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Purple Love, I've been shopping a lot at Wal-Mart lately...it's like a 5 or 10 minute walk from my house. There seems to be no "belts". In fact, if I'm up there shopping at 2 a.m. (oh my! it's so uncrowded then!), there will be like one register open, the one where they sell cigarettes.
The ones that make me laugh are the ones who think they could do your job better, given the same limitations you're given.
If they took a job at your store 90% of them would quit within 3 days. 5% might last out a week. 2 to 3% more might last a few weeks, or months...and the remainder? Well, that's your retail employee base.
Years ago I worked at a well-known, American housewares store. One Sunday I had a gentleman come in with a box of 12 wine-glasses he had received as wedding gifts. He was unhappy that the glasses, while all the same design, were different weights and had deviations in things like the glass thickness, etc. (They were hand-blown, not machine-made. This is what accounted for the variations.) He asked me to bring OUR ENTIRE STOCK of that style of wine glass downstairs (from our stockroom two floors up) so that he could sit on the floor in a corner of the room -- during a busy early Sunday afternoon -- and examine each glass and "hand-pick" a dozen that suited him. Which I did...with a smile on my face. He spent two hours in the store and ultimately left with a more-or-less matching dozen.
On another occasion -- same store -- I had a couple who came in, printed a gift registry, went all around the store looking at each item on the registry, circled the ones they wanted on the list, then came back to me with the print out (with its circled items) and asked me to please gather everything they had selected, in the quantities they had indicated. My jaw hit the floor because, for example, they had walked right over to the wine glasses, found the one specified on the registry, picked it up, fondled it, then put it BACK on the shelf, but brought me their list. I simply said, "Okay" and grabbed a basket, and they were MORTIFIED when they saw me walk back over to the shelf and select the same glasses they had just looked at. In their defense, they didn't understand how we did things in that store. (At that store, we don't overstock the shelves. If the shelf holds only 12 glasses of one style, then they are arranged in neat rows. Several times during the day, employees will slip upstairs to the stockroom to retrieve PRECISELY the correct number of glasses necessary to replace whatever quantities were sold, refilling the neat rows.) It was fine. They apologized all over themselves and offered to fetch everything, but it was a slow day and I didn't mind doing it for them.
Again...same store...I had another woman who came in A YEAR after her wedding and returned 12 place settings of flatware which she had been using for the whole year. We had a new style that she liked better, so she wanted to exchange her used flatware for the new style. And the manager let her! (I don't know if I was more astonished by the manager's allowing that to happen or by the woman's sheer audacity.) (The "up side" about that scenario is that this company sells damaged merchandise at a deep discount to employees. So there were plenty of people who were willing to snatch up this woman's used flatware that she'd returned. After all, there was nothing wrong with it.)
I joke that the only reason they give retail workers lunch breaks is so they can talk about the crazy customers.
Here is a situation I witness as a customer while shopping at a local Disney store. This situation both customer and manager where in the wrong by my standards.
I was waiting to check out with my purchase when the lady in front of me had what seemed to be a simple return. We all know Disney takes back just about everything they sell. I say just about everything since apparently they weren’t able to do so for this lady. Luckily for the cashier she didn’t have authorization to approve returns so she called for a manager who showed up and carefully listens to the customer’s story. So did I since I was being waited on at the time.
Customers states that a couple of weeks ago she purchase the toy, which was package in a clear plastic front pasted to the cardboard backing type of display packaging for retailer to hang the product on pegs. I believe she had her receipt, not that it helped in this case, but brownie points to her for having one.
In any case she purchased the toy for her child’s birthday which was the past weekend or so. She said she picked up off the display and paid for it then when she got it home she noticed that the toy was broken. Not wanting to take the long time back to the store, apparently she didn’t have time, to make an exchange she open up the package and tried to fix the damage. Her child played with the toy and it broke again with in seconds. Now she wants a complete refund for damage merchandise.
Wanting to see what the manager did I loitered around the area looking at products. J
The manager told her quite frankly he could not accept her return since the package was open. She rightfully complained and he tried to explain that since he won’t be able to return it to the manufacturer as an opened product and get his stores refund he could not accept it and refund the money to her. I think he said something about the store losing money on both ends. Needless to say I was appalled that he would say such a thing to a customer. Basically he was telling the customer ‘if I can’t get my money back you can’t get yours back’. That was horribly wrong.
She was not a happy camper and constantly complained and whined. He kept retelling his I can’t get mine you can’t get yours story. Like two great elks butting heads. I get upset and made my purchase then left so I don’t know how it ended, all I can think about is how wrong both parties were in that great refund debate.
