Retail Record

The End......at least for now.

2006-12-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

My new job is working out EXTREMELY WELL. My bosses seem to be just the right balance of hands-off while still directing. One is a little too concerned about making sure I'm comfortable with every step of the learning/doing process. Perhaps I should explain to her that the way I become comfortable with something is by doing it, even if it IS uncomfortable to start with.

I've had a big hand in the hiring. Being able to interview people with resumes and education is a nice change from high school students with no job experience. I've interviewed some very nice and competent people but also some really weird ones. I'm hiring only good people--no employees whose best quality is that their bodies are warm. I'm also planning on being proactive with hiring to avoid being stuck short-handed at critical times.

I had to sign probably a half-dozen agreements: confidentiality, non-compete, non-disclosure, etc. No non-blogging agreements, HOWEVER…….the nature of the business does require a level of privacy that the old one didn't. If someone did find me out, anything I wrote could severely impact the reputation of the business, perhaps in an irreversible way. In this business, reputation and trustworthiness of the staff are paramount. Even in the short time I've worked here, the owner has been entirely too good to me to risk all the time, money, and effort that she's put into the business over the last months even before opening.

I'd like to continue writing, but I don't see any way to do so without jeopardizing the privacy of our clients. Some of the situations I've already encountered are really private and no one's business, yet I have to know in order to perform the services for our clients. I'm trusted not to reveal the intricate details and problems that led them to need our services in the first place.

While anonymizing things, changing details, etc. could possibly work to protect the identities of the clients, there's still the issue of not disclosing our practices. There are a lot of company-specific terms and abbreviations that I've had to learn, so one mis-written word would make it obvious to those within the business that there was someone among them revealing company secrets and sales techniques. Even if if was in an anonymous way, I could be potentially hurting the business/my boss/a lot of other people with my writing.

So, I guess this is goodbye. I'll continue reading blogs and occasionally commenting, but writing one.....not at this time. I've enjoyed getting to "know" everyone. Have a great holiday!

No homework for me!

2006-12-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

I'm at a training conference. My boss gave me notes to review to "help" me with the training. Tonight's homework assignment? Her notes, nearly word for word. Guess who's going out on the (small) town tonight?

Goodbye Party

2006-11-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

About half the employees showed up to my goodbye party......the ones who liked me and I liked them. The person hosting the party may have even *forgotten* to invite a couple of employees who should have been fired weeks ago (if Boss had any kind of backbone).

We talked, joked, ate, drank (non-alcoholic drinks only, as the party was IN the store), and generally just had fun together. It's a tradition to do a late-night party for good employees when they leave. It's also a tradition to do bad things to the cars of aforementioned employees. Guess where I parked? RIGHT IN FRONT of the store where a quick glance outside could confirm that my car was SAFE and not being filled with packing peanuts or wrapped in saran wrap or having goofy things written on the windows or being wrapped in streamers or any of the other things that have been done in the past.

Everyone behaved inside the store, too. WOW! We had fun while still being grown-up! No water balloon fights or shaving cream explosions or ice down the shirt or anything along those lines. A nice goodbye. Bittersweet, but nice. Some really creative/cute stuff was written in the card and I received several funny gifts. A hug from Duh Boy, who will be leaving as soon as he confirms another job. We had some good times together.

I can't help thinking that it's Black Friday and they're all working with neurotic customers while I'm enjoying a Th-F paid holiday from New Job. I considered going out in the madness to shop, but my cozy home is so much nicer!

More Customers

2006-11-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

My last few days on the job were pretty smooth. However, as always, there were some customer issues.

One customer was upset because I wouldn't refund an item. The item was visibly used but the customer claimed she hadn't even taken it out of the package. Sure. I offered a store credit anyway. She didn't have a receipt and the packaging was over a year old, so I COULD NOT give a refund. That was unacceptable to the woman. Anything other than cash was "disgusting. Isn't there a manager around?" I'm a manager. "Well, then you should be able to refund my money NOW." Not without a receipt. "Who keeps receipts? That's ridiculous. I want to call someone RIGHT NOW!!" I gave her the corporate number and she wanted to use the store phone. I refused. That line is for INCOMING calls. Not letting her use my phone was "disgusting," too.

