::snaps fingers:: OVER HERE!!!!

The BBQ Pit
1

Why, why, why, why, why do people do this? Why is it so hard to say “Excuse me?” Or “Miss?” Or “I could use some help here, please?” WHY?

Always with the clapping, the whistling, the snapping of fingers, the frantic waving, the banging on the counter, the glaring, the standing there making “humph” noises and not saying anything or making eye contact.

The store is not that big. I will hear you if you say “Pardon me, I need some help.” I will hear you. I will. I promise.

You do NOT need to whistle at me as if I am a dog. Or wave your hands in mid-air as though you’re ground control and I’m an airplane. Or snap your fingers like that’s going to magically summon me. Or wiggle your fingers at me in the “beckoning” motion, again as though I am a dog. If I’m behind the counter working on something and I don’t immediately notice you coming in, you can SAY something to make your presence known; you don’t need to beat a drum cadence on the counter. If I’m helping someone else in a different section of the room, you can SAY something to me to let me know you’ll need help as soon as I’m done; you don’t need to hold your hand up in the air making little twisty wrist motions like a primary schooler who knows the answer to a question.

And if you do master the art of using WORDS to communicate, I’d appreciate it additionally if you would not do so while I am talking to another customer. It’s rude to interrupt. I’ll be glad to help you as soon as I’ve finished this sentence, ok?

To tell you the truth, when you act that rudely, and don’t even use words - as though I’m not worthy of the amount of respect that would entail - I am much less inclined to be properly helpful. Oh, I WILL be, of course - it’s my job - but you better believe that unless you demonstrate a good reason to be waving your fucking arms around like a possessed marionnette instead of opening your goddamn mouth, I’ll be bitching about you behind your back as soon as you’re out the door. It’s one thing if you’re deaf or you have a sore throat or you don’t speak English. It’s another if you’re just an asshole who likes to treat people as though they are dogs.

Seriously, why do people do that? Do they not realize it is rude?

2

I find such actions unforgivably rude. I would never behave in such a manner toward a waiter or store clerk.
(I will admit that one time, just after we were married, I was recording the transaction in the checkbook after making a purchase at the supermarket, so I snapped my fingers at Deb, pointed at the bagged groceries and walked out. She laughed, but I have been wise enough to refrain from repeating the gesture.)

3

Seriously, why don’t service personnel pay attention? Don’t they realize that they’re supposed to be alert to their customers’ needs? If I have to walk up and TALK to someone who is goddamn well supposed to notice me and initiate contact, I’m not going to leave with a very favorable impression. I may, in fact, “be bitching about you behind your back” as soon as I leave the store (leaving without buying anything, more than likely – I don’t put up with any of this “folding sweaters is more important than waiting on customers” bullshit).

4

I work in a copy center. I have work to do that necessarily involves me taking my attention away from the counter at times; one cannot simultaneously run three jobs each due tomorrow and be 100% attentive to each person who enters through the door. On weekdays we are well-staffed enough that I can, in fact, devote my entire attention to helping everyone, and on those days my biggest problem is with people who will not wait their turn when I am helping other people, and insist on interrupting or whistling at me while I am with another customer. On weekends there are only two people in the entire store, and devoting my undivided attention to any one thing is only possible if it is a very slow workday.

If I notice that you are having difficulties I will offer to help you. This does not mean that if I somehow FAIL to notice you are having difficulties you should start whistling or beeping or banging or stomping or waving or throwing a hissy fit when a simple “excuse me” would suffice.

5

My friend worked in a Bookstore that had Sci/Fi author David Brin come by for a signing.

He’d snap his fingers and say “Employee Employee” like he was summoning a dog.

After the day was over the manager told him he would never be invited back.

ps I won’t say the name of the store but it’s a HUGE bookstore one of the largest in america.

6

Sweet Jeebus, I hope this is some brilliant parody post.

7

Maybe this post was a joke, but in anycase,

When I’ve worked customer service jobs I tended to be a bit reluctant to initiate contact. Oh, I’d make sure that I was visible and obviously available if they needed help, and of course a friendly “hello” here and there would be given- but otherwise (barring an obvious look on confusion on the customer’s face) I would tend to stay out of their way.

Why? Because when I’m a customer I don’t like it when store employees shower me with attention. Whether it’s asking if I need help every 5 minutes or being overly eager in their sales banter, it just makes me uncomfortable. Every now and then I come across a store that has a more hands off approach to customer service; the employees are around if you need help, but otherwise they leave you alone- and I much prefer the overall atmosphere that this creates.

And you know, it just becomes sort of a golden rule thing at that point.

8

Hey [snap] [snap] racinchikki; you don’t like your fucking job, find another one.

Now, go fetch me a 12 pack of beer and some condoms. *chop, chop *

9

Sometimes they do not care. I can think of select few instances where I would ever do such a thing (the big one is if the employee and I are playing hide and seek, which happens exceedingly rarely), and most of them involve heavily-distracted (or asleep) employees. Even if I am seriously pissed off, it does me little good to actively piss off same employee.

I prefer, ideally, to be left alone unless I approach a store employee, but I also find that those stores where I need help often feature employees who are busy and/or not good at recognizing eye contact. Those stores that feature employees who ask if I need help usually are small enough (or I am not the one who needs help) that I am okay. I wonder if this is a common phenomenon or a case of the van parked at the intersection (you only notice it when it is there, never when it is not).

