as anyone you will ever meet, but it is hard sometimes to realize many of the people are entitled to make a living and not return the same to their customers.

I am really not kidding when I say that I have bad experience with retail employees up here a very, very, high majority of the time. Not just isolated incidents. Have even said on here in the past that in my life, my experience in Orlando the first time was the only place I ever saw that was worse, and as a result, my second time down there I only stuck with big chains, golf courses, and resorts. Usually big chains are sometimes the few places you see reasonable service the majority of the time in areas such as this. They never know when someone is going to send in a secret shopper as was the case in most of the places I ever worked.

No doubt the craziness goes both ways. I should have pointed out that was the one and only time I ever lost it. You really had to be there. One of my new pet peeves is paying for something at any retailer and waiting to see if they say anything close to thank you. Some do but I'd say more than half just hand you your change.

Having been in the position of having to hire people at retail wages I can tell you it's a challenge. Maybe not so hard with our current economic conditions but in good times it's a bitch.

 

[Rockford35]

I worked 7 years in retail. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt (it was on sale! ).

You see the best and worst of people on both sides of the coin. Customers treating employees like dirt and vice versa.

I recall one story where I was getting chewed out by a lady who was obviously insane. I think they call them "maniacs". Anyways, I had handled the situation calmly and cooly, as I had the attitude that it wasn't personal for me, so why let someone make me lose my cool when I don't have to? This lady went off, and asked to speak to the manager. I said "no problem, but he'll say the same thing." She said "we'll see. I have a pretty good idea that you're pulling the wool over my eyes here."

Ya lady, like I give a rat's if you do or don't get your Playstation. I get zero bonus money, no commission and it's not like it's my playstation to begin with. What do I have to gain by being an *******?

The manager shows, hears her side of the story (which was completely wrong, but I let it go). He says "Ma'am, you're screwed. If you feel that another store might be able to fill your needs, by all means, there's the door."

I was floored.

She stormed off in a huff, never looking back.

He told me afterwards that life was too short to have to deal with that crap, and I didn't get paid enough to warrant being chewed out. That was stellar - to be told that you don't make enough money and that I was right at the same time.

Geeze, thinking back to retail, we did some crazy shit. We rode bikes down the stairs from the stock room to the floor and once kicked footballs through the suspension ceiling for fun. All on work time. I also once threw a BBQ into the compactor because some goof we worked with had cited it as "damaged" to get a huge discount on it when it was perfectly fine. After we were done, we put it back in the box and let him take it home.

Man, we were dinks.

R35

 

[JEFF4i]

Retail is something else man. One time I am trying to sell this guy clubs, he decides he wants some new ones and the total will come up to be around 1,000. Then he asks me, since he can't cover the full amount at the moment, if he can get a loan. Not from the store...from me. Yeah, I told him no.

My wife manages a PetCo out here, and one time noticed someone wanted to look at a pastel python, which is a $150 snake. Well, her coworker is taking care of it, when the same girl asked where the books were for it, and the her coworker turned around to show her, the girl ran off. Just like that, snake in hand, took off with it. She got away, obviously, but the real issue is that it was around 5 degrees out at the time, and if she was going to have it outside at the time, which she would without the proper stuff, odds were it would die.

Crazy people out there!

I feel bad for retail people, not getting paid the best usually, and dealing with everyone's crap.

 

[Skiddlydiddly]

... once threw a BBQ into the compactor because some goof we worked with had cited it as "damaged" to get a huge discount on it when it was perfectly fine. After we were done, we put it back in the box and let him take it home...

LOL! Nice!