Am I the only one here who finds it highly ironic that Indygrrl went on this hijack about how she cannot stand when someone is being passive/aggressively rude to her via a polite smile and condesending tone, yet she gleefully describes how passive/aggressively she’d act if working at a convienence store to people who wouldn’t have done jack to deserve such treatment?
Funny, that.
Actually, I think it’s kind of “on topic” (Of course the OP might disagree). Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that I was playing the nasty nice game. I am genuinely nice to them. I was speaking of cases in which people were insisting upon having their way against long standing policies, policies which are not only posted all over, but which are sent out frequently in the newsletter.
I chose the phrase “ignoring them” as a lazy shortcut for "not going to grant their wishes, but willing to allow them to rant at me, after all as a manager, that’s what I’m here for " (WHEW, thanks a lot, I was trying to avoid typing all that, after all, I’ve got to save my energy for my shift tonight :D)
One of the things that customers do to get the smiling but ignoring treatment isn’t so much when they want me to give them special treatment, but when they’re trying to reach the accounting department. With 14 gyms statewide, all of our billing is handled through 6 AR/AP CSRs at the main gym which is where I work.
Inevitably, every blasted day at around 5:20pm, people start calling the front desk (who rightly turn it over to the manager upon being verbally abused), wanting to know why they can’t get through to accounting.
"What are they doing back there? I’ve been on hold for 20 minutes, I HAVE to get ahold of them TO day, I leave on a flight tomorrow.
Me (thinking) hmmm, and you just now discovered this 40 minutes before they close the night before you fly out? (out loud and very sweetly) no ma’am, they are all answering calls from members as quickly as they can, there are 6 of them for the entire ABC Gyms INC network of 14 gyms statewide, this is the busiest time of tday for them, I can offer you some options for reaching them if you’d like (which consist of either me putting the customer on hold, and walking back to the office to give them the customer info to the acctg mgr, emailing her, or transfering them directly to the manager and hoping she’s available).
Most of the time they will pick one of these options, but sometimes, they just want to rage “this happens ALL of the time, NO I will not be put on hold, they need to help me THIS INSTANCE…” and other assorted insanity.
This amuses me to no end, the longer they rant at me, the closer it gets to 6pm, their closing time (they actually have extended hours beyond those of normal business hours, from 7am to 6pm, but does anyone call early? NoooOOOOOoo).
I’ve actually had someone yell at me for so long, and refuse to even listen to any options, or once they’ve heard them and realize it means I have to put them on hold, refuse to let me go, that accounting has closed while they’re having their little fit. And yes, I tried to let them know that I needed to walk back to accounting before 6, but couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
THESE are the people for whom I “take a vacation in my head” and just let them rant, with occasional “yes ma’am/sir” interjections at appropriate points.
Like others have said, customers are not always right, and sometimes are quite unreasonable and insane, and if, as a customer (not YOU of course, I mean collective you), you find yourself being treated with that “oooh so careful dealing with a 2 year old having a tantrum” manner, you might want to check how You’re reacting.
I used to work in a convenience store. The customers never bothered me very much; the only really negative experience I can remember involved three drunk guys who thought it would be cute to hassle the girl working alone at 3 A.M. But the management…grrrr.
One night about halfway through my shift, the district wanker came in and saw me behind the counter, drinking a soda and smoking a cigarette. I was taking a break, you see; I had already cleaned both bathrooms, swept and mopped the store, stocked the cooler, counted the cigarettes, dusted the shelves, fronted the stock, swept the parking lot, refilled paper towels, emptied and refilled the windshield washer bins, emptied all the trash and taken it to the dumpster, cleaned the coffee urns and cappucino dispenser, and disassembled and washed the Weenie Wheel, in addition to waiting on customers (and doing it with a smile, I might add). So I’m leaning against the counter, smoking a cigarette and idly leafing through a magazine, when this jug-eared walking penis in a polyester tie comes barging in and scowls at me. “'We’re not paying you to stand there and smoke,” he snapped at me. “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean!”
