Tuesday, September 30, 2008

People

I must be on a roll this late night (or early morning) -- imagine -- two posts in a row! Anyway this one has been brewing for some time. For the past three months I have been working a job at the Service Desk of a regionally based retailer (not the BIG W, but similar and smaller) and in these three months I have begun to lose my faith in the inherent good and compassion of a vast majority of people. I am finding that over the past few years, people are becoming more self centered, rude, and downright greedy. Now I must say that there are a lot of nice people in the world and some of them even cross my path at work frequently. However, there are more who are 1) in a hurry, 2) on their cell phone when they are trying to conduct their business at my counter, 3) looking for every potential thing they can GET (awards for misscanned items, deeper discounts, faster service -- translated that means that we exist just to serve them and only them. I also find that people don't read the ads or signs correctly and somehow feel that the store policies (or even the state laws) may be okay to apply to everyone else, but certainly THEY are the exception. To any of you who are customers of this kind of retail establishment please remember a few things -- 1) many of us are working for minimum (or nearly minimum) wage, 2) we are doing the best we can, 3) it is not my fault that you made an error reading the signs or ads or that you "bought the wrong flavor cat food and need to return it (Yup -- they do, and we end up having to scrap any food related items that they bring back), 4) I don't set the store policies or legislate the laws about awards, coupons, returns, lotteries, liquor, or the host of other things you don't agree with. Please don't take my refusal to meet your request (or demand) as a personal affront -- I will respond the same way to the next customer with the same issue. And finally, remember this -- Screaming at me, swearing at me, or telling me what an idiot I am are not ways of encouraging me to find a way to accomodate your needs and wants. And for God's sake, hang up the cell phone when you come to the counter!!!! I had a customer tonight who "gassed" on her phone the entire time I was ringing up her huge grocery order and bagging her treasures. She even continued to yak yak yak through the payment process and was still blabbing away as she left the store! There was no opportunity to greet her, to make sure she was satisfied, or to tell her to have a nice day (or to go jump in the lake). That is a perfect example of the ever rising rude quotient! I know this post is rambling, but I could write pages about the stuff that these "guests" (they aren't guests, they are CUSTOMERS) pull. And in conclusion, contrary to the old adage -- the customer is NOT ALWAYS right! Sometimes they are just plain misinformed or perhaps just brain dead! And that is my thinking on the subject. Be nice to the cashiers and others who are there to help you have a great shopping experience!! Remember it's not all about you and that the store will still be there whether you get your way or not.

2 comments:

Lemuel said...

I find it interesting that those who are not paying attention (gabbing on cell phones, etc.) while being rung up/bagged/etc. are often the ones who reappear with an erroneous purchase.

Ur-spo said...

i weep for the loss of manners.