Here's a shop that will make you cringe...

Ideagirl · 2021-09-12T17:43:07+00:00

I had a shop yesterday that went so sideways - for the associate - that it makes me cringe to think about the talking to she is going to get when that report trickles down from corporate. The scenario was make a purchase from an upscale store. Staff has a script on brand education they are supposed present to the customer, as well as product suggestions and sales techniques. I could either keep or return my purchase. Returns have to be made after a set amount of time. I was the only customer in the store. She came from the back and greeted me then asked what I was shopping for. I told her a housewarming gift. She pointed put a couple of sale displays, then went to the back and returned with a laptop and a soda. She spent the rest of my visit behind the counter reading on the computer and drinking a soda. I walked around commenting on different products, picking things up and putting them down etc., and got zero engagement from her. I finally chose a few items and she rang me up. She asked if i wanted a gift receipt, then backtracked and said sale items couldn't be returned. She said it half under her breath, and I was a little confused because I bought more than sale items. Also, I've done this shop before and know that isn't true. Two hours later I went back to do my return. This time the store was full of customers. She was standing behind the counter. As I approached her I apologized and told her I needed to return my purchases. She said, in an inappropriately loud and nasty tone, "You can't. I told you sales items can't be returned." She said it so loudly and so rudely that the whole store went dead silent and turned to look at us. I was shocked at her tone; she practically yelled, and her tone was downright snotty. I apologized, told her I forgot, and left. I have seen some poor retail behavior, but this was the worst. I was very careful to keep my report accurate but neutral (though in my final narrative I purposely used the words nasty and demeaning). I turned it in at 10:30 last night. Got it back at 8:30 this morning with a 10/10. Fastest I've ever had a report finalized. I'd hate to be that woman when she finds out I was her mystery shopper.

Here's a shop that will make you cringe...

September 14, 2021 05:01PM

"Remember: if they’re in here racking up a dozen or more posts a day, and have a post count in the thousands, they are not out there really working."

I beg your pardon. I have thousands of posts, but they are spread over YEARS. I have shops today, and every day for the next two weeks. And I'll drive over 300 miles a day, on average, to complete them.

My time here is "down time" for me, when I decompress, sometimes vent, sometimes teach, and often learn.

In other words, I work my you-know-what off.

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September 15, 2021 04:18AM

K. Here is what makes me cringe. My now-cuckoo voice. Eh! Tonight, it was so bad that it peeped, crackled, cackled, cut out, jumped half an octave, and otherwise sounded like an old-school radio that needed to go to the repair shop. A few times it sounded like a huffy old organ. The OP's experience still makes me wonder about the the location they visited from the perspective of how it was as a workplace. That is not cringe-worthy. That is just me, whose hackles rise about a foot every time I hear about a familiar sort of job/experience/have a red flag or deja vu moment and I know there might be a 'the rest of the story' that can be understood but not told. The part that can now be told is swapping places. If I were working that location and this OP came in for a shop, I might have scared the scrap out of them with my voice. That report would be accurate but it would not mean that I intentionally sneered, yelled, tried to embarrass them, or otherwise find a place for myself in the forum. Mind you, if the store had a policy of permitting customers to browse, I could have been praised for saying nothing and doing nothing.

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)

September 15, 2021 05:06AM

Here's the thing though, customers in this pandemic have been nothing short of abusive. I am incredibly short staffed and a man was angry with his wait today. I apologize and bought him his appetizer I was like unfortunately we're very short staffed as the front of the house manager I was cooking in the kitchen, as you can see your server is in training. I'm so sorry that you waited a little longer tonight. And his response was, "see everyone's been short staff for months it's unfortunate you haven't been able to figure it out here."
I just lost all my summer staff and I've had four applicants in 30 days....
The problem is the customers were taught that they're always right. And that's just not the case. I can't even tell you how many times my staff members have cried in the past few months from how rude and insulting customers are. This is exactly why there's a staffing shortage. It is an abusive industry and the industry is generally very young and inexperienced. The things people say are so outrageous.

September 15, 2021 04:12PM

nolimitem, I'm sorry you're having to deal with things like that.

September 15, 2021 04:45PM

There is a major reckoning going on in the hospitality and restaurant industries. People are just tired of working their butts off and not making enough money to pay their rent and bills. Why put up with crappy customers when the check won't even pay the bills?

September 15, 2021 05:20PM

Don't get me wrong, the money my staff and I make is exceptional. I know servers and bartenders who were making up to $100K pre-pandemic. It's rough on the body, but the money is great. I'm in management and make roughly $75k. But the disrespect makes it not worth it. I used to love connecting with customers. The audacity used to be few and far between. Now it's just painful. But there is no lack of customers. Just lack of staff.

September 15, 2021 05:50PM

There's no excuse for customers to be rude when we all know that places are dealing with staffing shortages. I don't know what's happened in this country (although I suspect it, but that's not for here), but people feel so self-entitled and that they can be rude to people if they don't get what they want or need at the snap of a finger.

By the same token, there's no excuse for staff in any business to be rude to a customer who isn't being rude. We shouldn't take our frustrations out on good customers.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

September 15, 2021 10:57PM

On the rare occasion that I get service and attitude like the OP described, I know that it will take me a long time to write the report. I do not relish writing long reports when it is the result of the employee's rude service. My only satisfaction is that the employee will get the re-training and reprimand that she deserves, and that I will receive better service next visit at the store.

September 16, 2021 03:45PM

@Ideagirl wrote:

I'm going to do the return at another location.

How did you fare with the return?

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

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Here's a shop that will make you cringe...

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