Meh - I just hate waiting... I WANT STUFF NOW DAMMIT!!
Are you the old bag who wanted the laptop?
Why do some customers think they can **** you off?
- Thread starter Bengaboy
- Start date
Are you the old bag who wanted the laptop?
I used to work in B&Q when I was at college and I tell you - having worked in a place like that, similar to yours in terms of how you get treated, it gives you a whole new appreciation and respect when you go into these stores.
I don't know what it is but people generally tend to treat shopfloor staff like dirt, if they're not being condescending then they've got that obvious attitude that you're beneath them and that while they're in the store you're their personal assistant or something.
Best of all if it wasn't people treating me like scum they'd expect me to know every single bit of minutiae about plumbing, electrics, plastering, building, etc. If I didn't know which specific U-bend T-piece fitting they needed then that was "wrong". Well here's a newsflash for you moron customers - if I knew everything there was to know about plumbing or electrics I wouldn't be working a weekend job in B&Q would I?
I don't know what it is but people generally tend to treat shopfloor staff like dirt, if they're not being condescending then they've got that obvious attitude that you're beneath them and that while they're in the store you're their personal assistant or something.
Best of all if it wasn't people treating me like scum they'd expect me to know every single bit of minutiae about plumbing, electrics, plastering, building, etc. If I didn't know which specific U-bend T-piece fitting they needed then that was "wrong". Well here's a newsflash for you moron customers - if I knew everything there was to know about plumbing or electrics I wouldn't be working a weekend job in B&Q would I?
Obviously you've never worked in retail.
Its part of the job, crap pay if someone is giving you grief walk away and call the manager, no reason why you should take it. When I worked in a supermarket it brightened up the day tbh and we'd laugh and take the pee out of the guy afterwards so....
Having said that the vast majority of customers were very polite and nice, just the odd one who could be complete pillocks.
they arent allowed to keep chips , burgers etc heated for long periods of time.
When I was a student I worked in a purple shirt store beginning with 'A' and ending with 'S'. It was awful to be honest, people had no respect and tried to get away with pretty much anything. You've probably herd the saying 'shouting gets you nowhere?', in world of high-shop retail that means nothing, it gets you what you want. The amount of times you'd explain the companies return policy only for them to ask for the for the manager and kick up a stink and then have the manager saying to you "just give them a refund" was unbelievable.
I always tailored the level of customer service I gave to how I was treated.
If someone was courteous and polite I would go out of my way to help them.
If someone interrupted a conversation or was rude, then they'd get nothing.
No point, getting narky about it - just smile and walk off.
I won't tell you about the day a customer started giving out to me because I hadn't rotated stock - the stock in question being paper notebooks.
If someone was courteous and polite I would go out of my way to help them.
If someone interrupted a conversation or was rude, then they'd get nothing.
No point, getting narky about it - just smile and walk off.
I won't tell you about the day a customer started giving out to me because I hadn't rotated stock - the stock in question being paper notebooks.
That's why I always shop in John Lewis, their prices aren't the best but their service is fantastic.
Some companies seem to see their customers as a nuisance, there is an systemic failure to put the customer first from top to buttom. If you work in a shop you are an ambassador for you're company but if you company doesn't give a stuff then the staff isn't going to!
If a job is worth doing then it's worth doing well, I don't care if you get paid £5000 a year, you took the job and you work in a service industry! As for the OP why on earth should it take so long to get a laptop transferred from one store to another, obviously their is something fundementally wrong there!
And highstreet retailers wonder why people use the Internet
HEADRAT
Some companies seem to see their customers as a nuisance, there is an systemic failure to put the customer first from top to buttom. If you work in a shop you are an ambassador for you're company but if you company doesn't give a stuff then the staff isn't going to!
If a job is worth doing then it's worth doing well, I don't care if you get paid £5000 a year, you took the job and you work in a service industry! As for the OP why on earth should it take so long to get a laptop transferred from one store to another, obviously their is something fundementally wrong there!
And highstreet retailers wonder why people use the Internet
HEADRAT
Although I used to work for the same ISP however now in remote tech support, I agree. It's very rare I even have to raise my voice slightly - take charge from the outset and LISTEN to what the client has to say without interupting - usually once they've had their rant 99% are fine.
I really can't tell if people are being serious here or just being trolls. Just because someone works in a shop gives you the right to treat them like an idiot and vent your frustration out on them?
Do you live in the real world?
Do you live in the real world?
I always make it very clear to people, if you get sniffy with me then you won't get a good reaction, best to treat me well and get my full cooperation.
