Often both at the same time, which is rather my point.
Are fans actually usually right?
- Thread starter suarezguy
- Start date
Thanks for the heads-up, Krako!
The customer is rarely right and it's one of the most annoying things the US ever tried to export.Having worked in hospitality for years I know full well the customer is an amateur and sometimes even an idiot.
The whole reason the customer comes to you the professional is because you know what and how to do the thing they need. If the customer tried to run his own bar/shop it would fail because the customer is an amateur nobody which is why he came to you the professional.
And yes retail and hospitality workers are fkn professionals
In that case, I'm really glad you don't work at either of the ones near me. JFC, that guy in the video is obnoxious. Yes, he must have to deal with all sorts of frustrating situations. But some customer complaints are not unjustified, and sometimes checking in the back does produce results as some things may be there but just haven't been put on the shelf yet.
If the customer asks a question and the employee doesn't know the answer, the right response is "I don't know, but I'll try to find someone who does" (like a supervisor or manager). It isn't, "Oh, we haven't sold those in YEARS. You have to go to a PAWN SHOP for THOSE." (regarding an electronic item I'd seen offered on the store's website the night before, and thought to pick up in the store itself rather than wait for it to be delivered; that ignorant response to a polite question of which aisle I should look in did lose the store business, as I bought it elsewhere).
I am normally pleasant to the staff, but when the staff either starts something or acts like disabled customers are an inconvenience, I think I have the right to be peeved. You don't have to think we're wonderful, but open discrimination or snide comments or attitudes aren't appreciated.
I know there are Walmart employees with this attitude because there's one on a gaming forum I belong to. I finally informed her that her ranting about "those people with canes and walkers" who "annoy" her on "cheque day" could be people like me who only want to get out for an hour's shopping like everyone else - does she think we should stay home so nobody ever has to see us? Are we not allowed to ask a question or take more than 10 nanoseconds to perform an action that may be more difficult due to a physical disability? I can only hope that some day she might actually learn a bit of compassion, especially if she ends up being the disabled person who is looked down on as a nuisance by store employees.
Yep, that's her attitude. I hope it isn't yours. And I am very glad she lives at the opposite end of the country, because someone like that working at the customer service counter? Yikes. She even bitches because some people buy more than one turkey at Christmas or Thanksgiving (hello - some people have large families, they could be buying one for another household at the same time, or it might be a donation for charity - it's actually not illegal to buy two turkeys).
I had a similar conversation years ago with Kevin J. Anderson, back when we were both active on social media and there were multiple Dune forums going on. He knew I thought the nuDune books were crap, and he asked me, "If you hate the books so much, why do you read them?"
I told him quite honestly that I read them because I hoped they would get better... alas, so far they hadn't. But I've learned my lesson by this point. Yes, they've published yet another batch of crappy books, and how do I know they're crappy?
The "look inside" feature on Amazon lets me read part of them before deciding whether to buy or not. At least that's not like movie trailers that can (and often are) deceptive. What's in the "look inside" is really in the book.
The person on my gaming forum has the same complaint, that managers will deal with the customer in the way you wouldn't. The thing is, the manager has the authority you lack, and that's why some customers ask to speak to the manager. It's not necessarily a judgment of the employee. It's a recognition of "I know you don't have the authority to do this, but maybe your manager/supervisor does."
Back in those days it was the SF/F magazines like Starlog that people turned to for news about Star Trek, Star Wars, or any other movie or TV show. I used to have a subscription to that, and I remember that I'd read it and any other magazine that had any information at all about the movie.
As for the rumors of Spock's death... the idea of Spock dying didn't make me happy, but it did make me curious to know how it would happen. And yeah, when it did happen I sniffled my way through the funeral scene (bagpipes playing Amazing Grace will do that, no matter if it's in a Star Trek movie or a local symphony).
There was a point to Spock's death, and it was appropriate to both the story and the character. In a way, the TOS/TNG shows and movies have been about Spock's journey to figure himself out, to learn who he was and to become at peace with that, while doing his best in service of the people and ideals he considered important. His death was yet another turning point in that (as his experience mind-melding with V'ger was).
I was a retail manager for 10 years. I had similar thoughts and still did my job to the best of my ability.
15 years for me. Only a couple of standout bad customers.
I worked in a book store and a woman came in with a book that had obviously been dropped in water. She asked for refund. I said no. She got upset and took her own "refund" by destroying a book. from our shelves. I was stunned for a second, but then kicked her out the store.
Another time a customer came in to complain about an employee being too slow ringing her up. It seems she parked in a handicapped space and received a ticket, which was of course the fault of the cashier.
A common one was someone asking a question of me but not getting the answer they wanted. So they would go to another employee with the same question. The employee would then direct them to the manager, me.
It's the little things. 
Doing your job to the best of your ability is fine. As I said, you're entitled to think what you want about the customers. You're just not entitled to treat them like shit (same goes for customers; they're not entitled to treat employees like shit).