Again...same store...I had another woman who came in A YEAR after her wedding and returned 12 place settings of flatware which she had been using for the whole year. We had a new style that she liked better, so she wanted to exchange her used flatware for the new style. And the manager let her! (I don't know if I was more astonished by the manager's allowing that to happen or by the woman's sheer audacity.) (The "up side" about that scenario is that this company sells damaged merchandise at a deep discount to employees. So there were plenty of people who were willing to snatch up this woman's used flatware that she'd returned. After all, there was nothing wrong with it.)
I joke that the only reason they give retail workers lunch breaks is so they can talk about the crazy customers.
You should be where I work. We have people who have shopped with us for years and try to return items that are several years old. Had a lady just the other day wanted to return an item she had for 5 years ( possibly more) because now the item is broken and wont work. She wants a new one. we don't sell those anymore... she wants a complete refund...do you have your receipt... no of course not.... well we won't refund an item out of warrenty. She not happy... says the magic words... I wont shop with you any more! Luckly I am not customer service any more... my attitude is... ok don't.
the company I work for loses soo much money to wrongful returns that we started sending bad return back to the customer with a note saying why we didn't accept thier return.
II was working at Macys. We had a one day sell so we were extremely busy. I walk into the fitting rooms and start to clean them out. That's when I smell it. That horrible smell. So all I seeat first is this pile of clothes on the floor. I have a bad feeling so I start to kick off the first layer of clothes and there it is. One foot long turd!!
I volunteer/work at a thrift store. Yesterday a lady pushed her kid around the store in a cart while the kid pissed. A nice long trail. I pretended not to see anything because it was 15 minutes before we closed and I was not getting stuck cleaning that up. Sometimes the employees are as lazy as the customers and expect the volunteers to cover the jobs they're getting paid to do.
A pet peeve is the customer who wants us to keep an eye out for her while sorting donations, find her that item she's been wanting for ages, then after getting first pick, she wants to pay way less than the standard price. Or even better, fills a cart full to the top, and asks us to watch the cart for a few days. That drives me nuts as the cart is in the way in the back room and most times the customer never comes back. Or comes back two weeks later and complains we sold "her stuff".
I hate the crooks who offer me money for access to the backroom's good stuff. I tell them they have to see the manager. Over and over again.
It's the same people who behave badly everytime. We are their entertainment, their mother, their therapist.
Today I heard a loud man trying to charm the manager. I looked over at a coworker and said "No more pets." She made a face and nodded. The lonesome, the alienated, the broken ones, finds us. We don't have 10-15 minutes to listen nicely to a stranger's troubles. Esp. when the tale is usually to set us up for them crying and saying they want the item, but at a better price.
Power cords get taken off the original items and customers try to buy them separately. When I catch them in action they have no shame that the original item is unsaleable without the cord.
Tell me the logic behind undoing neatly bundled items until the electronics bins are full of tangled items. I've taken to tying cords in bundles with two or three pieces of rope tied with knots, as the tape and twist ties were being removed and tossed to the side.
Most of my thinking time in pricing an item has to do with outwitting the customer. For example we don't price an item at 1.25, because someone may rub off the one. If we mark five items that are similiar at 1.00, we have to write "each" under the dollar mark as some hopeful genius always wants all five for 1.00.
It's the few who are headaches. Most are okay. It's the headaches that gets the most attention. It's easier to pet on the pitiful ones than it is to ignore them.They will lurk in the aisles until they snag one of us.The perves we hide from. It's time for a coffee break when they come in. If we're lucky we see them in the parking lot and hollar out "Ralph's here". Those horny 60 year old men have no shame and are quite slimy to be around.
Thanks for the thread. Venting is calming..
I volunteer/work at a thrift store. Yesterday a lady pushed her kid around the store in a cart while the kid pissed. A nice long trail. I pretended not to see anything because it was 15 minutes before we closed and I was not getting stuck cleaning that up. Sometimes the employees are as lazy as the customers and expect the volunteers to cover the jobs they're getting paid to do.
A pet peeve is the customer who wants us to keep an eye out for her while sorting donations, find her that item she's been wanting for ages, then after getting first pick, she wants to pay way less than the standard price. Or even better, fills a cart full to the top, and asks us to watch the cart for a few days. That drives me nuts as the cart is in the way in the back room and most times the customer never comes back. Or comes back two weeks later and complains we sold "her stuff".
I hate the crooks who offer me money for access to the backroom's good stuff. I tell them they have to see the manager. Over and over again.
