Everyone else seems to understand just fine without the personal insults.
Seems like you're looking to start a fight. Look somewhere else.
Have a nice day.
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Impolite employees
- Thread starter freak
- Start date
Seems like you're looking to start a fight. Look somewhere else.
Have a nice day.
In retail that's why there's a Home Office.
Situations a manager can't handle or needs advice in handling can be refered to them. A privately own restaurant is a completely different situation which is why your point of view is very different from my training and experance in retail management. In retail, the reasons I gave are the reasons you are given on why the customer is always right.
I can't believe I leave this forum for over two days and it's turned into a mad house over a simple post by myself!
I find that fascinating! To Vanyel: thanks so much for going back to the original topic and actually ANSWERING my question! 
I like hearing diverse stories about bad customer services of the past.
I do think, though that Kirk's_Tights is right about one thing: I think the lady at the store was merely just having one of her off days. It does happen..and even though I do think that personal problems should remain outside of the workplace, there comes some times where you can't just do that. If one bad thing happens, then three bad things happen.
I did, however, have great customer service yesterday @ Kroger's! Mom and I had happened to spot some sushi in the deli(they finally have that stuff!) and a nice looking, oriental guy and a coworker came out and asked us how we were doing and if we needed any help or insight into his sushi. I told him that I've had sushi before in Las Vegas and it was really really good..and he was very polite, informative and friendly. He also seemed very passionate about sushi and that is hard to come by! So on top of the bad things, there are positive things about customer service as well.
I find that fascinating! To Vanyel: thanks so much for going back to the original topic and actually ANSWERING my question! I like hearing diverse stories about bad customer services of the past. I do think, though that Kirk's_Tights is right about one thing: I think the lady at the store was merely just having one of her off days. It does happen..and even though I do think that personal problems should remain outside of the workplace, there comes some times where you can't just do that. If one bad thing happens, then three bad things happen.
I did, however, have great customer service yesterday @ Kroger's! Mom and I had happened to spot some sushi in the deli(they finally have that stuff!) and a nice looking, oriental guy and a coworker came out and asked us how we were doing and if we needed any help or insight into his sushi. I told him that I've had sushi before in Las Vegas and it was really really good..and he was very polite, informative and friendly. He also seemed very passionate about sushi and that is hard to come by! So on top of the bad things, there are positive things about customer service as well.
Glad to hear it. Did you get a photo of the Asian guy? 
I just remembered something while walking the dog this morning. Years ago, I went to this Chili's in Phoenix. I got this waiter who intisted on trying to use sign language. But he was absolutely horrible. He kept on "signing" when Ihad no idea what he was saying. It wasn't any different dialects or other languages at all. It looked like he was having a seizure.
Where would you list the employees who hard sell you everything but the kitchen sink, and no matter how many times you say no to all the extra stuff, they keep on with their sales pitch as if they didn't hear you until they're finished, and by then you've said no ten times?
The thing i do not get about telemarketers is for them to still be around people must buy off them who are these people.Aragorn: i'd list them as persistant.
See, now this is where I actively enjoy being a literalist.
The customer doesn't pay my wages; my company's payroll department does. Does this mean I can treat customers like crap? Of course not. But we don't have to let them treat US that way either. If a customer is clearly in the wrong, or just acting like an ass, we can use every normal method to deal with them. Get them out of the store. We may lose *their* business, but we've got plenty of other customers (who do know what they're doing and actually have a POINT when they raise an issue with us) to pick up the slack.I mean, would you say that because "the customer pays your wages" that you should let them shoplift? Of course not. Same thing here.
A shoplifter isn't a customer. But a paying customer is a paying customer. Of course people should treat each other with basic respect, which is to say, keep their personal problems from spilling into interactions with innocent people who have nothing at all to do with it, except happening to be in the line of fire and existing.
Here's a reality - however a worker justifies being less than respectful to any customer, they had better hope it's worth losing the job over - because all it takes is one little loss of control to lose the job. I know - I've seen it happen. People angry for being in the weeds, angry for being exploited by a tricky manager, angry for being duped and regarded as a fool, angry for any reason - and when pushed, push back. Either by freaking out or walking out.
The attitude of superiority that some employees have for customers is wrong, though. It's immature. Just because someone comes into the place of purveyance to make a purchase doesn't give any employee the right to judge them personally. That is biting the hand that feeds you. And yes, another cold reality is that given the choice between a customer and an employee, most companies will choose the customer. Management just does not care if people can't hold onto their jobs.
Freak, I'm sorry that being yelled at made you cry. But it was not personal, not your fault, you just happened to step into someone's bad day. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to say about the quarters, and even if you had been a total @#$% about it, the moment the employee raised her voice, is the moment she stepped over the cliff.
