Customers are getting fed up over wait times at retail outlets

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Customer - "Thats it, I want to talk to a manager"

Helpfull CP staff member - "While you wait for the manager, would you like a big steaming cup of 2 girls one cup"

fixed

[arsenal]

seriously? a store run by CP would only have 2 products:
Hookers and Blow.
I highly doubt there would be any complaints.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

What pisses me off more is dumb customers. The guy who has been in line for 10 minutes but when he gets to the front - still has to stare at the menu for 30 seconds before ordering a double double.

You have just described my wife. Except it's a pondering session before she picks the same muffin that she always gets.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by arsenal

seriously? a store run by CP would only have 2 products:
Hookers and Blow.
I highly doubt there would be any complaints.

Ah. But the prices are outrageous, the blow is weak, the service is atrocious, customers are treated with nothing but the vilest contempt by the staff and the hideously diseased hookers and still demand a tip after they've given the customer STDs that are only found Sharks.

[Tron_fdc]

You know what, it would be kinda funny if everyone in a real life situation acted like they do on line.

4X4 would be running up and down the aisles shouting at people to move over, a girl would walk in the door and it would be a fight to see who gets to talk with her, fotze would get NOTHING done but would do a good job distracting everyone, and throughout the day you would find random groups of us sitting around passing private notes back and forth, acting like we're in some special club. You might see an odd authority figure wandering around, and the only incentive to do any actual work would be the threat of wandering around for a few weeks with a blue dot on your forehead.

It would be any companies worst nightmare.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Locke

Me: Certainly, happy to oblige, what seems to be the problem?

Customer: I want a discount and this guy wont give it to me.

Me: I see, well I can do better than that. Not only will I not give you a discount I'm going to stand here and drink beer while our enthusiastic staff bludgeon you to death with toilet tank lids. *enter 30 toilet tank lid wielding maniacs*

Customer: Where did they even get all those? You dont sell those....

Me: Dont worry about it, its not important, just sit back, relax and enjoy the last few excruciatingly painful seconds of your life.

Or

Customer "Me, want discount and this guy won't give it to me"
Me "You know, its called supply and demand, and when combined with the free enterprise market its a deadly competition"
Customer "Gah?"
Me "Let me give you an example, that hot woman over there, thats your wife right"
Customer nods
me - "Now my assist manager Mr Locke over there drives a pinto, lives in a cardboard box down by the river and seems to have a violent nature, now he also wants a shot at your wife right, so you tell me how much you would be willing to sell your wife for, and then I'll ask for a discount, then Mr Locke there will beat you to death with a toilet lid, any questions?"

Customer's head explodes.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

fixed

Dude, thats only for the customers that have qualified for financing.

[Boblobla]

[Hack&Lube]

I look at it complete the other way.

The employee and not the customer should always be right. Companies that value their employees and make them feel dignified and part of the business result in employees that give good customer service.

The reason you aren't getting any service is because people have pride and they have no personal investment in their demeaning work.

[bluntus logicimus]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

People who are out retail shopping have this unbelievable sense of entitlement, that I should kiss their feet to make a sale, that the customer is always right, that I should be desparate to reduce my prices just for them.
. . .
Look, we know that in terms of getting these employees its tough for the employers, and these people are busy, underpaid, and deal with many people a day of which a good portion are whiners, idiots, or morons with a god complex. But give them a break. Yes there are bad employees out there, and if someone acts in a unprofessional manner, you have a right to take your business elsewhere, but have some common courtesy, most of these people are doing the best they can.

Hear, hear.
Of all the postings that you have done on this site since I joined, this is the first time I have agreed with you.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Locke

Me: Certainly, happy to oblige, what seems to be the problem?

Customer: I want a discount and this guy wont give it to me.

Me: I see, well I can do better than that. Not only will I not give you a discount I'm going to stand here and drink beer while our enthusiastic staff bludgeon you to death with toilet tank lids. *enter 30 toilet tank lid wielding maniacs*

Customer: Where did they even get all those? You dont sell those....

Me: Dont worry about it, its not important, just sit back, relax and enjoy the last few excruciatingly painful seconds of your life.

Thanks Locke! I was in a grumpy mood after my game of golf and your post had me in stitches. Love the humour man!

[missdpuck]

I'm still waiting in line for some of Dion's chili

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I look at it complete the other way.

The employee and not the customer should always be right. Companies that value their employees and make them feel dignified and part of the business result in employees that give good customer service.

The reason you aren't getting any service is because people have pride and they have no personal investment in their demeaning work.

I was in CO-OP last week and this older gal was giving the young cashier a pretty hard time about the quality of meat and produce. Cashier tried to handle the situation the best she could but that older gal kept berating her. I taped the older gal on the shoulder and basicly told her to stop being an a-hole and that she should stick her CO-OP number up her cardboard ass and take her business elsewhere. She left in a huge huff and the cashier gave me a big thanks.

I really hate customers who think they can abuse the staff that's serving them. Got it a lot when i worked at Safeway.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Customers that get angry at the poor shlubs working piss me off too.

We all have the little moments, but it's the ones who have to let the world know they are pissed that make me laugh.

If pimple boy serving you doesn't care, I sure as hell don't.

The reason you aren't getting any service is because people have pride and they have no personal investment in their demeaning work.

I don't let anyone off that easy though. People with pride work hard as best they can. And if the job sucks that bad they quit, not check out. I've done some of the crappiest gigs going, and had great jobs, and it's always the same: people are either hard working with a sense of pride or not. The rest is irrelevant.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by FireFly

The bigger problem, IMO, is management that is unwilling to fire bad staff for fear they won't find good staff.

On the surface i would agree. It's a tough job to try and find a proper balance without putting a dagger to moral and productivity.

The downside of keeping bad staff is they become a cancer in the work enviroment. We had this problem when i worked with Safeway. The cancer became so big that it made the working enviroment so unbearable that i couldn't stand the constant negaitivity and having to do other peoples work besides mine. I ended up quitting and as a result Safeway lost a really good employee.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by FireFly

Granted, and I agree. However when you have lazy people who would not work regardless, which gives them at least some incentive to perform? Bonus structures are meant to encourage people to over-acheive, or for those who don't like to acheive at all, to do so. Tips are another form of bonus structure.

I can see where you're coming from and how tips can be a form of bonus structure. I agree that some employees are not self starters and need some form of incentive to get them motivated.

[chid]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I look at it complete the other way.

The employee and not the customer should always be right. Companies that value their employees and make them feel dignified and part of the business result in employees that give good customer service.

The reason you aren't getting any service is because people have pride and they have no personal investment in their demeaning work.

I couldn't agree more, I've had plenty of awful cashier jobs.. I always was one of the better cashiers in terms of customer service because I had a high sense of pride in the store. As soon as I started getting treated poorly by management it immediately caused me to wonder just why I was working so hard for a company and manager who doesn't appreciate the extra effort or even care for that matter.

I've been fortunate here in Calgary to have employers who really value my work, the school I'm employed with quite often sends me flowers 'just 'cuz' and always notice the little extra things I put in, which gives me incentive to keep working with the pride for the company.