It's the same people who behave badly everytime. We are their entertainment, their mother, their therapist.
Today I heard a loud man trying to charm the manager. I looked over at a coworker and said "No more pets." She made a face and nodded. The lonesome, the alienated, the broken ones, finds us. We don't have 10-15 minutes to listen nicely to a stranger's troubles. Esp. when the tale is usually to set us up for them crying and saying they want the item, but at a better price.
Power cords get taken off the original items and customers try to buy them separately. When I catch them in action they have no shame that the original item is unsaleable without the cord.
Tell me the logic behind undoing neatly bundled items until the electronics bins are full of tangled items. I've taken to tying cords in bundles with two or three pieces of rope tied with knots, as the tape and twist ties were being removed and tossed to the side.
Most of my thinking time in pricing an item has to do with outwitting the customer. For example we don't price an item at 1.25, because someone may rub off the one. If we mark five items that are similiar at 1.00, we have to write "each" under the dollar mark as some hopeful genius always wants all five for 1.00.
It's the few who are headaches. Most are okay. It's the headaches that gets the most attention. It's easier to pet on the pitiful ones than it is to ignore them.They will lurk in the aisles until they snag one of us.The perves we hide from. It's time for a coffee break when they come in. If we're lucky we see them in the parking lot and hollar out "Ralph's here". Those horny 60 year old men have no shame and are quite slimy to be around.
Thanks for the thread. Venting is calming..
Wow, you deal with all that for free? I could never do that!
I volunteer/work at a thrift store. Yesterday a lady pushed her kid around the store in a cart while the kid pissed. A nice long trail. I pretended not to see anything because it was 15 minutes before we closed and I was not getting stuck cleaning that up. Sometimes the employees are as lazy as the customers and expect the volunteers to cover the jobs they're getting paid to do.
A pet peeve is the customer who wants us to keep an eye out for her while sorting donations, find her that item she's been wanting for ages, then after getting first pick, she wants to pay way less than the standard price. Or even better, fills a cart full to the top, and asks us to watch the cart for a few days. That drives me nuts as the cart is in the way in the back room and most times the customer never comes back. Or comes back two weeks later and complains we sold "her stuff".
I hate the crooks who offer me money for access to the backroom's good stuff. I tell them they have to see the manager. Over and over again.
It's the same people who behave badly everytime. We are their entertainment, their mother, their therapist.
Today I heard a loud man trying to charm the manager. I looked over at a coworker and said "No more pets." She made a face and nodded. The lonesome, the alienated, the broken ones, finds us. We don't have 10-15 minutes to listen nicely to a stranger's troubles. Esp. when the tale is usually to set us up for them crying and saying they want the item, but at a better price.
Power cords get taken off the original items and customers try to buy them separately. When I catch them in action they have no shame that the original item is unsaleable without the cord.
Tell me the logic behind undoing neatly bundled items until the electronics bins are full of tangled items. I've taken to tying cords in bundles with two or three pieces of rope tied with knots, as the tape and twist ties were being removed and tossed to the side.
Most of my thinking time in pricing an item has to do with outwitting the customer. For example we don't price an item at 1.25, because someone may rub off the one. If we mark five items that are similiar at 1.00, we have to write "each" under the dollar mark as some hopeful genius always wants all five for 1.00.
It's the few who are headaches. Most are okay. It's the headaches that gets the most attention. It's easier to pet on the pitiful ones than it is to ignore them.They will lurk in the aisles until they snag one of us.The perves we hide from. It's time for a coffee break when they come in. If we're lucky we see them in the parking lot and hollar out "Ralph's here". Those horny 60 year old men have no shame and are quite slimy to be around.
Thanks for the thread. Venting is calming..
I worked at a thrift store for two years. Thankfully I got paid, but it was definitely an experience. I mostly worked in the back though, so I just started taking to ignoring the customers entirely.
Purple Love, I've been shopping a lot at Wal-Mart lately...it's like a 5 or 10 minute walk from my house. There seems to be no "belts". In fact, if I'm up there shopping at 2 a.m. (oh my! it's so uncrowded then!), there will be like one register open, the one where they sell cigarettes.
No belts?
There have to be registers with belts...the thing that moves your items up to the cashier.
I know the one that sells cigarettes doesn't have a belt and I can understand a customer having more than 20 items IF that is the only register open.
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This one willblow you away
. So all I seeat first is this pile of clothes on the floor. I have a bad feeling so I start to kick off the first layer of clothes and there it is. One foot long turd!!