Another manager with her high maturity level threw something at an employee and it bounced off the employee and grazed a customer. Brilliant. I was next to her when she did it so the woman demanded both of our names. Great....that'll sound real good. "I'm outraged! Your employee THREW SOMETHING AT ME! It HIT ME!" What's the employee's name? "There were two girls, A and B." It just happened to be A's last day....maybe she was getting back at the customer.....let's not ever hire her again. Not that I'm planning on working for them again, but the door is/was open for that, and it's so stupid if the lady lumps me together with the immature manager.

Customers

2006-11-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

A woman stormed up to where I was straightening a shelf and whined, "Can't you open another register?" I glanced at the front and the lines were growing so I went to the front to open the register. The woman jumped in front of a couple of people who had been waiting for longer but they weren't paying attention so I went ahead and rang her. She had only one item, which she had a coupon to get free. She failed to read the small print that said "customer is responsible for sales tax." She had NO money on her so had to return to her vehicle and hold up the line still further.

Another woman was on hold for far longer than she should have been…..it was busy, an employee was on break, the nephew's friend was AWOL, and when I finally got around to the phone call (after attending to the customers IN THE STORE first), the woman complained about the wait and then asked her question, "How much are the {mumble mumble mumble}?" The what? "The e-nun-ci-ate eve-ry syl-la-ble. NEVER MIND" {click} So, why did she stay on hold for so long, then?

Not My Problem

2006-11-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

With one week left before starting my new job, I still arrive and leave on time, take my normal lunch break, and do my normal hard work, yet I don't want to start any involved projects or expend any extra effort. Even the routine tasks……I want to leave them in good shape so that my replacement doesn't have extra work, yet I have a strong feeling (having worked with her before) that she won't stay on top of things like I have. Why leave things in A condition if she'll keep them in C- condition?

My mindset towards problems has also changed. Things that used to annoy me and make me want to tear my hair out don't have the same effect because I know that before long I'll have a different set of things to deal with but with a more enlightened boss/company.

Customer upset because we've gone 8 consecutive weeks without a popular item, despite all manner of begging on our part to the vendor rep, corporate, and anyone else who will listen to try to get some of the item?

No longer my problem.

Vendor Rep G comes in and throws a fit about Product G not having the same amount of shelf space as the more popular Products A, B, C, D, E, F, and Q through Z and apparently because of some obscure contract language we have to give them equal space, yet that contract doesn't change the fact that we DON'T HAVE ANY space to give to them?

Not my problem.

Corporate institutes REALLY STUPID new way of doing necessary task?

Also not my problem. If they cared about their employees the way they say they do, they wouldn't even think of doing it this way. It will take about 3~4 times as long and be a ROYAL PITA this way. What were they thinking?!

Fat Girl gets progressively stinkier while also doing less and less each shift, but we can't get rid of her (Boss says) because she's cheap to pay and at least she shows up for her shifts?

Not my problem. (Unless I suffocate from the fumes in the next week. That's a possibility. But my breath-holding skills are up to a record high, so maybe I'll survive.)

New guy quits without notice and a junior manager is talking about leaving and there are NO decent applications AT ALL?

DEFINITELY not my problem!! I've been telling Boss for WEEKS that we need to hire people, primarily to get rid of Fat Girl and have some backup if someone gets sick or, what do you know, it's retail, QUITS WITHOUT NOTICE!!

Nephew's friend CANNOT tell time if his life depended on it, while discipline problems continue because he knows he's untouchable?

Not my problem.

MOST DEFINITELY NOT MY PROBLEM!!

LAG Returns

2006-11-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

I am trying REALLY HARD to be positive during my last two weeks on the job. But in the 1.4 seconds that it took for the news of my departure to spread, other dissatisfied employees flocked to me.