Yes he did. He actually said, “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean.”
I pulled out my duty sheet for my shift and pointed out that I’d already completed everything on it. His response was, “Well, then, find something else to do!” at which point he stormed out, presumably to make sure he got the last word. He needn’t have been in such a hurry; this was about the time my eyeballs rolled themselves completely out of my head and I was too busy chasing them across the floor to make a sharp retort.
My customers treated me like royalty compared to the way my managers treated me.
I like to ask “Can I get two Tens for Five?” when asking for change, as a joke, while smiling. One clerk actually DID pull out two Tens, before I let her know I was just kidding.
This kind of thing doesn’t just happen at convenience stores.
Even in sit-down restaurants around here, both national chains and locals, it’s common to find staff ignoring customers while chatting on the floor. Just last month, I sat at a popular local pancake house for 10 minutes without so much as a cup of coffee in front of me, while the female servers flirted with a local young music producer at an adjoining table, til I finally went to the hostess stand and asked if there was a server assigned to my station.
And that’s not an isolated incident. I’ve walked out of more than one restaurant because no one seemed to care if I was being served or not. What’s worse, no one seemed to care that I picked up all my gear and left.
For some reason, it’s become ok for workers behind a counter – at drug stores, shops, etc. – to ignore a standing customer, just say nothing at all. I did that once (and only once) in my first job at a fast food joint at the age of 14 because I was too shy to say “I’m not trained on the register – the cashier’s taking a tray to a disabled customer and will be right back”, and got reprimanded for it and made to understand that I could be fired if I did it again.
And you know what… I didn’t think the boss was an asshole – I understood that I was there to do a job and if I didn’t like it I could find employment elsewhere. In fact, I felt bad about it because I knew I’d allowed a personal weakness (my shyness) to interfere with what I knew to be the right thing to do.
I was in the service industry for years, and as some folks around here can attest, I can be a real prick. But I was never rude to my customers because they paid my bills… and because good service was required by management.
The OP is right – service is dead.
If its a bill as big as a 20, write your name on it in case they claim you gave them a 10.
Retail minion, here.
I don’t have any resentment going on – I work in a gourmet shop and the company takes very good care of us – but I definitely understand the level of frustration that my fellow Evil Minions must have. Particularly around christmas. Oh yes. shudder
I’m a good little Minion, though. I like sending people away happy. I smile and nod when Stupid Spoiled Whores give me hell, then I file the story away to swap with coworkers when the store is empty.
But I can see what would drive someone to that kind of customer-service apathy. What really sticks in my craw is (are?) the variety of Stupid Spoiled Whores that won’t get off the phone long enough to acknowledge a clerk’s mere existance. (Tale of a Real Life Pitting: I had a classmate who proudly admitted to behaving like this, to which I said, “Ohh gee… I’m so sorry I’m not worth the grace of your attention. I’m so terribly sorry that I’m something you just peeled off of your shoe!” and she threatened to beat me up) Customers talking to each other, or clerks talking to each other, doesn’t bother me at all, because usually I can jump into those conversations.
Not an accusation, because I’m totally with you – the most recent time I can remember is last week in the airport newsstand. It doesn’t really offend me so much as make me confused about what I should be doing now that the normal checkout exchange has been stomped on.
But I think we could /all/ do with acknowledging each other.
…that was a mighty group huggy ending for a Pit post. Let’s try this again:
We need to fucking acknowledge each other, uh, dammit.
Hunter!!!
I thought you were dead!!!
This has to be a whoosh.
You only put in 5 gallons at a time?
*ducks and runs
First off, they would have done jack, I’m sure of that.
My initial point is that if I had to work at a convenience store for $6.50, it’d turn me into an even surlier (sp) bitch than I already am. It would be hard for me to give enough of a shit to worry about “customer service.” I still wouldn’t be passive aggressive, I’d be an asshole right to them.
