The customer is always right? Ha! As if!

[[ Terra ]]

For those that can't be bothered with the mass of text: Shitty customers. Discuss.

My experience in retail has taught me one very important thing: The customer is usually wrong. I seem to recall at one stage there being a thread in here where people discussed receiving bad customer service and their triumphs at showing up lazy or poorly trained shop employees. Well, this thread is to discuss our experiences standing on the other side of the counter, what it's like to be the poor sap standing in front of a register for five hours while customer after customer abuses you for things that you have no control over.

In my eyes, customer service is a two way street. It's not just about how the shop assistant treats the customer, it's about how the customer responds too. If a customer comes in determined to have a bad customer service experience there is really only so much that can be done to try and turn the situation around, and you would be surprised at how many people come in wanting a bad experience, whether it be conscious or subconscious. It seems as though once you put on your work uniform and step behind that counter, people stop viewing you as a human being and instead you become just another commodity or probably more of a punching bag.

So, ATG, things that you as the customer can do to have a good customer service experience:

1) When the person serving you asks you a question or says something to you, don't act like they said nothing, purposefully turn your back on them while they process your purchase, or start up a conversation on your mobile phone. Not only are those things incredibly rude but the reason that the sales assistant is saying something is because it is relevant to your purchase.

2) Yelling at the person behind the register because you racked up a bill of $100 instead of $20 as you had originally intended is not going to achieve anything. It's your own fault, not theirs, that you carelessly fill a whole basket with items without looking at the price tags. That said, that brings us to...

3) READ THE BLOODY PRICE TAGS! Is it really so hard? The large majority of the time that a customer (very rudely) accuses me of ringing up the wrong price they have been wrong. To my recollection, I can count on one hand the number of occasions when the price has actually come up wrong on the computer. On one hand. All other times it has been the customers not being bothered to read the price tags or what the specials are.

4) Don't try to pay for an $80 purchase in small change. Really. Don't. And especially don't get bitchy at the checkout person who is taking their time counting it. You do realise that they have to be accountable for any missing money from their register, don't you?

5) Don't take your $100 note into a small store first thing in the morning and break it on a $0.50 pack of gum. Everyone wants to do this. Everyone who comes in of a morning is breaking notes on tiny purchases. Unless it's a big superstore you are putting a lot of stress on the the person on the checkout who has to manage their register and finds themselves coping crap from people because they suddenly don't have anything but $100 notes and has to close their register while they wait for the manager to come and swap it for smaller stuff.

5) Don't hassle staff who are clearly on their break or have finished their shift and are trying to leave the store. If I'm on my ten minute break and already spending a chunk of that in line at the register with my wallet in hand and trying to buy a something to eat and drink it's just not fair. Really. You're shitty that the store's busy and you're having trouble getting someone to help you? Yeah, well, I have only a ten minute break before I have to go back to standing at a register taking your crap for several more hours. Who really has it worse off? Likewise, if I have my coat and bag in hand it really pisses me off when I miss my bus because of people trying to stop me on my way out.

And finally...

6) Closed means closed. I don't care if you want "just one thing", when the clock ticks past closing time I'm not getting paid any more but I still have to stay back and count up money and close up the store. It's just plain selfish of someone to want us to stay longer.

These are situations that people knowingly go into full well in the knowledge that there is nothing to be done to appease them. It's not fair by the workers and it's not even fair on you the customer. If everyone just used a bit of supposedly 'common' sense, working in retail wouldn't be so stressful and neither would shopping - especially during the Christmas season.  

[124-C]

[ Terra ]

1) When the person serving you asks you a question or says something to you, don't act like they said nothing, purposefully turn your back on them while they process your purchase, or start up a conversation on your mobile phone. Not only are those things incredibly rude but the reason that the sales assistant is saying something is because it is relevant to your purchase.

I have stopped ringing up the persons items and started helping the next customer if the current one stops dealing with me. I figure if they walk away/answer their phone/are otherwise non-responsive, then they have terminated the deal.

Quote:

2) Yelling at the person behind the register because you racked up a bill of $100 instead of $20 as you had originally intended is not going to achieve anything. It's your own fault, not theirs, that you carelessly fill a whole basket with items without looking at the price tags. That said, that brings us to...