One of the junior managers (formally known as "Duh Boy") thinks it will be "weird" with me gone and is thinking about leaving the store himself. He often knocks heads with another of the senior-level managers (my level) who is well-known for being a hypocritical bitch.......I've had to intervene on several occasions because I was afraid things were going to come to physical blows. With me gone, it might be full-out war between the two.

Another employee came to me with a problem about how the shelves are being stocked. "Have you heard that I'm leaving soon?" Yes. "OK, so tell Boss because I can't do anything about it." Which is how it's been all along, really.......as essentially a shift manager I can only do so much while I'm working. If Boss doesn't care and doesn't do anything about sub-standard work on ALL shifts, then trying to change standards on just my shift is pointless.

LAG is returning to the store to fill my position. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA She originally left the store because she couldn't get along with the hypocritical bitch manager (HBM). LAG and I had our difficulties, but we acted like adults and took problems into the office and rationally discussed them until we came up with a solution. Sometimes the peace was tenuous, but we acted professionally most of the time.

LAG has a very strong personality that I GUARANTEE will rub lots of people, both customers and employees, the wrong way. How Boss thinks LAG and HBM will function as equals when Boss provides no leadership......I see a total staff change coming soon. And I don't think staffing will become stable again until either LAG or HBM leaves, or Boss leaves and a stronger or more involved manager comes to run the store. This should be very interesting……I'm glad I won't be around to witness it firsthand!! I'll have my spies update me on the progress of the war. : )

My New Job

2006-11-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

Continued from Why I Quit

I gave 2 weeks notice to a very surprised Boss. Under normal circumstances I would have given a month, considering my management position, but two weeks is expected and perfectly adequate and I'm ready to be gone. The first thing out of her mouth was, "Was it something I did?" Oh, how I wished I could say everything I wrote in the previous post. But don't burn bridges and all that. So I replied, "No, it's just time for a change and there have been a lot of little things lately and I think I could be more effective somewhere else." OK, so I got a little dig in. I wasn't sure if she'd accept the 2 weeks notice…..in our store usually employees are allowed to work the 2 weeks, but in another region there are rumors of managers being shown the door upon resignation.

What I wrote yesterday is what I've been considering for the last couple of weeks since a very appealing job opportunity fell into my lap. I wasn't looking for another job and hadn't seriously considered leaving, despite the escalating problems. But when a family member recommended me for a job in a completely different field but one that I've worked in and enjoyed before, making more money than I'm making now, with a different kind of stress (perhaps less?), more vacation days, paid holidays, more respect, more input into important decisions, better (although similar number of) hours, almost no physical strain/danger of throwing out your back/cutting off a finger/falling off a ladder/etc........I had to apply. (Downside: longer commute.)

After reviewing the rules for cover letters and resumes, I sent my info in. First came the phone interview, then the real interview, which lasted nearly 90 minutes. Then the tour of the facilities, and finally the background check, credit check, criminal record check, driver's record check, contact of references, confirmation of former employers, blood type, mother's maiden name, kindergarten teacher's fingerprints, and whatever else I signed they were allowed to do. FINALLY I got the call for a "lunch meeting." That's code talk for "salary negotiations." Fifty applicants, and I got the offer. When I want to sell something, I sell it.

It's a start-up business so there will be a lot of work involved, but I'm up for the challenge. There's also some risk that it could go under, but after examining the business model and meeting the owner and director, I don't think so. I'll be working with educated people instead of just the warm bodies that I'm sometimes forced to employ in retail. I'll go through an actual training program (in another, very-cool, near a good friend's house, state) instead of a guessing game as to how the higher-ups want things done. The owner would be on the premises much of the time, seeing how things work day-to-day, working and sweating side-by-side with the employees and thus not instituting impossible standards.

I feel the slightest bit guilty about leaving my store just before the holiday season starts. Not necessarily because of loyalty to the company, for it's been neglecting its employees for some time now. But because of leaving my good employees at the most stressful time of the year without me, one of the most productive and competent employees. (Am I vain? Maybe, but also truthful.)

I hadn't told ANYONE at work about ANYTHING leading up to this. It was hard not to share my excitement at each step towards getting the new job, but I knew it wasn't appropriate to share until I had the new job. Then I made sure Boss knew first. Another manager saw me leaving the office with Boss and asked what was up so we told her. By tomorrow everyone will know.

