# Target and customer service **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 11, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819 "2003-10-11T07:44:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/1 "2003-10-11T07:44:36Z")
Ok, this is just another “I got bad service and I want to rant about it” thread, but I’m pissed. I’m a big shutterbug. I have a Pentax K-1000 that I’ve had for about 20 years. It doesn’t have much in the way of extras, but it does have a light meter. The light meter runs on a watch battery. For years, when I needed one, I would bring it into K-mart, go to the watch department, find the display of batteries, match the number and purchase. The Kmart I used to go to was closed like many others. So I go to Target. No battery wall in the Target watch department. I ask the sales person. “What kind of watch is it for?” “Not a watch, a camera.” “Oh, you have to go the photography department” “But it’s a watch battery, it just goes in the camera. It’s a (read off the number on the battery)” (Without looking at any batteries)“No, you have to go to the photography department” Ok, I go there. Photography department person. “We got regular and rechargeable.” “No, it’s not that type of battery, it’s for a light meter, it looks like this” (show him the battery). “You have to go to the electronics department” I go to electronics. No salesperson. Fed up, I leave, drive to the nearest K-mart that I knew was still open. Walked in, went to the watch department, found the wall of batteries, found the one I needed, purchased it, walked out. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/2 "2003-10-11T16:01:07Z")
Here’s where you went wrong: me:I need a (battery number). clerk: what type of watch is it? me: Um. I have no idea, it’s my brother’s watch. Here it is, can you match it? shame on you for being informative as to why you needed the battery! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/3 "2003-10-11T16:22:17Z")
And please do not put the words, “Target” and “customer service” in the same sentence. While they may have occasional good deals (if you shop _very_ carefully), customer service is not their particular forte. ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/4 "2003-10-11T17:22:16Z")
In your experience, anyway, Zenster. I always found Target light years beyond K Mart or Wal Mart. Not that it’s always customer friendly in any of these kinds of places, though. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/5 "2003-10-11T17:29:14Z")
Discount department stores such as Target, K Mart, and Wal Mart are generally not focussing on customer service, no matter HOW many chirpy ads Wal Mart has on TV to convince us otherwise. You have to decide whether you want good service or good prices. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get EITHER, but you generally won’t get both in the same store. That being said, the Target clerk was clearly in the wrong. I feel your pain, I used to have a blood sugar monitor that took a very rare sort of camera battery. It was always a challenge to find those batteries. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/6 "2003-10-11T17:43:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alma \* > In your experience, anyway, Zenster. I always found Target light years beyond K Mart or Wal Mart. Not that it’s always customer friendly in any of these kinds of places, though. Which is why you have to put a gun to my head in order for me to shop a K-Mart or Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/7 "2003-10-11T21:11:19Z")
I heard somewhere (it might even have been here) that you get three options when shopping: Good Prices Good Service Good Selection Then, you get to pick two. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/8 "2003-10-11T21:48:12Z")
Huh, at my Target the watch/hearing aid, etc small batteries are on a spinner on the countertop. You just grab the one you need and beat it. (Stopping to pay for it at some point along the line.) ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/9 "2003-10-11T22:04:10Z")
I see that Batteries Plus has five or six locations in Michigan. I’ve been pretty happy with their selection, and the knowledge of even their teenage employees - after all, they only do batteries. Haven’t directly compared prices, but they haven’t been outrageous. And don’t be so critical of the Target employee. He has a future in government. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/10 "2003-10-11T23:43:32Z")
I just like to say I’ve always gotten great service from Target. Am I the lucky one? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/11 "2003-10-12T00:36:17Z")
The correct answer is to stare holes in the high school kid who is working there as a clerk and say; _“Just shut up and give me a xxxxxxx battery”_ **"Now"** ---
**Author:** ![UWmite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UWmite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UWmite)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/12 "2003-10-12T15:19:10Z")
I got a job at Target the instant I turned 16. For exactly 3 weeks. They call customers “guests”, therefore they’re providing good customer service. Right? Right? I quit and went to work at a tiny family-owned toy store. Best job I ever had. ---
**Author:** ![Delly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Delly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delly)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/13 "2003-10-12T21:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chimera \* > \*\*The correct answer is to stare holes in the high school kid who is working there as a clerk and say; > > _“Just shut up and give me a xxxxxxx battery”_ > > **"Now"** \*\* And people wonder why customer service is so crap in certain places… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/14 "2003-10-12T22:13:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Delly \* > \*\*And people wonder why customer service is so crap in certain places… \*\* Um, I think he’s _joking_. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/15 "2003-10-13T00:09:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*And please do not put the words, “Target” and “customer service” in the same sentence. While they may have occasional good deals (if you shop _very_ carefully), customer service is not their particular forte. \*\* Now, now! The last time I visited Target (which I like to refer to as Tar-jay) there was a dresing room attendent who provided an _invaluable_ service of in-house entertainment! That’s right! I was lucky enough to catch the eight o’clock show of her breaking up with her boyfriend! Being the considerate, insightful girl she was, she was sure to _shout_ her replies into the telephone so that all the audience members in the dressing rooms wouldn’t miss a word! And if _that_ wasn’t enough, she was also so kid as to repeat _back_ her x boyfriend’s (d’oh! spoiler!) responses, so we could follow the plot! Now _that’s_ what I call _service!!_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/16 "2003-10-13T00:58:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Um, I think he’s _joking_. \*\* Well, not really. If people in two different departments have pointed the finger at the other department, then he’s already getting crap service. If you know it is a watch battery and that it should be found in the electronics department, then there’s no reason to put up with being bounced back and forth. Simply tell them what you want and don’t put up with the crap. It’s not a matter of ruining their morale and causing bad service by being mean. It’s a matter of “being mean” because you don’t care to put up with the bad service. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/17 "2003-10-13T03:03:00Z")
Well, true. If customer service reps are assholes, feel free to be as much of one right back. It just sucks that it doesn’t work the other way. 😉 FWIW, if I couldn’t help someone, I always tried my damndest to find someone who could. And if I couldn’t, I’d try to help them see what we could do. (As long as they were polite-if they were assholes, I’d do the bare minimum required and let them sink or swim). ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/18 "2003-10-13T04:31:27Z")
Ok, so I was engaging in a little hyperbole. Obviously you don’t start at asshole-dom. You start by clearly stating that you need a type xxxxx battery and it should be in the department you are in. “Can you please give me one?” If the person keeps blowing you off or giving excuses, **then** you get rude. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/19 "2003-10-13T04:38:52Z")
Good Lord, how hard would it be for you to read the damn number off the back of the battery and then look at the battery display in the Target? You’re excoriating a minimum wage Target employee for not being capable or willing to do mental work that you obvious aren’t able to do. It ain’t rocket science. Why do you need somebody to help you with it? ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819/20 "2003-10-13T04:40:56Z")
obvious **LY**. obviously. also, the K-1000 is a wonderful camera. I bought mine in 1978 and I still use it regularly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/target-and-customer-service/206819.md?page=2)