Working in retail can be a major pain in the ass sometimes.

Recently however, after a number of depressing months at my job (it suddenly and somewhat surprisingly got mundane and regimented VERY quickly) things took a turn 4 the better when it was made official that I would move 2 London.

So once the news of this had been passed on 2 my Boss etc, it took the pressure off by giving me some much-needed perspective, ie: that things I'd been getting all uptight and stressed about at work were actually not that important at all and bore no relevance 2 MY life at all. So things have been really great recently...until 2day.

All day, I'd been giving customer service like I give Head. ie: EXCELLENT! (*insert 'talk about blowing your own trumpet' pun here*) and just generally enjoying my job. The sun was shining, people were laughing, music was playing - all was right with my world. Then, about 30 mins before my shift is due 2 end, a collegue near 2 me who had been running all over the store trying 2 locate a DVD 4 a customer starts getting a right old ear-bashing from this vile woman's evil tongue.

Examples:

'You people are ab-solutely pathetic!"

"What kind of store is this if you cant find your own stock?"

"The service here is absolutely disgraceful, DISGRACEFUL!"

"YOU said you had it in stock, I want my DVD....blah blah blah..."

I mean, she was putting on a truly quite PATHETIC spectacle. I just shot her a look of complete disdain that only a big ol' faggoty-assed faggot could, and continued serving my customer hoping that the situation would resolve itself - as my collegue was doing his best 2 calm her, and pointed out that he had been running around the store attempting 2 locate the item 4 her, and offering her various possibilities why it could not be found (the main 2 usually being:

1) it's been stolen (so no amount of looking 4 it is gonna 'magic' that muthafucka out of thin air - no matter HOW much u whine like a pig)

2) that if there is one in stock, and it isnt where it SHOULD be, u can almost guarantee that another customer has walked around the store, decided they don't want the item, and rather than put it back where they found it, just dump it anywhere (I've found Slayer's 'Reign In Blood' in easy listening before now...

He even went out of his way 2 ATTEMPT 2 tell her that she could order it 4 home delivery, and it would be with her within 2 or 3 days direct 2 her door 2 save her any further hassle...

... but of course, she heard nothing but her own voice during all of this.

She then proceeded 2 storm out of the store in one of THE most fucking immature, and childish displays of stroppiness and arrogance I've ever had the misfortune 2 witness. Im considering suing.

As she left, I said: 'Please call back soon!' and then she came back 4 more:

'I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER! IM NOT BEING SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT! HE'S SMART-MOUTHING ME!

Me: *whateva*

Luckily, the guy that was serving her was the Assistant Manager, so that threw her somewhat.

Anyway, she left pretty soon after cussing and exclaiming 2 anyone who would listen (not many I would imagine judging by her behaviour).

A few minutes later, the phone rang, and the same woman was asking 4 the address of our head office. I just KNEW it was her, it wasn't that hard 2 figure out. I put her on hold, and S-L-O-W-L-Y made my way upstairs, found the number, had a piss, checked 2 see if there were any messages on my cellphone, and S-L-O-W-L-Y made my way back downstairs 2 the phone, where I gave her the number she so desperately needed.

Im sorry, but my collegues and I DO NOT get paid enough 2 take abuse like that from customers. It's one thing 2 give good customer service, keep damage limitation in place, and put right things that go wrong 4 them - but at WHAT cost? Sorry, but as far as Im concerned, if ur gonna act like that - GET THJE FUCK OUT OF MY STORE. In this day and age, the old adage of 'the customer is always right' doesnt hold much water with me anymore.

HER behaviour was inexcusable, and of course, she will now go and twist it anyway she can 2 make herself feel good about herself.

Im not losing sleep over it - that's 4 sure. But peeps, give your lovely local Wreka Stow workers a break - if u don't want an item - PLEASE go put it back - because this is the end result!

We (and Im SURE Im not alone here!) get this all the time - not 2 those extremes, but it can be SO hard 2 continually smile all day. Sounds easy - trust me, it aint.

All that 4 ONE DVD! What was I saying about perspective?

So...retail workers - think of this thread as PRIMAL SCREAM THERAPY!

Get it off your chest - the fuckers!
[This message was edited Mon May 10 13:13:50 2004 by bananacologne]

The customer is always right!

I worked in Customer service for years and sometimes people are absolutely horrible. I understand the frustration over bad service, because being in the service sector for so long I know what it's like on the other end. Bad service is really never justifiable but I hate to see someone trippin on a service rep over things that are not in their control. I always try and give the person the benefit of the doubt if it looks like they are having a bad day. I know what it's like to have them....


The saying that the customer is always right is so so wrong. The customer isn't always right.....but the customer is always the customer. Sometimes you gotta kiss some ass.

rude customers.

the british people are the WORST.

i worked in a (gay) leather and rubber piercing tattoo store.

they always came in (drunk) saying "ooh, that is digusting, oh, how awful" and then spent hours looking around.

my boyfriend makes airplane ticket reservations and the british always have an attitude, like you can see on shows like AIRPORT and such.

poor 'Nana.

i'm gonna go 'round there and knock her out.