Why I Quit

2006-11-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

I've been getting really fed up with Boss. She is WAY too hands-off. She lets employees get away with everything--calling in "sick" whenever they feel like it, salaried employees coming in late and leaving early, people not doing their jobs yet there are no consequences. By not enforcing standards, managers are left to do a lot of the work that WE SHOULD NOT BE DOING. With proper training and standards, we wouldn't have to re-do a lot of the routine-anyone-can-do-them tasks instead of doing the tasks we get paid to do, like optimizing inventory numbers, increasing sales, merchandising more effectively, and SUPERVISING.

Employees' friends hang out at the store, personal cell phones are used on the sales floor for chit chat, etc. Boss apparently thinks that I'm too rough on employees. But I'm not…I just want them to do the jobs they're being paid to do! Further, she's hired another of the nephew's friends. Just two weeks, and there have already been problems. (And that's not counting the borderline sexual harassment or rumors of drugs. In a drug-free workplace. Right.)

Boss told me that she might be leaving next year. That would give me a good chance of being promoted and doubling my salary for very little extra work, especially since Boss is so disorganized and inefficient that I already do a lot of her work for her. Then she goes over the payroll budget by a MILE so I don't get a full bonus. If the employees weren't goofing off all day, then we could easily stay within budget. But that would require action on her part……to punish and perhaps fire the slackers. That would mean she would be unpopular…..that would be terrible. If I were to get the store, I could clean it up in 3 months, tops. Then again, they could bring someone in from another store or someone from outside the company. Possibly someone even worse than her. There are no guarantees.

Several stores in the chain have closed lately. The employees received NO NOTICE and no severance or anything. We're expected to give notice when we quit yet they can let everyone go whenever they feel like it? It doesn't show much respect for the employees. I do realize why they're doing it like that (to prevent the employees from stealing everything), but what about those with mortgages or whatever........NO notice?!

Further, the company's new customer service campaign is SO STUPID. It would work if we were some high-end store with entry restricted to only those who could afford to pay. But we're a store where lots of people browse, even more parents bring their kids as a form of entertainment, let the kids wreck the store and break things, take up lots of our time, and then leave without buying a SINGLE THING. Providing that level of service to every person who walks in the door is unreasonable.

Then I worked the whole weekend short-handed. One guy misread the schedule and I wasn't able to contact him, another guy called in "sick" (note the quotation marks—rumor has it he was nursing a hangover) and another employee worked a few hours and then quit because she was "too tired" to have a job anymore. (This just in……she quit so she could go to a local amusement park…….wait for it……with her best friend, the other manager—not Boss—who told me TO MY FACE that she didn't know anything about the girl quitting and hadn't seen or talked with her since their last shift together. Lied. To my face. Not cool.)

Retail will always have some incompetence and high turnover because, especially for the front-line crew, the pay sucks. Of course, it's not that great for me, either. Boss is the only one to get decent pay, especially considering what (little) she does.

Some of these problems are unique to my company; some aren't. Some of these problems are unique to my particular store; some aren't. There will always be shoplifters and unreasonable customers who lie to corporate to get free stuff. That's retail, anywhere. Now corporate believing the customer and rushing to chop off heads--that is, I hope, just a my company thing.

Am I willing to put up with all that? For a whole career? For another year, even?

Continued in My New Job

Minor Stuff

2006-10-31T20:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a little bit of the Extremely Minor Stuff that's been happening. I can't discuss the Major Stuff yet. Maybe later. Hopefully soon.

1. A customer thought she knew better than us how to do our jobs and if she didn't get her way she threatened to call a certain governmental agency that could cause us a lot of headaches. I checked with the regional manager, who confirmed that we were doing everything right, so if Miss Know-It-All wanted to call Big Bad Governmental Agency then let her. She wasn't getting her way. No matter what. No. And that's final. So far, no Big Scary Intimidating Official Visit. That's good.