I've worked retail, and I had my own home businesses. Yes, there were times when I couldn't stand certain customers or clients. But at least with my own home business I could filter out the worst of them by telling them I couldn't fit them into the schedule - which was usually true, but the point was that I'd rather have a client who respects that my time is important even if I work in a home office than someone who stated that she didn't think it mattered when she showed up for her appointment "because you're just hanging around home anyway." It came as a shock to her that I had six other clients that day and that her turning up late meant that I was late with their things, which was not fair to them because they had come on time.
So after that I made a rule that anyone more than 15 minutes late was pushed to the back of the line and risked being turned away. I had to carry through with that a couple of times, informing someone that "you're an hour late, cutting into your classmates' time, and I won't penalize them for your mistake." I then told them that if they knew they'd be late, to phone me so I could adjust my schedule if there was room.
A question might be annoying to you, but it could matter to the customer. As I said above, if they don't know the answer, the proper thing to do is try to find the answer even if that does mean going to the manager. Sometimes the manager does know, or if they don't, at least the attempt will have been made, and at least some customers appreciate that.15 years for me. Only a couple of standout bad customers.
I worked in a book store and a woman came in with a book that had obviously been dropped in water. She asked for refund. I said no. She got upset and took her own "refund" by destroying a book. from our shelves. I was stunned for a second, but then kicked her out the store.
Another time a customer came in to complain about an employee being too slow ringing her up. It seems she parked in a handicapped space and received a ticket, which was of course the fault of the cashier.
A common one was someone asking a question of me but not getting the answer they wanted. So they would go to another employee with the same question. The employee would then direct them to the manager, me.
It's being argued with or lied to by a clerk who just doesn't give a damn and wants you to go away that annoys me. If I see the store has been reorganized and what I came in for isn't where it used to be and I ask a clerk to tell me which aisle I should look in - only to be met with "Oh, we don't sell that, and we never did" and I know full well that I bought the same thing the previous month - I tend to get irate.
Like the Walmart clerk who informed me that (back when Walmart had a real section for office supplies and even office furniture but I wasn't exactly sure where it was) "we don't carry that, you have to go to a big city like Edmonton for that" (he could have just said he wasn't sure and refer me to someone else like a supervisor or manager). My dad was with me, and he was ready to walk out, and I told him, no, we'd just have to look for ourselves because I knew they carried it.
So we did find it, we took measurements (my goal was to buy a computer desk but I needed to be sure it would fit the available space in my bedroom), and on the way out I waved my notebook at the clerk and informed him that "these are the measurements of the desk you insisted you don't have."
Similar situation with trying to buy a phone there (the phone I still have). The clerk insisted they didn't have it, I figured that was ridiculous that they wouldn't have cheaper landlines (this was many years ago), and she just didn't know exactly where it was and didn't want to bother looking. So I searched for myself, found it, and told her, "Here's the phone you told me you don't sell."
So... it's okay for a clerk to not know the answer. It is not okay to lie to the customer out of indifference or a blatant attempt to steer them to a much more expensive item. When that happens, I am entitled to be annoyed, and I do call them on it.
I didn't say it was annoying. I said they didn't like the answer, so they tried to find some who might give them the answer they wanted. "Ask the manager" was not the answer they wanted because the manager already said "no".
Frankly, I loved helping customers. Taking them to the book they wanted. Making recommendations. Just chatting about authors and titles. It was a dream job.
No kidding. The video was annoying but that doesn't mean the person treated customers like shit. They just were saying what goes through their mind. I sympathize.
Asking for the manager can be a dodgy one when you don't know who the manager is. So many times in hospitality I see people "wanting to speak to the manager" only to find it is the person they are talking to. Happens a lot to younger looking managers and especially women. Worked for a year with a female manager my junior and they would practically storm past her (my manager) to speak to me (the assumed manager)
Most people who shop in bookstores are reasonable people, and I always appreciated finding an employee who was familiar with SF/F. I've had a few really enjoyable conversations about Dune, for instance.
There was one time when a couple came in, looking for Dragonlance books for a gift for someone. They had no idea what to get, and the clerk was unfamiliar with D&D-based fantasy. So I spoke up, asking what their friend already had or if they'd mentioned any particular author or series they liked (Dragonlance is a vast game setting that has multiple authors and most of the novels are part of a trilogy). Based on what they told me I was able to recommend several books, which they bought.
The customers went away happy and the clerk looked at me and said, "Thank you for that - I had no idea what to say to them."
So I paid for the book I'd picked out for myself and went home, happy to have done a good deed for the day.
And I can guarantee that if I were to ever see that person working in another store, I would walk out. Sure, he wouldn't care, as the store's bottom line is of no concern to him. But expressing such open contempt for the people whose custom helps to pay his wages is not the way to make people sympathetic to his cause.