These people are being abusive and are then trespassing, I have the right to ask them to leave and to call the police if they refuse. And the police like me, I see and talk to several of them a night.

Quote:

3) READ THE BLOODY PRICE TAGS! Is it really so hard? The large majority of the time that a customer (very rudely) accuses me of ringing up the wrong price they have been wrong. To my recollection, I can count on one hand the number of occasions when the price has actually come up wrong on the computer. On one hand. All other times it has been the customers not being bothered to read the price tags or what the specials are.

"What do you mean Dr. Pepper isn't a Coke/Pepsi product?" rolleyes

Quote:

4) Don't try to pay for an $80 purchase in small change. Really. Don't. And especially don't get bitchy at the checkout person who is taking their time counting it. You do realise that they have to be accountable for any missing money from their register, don't you?

The local government center has a sign by the window that you pay traffic tickets at that says, "No more than $3 worth of coin is accepted for payment." biggrin

Quote:

5) Don't take your $100 note into a small store first thing in the morning and break it on a $0.50 pack of gum. Everyone wants to do this. Everyone who comes in of a morning is breaking notes on tiny purchases. Unless it's a big superstore you are putting a lot of stress on the the person on the checkout who has to manage their register and finds themselves coping crap from people because they suddenly don't have anything but $100 notes and has to close their register while they wait for the manager to come and swap it for smaller stuff.

I will routinely turn these people away. They can go to the bank and come back with something smaller. If they absolutely insist on me making the transaction then they better be prepared to carry around 99 singles, because I will put the $100 in the coin safe and get five rolls of $1s...

Quote:

5) Don't hassle staff who are clearly on their break or have finished their shift and are trying to leave the store. If I'm on my ten minute break and already spending a chunk of that in line at the register with my wallet in hand and trying to buy a something to eat and drink it's just not fair. Really. You're shitty that the store's busy and you're having trouble getting someone to help you? Yeah, well, I have only a ten minute break before I have to go back to standing at a register taking your crap for several more hours. Who really has it worse off? Likewise, if I have my coat and bag in hand it really pisses me off when I miss my bus because of people trying to stop me on my way out.

Wait... you're supposed to get an uninterrupted break? confused

Quote:

6) Closed means closed. I don't care if you want "just one thing", when the clock ticks past closing time I'm not getting paid any more but I still have to stay back and count up money and close up the store. It's just plain selfish of someone to want us to stay longer.

When I worked for Burger Time we would routinely have people knock on the drive-through window five, ten, thirty minutes after we closed and accuse us of trying to close early...

...which brings up another point: Don't go to a restaurant, any restaurant, within 15 minutes of their closing time. If it's a sit-down restaurant then give them a good 45 minutes. If it's a nice sit down restaurant, give it even longer...  

[AlcoholicPancake]

I find this relevant to the topic at hand. The last panel at least.  

[The Dinosaur Next Door]

Thank God for threads like this.
 

[Red Glacier]

 

[Erverain]

I'm going back in time here for a minute. I used to work at a thrift store, and this next bit will be in present tense due to mental time travel.

Working at a thrift store adds a new dimension to this joy of customer interaction. Not only do accusations of "over-pricing" end up firing off roughly every third or fourth customer, we get people who try to switch the damn price tags on 96-cent items. It's only a freaking dollar!
And well do I know the pain of having to work during breaks. I've even had to punch in from lunch early (I only get 30 minutes, and a good 10-15 of it is in line...) to "assist" the guys who were supposed to cover me!
And anyone who's worked in a store that sells clothing knows full well the rage at the customers who just leave things dangling over the racks instead of hanging them back up, or cluttering up the dressing room without even using the hangers...
And then there's the people who come in at 5 minutes to the wire and linger like an unwanted houseguest. It's infuriating, since at that point I am tired from baling clothes and cleaning up, and just want to go home and take a shower. It's also a given that at least two different people will attempt to either open the locked doors or knock after closing. The lights are OFF, people, use your brains!
/rant  

[Taeryyn]

"You charge HOW MUCH for two dozen red roses?!"

stare They're roses. They're not dandelions. If you want cheap flowers, go buy plastic ones at the dollar store.

