Oh, and Beelzebubba, would you mind dropping by my office today? I have plenty of extra work for ya.
I agree with Beelzebubba, he was just asking you a favour. What, did you have some urgent luncheon appointment to rush out to jpeg? Or are you a bomb disposal expert on call to save the city and every second counts? No, wait, maybe you’re a brain surgeon who took a couple of minutes out from removing a malignant neuronoma to pick up Sims Hot Date[sup]TM[/sup] and you needed to get back lest your patient hemorrhage on the operating table? Am I close? Or are you just lazy? Hmmm…
Beelzebubba, Gomez, andDragwyr are wrong, wrong, and wrong again.
It’s not up to the customer to help the retail clerk do his freakin’ job. If the customer takes a game off the display, the clerk rings up the purchase, says, “Thank you” and smiles. End of story.
Who do you think pays your salary, retail folks? If you piss off the customers, they’ll go to a competitor.
Jeez. Nothing is more important than taking care of the customer. Stocking, arranging displays, and other tasks are all secondary to making the customer happy. No customers, no money, no retail job. Is is that difficult an equation to suss out?
Holy fuck. What the hell is with you people?
In an age where people don’t even apologize when they practically run you over with their damned shopping carts at the local SuperMarket (hell, I bump into someone’s CART and I’m all apologies) is this the one place rife with people willing to bend over for anyone?
I’ve done customer service, I’ve had to ask people to cut me some slack here and there, but they have every, every, EVERY right to say NO. It does not make him a jerk to say NO. You don’t know that he was passing right next to the display on the way out. You don’t know what kind of day he’d already had. For all you goddamn know he could be a goddamn agoraphobic, panicing to get out of there! (yes, that’s a very large stretch)
WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL THESE JUDGEMENTAL ASSHOLES COMING FROM? DO PEOPLE HAVE TO JUSTIFY EVERYTHING NOWADAYS? FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.
No, he isn’t a jerk for saying no. He’s a jerk for seething over a polite request, and for thinking the clerk is an asshole.
At least he had the decency to reply in a calm way, and save his anger for the pit.
For what it’s worth, Jpeg, the guy ringing me out was pretty polite. I felt bad doing my duty, but I felt that a commitment was a commitment.
So as soon as he finished ringing me out, I “acciently” dropped my change on the floor. He quickly bent to pick it up for me (I told you he was nice) and I took that opportunity to “pants” him and shove my game box (I removed the game first, silly) up his ass sideways. He couldn’t understand the source of my vitrol, but I felt that doing so more then made up for the clerk in your OP.
I think I did a service for all humanity yesterday at the game store. I’m feeling good about life.
Zette
(PS- this game kicks major ass. I love it!)
You’re quite right, calling the guy an ‘asshole’ for making a simple request is rather an overreaction.
However, some other posters (not yourself) seem to think it was rude to politely state you were going to leave the box on the counter. Someone else seems to think he’s being an asshole for not going out of his way to help someone who. (or the term may have been simply lifted from the OP. IANAPsychic.)
Some people seem to have a very STRANGE definition of rude.
I’m just tired of people expecting you to go out of your way for others all the time. I go out of my way for other people, often, and am getting taken for granted and am fed up to -> there with it. This guy (the OP) may very well feel the same way.
WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL THESE SELF-CENTERED MONOMANIACAL ASSHOLES COMING FROM? DO PEOPLE ACTUALLY EXPECT ME TO NICE TO SOME ONE ELSE NOWADAYS? FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.
I read the OP that he simply left the game on the counter, and walked out of the store, without buying anything. I don’t give a shit what words he used as he left, that’s not “polite”. It’s intentionally making the clerks life more difficult; and over-reacting to a simple request for a little help. Thinking the guy is an asshole and intentionally making his day more difficult as your response to a polite request for help is, by my “strange definition”, rude.
Why do people think we have to be ‘nice’ all the damn time? I am nice. I have to be nice most of the day. You don’t care about my problems, I won’t extrapolate on them here, but NOT putting back the game does NOT make him a jerk. or rude. (thinking something can make one rude? I thought rudeness required an action. silly me.)
Also, his third post said ‘i haven’t tried the game yet, I’m at work.’ Sounds like maybe he DID buy it.
(intentionally making the clerk’s life more difficult… so from now on, I should re-hang all the clothes I try on and do not purchase, even if they offer to do it for me. I should wash my own windshield rather than letting the gas station attendant do it when it is part of their job. I will wipe my own table at restaurants.)
This is not the same as, say, leaving a shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot, where it conveniences a great number of people until someone ELSE moves it. This is gasp forcing someone to DO THEIR JOB. Not ‘rude’.
hmm. apologies, that should read ‘inconveniences’.
