So I tried a shop where you e-mail for an estimate on new kitchen countertops. Wow. You must keep track of every e-mail or phone call you get whether or not a connection was made with the estimator. So just leaving a message for the evaulator is considered a contact. You must e-mail the company the MSC's drawing of "your" kitchen to be evaluated. I had a total of 10 calls/e-mail interactions. Some I felt kind of stupid, like "what is the size of your window?" Uh, 36 inches. (I thought that sounded average). Anyway, for the pay, I won't do something like this again. Has anyone else?

Carol

Never heard of it...you have some LuLu's.

I generally just avoid the shops that need to have someone come out to the house or require receiving follow up emails or phone calls over the next week. I just want to do my job, get my report in and move on along to the next job. So no, not a job I would accept.

You will be proud of me however. The MSC told me I had done a "superior" job.

The patience of Job gets the job done. :-)

as does the price....

I did a kitchen shop where you went in person. It was nothing like the shop you received. What are they paying for so much work?

$12, plus a $3 bonus, so $15. In the comments section, I mentioned it was way too much work for the price and had I known what it involved, I would not have taken it. Maybe that's why they rated me superior, just because I stuck it out.

Flattery will get you everywhere :-) But then again . . . maybe not so much.

$15 is better than a poke in the eye, huh Carol?

BTW, happy that you recovered from the eye episode and kudos to Nordstroms for maintaining their excellent reputation.

Thank you shopuntilyoudrop. Yes, I was pleased, too. $200 for a month of eye torment and five dr's appointments and 4 different types of drops isn't much, but it does prove they care about their customers as they really could have refused to do anything except say, "sorry that happened to you." As I said before, I worked 9 months for Nordy's, and we were taught to bend over backwards to meet a customer's needs.

I worked 9 months for Nordy's,
> and we were taught to bend over backwards to meet
> a customer's needs.


Which is why Walmart will NEVER, EVER, EVER be Nordstrom. I'm pretty sure in Walmart training meetings, they say, "Never do anything to help a customer. If you see a customer coming, quickly dart out of sight and get away as quickly as is humanly possible!" and "Make sure you don't know where anything is in the store. The more ignorant you are, the better we'll all get along."

Sorry, just couldn't help myself.

A man at our local Walmart got in trouble with his manager for helping a customer when he was wanted elsewhere. He was selling the customer an expensive electronic item. The customer was incensed with the manager. So the associate went to a bank where he was hired. They told him they like his work and as I understand it they are footing the bill for two years of school in banking. They have practically promised him a management job. The handwriting was on the wall for this associate anyway because customers always confused him as a manager even when he was with a manager at the moment. He dressed the part. Walmart's response was to tell him to stop dressing so well.

Actually, the backroom at our Walmart does have kudos on posters for associates. I haven't met one yet who cares about whether they were associate of the month or helped with a big project that brought in dollars. I learned that if there is an accident at the store, all employees lose their monthly bonus.

Mostly it seems that associates have bad morale.

Customers complain, too, but this one takes the cake. A customer who knows me asked why Walmart doesn't have blue dog clothes. She was very irate. She said all they have is pink dog clothes and her chihuahua is a BOY! (This was during the summer when the chihuahua would probably have suffocated wearing anything.)

Spygirl, that is so true about Wal-Mart's. I tried to buy a watch (for work), and the "Manager" did not know how to process the credit card, I swear, she had to ask for help, the Manager......

Well a boy chihuahua wearing pink would be just insulting, don't you think? Seriously, I wonder about the depth of some people's lives. I worked for the Disney company while my mom was declining and dying. One day I would be on the phone with doctors telling me what was going on, and what her expectancy might be, and my heart would practically wrench out of my body, and the next day, no kidding, somebody's biggest problem was "Why can't this Winnie the Pooh t-shirt have him facing the other way? I just don't like it that his profile faces this way." HUH???????????????????

Hey, I can relate to the Pink outfits! LOL I have a boy Yorkie, so where are the clothes for him? Just kidding, but they do have Lots of pink. My best friend works for WalMart and I hear it all. She has to vent sometimes. Be it at Walmart (most of the time) or about a dumb customer. There is a big difference between each store.

So true, Dustygirl, each store is different. We have, fortunately, a fabulous store close by and pretty much each employee is nice and helpful. I go out of my way to say hello. I also think it matters that my dh and I go early in the a.m. They have just gotten out of their meetings and not so many customers that time of day. We adore the greeters!!

I've done three camera shops at "box" stores in the last few days. No one knew anything about cameras. What's new?

Just want to mention I did some shopping at Target this week (not a shop, just shopping) and was treated very well. A stockroom clerk came out to answer questions and explained all about their 5% discount for using the Target Visa card. While waiting for my wife to pick up our purchase (an HD TV!!!) I was asked three times by different employees who were walking by if I needed any help.
For a busy store right after Thanksgiving they were certainly attentive. I am impressed.

I'm sure that would be thanks to a good manager who cares and emphasizes customer service.