Do you yell at sales people because of the price of their products?

The BBQ Pit
1

If so, you’re an asshole.

DISCLAIMER
I suppose somewhere out there in this big wide crazy world there is a salesperson who sets all of his or her own prices. If you come across that person, go ahead and yell at him for selling such expensive things.

HOWEVER, if you are in a retail establishment, especially a larger chain retail store, the person with whom you are speaking has absolutely FUCK ALL to do with the prices of the items in the store. This holds true even if the price is for a service rather than a concrete good.

SPECIFIC ANECDOTE
I’ve been working at copy shops for going on three years now. I’ve worked at three different locations (I’ve moved a couple times) for two different companies in two different states on different sides of the country. At each of those locations the price for a color copy has been around one dollar per page. Apparently this is the standard price. I do think it’s a little bit high, and it would be outrageous if it were of poor quality or if you’re only looking for spot color, but these are very nice digital laser machines that give photo-quality full-color output. Still, because of the reactions people tend to have to the price, I make sure to give full disclosure by giving them a price quote when they order color copies. That way nobody gets pissed off when I hand them their completed job and ask for a full week’s pay in one fell blow.

At least once a week somebody gets really, really, royally pissed off at me because of the price. I’ve been called a pricegouger, I’ve been told that this is “FUCKING RIDICULOUS! I SHOULD JUST BUY A NEW FUCKING INK CARTRIDGE AND DO IT AT MY HOUSE! FUCK YOU!” … people get really, really pissed. And they snap at me, or sometimes even raise their voice and cuss at me, as if it’s my fault personally that the Powers That Be in the corporate office have declared that we shall charge one dollar per copy.

If they get pissed, I’ll say “I’m sorry,” and if they are nice about it I’ll say “I’m sorry, I can totally sympathise with that; if you do decide to print them at home, we’re having a sale on X printer cartridge this week,” but that’s all I can do.

Sometimes that’s not good enough, and they’ll either continue yelling or just stand there and stare at me. I don’t know what they expect me to do about it. I don’t have the authority to sell them color copies for less than what the register rings them up as. Yes, we have quantity discounts, but no I can’t apply them unless it’s actually a quantity order. If you ask to speak with my manager, I will call her over without saying a word of argument to you, and more power to you. That is all I can do.

This happens in other places, too. I’ve seen my coworkers get hollered at because we charge $X for some computer part, I’ve been hollered at because ink is so expensive (to which I respond “Yeah, the printer companies like to give away the printers and make their profit off the ink cartridges,” because that is true and it’s somewhat sympathetic), I’ve been in restaurants and heard patrons berating their servers for the price of drinks or appetizers.

A SERIOUS QUESTION
What the fuck do people expect retail peons to do about the prices? WE DO NOT SET THEM. We do not affect pricing in any way, shape or form. What makes them think we do?

2

Just remember the training video from Chappelle’s Show, and fantasize about working in that copy shop instead.

"If they work in Mac, tell them you only use PC. If it’s PC, tell them you only use Mac. If they use both, tell them the network is down.

“If they ask to see the manager, tell them you ARE the manager.” :smiley:

3

Because we are the face of the company. We are the ones standing right there before them and asking them to pay for something that they decide they don’t want for that price.

Yeah it’s hell, but people will always do it in the hopes of getting their bill marked down.

Sometimes I wish we could just drop the higher up mucky mucks in front of them to listen to their ranting and raving for a bit (the ones who actually set the prices I mean) then they can try and convince them…

4

I agree with you.

I saw a lady throw a temper tantrum yesterday because the two shirts she was buying were not both from the “2 for $10.00” rack.

Point for the customer- the two shirts were similar- “v” neck v. scoop neck.

Point for the store- it was a very neat and tidy store and I’m pretty sure the shirt was not misplaced (in fact, one of the salesguys tried to put my stuff back when I had set it down briefly), and also the sales rack was well marked.

Still, the lady huffed and puffed, shouted and sighed, and eventually threw the shirt at the sale sign.

What a pleasure.

5

I rarely yell at all. Also, I can’t remember when I yelled at a sales person. I will occasionally complain. When I do, I start with “I know this isn’t your fault, and maybe there is nothing you can do about this, but I thought you company would like to know why they are about to lose my business.” I do this in a calm voice and if they are nice back, I thank them for their time and offer the wish that their next customer has not complaints.

6

Hopefully you are aware that the only person in “the company” who is going to ever hear about your complaints is the person to whom you are airing them. It would be far more effective to draft a letter.

7

No, it was “If they use both, tell them we use Linux. If they have that, tell them the network is down”
Bwahahahah. I love that skit!!