I remember once I managed an employee who always avoided her tasks, and had an excuse, who never let me finish a sentence about it without firing off ten reasons why (it wasn't going to happen), and if I persisted, would then interrupt me with a little breakdown skit and crocodile tears; I simply told her that no one would force her to do anything she didn't want to do. It was entirely her choice. She could do the tasks outlined in the job description, or she could go home. Her choice. She grew up pretty quick in that regard.
I gave good service, and I want good service. End of story.
Here's a reality - however a worker justifies being less than respectful to any customer, they had better hope it's worth losing the job over - because all it takes is one little loss of control to lose the job. I know - I've seen it happen. People angry for being in the weeds, angry for being exploited by a tricky manager, angry for being duped and regarded as a fool, angry for any reason - and when pushed, push back. Either by freaking out or walking out.
The attitude of superiority that some employees have for customers is wrong, though. It's immature. Just because someone comes into the place of purveyance to make a purchase doesn't give any employee the right to judge them personally. That is biting the hand that feeds you. And yes, another cold reality is that given the choice between a customer and an employee, most companies will choose the customer. Management just does not care if people can't hold onto their jobs.
Freak, I'm sorry that being yelled at made you cry. But it was not personal, not your fault, you just happened to step into someone's bad day. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to say about the quarters, and even if you had been a total @#$% about it, the moment the employee raised her voice, is the moment she stepped over the cliff.
I remember once I managed an employee who always avoided her tasks, and had an excuse, who never let me finish a sentence about it without firing off ten reasons why (it wasn't going to happen), and if I persisted, would then interrupt me with a little breakdown skit and crocodile tears; I simply told her that no one would force her to do anything she didn't want to do. It was entirely her choice. She could do the tasks outlined in the job description, or she could go home. Her choice. She grew up pretty quick in that regard.
I gave good service, and I want good service. End of story.
Some customers are just wrong to begin with, though. Even those who don't shoplift. If somebody acts all pissed and says our prices are too high; if (we get this a lot) we're out of something, and they don't believe us when we say so; if they let their stupid idiot brat kids run wild in the store; if they make racist and sexist remarks at us (we've gotten all of those too), then what the hell are we supposed to do? Just bend over? Fuck that. We don't kiss their ass, and they don't kiss ours.
It's no worse than the reverse.
Everyone judges everyone else. It's unavoidable.
I'm not trying to *justify* being rude to customers. I'm just saying that if it's possible for us to 'push' them, then they can do it to us. Why is it that whenever a customer acts like an ass, it's supposedly because we made them do it, but we can't say that they made *us* briefly lose our cool? This "always right" bullshit?
Some customers are just wrong to begin with, though. Even those who don't shoplift. If somebody acts all pissed and says our prices are too high; if (we get this a lot) we're out of something, and they don't believe us when we say so; if they let their stupid idiot brat kids run wild in the store; if they make racist and sexist remarks at us (we've gotten all of those too), then what the hell are we supposed to do? Just bend over? Fuck that. We don't kiss their ass, and they don't kiss ours.
It's no worse than the reverse.
Everyone judges everyone else. It's unavoidable.
I'm not trying to *justify* being rude to customers. I'm just saying that if it's possible for us to 'push' them, then they can do it to us. Why is it that whenever a customer acts like an ass, it's supposedly because we made them do it, but we can't say that they made *us* briefly lose our cool? This "always right" bullshit?
I hear you, Mr. Laser Beam; I hope I didn't come off like I was aiming at you, I wasn't.
Customers come and go. But the employee is the one with something to lose from a conflict.
If I got angry because of being treated as a lower race, an idiot, and a free fountain of personal service, I'd be blowing up every day. I've learned to let the water slide off a duck's back, and to choose my battles, and - to smile. And to get along just fine without getting any satisfaction from mean people.
I worked in retail for about 6 months, it was a children's charity shop 2nd hand clothing store, and I loved it there. I only left due to moving house.
Anyway, when I was there I tried to keep the mindset of an actor in a role. Sure it didn't always work but there were many times when even though I was having an off day, my "character" of "helpful sales assistant #1" didn't suffer. Or at least I don't think it did.
So, um, what was the point of this post? Oh yeah!
It may help retail staff with issues of customer relations if they think of their jobs as theatrical roles, due to dealing with the public constantly.
Although saying that, it's entirely possible my own experiences were good because I already loved my job, if you're in a job you don't enjoy then it may be a lot harder to pretend to be having a good day all the time.