And of course, the convenience store scenario is completely hypothetical, whereas the deal with the teacher at school was not. I had no choice but to try to deal with that without cussing her. I don’t want to embarass my kid or look like I’m causing trouble (which I truly wasn’t) in front of the other parents and such.
The woman at the school is an art teacher. She was only pulling that crap on me because she wanted to win a power struggle. She had no other motive. And unlike my hypothetical convenience store customers, I have to walk past this woman every school day. It’s really quite different.
But, yeah, I get where you see it as hypocritical. I guess that happens sometimes. I’ve got all these fine lines in my head, some stuff crosses the lines, some stuff doesn’t. It’s a rulebook of my own creation. mumbles to self, bangs head against wall, lalalalalalalal
Totally disagree. As I stated earlier, bad service is just not an issue for me. I even gave some reasons why. I think that if anything is dead or dying it is normal polite social interaction (on both sides of the counter).
I’m curious about something – what’s your opinion of convenience store clerks who happen to be friendly and efficient?
Curiosity #2 – how much do you charge hourly for treating people with basic respect (let’s not assume customer assholery for the nonce)? $6.50 won’t cut it, so how about $10.00? $20.00/hr? Just where is that line?
I didn’t mean to imply that ALL clerks are that way. Well, OK maybe I did. However I was peeved and this is the pit, yada yada yada. In any case I’m sure you are a great retail clerk chikki. I apologize if you were offended.
Oh, and go Junior. (Or as they say in these parts “Joooonya!”)
I love it when they’re friendly and efficient. I don’t run into it terribly often, but I’m pleased when I do. I’m also one of those easy customers that someone described previously. I try, when I can, to go to the same gas station every time, and the girl who works the counter knows my face. Still, she’s less than enthusiastic, and that’s ok with me.
I fill up every Wed. at a different station, a VP on another side of town, and that place is what I’ve sort of described in my posts. It’s kind of funny, almost. And I’ve run into more pervo guys at that gas station than almost anywhere else. And it’s winter! I’m wearing a heavy wool coat. I can only imagine what the ladies at the counter deal with on the day-to-day.
And despite my posts, which are essentially “what I would do” type of things, I might not actually be gutsy enough to employ them in real life (don’t tell anyone).
I took a lot of shit as a dancer, but I also cracked some skulls (not literally, but close enough). I know what it is to have people treat you like scum because they look down on the job you do. As a dancer, I could let it roll off because I was making $300 or so a night. That’s worth it to me. But it still beats you down, no matter how much you make. A dancer’s attitude is directly proportional to the amount of money she’ll make in a given night. If you aren’t feeling well, or you’re in a pissy mood, you call in.
As for the convenience store employees, they don’t have to kiss butt to get their $6.50, and I’d imagine it gives them some small enjoyment to play tricks on, or be rude to rude customers. But, unfortunately, they’re still stuck there and they do what they have to do to get through the day. If making the customer hit the button one million times before you turn the pump on gives you and your co-workers the giggles, then hell, make me hit the button one million times. I’ll play along.
Oh, and I treat almost everyone with basic respect all the time, whether I like it or not. Free of charge.
I think our definition of “kiss butt” vary wildly.
To me: initiating the fuel line promptly for a gasoline customer is not kissing butt. Putting down the cell phone to ring up a sale is not kissing butt. Hell, I’m totally cool with a bored convenience store worker talking on the phone or otherwise goofing off when things are slow. Enthusiasm is not necessary, but basic willingness to do the required tasks is necessary.
Maybe things in your neck of the woods (opposite corner of the country) are better.
Btw, I am a good customer. When I got no service for 10 minutes – not even an “I’ll be right with you” – I didn’t shout at the servers or anything. I went to the hostess stand to ask if there was a server assigned to my station. Sometimes it does happen that a hostess sits a customer at an unassigned table. But that turned out not to be the case.