2. We had both an ambulance and a full-sized fire truck show up in our parking lot. Crazy lady had been sitting in her car for so long that someone thought she was having a heart attack and called 911. Later she finally came in to shop, spending her normal three hours touching everything, moving things to where she thought they should be, and spending THIRTY MINUTES writing her check……I am NOT EXAGGERATING!!

3. We had a 3-page letter come in from a customer detailing how wonderful we are and how pleased she is by our service and how she will always shop with us from now on and never with Major Competitor because we're so much better. A copy went to our company president…..way to go us!

4. And finally, a strange bit…..specialty stores carry their specialty items. We are not a grocery store or a general store. We are a SPECIALTY store. People come in and ask for the STRANGEST things—duct tape, batteries, snacks, TV guides, band-aids……what do they think we are?!

Off Topic

2006-10-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

Have you ever repeatedly translated a phrase from one language to another in one way and then met someone who translates it a different way and you think that while both translations make sense and are accurate, that knowing both translations adds something to the meaning of the phrase? Yeah, that happened to me today. Exciting. Thought I'd share.

Impatient and ???

2006-10-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

Another impatient person today. There was a short line (2~3 people) for the one open register. The impatient woman wanted another register open and was being quite vocal about it. She acted like anyone can open any register at any time whatsoever. No. Employees can only open registers that they've been cleared for or assigned to. Sharing of registers is a big no-no.

I went to the customer service counter to open a register. The lady complained about having to walk 10 feet. I cleared some paperwork out of the way and took more time than required to open the register. I signed onto the main menu, signed off the main menu, went into the payroll menu to see who was working today, then into the register menu. She continued to mutter under her breath as I rang her items.

When I told her the total she couldn't find her money. She searched through her purse as the other cashier began checking out the final person in the other line. Finally she found her money and paid. When I returned her change her hand was like a limp rag and she dropped the coins. Then she stared at me like I was disrespecting her. I apologized and when I returned her bills I placed them in her hand more carefully yet she still held her hand so the money would fall right off. I applied pressure to the money until she grabbed it. She had a disgusted look on her face and told her daughter that she was never shopping with us again. ??? I am SO confused!

A "Return"

2006-10-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

STUFF continues. For now, stories I've been saving up:

I was called to the front to process an exchange. The woman acted REALLY suspicious. She had no receipt and had already gathered the things she wanted to exchange for the item. She had figured it out nearly to the penny, already knowing that we don't give money back without a receipt, but also determined that she wasn't paying anything. At first she owed me a couple of dollars so she had me take off an item and then add another of her smaller items on until she ended up owing me 5 cents.

The item she "returned" was a bulky item with a medium-sized price. The cashier couldn't remember if the woman entered the store with the item or not. Usually I have people leave returns in the front and only THEN go and gather what they want instead. It would have been very easy for the woman to pick up the "return" as she was gathering the things she was "exchanging" it for. That cashier MUST pay better attention to the doors!!

New Post Coming Soon......

2006-10-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

I've been busy with Stuff. Will be back soon.

Price Changes

2006-10-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Price changes are a PAIN. It seems they're constantly changing; I see inflation in action all the time.

Gas prices went up, so vendors charged fuel surcharge, so prices went up. Then gas prices went down (slightly) but vendors continued charging fuel surcharges so prices stayed level.
A popular item was constantly sold out, so the company got greedy and upped the price so much that demand decreased to practically nothing. So then they lowered the price considerably.

Each time prices change, something gets missed. Maybe we change the price on the shelf but miss it on a special display. Or perhaps it's an item that is priced individually so we re-price most of them but miss a few that are cross-merchandised in another section. Very few customers realize the pricing error until AFTER the transaction is finished or until they get home. Then there's the trouble of doing a return and reselling the item at the price listed on the shelf, then changing the shelf label.

My wish: change prices quarterly or better, twice yearly, as needed. Any more often than that, and it gets out of hand.