I don’t want to be asked, unsolicitedly (walking into the store does not count in my book, though I actively recognize that it does in many stores’), if I want help. If I need help, rest assured I will find someone. If I look lost, I would prefer to determine that I have no idea where to look and to then find someone to help than have someone come along, unsolicited (again, in my book, and I recognize that it may well not be in the store’s book), and ask me if I need help.

10

Could they be used to situations where saying “excuse me” just isn’t heard? It doesn’t excuse their rude behaviour, but it might explain why they’ve been pavlovianly conditioned to do it…

11

It’s not just in service industries. At least a few times a day, everybody in my office will just be working quietly at their des-

FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! snap snap
It’s just one guy who does this. He’s well aware of how insulting it is to whoever he’s calling, and how disruptive and annoying it is to everyone else. If anything, he wouldn’t do it if it didn’t bother anyone.

Although he’s my direct supervisor, I’ve made it pretty clear to him that he can whistle himself a brand new gap in his teeth for all I care, but I’m not responding unless he actually calls me by name. To his minimal credit, he learned pretty quickly that I was serious.

12

pssstttt… racinchikki, great OP :smiley:

Seriously, you should come to India to experience some of this stuff. Waiters get called by names such as psssttt, ccchhcchhhchh, tockkkkk, and other such noises that can’t be phoneticized(?). Waiters and other service folk are also called “boss” very often.

None of it is meant to be rude, and it’s quite common out here in the cheaper restaurants and establishments.

13

Whether Nametag is kidding or not, we’ve had plenty of Pit Threads going both ways: customer gets pissed when employee is not paying attention, employee is very annoyed by customer treating him/her like a servant. Sorry about the jerks, racinchikki.

14

The customer is not always right. Neither is the employee. I have been in situations where, as a customer, I have been unable to find help in a store. I can assure you that I do my best to make sure that this is NOT the case for MY customers. There are a lot of jerks out there who whistle and snap their fingers as the default mode of attention-getting, and I think it’s very, very rude to do that to a person regardless of whether the person is your friend, your parent, you spouse or just some random person who works in a shop you’re in.

15

Having worked in small stores, and larger ones one thing I can say is that the general rule goes: Small stores you must greet every customer that comes in with a “Hello, did you need help finding anything today?” I did that but if people said just browsing or looking around I always backed off and said something along the lines of if you need anything I’m around.

Bigger stores can’t (and don’t) hire enough people to do that though (unless it’s like Wal-mart and they have the front door greeter) When I worked in a big outlet store I was often the only person working in a section about 3 times the size of one of the small stores I worked at. If I tried to greet every person, especially on a busy day I would never get anything else done.

I don’t mind being greeted and asked if I need help when I walk into a store. Sometimes I know what I want but not where to find it, and I ask. If I’m browsing, I say so. If I say that though, and they don’t back off. They’ve lost a customer.

Mostly I’d prefer it if I’m acknowledged and I need help I can find someone but they aren’t right there as soon as I walk in. It drives me just as nuts to not be able to find any help as it is to have too much.

16

I’m not altogether fond of the wal-mart front door greeter either. I don’t want to have a quick gab with someone I don’t know about nothing in particular; I want to get what I’m there for (and some other stuff, inevitably, because There’s Always Something New) and get out with minimal hassle or human contact. If I wanted to talk to people I’d go off and talk to them. When I’m shopping I usually prefer to be left to my own devices unless or until I’m ready to find someone, at which point I’ll do just that.

17

Yes, but David Brin is an ignorant swine with some truly bizarre beliefs. I’d slap someone silly if they ever did that to me. Thankfully, I don’t work in an environment that that’s likely to happen.

Besides, he’d have to be the second last man on Earth before I’d let Brin darken my doorstep.

18

Ugh. This used to drive me nuts when I waited tables. I’d never answer to snaps. Ever. The customer could have direct eye contact with me and the minute he snapped his damn fingers like I was a fucking dog, I’d make sure he knew I saw him, then turn around and walk away. I am not a dog and I refuse to be treated like one.

The other thing that drove me nuts is when customers would refer to me as “waitress”. I’d prefer just an “excuse me” or even a “miss?” But “waitress!” was unacceptable. I’d always respond with “yes, customer?” Most of the time they’d laugh when they realized how ridiculous they sounded. Most of them also apologied. I truly believe that most of the customers who engage in this behavior don’t realize what they’re doing, or that it’s rude. Some people are just that oblivious and/or self involved.

And Nametag, you probably didn’t realize how rude you were when you engaged in this behavior (why else would someone attack the OP so quickly?) but now that you know, please cut it out. It really is rude. :wink:

19

Oh yeah, I’m like that myself. If I need help I’ll find it I don’t like people coming up to gab… it’s even more annoying because I’m usually pushing a stroller and they want to know everything about my son, how old he is, how much he weighs URGH Go away! I’m there to shop not talk about Caterpie!

All I want is to be able to walk in, get what I want and go. If I can’t find it or need help I’ll ask for it.

But I also know that what corporate says you must do (at least when the manager is around) so I usually manage to fend off people without being rude.

20

More power to ya!

When i waited tables, any whistle or snap of the fingers would be studiously ignored and, like you, i always made sure that the customer knew that i had seen him (why was it nearly always men who did this?) before i went off to do something else.