When I get bad service more than once, I don’t yell and scream, and I’m not even rude. I just don’t go back.
I tip well. 20% plus round-up is my baseline. Really good service gets 25%. Sloppy or negligent service gets 15%. Absolutely horrible service gets 10% because I consider 10% to be an obvious rebuke.
I can be an asshole around here, but I’m not an asshole to my servers b/c I did that gig for years and I know what it’s like. Plus, in a business relationship, being a jerk rarely pays off.
So it may be a regional/cultural thing, but around here, good customer service is no longer the rule. 25 years ago, I would have been very surprised to see a clerk behind a counter doing a task while a customer waited 5 feet away, saying nothing at all and finishing up the job before serving the customer with barely a nod. Now, it doesn’t make me blink. I hate it, but I’m not surprised.
But maybe I come across as more demanding that I think. For instance, when out w/ friends recently the server brought the round of drinks, which was short one (mine). She was very nice, set down the drinks, then turned to go. I stopped her and asked if she’d gotten my order. She said it was being poured and she’d be back with it.
I later discovered that some in our group (who were friends w/ the server) thought I was being rude by asking. They said I should have assumed she was doing her job. I say “nuts”! It’s her job to tell the table that she’ll be back with the drink. Otherwise, there’s no way to know if she’s made a mistake or if the drink is really on its way.
It just seems to me that standards have seriously declined on the whole, and that what I was trained to do, even what I consider the bare basics, is now way higher than the current bar.
You just wrote that you wouldn’t do it for $6.50/hour. You’re just all over the place here.
Coincidentally, just yesterday I happened to get both stellar and horrible service, within half an hour.
First I went to the grocery store where I always shop on. And, just as someone mention back on page one (sorry, I forgot the name) I pretty much know all the cashiers and most of the stockers by sight by now, and they know me in the sense of ‘regular customer, knows the rules, creates no problems.’ I was unloading my as-usual heaping cart when I realized I’d forgotten to get sugar. I mentioned this out loud, just in a joking way (“Alzheimer’s strikes again, no sugar on my Raisin Bran this week”) but the cashier called out to one of the passing stock clerks, and within two minutes he had gone and grabbed a bag and brought it over to be rung before the rest of my goods were through. Very nice, yes? I did, of course, stop at the customer service desk as I left, and left ‘commendation cards’ for both the cashier and clerk. (I think every time they get X of those, they get something good, though I don’t know the details.)
Then I went down the street to a deli, my turn to pick up takeout for the ‘Friday Lunch’ group at work. It was only 11:30 when I went in. There was not a single other customer in the place: no one sitting at the tables, no one waiting for their order, no one waiting to give their order. So I could walk right up to the counter at the cashregister. Behind the counter were THREE clerks, and behind a table beyond them was the cook/sandwich guy. As it happens (small town) I know the deli has only been open for 8 months, that the guy in the back is the owner, AND that business is kinda slow. (Because a lot of people find the place overpriced, but that’s another story.)
Anyway, as I said, I walked right up to the cash register and waited. And waited. And waited. While the three clerks merrily discussed what they’d done last weekend and what they might do this one, but they need to find a new babysitter because the last one let her kids eat cereal for supper and … on and on. This went on for at least FOUR minutes without any one of them acknowledging that I existed by so much as a nod or smile, let alone asking what I’d like. As far as I was concerned, that was too long, so I turned and headed towards the door.
This was apparently the key to getting noticed. One of the clerks called over to me, “Didn’t you want to order anything?”
Heh.
So I turned around and said, in my best very clear and carrying voice, “Oh, I was going to order sandwiches and soup for my office, but it would be rude to interrupt your conversation, so I’ll go elsewhere.” I saw the owners head suddenly raise and swivel to the front, but I just smiled and left.
My money is on three clerks getting at the very least a lecture on how to treat customers.