Confidential to George

2006-10-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Apparently you have never:

Had someone steal an expensive item, bring it back and demand a refund, then pitch a fit when the refund was refused. Then literally pitch the item itself AT YOUR HEAD for refusing the refund.
Had the power go off with only 2 cashiers in the building and a line that grows to more than 10 people in each line before the power (and cash registers) resume, and listen to the curses, threats, and blame the whole time, despite doing your best at getting prices for 20,000+ items and calculating by hand the whole time.
Had someone break into your store 10 minutes after you left for the night.
Had drunk, drugged, or mentally ill customers who tried to hurt you, sexually harass/assault you, steal merchandise, urinate in an aisle, run the cash register themselves, walk around the store yelling at their "friend," aggressively panhandle right outside your door and refuse to leave until the police arrived, ran full-tilt with a cart and shoved it into the plate-glass window, shattering the whole thing……….shall I go on?
Had counterfeit bills used (and deducted from your paycheck, as the office sees fit).
Had counterfeit traveler's checks used (see above).
Had stolen checks or credit cards attempted to be used, then getting yelled at because you asked for ID. Of course, people with non-stolen checks or credit cards yell at you for requesting ID, too.
Had people pitch a fit because their credit card was declined, "It can't be declined! I'm going to sue you! It's your fault! You made it be declined!"
Had forged coupons used, then when we found out and stopped accepting them, getting yelled at for that, too.

I'm glad you live in such a safe universe with such nice and non-violent customers. I don't. Forgive me if I'm a little cynical.

To respond to your comments:

1. I said I tried to extricate myself from the life story. The customer WOULD NOT ALLOW me to leave.

2. A person who has not bought anything from my store after 5+ interactions is unlikely to. They are not a customer. They are a time-waster and CHEAP.

3. Nowhere in my job description does it say that I have to laugh at stupid jokes. Do you expect me to laugh at racist jokes, too?

4. How many hours is your store open for? I bet mine has yours beat by a mile. Do you sleep at your store, too? So you can serve anyone who stops by and is "just looking, thanks" at any time, day or night?

The computers that I am required to use for EACH AND EVERY SALE take about 20 minutes to start up and a couple of minutes to count into and later about 10 minutes to count out of and 20 minutes to close. After they're closed for the night, I can not restart the system, NO MATTER WHAT.

So say I let someone in early--ignoring the security risk of having my safe open with someone in the store--what if they're ready to check out before 25 minutes has passed? Do you think they're going to wait patiently until the computer is ready? No….been there, done that. And an after-hours sale? Even if I broke the OWNER'S RULES and recorded a sale by hand to enter in the computer the next day, it's just entirely too dangerous to have someone in the store that late. There have been WAY too many robberies in the area lately from people who "just want one thing." They can wait until the next day to get that one thing. It's not worth the risk to the employees or the store.

Wow. I sure feel better. Because, you know, that's what this blog is for me......a way to release stress. You should see the comments and letters I get from customers praising the job that I do each and every day. The good customers don't need to be written about. They were pleasureable interactions but don't make for very good stories. The bad customers........the things I can't say to them, I write. Here. And thus relieve my stress and feel so much better. The bad customers, they make for good stories. That's why this blog is full of them. Make your own judgement about the job that I do or my suitability for my job. My boss, my boss's boss, my employees, and most importantly, I myself know the value of my work.

Good vs. Bad: Auto Repairs

2006-10-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Recently I took my vehicle to get its oil changed. A day or two later someone pointed out a huge pool of liquid under the vehicle. I checked the oil, and it was low. I returned the vehicle to the dealership's service department and they corrected whatever they hadn't done before and replaced the oil. I was getting ready to leave on a 2500+ mile road trip. I don't notice things like pools of liquid under vehicles. If that friend hadn't pointed out the problem, I might have been a couple of hundred miles down the road, in the middle of nowhere and in unfamiliar territory, before the oil warning light came on. I could have been stuck in an area with no cellular service and/or had severe engine damage. I was NOT happy. Having to make TWO trips to the dealership in the final days before my trip does not make me want to visit them again anytime soon.