Also, a thought just occured to me. I wonder how many people the clerk made this request of. Would it be considered ‘rude’ if he asked 15 customers to return their purchases to the stand so that he would not have to restock them later? The OP may not have witnessed this happening to anyone else, but would it not be rather unusual to make this request of only one person? ( I consider the request unusual in any case, myself, but YMMV )
[/QUOTE]
Actually, yes, he was rude. Right here:
That’s not at all rude in my opinion. Even saying, “Actually, I’d rather not push through that crowd”. wouldn’t have been rude.
And, for heaven’s sake, it’s just the Electronics Boutique. I am sure there is lots of downtime for the clerks there. It’s not like it’s Wal-Mart, where the clerks spend the day ringing orders non-stop. It wouldn’t kill the clerk to do his job.
Gobear, the clerk was asking jpeg to do him a small favour and I emplasise SMALL because it was tiny, infinitessimally small. It was “Please put this box back on the display as you leave”. That’s it. He was asking him to put a box back on his way out, not donate a frigging kidney. Besides, by leaving the box there jpeg gave the clerk 2 choices, (a) Leave your position and keep the customers waiting as you fix the display (b) Leave one less box on display meaning one less game may be sold, costing the company money. Neither of those choices provide good customer service.
Venoma:
It wasn’t the words he used that was rude, it was not responding to a very simple request.
He had no reason not to help the guy out. It would’ve been the nice thing to do. I’m not saying he was obligated, just that the difference between a nice guy and a petty minded ass is how they respond to requests like these.
Caricci:
[quote]
That’s not at all rude in my opinion. Even saying, “Actually, I’d rather not push through that crowd”. wouldn’t have been rude.
And, for heaven’s sake, it’s just the Electronics Boutique. I am sure there is lots of downtime for the clerks there. It’s not like it’s Wal-Mart, where the clerks spend the day ringing orders non-stop. It wouldn’t kill the clerk to do his job.
[quote]
As has been noted, he would’ve had to push through the crown anyway, why not spread a little sunshine along the way? Also, according to the OP there were “lots of people milling about”, now since jpeg would’ve had to go through them anyway, and since the clerk would’ve had to ignore the other customers to fix it, surely it was the non assholish thing to do to just plonk the box back down on his way out. BTW - I give the op 0.5 because the subject matter is petty as fuck.
Errr…what’s the issue? Being nice is a strain on you? Yeah, actually, I do think people should be nice all the damn time, or at least, as long as the person you’re interacting with is being nice to you. There’s something wrong with that?
I highlighted the “action” which I believe to be rude. If that action was not taken, then I’ll retract my “asshole” call. However, I still think the rant is an over-reaction, and I still don’t get why he couldn’t just help the guy out.
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I don’t see why not. Your time an energy is too valuable to waste on cleaning up after yourself?
Do you live in Oregon, or something? Or do you just seek out the pumps which say “Full” on them?
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So as long as it’s their job it’s OK to inconvenience them? Glad we got that cleared up. When I go to a restaraunt with my four kids, I shouldn’t care at all about the mess they make, right? I mean, it’s the waitresses job to clean up. When I go through the drive-thru at Burger King at 5PM and don’t get my order in 3 minutes or less, I should bitch out the manager, 'cause it’s her job, right?
Sorry, Venoma, but I just can’t comprehend your mind-set. If some one is screwing around and not doing their job just for the sake of screwing around (a-la Slackers post) then by all means, they deserve a little kick in the ass. Otherwise why wouldn’t you want to help them out or cut them some slack?
Apparently, mine is not the popular opinion. That’s fine. I’m sorry to have inconenienced you with my dissent. I will now return you to your regularly scheduled rant.
I agree with you completely. I just don’t think that as customers we should be unnecessarily adding anything more to the store clerk’s workload by destroying their displays.
That is exactly what I meant when I said store clerks have lots to do. They are busy tending to customers, ringing up customer sales, answering customer questions, but they are also required to prevent theft, restock items, perform store maintenance, and make the store more conducive to buying for customers. In the course of serving the customers and doing this other stuff, it is incredibly inconsiderate of a customer to mess up a display, because then the clerk has to make it up again at some point. All I was saying is that eventhough customers should come first, customers can also help the clerk’s job to be easier by not messing up the displays.
Well, while we’re dissenting we’d best make ourselves clear 
This is an awful lot like hearing ‘cheer up’ all the time. (To keep that comment in context, I’m depressive.) Even when you’re not being ‘nice’ which may include helping old ladies across the street (not saying there’s anything wrong with this) or putting a game back on the shelf, you are not automatically being rude. I see ‘niceness’ as putting oneself out, at least in the flavour of this thread.
No, and I frequently DO clean up after myself. But people who work at the store know how to properly fold, categorize and replace clothing, which (according to the mishmashed piles of replaced clothes at understaffed clothing stores) most consumers do not. Matter of practice. In that case, it may make their job easier if you just leave the clothing with them. They may have to rearrange it anyhow if you put it back yourself.