Anyway, when I was there I tried to keep the mindset of an actor in a role. Sure it didn't always work but there were many times when even though I was having an off day, my "character" of "helpful sales assistant #1" didn't suffer. Or at least I don't think it did.
So, um, what was the point of this post? Oh yeah!
It may help retail staff with issues of customer relations if they think of their jobs as theatrical roles, due to dealing with the public constantly.
Although saying that, it's entirely possible my own experiences were good because I already loved my job, if you're in a job you don't enjoy then it may be a lot harder to pretend to be having a good day all the time.
^ That's actually a pretty good idea. We're already pretending to put up with customers' shit anyway. Why not take it to the next level?
(In fact I have this one manager who likes to take the intercom when business is slow and say things like "Lieutenant Uhura, please report to the bridge". Unfortunately nobody ever gets the joke...
)
(In fact I have this one manager who likes to take the intercom when business is slow and say things like "Lieutenant Uhura, please report to the bridge". Unfortunately nobody ever gets the joke...
)
The customer isn't always right. "The customer is always right." is a thing of the past.
I worked telephone customer service, and I can tell you many customers come with that attitude thinking that we'll bend over and risk our jobs because they are always right.
I worked for a phone company, the department I worked in handled calls mostly from people who primarily made international calls. They would call in and say that a call made at 1:00PM lasting for 20 minutes did not happen, even though there was a second call to the exact same number at 1:21PM.
I knew what the problem was, the customers were being cut off and called the number back. I could not, with out being disciplined and if disciplined enough times fired, just take a 20 minute call off the bill.
I would tell the customer that I'm sorry, but a call of 20 minutes followed by a call to that same number, could not be a mistake. They would argue that it was a mistake, "Why would I call my mother 2 times?" they would ask. I would them try to ask them a simple question, "Is it possible that you were cut off during your call and had to call back?" No, that was never possible. If they just said that "Yes", I could have helped them a bit. I couldn't take off a 20 minute call, but I could give credit for the last minute of the first call and the first minute (usually the more expensive minute, unless you have a fixed rate plan) of the second call and maybe a minute or two for static or other problems they might have had hearing each other before they were disconnected. But no, I would get screamed at, cursed at in both English and other languages, but I could not give them what they wanted. I would be called rude, disrespectful, dishonest, mean, racist and any other slur you can imagine, because the customer was wrong.
The customer is not always right. Sometimes they are wrong, and a good employee will try to come to a compromise, or, like me and others of my fellow employees would do, hint at a solution that they could not openly say. The customer needs to listen. If they do, it opens up as world of helpful people.
Since I worked there, I learned to listen and to show respect; in return I have been listened to and shown respect. Since I started doing that, poor service has become rare.
As for losing customers to other telephone companies because of things like I described, it happened all the time. A few months later, after running into the exact same problem with other carriers almost always brought them back. Few stayed away forever.
I worked telephone customer service, and I can tell you many customers come with that attitude thinking that we'll bend over and risk our jobs because they are always right.
I worked for a phone company, the department I worked in handled calls mostly from people who primarily made international calls. They would call in and say that a call made at 1:00PM lasting for 20 minutes did not happen, even though there was a second call to the exact same number at 1:21PM.
I knew what the problem was, the customers were being cut off and called the number back. I could not, with out being disciplined and if disciplined enough times fired, just take a 20 minute call off the bill.
I would tell the customer that I'm sorry, but a call of 20 minutes followed by a call to that same number, could not be a mistake. They would argue that it was a mistake, "Why would I call my mother 2 times?" they would ask. I would them try to ask them a simple question, "Is it possible that you were cut off during your call and had to call back?" No, that was never possible. If they just said that "Yes", I could have helped them a bit. I couldn't take off a 20 minute call, but I could give credit for the last minute of the first call and the first minute (usually the more expensive minute, unless you have a fixed rate plan) of the second call and maybe a minute or two for static or other problems they might have had hearing each other before they were disconnected. But no, I would get screamed at, cursed at in both English and other languages, but I could not give them what they wanted. I would be called rude, disrespectful, dishonest, mean, racist and any other slur you can imagine, because the customer was wrong.
The customer is not always right. Sometimes they are wrong, and a good employee will try to come to a compromise, or, like me and others of my fellow employees would do, hint at a solution that they could not openly say. The customer needs to listen. If they do, it opens up as world of helpful people.
Since I worked there, I learned to listen and to show respect; in return I have been listened to and shown respect. Since I started doing that, poor service has become rare.
As for losing customers to other telephone companies because of things like I described, it happened all the time. A few months later, after running into the exact same problem with other carriers almost always brought them back. Few stayed away forever.
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