"You're ripping me off! That's a bloody arm and a leg, and I'm just buying daisies! I could get these from someone's yard, for christsake!"

Fine. You do that. Go yank a bouquet of big, beautiful daisies from someone's yard in the middle of March. Seriously. I'd pay to see you do it.

stare  

[aretoo]

"How much are the photos?"

"$10 each."

"2 for $10?"

"haha NO."

"$5?"

"...Not unless I match it with $5 of my own."

"Senior discount?"

"Not for merchandise, no."

"This looks out of focus. Are you gonna discount it?" (it's perfectly sharp)

"Um... NO."

"Buy one, get one free?"

"No, they're $10 EACH."


*sigh* People... stare  

[Kalstolyn]

124-C

"What do you mean Dr. Pepper isn't a Coke/Pepsi product?" rolleyes

Dr. Pepper is a PEPSI product. When the gas station has PEPSI products on mix'n'match 2-for-1, Dr. Pepper is included, along with 7-up and a few other PEPSI flavours.

Quote:

The local government center has a sign by the window that you pay traffic tickets at that says, "No more than $3 worth of coin is accepted for payment." biggrin

In Canada, it is illegal to pay for a 26 cent item in all pennies. The limit is 25 cents (50 cents in some provinces). If you are paying for your item in nickels, then its illegal to pay for it in nickels if it’s over $5. It’s also illegal to pay for something over $10 dollars in all dimes. I'm not sure what the limits are on quarters, loonies, or twonies.

Quote:

[quote =Terra]5) Don't take your $100 note into a small store first thing in the morning and break it on a $0.50 pack of gum. Everyone wants to do this. Everyone who comes in of a morning is breaking notes on tiny purchases. Unless it's a big superstore you are putting a lot of stress on the the person on the checkout who has to manage their register and finds themselves coping crap from people because they suddenly don't have anything but $100 notes and has to close their register while they wait for the manager to come and swap it for smaller stuff.

I will routinely turn these people away. They can go to the bank and come back with something smaller. If they absolutely insist on me making the transaction then they better be prepared to carry around 99 singles, because I will put the $100 in the coin safe and get five rolls of $1s...
Most stores have signs posted that they do not take anything over a $20. $50 if you're lucky, but certainly not $100. If someone hands you a $100 bill, you're going to the bank to get it changed.  

[sahihen]

God that reminds me of a guy that comes through the drive-thru [I work at mcdicks] during a latenite shift. We only have two people and it was really busy so it took a couple minutes for him to get to the window to pay. ... He hands me a handful of change and says "I had time so I'd thought I'd count my change"... I wanted to murder that guy. I had to take my time and count all of it [pennies nickels and dimes] with a line-up behind the guy.
There's also the people that hand me a bag of change and say "Can you count it for me?", those people I just rip off and stick it in my till.  

[aretoo]

Kalstolyn

124-C

"What do you mean Dr. Pepper isn't a Coke/Pepsi product?" rolleyes

Dr. Pepper is a PEPSI product. When the gas station has PEPSI products on mix'n'match 2-for-1, Dr. Pepper is included, along with 7-up and a few other PEPSI flavours.

Sorry, Kals, actually, it's not. Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, A&W Root Beer & Cream Soda are all independent. They're sometimes sold along with Coke products, and sometimes with Pepsi, and sometimes all by themselves. smile See here for more info (It depends a lot on who the *local* distributor is.)  

[God-The-RapistV2.0]

Kalstolyn

Dr. Pepper is a PEPSI product. When the gas station has PEPSI products on mix'n'match 2-for-1, Dr. Pepper is included, along with 7-up and a few other PEPSI flavours.

Well Kals, Pepsi Disagrees with you:

http://www.pepsiproductfacts.com/?or=pusa.1067#

Dr. Pepper is made by the Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group. 7up is also part of this group.

http://www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/brands/

Kalstolyn

In Canada, it is illegal to pay for a 26 cent item in all pennies. The limit is 25 cents (50 cents in some provinces). If you are paying for your item in nickels, then its illegal to pay for it in nickels if it’s over $5. It’s also illegal to pay for something over $10 dollars in all dimes. I'm not sure what the limits are on quarters, loonies, or twonies.