We all have to deal with "customers" both internal and external, very few people have a job where they have no interaction with people. If I showed the level of ignorance of the products we sold or the apathy to helping that most "retail" workers show I'd be sacked.
This is the problem, why on earth should it take so long to transfer an item from a nearby store, I can order something today online and it will be here tomorrow. This needs raising to Management to get it sorted, obviously if they don't give a stuff because customers are just stupid then there is a systemic issue.
I would have just apologised and left it at that!
HEADRAT
We all have to deal with "customers" both internal and external, very few people have a job where they have no interaction with people. If I showed the level of ignorance of the products we sold or the apathy to helping that most "retail" workers show I'd be sacked.
This is the problem, why on earth should it take so long to transfer an item from a nearby store, I can order something today online and it will be here tomorrow. This needs raising to Management to get it sorted, obviously if they don't give a stuff because customers are just stupid then there is a systemic issue.
I would have just apologised and left it at that!
HEADRAT
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You sound like a stupid spoilt child. How about you stop living in that little bubble of yours and accept life for what it is?
Soldato
- Joined
- 24 Sep 2005
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- Middlesbrough
I've had loads of stroppy customers when I worked at B&Q. Never again will I work in retail. The basic rule is all customers are ****s.
It's fantastic when you get a good customer though who you can have a bit of banter with. I once got asked if I had a girlfriend and if we wanted to attended a swingers party.
It's fantastic when you get a good customer though who you can have a bit of banter with. I once got asked if I had a girlfriend and if we wanted to attended a swingers party.
I can't believe people are that Stupid that they think ******* me off will get them better service or a better deal.
You can tell them instantly as they walk towards you, I look at them whilst they chat & then ask them to repeat it & then tell them I haven't a Clue & apologise
It's weird how within only 2 weeks I have locked into this Vacant "I know Nothing" mode to certain types but am overly helpful to nice people
Best of all though is this work mode that has taken over me that enables me to Smile at everything & let nowt bother me.
After all Sir I have just had my Male appendige in your Apple Pie
+ + 
Those that don't work in the Service Industry can spend the rest of there lives wondering whether I am joking
You can tell them instantly as they walk towards you, I look at them whilst they chat & then ask them to repeat it & then tell them I haven't a Clue & apologise
It's weird how within only 2 weeks I have locked into this Vacant "I know Nothing" mode to certain types but am overly helpful to nice people
Best of all though is this work mode that has taken over me that enables me to Smile at everything & let nowt bother me.
After all Sir I have just had my Male appendige in your Apple Pie
+ + Those that don't work in the Service Industry can spend the rest of there lives wondering whether I am joking
Man of Honour
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- 17 Feb 2003
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- 29,640
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- Chelmsford
This sort of thing is why I loved working in a face-less call centre - when customers really annoyed me, I could just hang up on them.
True. After trying to get through to MS customer support the other day via numerous voice recogition systems, I asked "Are you a computer or a real person"?
I'm real", they replied. Then they swiftly disconnected me.
Having worked in a shop part time for 4 years I've had a lot of people shouting/rude and it really gets my goat. Especially when its totally unjustified or someone is shouting at a colleauge who's just done there best to help the customer. I think it wasnt as bad as the purple shirts are likely to get it, as it's just a small local pc store, most of the idiots go to the big stores that pedal rubbish, so the clued up ones come to us. It's hard to get customers on service alone nowadays, people just see price, quality seems irrelevant. We still get some bad ones. Especially people after refunds because they can't work the item they've bought, or haven't even tried to read the instructions or listened to the advice we've given them.
I am never rude to people in shops, just isnt needed. Even when you get the horrible sales people who try and sell you the whole shop and lie to try to get you to buy stuff, im still generally not rude, although if it gets to the point where the person is so bad and they are the ones being rude to me it may be different.
Man of Honour
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- 17 Nov 2003
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- Southampton, UK
I used to work for a major tobacco company selling cigarettes to corner shops and ensuring deliveries were made on time and also that they paid their invoices on time.
You can imagine the level of abuse I used to get... Hateful job.
My sympathies with the laptop woman. More than likely you won't see her again though.
You can imagine the level of abuse I used to get... Hateful job.
My sympathies with the laptop woman. More than likely you won't see her again though.
it isnt hard making ppl like that feel stupid....especially if its the field u deal with day in - day out.
ive worked in sales myself and would go out of my way to help ppl out... but ppl who disrespect u even though they can see you're doing your best to help should be put in their place....not in an in a manner that would get u the sack though.
ive worked in sales myself and would go out of my way to help ppl out... but ppl who disrespect u even though they can see you're doing your best to help should be put in their place....not in an in a manner that would get u the sack though
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