8

"You may ask ‘Why? Why would you treat your customers this way?’

Because Fuck 'em. That’s why."

9

Nope, I have had a good salesperson take action in the past. There are many people who truly want their company to succeed.

10

Lo, these many years ago, when I was working in a discount clothing store, I knew I was going to be quitting at the end of the summer. So, one day, this expensively dressed woman walks in, dripping in diamonds, and starts bitching at me about the prices.
Bear in mind, this was a discount store, and our prices were extremely good. Ordinarily, I would just have said I’m sorry, and waited her out. This time, I looked her in the eye and said, “Yeah, you know what? We saw you coming, and we ran around the store marking up everything you wanted to buy.”
The woman paused for a full minute, and then, she apologised! So I apologised, and pointed out that our prices were actually pretty reaonable, and then I helped her find a bunch of stuff she was looking for. She went from super-bitch to halfway decent customer in no time at all.
(Not that I’m advocating this approach. It just was one of those flukey things where I said screw it, and didn’t have the fallout I might have expected.)

11

Then you’re complaining about things that actually MATTER as opposed to just your personal belief that everything should be less expensive than it currently is? THANK YOU. No, seriously, I’m not being sarcastic. My OP was not directed toward people who make actual serious complaints about things that matter, but towards people who yell at the person behind the counter because they want to get a discount.

12

I never see the point of yelling at salespeople(*) or customer service reps. At best, they can think of a way to resolve your problem; at worst, they can think of ways to make your problem worse. Why create an enemy when you don’t need to?

(* = The only time I have ever yelled at a salesperson was once, when I was shopping for an electronic gadget with a particular feature I wanted. Had to go to the store and exchange stuff five times because I was told each time, “This will do what you want.” If you don’t have what I need, just say so! :mad: )

13

PREACH ON!! It drives me nuts when people say “why is this so expensive??” It’s a national chain! I have nothing whatsoever to do with the pricing! I just put the damn labels on!

I offer you this thread I started (about my previous job) on a similar subject.

14

Find a psychiatrist who specializes in anger management issues, get a stack of his business cards, and hand one to the irate customer.

Then moon 'em.

:smiley:

15

This is reason #926 why I’m glad I’m not in retail anymore.

16

I work in a museum. A couple of weeks ago, a woman went off on a furious tirade at our admission prices, screaming that they were “exhorbitant.” I pointed out that you get a three hour guided tour for that price, including four seperate buildings.

The price? Four dollars. I suspect she doesn’t visit museums very often.

This lovely creature later went around the gift shop, harassing customers, snapping at them that they shouldn’t buy that “overpriced junk.”

17

Throughout college I worked at a cutlery store. Try explaining to a customer why the 1.5" bladed knife is $150.00 when the blade is pointed at you.

We had a kitchen knife set always prominently displayed at a “sale” price of $699.00.
“For THAT price I could buy a DOZEN sets of Cutco!”
Yeah, you’d need that many to last as long as these do, but whatever floats your boat. I could explain why these particular knives are so wonderful, but knowing that you’d be using them to open frozen dinner boxes, I won’t bother.

“Why do you sell such dangerous things?”
We figured selling cotton balls and warm fuzzies at a store called The Cutlery wouldn’t quite work.

While waving a knife “So, you gonna give me a discount?”
Sure, let me wrap that up and call security, you fucktard.

I really did love that job, if it hadn’t been for the customers.

18

Point the first: I believe that’s about the price of one set of Cutco, but I don’t know, see it’s been over 20 years since I bought mine, and my family has been using the same Cutco set since the early 50s, the knives are in great shape, which brings me to point the second: Nothing made by Wustoff, Heinkles, Sabitier or any other manufacturer sold at specialty knife stores is going to last any longer or shorter than Cutco, because all of them are knives of exceptional quality. (Some of them, like the 4-star line with those cheep non-rivited handles, will be junk a lot sooner). If your sales MO is to tell someone that they should buy a particular knife because some other type of knife sucks, I’m suprised you ever made a sale.

19

Four bucks for four buildings and a three hour guided tour?

Best. Museum. Ever.

20

When I was an undergrad, I worked a couple tours at the bookstore during the beginning of the semester. People would bitch and complain about how high the cost of textbooks were. I usually told them something like “hey, they pay me minimum wage” or “I don’t see any of that dough” and they shut up pretty quickly. Unfortunately, not every retail person has that option, but there are some advantages to having a job last only 2 or 3 weeks.

My favorite was the guy who sold his text book back and then had to buy the same book (same edition even) again for a different class. It was all I could do to not laugh while he was bitching.