It is mainly on the books as a safeguard for business owners who do not want to have to sit there counting out 300$ worth of pennies. And who could blame them.

I have never had a problem paying with rolls of coins. GRM and I just today paid for more than 100$ is rolled coins.

Kalstolyn

Most stores have signs posted that they do not take anything over a $20. $50 if you're lucky, but certainly not $100. If someone hands you a $100 bill, you're going to the bank to get it changed.

This is just common sense. There is no way that a general store or any other "small" business is going to be able to split a 100$ bill unless the person is purchasing at LEAST 50$ worth of product.

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GRM and I know what it's like to be on the other side of the counter as well but something interesting happened to us tonight while we were shopping and we weren't even WORKING we were just SHOPPING.

We were at walmart and we were in line to pay for our products and the person ahead of us was standing in line normal and when they saw us coming they took their empty cart and just pushed in into the middle of the isle literally blocking people from entering the cashier behind them. GRM looks at the man and says "Excuse me, are you going to move that?" and the guy turns around and says "Why?" in a condescending tone and GRM says "Because it called common courtesy" and the guy just ignored her and GRM took the cart back to the front so that it wouldn't be in the way.

When she was out of ear shot the guy says "******** b***h is a hag" so I almost threw my cart out of the way (it mad a loud bang, enough to startle the workers in earshot) and said "Excuse me? Is there a problem?" but more pissed off sounding, because well, he was being a d**k, and he says "Yeah, do you want me to punch the glasses right off your face" and I said "Try and see how fast I ram you down with my cart, we'll see who wins this" and his wife grabs him and says " Don't be like that (to him)" and he goes "I'll be however I want" (Way to respect your wife talk2hand ) and she goes "Well she started it." and then she pulls him away.

People are so crass and ignorant these days. I can not even begin to count the amount of time I have been cleaning out the cart return, only because people are so lazy that they literally pile the carts all the way into the middle of the driving area.  

[Kalstolyn]

aretoo

Kalstolyn

124-C

"What do you mean Dr. Pepper isn't a Coke/Pepsi product?" rolleyes

Dr. Pepper is a PEPSI product. When the gas station has PEPSI products on mix'n'match 2-for-1, Dr. Pepper is included, along with 7-up and a few other PEPSI flavours.

Sorry, Kals, actually, it's not. Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, A&W Root Beer & Cream Soda are all independent. They're sometimes sold along with Coke products, and sometimes with Pepsi, and sometimes all by themselves. smile See here for more info (It depends a lot on who the *local* distributor is.)

A&W is independent. 7-up and Dr. Pepper are Pepsi. There is NEVER a place with an exclusive Coke contract that sells either of those products or things like Mountain Dew or MUG root beer, just like no Pepsi place sells Sprite, Canada Dry, or Barqs.

The Pepsi Bottling Group website confirms this. Also on the list of branded products: Aquafina belongs to Pepsi, Daisani is Coke. These products are also included in promo sales for Pepsi/Coke products. There are very few brands or flavours of pop in Canada that are not owned by either Coke or Pepsi.

@GTR Just because you can pay with a roll of coins and get away with it that doesn't mean it's legal. People pee on the sides of buildings all the time and spit their gum in the gutter, but it's still against the law. The $100 bill thing is obviously NOT common sense if stores have to routinely post signs about it. They are mostly refusing $100 or $50 bills due to concerns about counterfeiting though. And I would have called the idiots with the cart douchebags for being douchebags, but only in my head. They would have left eventually. People who start s**t with douchebags like that are just as bad. You don't solve anything by being a rude confrontational jerk in that kind of situation.  

[God-The-RapistV2.0]

Didn't say it was legal. Just that most retailers don't care as long as it's rolled.

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Art By: La Belle Isolde

"What you don't seem to understand is that I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me." - Rorschach

 

[aretoo]

Well... looking at YOUR links, Kals, seems to bear out my statement that it depends on the local distributor. Clicking on the link for Pepsi USA products shows no trace of Dr. Pepper, et al, and it's pretty common for places with Coke products (McDonalds, Subway, etc.) to have Dr. Pepper right there with them. smile