Another day, I was on the first leg of the extremely long road trip. My travel companion plugged one too many things into the cigarette lighter and blew a fuse. A fuse that controlled not only the cigarette lighter, but also the side mirrors and the RADIO/CD PLAYER. A long road trip with no music? Impossible! Luckily we knew where a {my vehicle dealership} was and stopped by, hoping for a quick fix but realizing that it might take a while.

The person I was traveling with *thought* he could fix the problem himself if he had the fuse. Well, fuses are harder to get to than you would think! An employee from the parts department came out to the vehicle to see if he could determine what size fuse was needed. It took him a couple of trips inside to consult his book before even he could find where the blown fuse was. With some difficulty he changed the fuse. No appointment, a busy service department, and the employee went above and beyond to help us, getting us in and out in half an hour. On top of all that, he refused any payment AT ALL. Then he wished us a good trip before returning to his official job. Impressive! They EXCEEDED my expectations. Unfortunately, this dealership is too far away for me to visit regularly. But not too far away to consider using when I need a new vehicle.

Good vs. Bad: Department Stores

2006-10-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

I walked into a {mid-range department store} to return an item. Though it was in the store's bag and I had a receipt, I was hesitant to go into the store very far with the return. I walked to the unattended service desk, pushed the "help" button, and waited. And waited. I looked around, saw not a single person, and waited.

Finally I saw some sign of life from the far side of the store so walked toward the movement. I found two associates who were talking about their weekend plans. When I approached, they stopped talking and one offered to help. As she did the return she talked, and talked, and talked. She commented on my recent purchases. She asked about the store where I worked. She talked about the weather. I wasn't interested in talking. I had a long list of errands to do and then I had to go to my store and do a lot of things there. Yet she talked, and talked. I was not happy with the service because they fell far short of my expectations. I expected to have someone nearby when I entered the store, and I expected to get in and out quickly.

Another day I entered a {different mid-range department store} in need of a single item. I was out of town and the weather had changed unexpectedly and I was in desperate need of a warm jacket. The associates were visible, though helping customers. The jackets were conspicuously displayed and they had something I liked in my size. I very easily found a place to pay. In and out. While I didn't receive assistance from the employees, I could see where they were (and that they were busy) if I did need help. A satisfactory experience. Not great, but satisfactory.

Good Service vs. Bad Service

2006-10-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've been on the receiving end of lots of customer service lately. Some was good, some was mediocre, while some was bad. Being at the receiving end reinforced what customers are looking for. I'll definitely keep these experiences in mind when I'm working. To make for manageable reading, I've broken it into three parts.

Hotels: of course you're going to get a better room when you pay more money. The difference between a $40 room and a $90 room is HUGE. (Hint: $40 rooms are a little scary!) But at the cheaper hotel the desk clerk said the room number aloud not once, but twice, with another person nearby. At the moderately priced hotel the clerk gave us directions to the room by drawing a line on the hotel map, circling the room number, and writing it on the bottom of the map. That's the way it's done. If I had been traveling by myself, at the first place I would have refused the room (even though it was the last of its type). With a companion, it was only slightly unsafe, and we were tired.

Restaurants: two nationally known chains, both moderately nice places. At the one with the better reputation, the waiter was overly attentive to the point of being annoying, and then argued over prices when the menu was unclear. The manager ended up revising the ticket, but will I be back? Probably not soon. The restaurant known more for family meals had a waiter who pointed out the specials, warned us that the kitchen was a little backed up, but if we were in a hurry he could speed our order through. No, we're on vacation. No hurry. Take your time. The food arrived just as fast as at the other place, with a clear menu/ticket. The restaurant had better lighting, better food, and was a better experience. The waiter was attentive, but let us have a nice conversation without interrupting every five minutes. I had never been there before, but if there's one in my area, I will definitely be back.

Life Story

2006-10-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here's the situation: it was a busy day. No kidding. It's Saturday. Every Saturday is insanely busy with every type of customer imaginable, plus all the crazies who are kept locked up during the week. There were customers everywhere buying lots of stuff so there were lots of empty shelves to fill, things to clean up, etc. in between helping customers.

I was helping a woman, her problem was solved, and it was at the point in the sale where she should proceed to the registers and pay. However, she felt the need to tell me her life story.