I have blacklisted stores from my personal list of places I shop because of rude employees, and if I was pissed off enough I'd inform the manager exactly why I was no longer going to be their customer.
But on the flip side, when I get really great service from an employee, I also let the manager know. It's a little funny and sad at the same time when it's hard to convince a manager or supervisor that I'm not actually complaining, but rather letting them know that an employee went above and beyond and I want to express my appreciation for that.
If the person with the rude attitude or who doesn't have the answer to a legitimate question is the manager, that business has a problem.
As long as he doesn't express it to me in person I don't care. People can think what they want.
I never said that the person they were speaking to was rude or didn't have the answer.
Sometimes the answer is "no" and the customer can't handle it. For instance "the pub has closed for the night due to the legally required closing time" you would be amazed how many people try argue that. "The venue is at capacity all seats re taken" and people keep saying "really, really" as if you can make extra table appear out your arse.
Since I never go to pubs, I've never run into that situation.
Most businesses have closing times and opening times for that matter. You gotta gently remind the customers it's time to pay and leave. When the lights go off they usually get the hint. the Worst for me was when I worked at the theme park. On the busy nights it was a mass rush for the exits. Once a guest was out they were out. One guy punched one of my co-workers when was told he couldn't go back in. The co-worker chased the guy the down. Big mistake as the guy pulled a knife. My co-worker backed off. Smart move as I'm pretty sure the guy was drunk or high.
My favorite off hours encounter was when a customer tried the door of my bookstore, saw it was locked, looked at the hours and then left. He came back later and bought some books. At that point I realized he was Micky Dolenz from the Monkees. I was a bit nervous ringing him up. as I watched the show as a kid, but played it cool.
My favorite off hours encounter was when a customer tried the door of my bookstore, saw it was locked, looked at the hours and then left. He came back later and bought some books. At that point I realized he was Micky Dolenz from the Monkees. I was a bit nervous ringing him up. as I watched the show as a kid, but played it cool.
Those videos are jokes. Comedy. They're part of the particular genre of comedy whereby the comedian expresses feelings of frustration with rude customers that he is not allowed to express in real life, to create comedic catharsis for other people who have also experienced feelings of frustration with rude customers which they were not allowed to express in real life.
In real life, you would never even know that he thinks you're a jerk because he would have been the model of professionalism.
And no, the complaints he lists are not reasonable. For example, the entire reason he expresses frustration at the "just check in the back" request is that he, the person who knows the store, knows for a fact that the item being requested is not in the back nor anywhere in the store, but the customer is in denial about the item not being present. Which is extremely rude of the customer.
90% of the time in a rude customer/employee encounter the customer is to blame. I haven't worked in retail but I worked for years in restaurants and jesus, the shit we had to put up with from some customers. Not to mention the sexual harassment the waitresses had to seethe and ignore as best they could because, you know, customers are always right, "don't wanna cause a scene" and lose business.
I mean, the idea of a closing time or capacity limit certainly isn't limited to pubs?
I mean, the idea of a closing time or capacity limit certainly isn't limited to pubs?
Your condescension is not required. And him being a "model of professionalism" is now out the window with the posting of this video, presuming he still works in retail. Why would I shop somewhere that I know the staff have such a nasty, cynical attitude? It's like that woman on my gaming forum. I'm very happy to know that she lives and works at the other end of the country so I won't ever accidentally walk into her store and she'll roll her eyes because yet another of THOSE people dared to cross her path (physically disabled).
And don't presume to tell me my experiences with politely asking a clerk to double check - because there have been times when they have indeed found the thing I was looking for, as there was a shipment that had come in but hadn't yet been put on the shelves.
The only time I went up against "closing time" was when I needed something in a desperate hurry from Staples and hadn't realized that we'd moved to DST and that I really had about 5 minutes, rather than another hour. One of the guys asked me what I wanted, I told him, he grabbed it for me, and I was through the till and gone. It took about 3 minutes tops. And yes, I remained polite throughout all of it and expressed my appreciation that they had let me make the purchase, since I really did need it - it couldn't wait even until the next day.
Restaurants' capacity levels haven't been an issue for me for years. I don't eat in restaurants (unless you consider McDonalds a restaurant), and certainly not for the past 2 years due to covid. I get takeout and eat at home, where I set the capacity levels. I own two chairs, and two people live here - me and my cat, and she usually eats on the floor anyway. So no problems.
In a perfect world, restaurant managers would have a zero-tolerance rule for harassment of the staff, and kick out any customer who violated it. They could actually do that now.
Venting after dealing with an unreasonable customer is not assholery.
I was not condescending. You characterized his videos as serious, and they were not.
That particular comedian does not work in retail anymore.
If you behave like the customers he alludes to in his videos, I promise you that the vast majority of customer service professionals you deal with have that exact attitude.
And if the customer service worker says that that is a possibility, then that's fine. But if the customer service representative explains that that is not a possibility, we should accept that answer because they know how the store operates and we do not.
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