I pump my own gas. Consequently, I live in east coast Canada. But it is part of their job to do that, if you do frequent the full service pumps. Is it rude to have them do this? Would it not be a bit strange for one of them to ask you to wash your own windshield?
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I think the issue here is one of degree. 4 kids can make a lot of mess, sure you can rein them in a bit and make the person’s job a bit easier. No, you shouldn’t rip the manager a new one for having a happy meal come 30 seconds late. However, if it takes 6 minutes to get it and it’s the 4th time that week that it has happened to you, maybe you should say something (or find a new place to eat). As one of my other posts said… what if this wasn’t the only person this guy asked to put something back? how many requests are required to make him a lazy fuck/asshole?
I’ll apologize for going overboard here, if you’d read my response to Pucette, it’s just this kind of thing struck a tiny bit close to home and I knee-jerked. Sorry.
Gomez, the difference between ‘a nice guy and a petty-minded ass’? There’s only those 2 categories? (rhetorical question, I’m sure you didn’t mean that) This goes back to ‘why do we always have to put ourselves out’. Man, maybe he was in a bad mood. Maybe he needed to shit. Maybe he doesn’t like being around large crowds. (WHY-JUSTIFY-EVERYTHING - see previous rant)
If considering ‘having a bad day’ a privelege I am entitled to makes me a petty-minded ass, then you can consider me a petty-minded ass. You may also borrow that game box from Zette to shove up your ass sideways. 
Re-reading this post, I have an inordinately large number of strawmen constructed. sorry. I have a hard time drawing parallels.
Oops, got the formula wrong; first you subtract number of girls asked out from highest level of Doom achieved, then you add number of girls kissed. This will give you a very accurate measurement of SIDR.
My take on the “destroying display” question - put a sign on the display if you don’t want me picking from it. I’m about the most polite person in the world, and I would have done exactly what Jpeg did. If there was a sign on the display asking not to take stock from it, I would have apologized profusely and taken it right back. No sign, they’re fair game. If this clerk is fed up because everyone is grabbing from the display, then maybe he should do something about it other than asking the customers to put things back for him. Maybe he’s confused and/or lazy; maybe he’s supposed to restock the display from the box by the counter when it starts to get low. I do things to help store clerks where appropriate; I don’t consider this to be one of those situations.
Am I wrong, or were the people milling around the display? Who says the display was near the doorway? Was it? Even if it was, their is no obilgation to say yes and to refuse is not rude.
I think we can agree on this, if nothing else.
I may have made different choices than Jpeg, given the same situation. In the long run, it doesn’t matter. I still think his response wasn’t nice. But, I feel pretty silly for spending all day arguing about it.
Having registered my opinion, I’m checking out of this thread. Thanks for having me, and have a nice day.
Actually, it’s all pretty much out of my system now, thanks to being able to rant about it, but I’m still convinced that I’m right.
Yes, it wouldn’t have killed me to be super-nice and put it back. Yes, the clerk could’ve been very busy. Yes, I probably was feeling a little superior since I have a satisfying career and a well-paying job. But it’s a question of diligence, as I stated earlier.
I believe EVERYONE who is employed MUST give 110%. And when you’re in the retail customer service business, you just don’t ask customers to do YOUR job. End of story.
I admit I am glad I wasn’t outright rude to him after all. That would’ve probably stuck with me a lot longer than the half an hour’s worth of bile I had flowing through my system. I’m just not a rude guy by nature.
Jpeg
P.S. I DID buy the copy he brought out of the stock box. My wife is addicted to The Sims and I would be writing this from the dog house if I didn’t bring it home that very night.
I would seriously consider finding a different rectal foreign object. Re-use of a shoved box would probably be very unpleasent for all parties involved.
Frankly, I know why Jpeg couldn’t wait to get out of the store and didn’t feel like doing what the clerk asked. He wanted to get home and PLAY this KICK ASS GAME!
Man, lighten up people. It’s just a gripe. Sometimes Pit threads are like “the grapevine”. What starts out as a “removed game from display” turns into “destroying the whole display”. Come on now.
Have you ever been to a “Schleptronics Ooutique” store? I’ve never been in one that didn’t have at least two people working- 1 usually talking on the phone and ringing customers and 1 playing a videogame. Sorry if that’s stereotyping, but it is what I’ve seen firsthand. If they run around tending to customers, etc, I’ve never witnessed it.
I think that the small incident referenced in the OP has been blown out of proportion and somehow included all retail establishments and their beautiful displays.
(By the way, are you NOT supposed to take product off a display? I always do. Like if there is a big pile of soda or cereal in an aisle, I take my box from there, not the shelf. Am I inadvertantly “messing up the displays” or am I shopping the way the marketing people want? I really do not know.)
Zette