Three times.

Every attempt by me to get her to the registers and out the door failed. Her story was so important that she must tell it to me.

Three times.

By the middle of the third time, I stopped responding and just stood there, waiting for her to finish and hoping she wouldn't start on a fourth time. When she finally noticed that I wasn't listening in rapt attention and instead was slouched over, yawning, and dying of boredom, she became angry and accused me of poor customer service. Yeah. Sure. The ten customers waiting for my assistance would probably love to receive ANY customer service if you'd stop WASTING MY TIME!

New Blog

2006-10-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

Several interesting things have happened lately. Now, you know what "interesting" means, right? They make for really good stories, but stories that are so specific to my particular store that I can't share them right now.

In the meantime, check out this blog for the behind-the-counter view from a Pizza Hut in the UK.

Confusion

2006-09-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have many confused customers.

One man returned an item because it was "torn" when he bought it. Then he discovered that it was the wrong item and he wasn't sure which the right item was. He wanted to open packages until he found the one that he usually buys. I let him open a couple but then told him that I couldn't let him open all of the packages because no one will buy them once they've been open. (He had NO IDEA which of the 20~30 items he was looking for.)

But really, manufacturers, please listen: See-through packages! They're the thing of the future! Or a picture of the item on the outside of the package! That would work, too. Help make many lives easier by making everyone less confused!

Debit or Credit?

2006-09-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

I was manning a register during a busy period. The customer scanned her card through our machine and then waited while I continued ringing her items. Since it was a small transaction, I didn't need to see/hold the card, though I got a glimpse of it. When I finished with her items, I prompted her, "Is that a credit?" since our machines don't know the difference between a credit and a debit unless we tell them.

"No, it's a discover."

Well, that would be considered a credit!

Other customers with bank cards have NO IDEA how they work. I ask, "Credit or debit?" They respond:

"I don't know. It's an ATM card." OK....debit.
"The bank gave it to me." Right. Do you want to use it as a debit or a credit? "What's the difference?" It depends on your bank. Some banks charge depending on how you use the card. "Well, which is cheaper?" It varies. Bank A charges each time you enter your PIN. Bank B charges a percentage of the sale if you use it as a credit. Bank C doesn't charge at all. "I use Bank D. What's their policy?" I don't know.....I've never had an account at Bank D. {That is, of course, poor customer service to not know Bank D's policy.}
"Debit." Sure. {Hit appropriate button.} Go ahead and enter your PIN. "PIN? I don't have one of those!" So it's a credit? "No! I don't want to use it as a credit." : 0 Well, you have two choices: debit.....or......credit. "Can't you just bill my office?" No.

A14

2006-09-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

Customer: I need {Company A's Product 11} but in a smaller package.

I think: That manufacturer doesn't MAKE that in a smaller package.

I say: Are you sure it wasn't made by {Company B} or maybe it was {Company A's Product 14}?

Customer: Oh, I'm POSITIVE. It was {Company A's Product 11}. I ALWAYS buy it here. It used to be on this aisle but you've moved everything around.

Me: What did it look like?

Customer: Just like this (holding up a package)! Where's the smaller package?! I ALWAYS get it here!

Me: Follow me. Is this it?

Customer: YES! That's it!

For the record: It was Company A's Product 14 that the customer was looking for, NOT Company A's Product 11. Product 14 does, indeed, come in a small package. Product 11 does not. The two products are entirely different and in entirely different packages. The customer never realized that there was a difference. Spaceship? Ship to sail in the sea? They're the same thing, right?

Busy, Busy

2006-09-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday. It's retail. It's busy.

A man came in with a school-aged kid and found all of our shopping carts being used. He shouted out in a disgusted tone of voice to no one in particular, "This is ridiculous! We're going to {Main Competitor}!" Fine. You'll pay more. I could understand the man leaving if he was with a baby or young children where a cart would be necessary just to control the children, but especially to shop. But the school-aged kid could have helped carry stuff.

After they walked out, several employees and customers shook their heads in disbelief. How petty!