(too angry to spell right edit)
[This message was edited Mon May 10 13:06:29 2004 by dawntreader]

oh gurl...

i worked in a clothing store chain that is known for its deals on designer goods...oh no. the cheapest bitches would come up in this mf and pretend they were at the 759 madison ave gaultier boutique! they would be moody, unhappy, cheap, lying sons of bitches! they would rip the tags off of expensive items and replace them with cheaper tags...as if this wasn't clearly evident when they got to the counter. give me a fucking break people...you're already in a discount store!

and you know those chains work you to death for minimum wage...and god forbid you expect any support from upper management. they will embarrass you right in front of a bitchy, cunty customer.

this is why i left retail and went to food whoring. at least if i'm serving you its in my best interest to make you happy. after all, you will reward me for my competence. nope. no smiling in faces for 7 bucks and hour (that's 3.75 an hour for you, 'nana).


.
[This message was edited Mon May 10 13:18:13 2004 by SassyBritches]

when people act like that with me i just put them on hold or get someone else to deal with it. my temper is too short to be trying to deal with rude people in a fashion that will not get me arrested or fired or both.

I too don't understand the mentality of some people too. It just makes the situation worse if someone is ranting and raving like a bull in a china shop, the worker becomes flustered and embarassed etc, etc. Happens at work everyday nearly.

Know how u feel

all over a DVD -- i just don't understand.

dawntreader said:

That's being a wee bit presumptuious.
You may just mean English, of course.
We Scots are usually too drunk to give a fuck.

Number23 said:

and you wear sexy kilts.

i always wanted to ask...what do you wear underneath ?

dawntreader said:

Just a clit stimulator around my massive cock.

Number23 said:

Number23 said:

JasmineFire said:

Unfortunately, when I said we were usually too drunk to give a fuck, I meant both literelly and figuretively.















































































I know my spelling's fucking shocking, but Shakespere couldn't spell either.
I am also drunk.

Number23 said:

and homosexual scots ?

dawntreader said:

None, I'm afraid. They are annually culled and made into haggis.

Number23 said:

oh dear.

I talked to a guy @ work today on the phone. I made the horrendous, potentially life risking mistake of addressing a snobby, elderly gentleman as 'Sir', as in "What can i do for you today sir?" Apparently, as i'd only been on the phone with him for the grand total of 5secs, i should have been magically able to deduce his title was infact "Commander, not Sir!"

I hate people like that.

Marrk said:

CUNT!

Marrk said:

i would have laughed at him because that is some hilarious shit.

JasmineFire said:

thank heavens for the 'mute' button is all i'm sayin'

bananacologne said:

That's the spirit.
Fuck all asterisks.

Marrk said:

You should have apologised and said 'Sorry Sir, it won't happen again Sir'.

Marrk said:

JDINTERACTIVE said:

I slipped a couple of Sirs in during our conversation. Old geriatric goat!

Marrk said:

I can picture that in an odd kinda way. A goat giving you grief Marrk!
[This message was edited Mon May 10 14:37:16 2004 by JDINTERACTIVE]

JDINTERACTIVE said:

Is this your roundabout way of saying i'm a sheepshagger? I only happen to reside in Yorkshire, i'm not from Yorkshire!

My favorite bitchy customer is the one who talks to you like you're somehow responsible for the creation of every last product in the store. At my thankfully brief stint at Target, there was this gal buying a GameCube for her kid, and started talking at me like "Well, I know how sneaky you people can be. We're probably gonna get this thing home and then a week later we'll see it's $50 cheaper in the paper. I think it's just really rotten the way you people rip hard working folks off."

Not all of that was approximate, but I distinctly remember that she actually said the Hard-Working part, like dealing with lovely individuals like her day in and day out was easy. I was grumpy that day, and I really hated the job, so I stepped out of charcter for a brief moment and replied "Lady, if I were the one directly responsible for ripping you off like that, you can bet your ass I wouldn't be working as a cashier at fucking Target."

A couple minutes later, my manager came up to me and said that after I finished the rest of my shifts for that week, I didn't have any business there anymore. I couldn't have been happier.
[This message was edited Mon May 10 15:03:56 2004 by HobbesLeCute]

oh lawd...my very first job was as a cashier at walgreens, so i dealt with all sorts of snatchie bastards on a daily basis. the biggest thing people would get their pannies in a bunch over was the weekly coupons. there'd be a limit per coupon on sale items (like 3 enemas for 99 cents--limit 6 per customer), and some folks would get absolutely pissy if:

a) the coupon didn't work

b) the coupon was expired (some people would come in the store like a day after the sale item would be over and for some reason they'd think it was still on sale and it'd be okay cuz they're only a day late on gettin to the gotdamned store)

c) the item was outta stock so they'd get a similar item, which you can't mark off cuz it ain't the same brand or whatever

also, some people would totally think that us cashiers were either blind or totally clueless and they'd try to rip off barcodes from other cheaper items and stick 'em on expensive stuff so when we scanned it, the cheaper price would ring up. that happened once with this one guy--he bought this clock that costed about $20. i scanned the clock...and it rang up as a $9 item (i forgot what it was, but it showed up on the screen as somethin different...it didn't say "clock"). i was like "bitch, uh-uh."

and of course there's the occasional customer who pays in either mostly change or all change...and they just dump their shit on the counter and expect you to go through it all, holdin up the line n'shit.

Man, everyone I know who's worked at a Walgreens has coupon horror stories. I guess that must be widespread.
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[This message was edited Mon May 10 15:40:49 2004 by HobbesLeCute]