The thoughts &^%!& dancing through a sales associates head...

Okay, in an effort to keep my sanity (or what's left of it) during this stressful holiday season, I've decided to post the thoughts as I hear every excuse in the book.

Bed, Bath & Beyond is open until 11 pm this week for any last minute shopping. A 20% off coupon came out in the paper this weekend which seems to have caused a frenzy. Please keep in mind we DO NOT have any coupons "laying around" the store in case they forget them at home. They don't send them to the stores. Every single coupon we collect from a customer is counted and then marked off so they cannot be duplicated (the register will not let us re-use them either).

Yesterday I was in an awful mood from the minute I got up. This having been my 9th day working, it's understandable. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Customers whining about items that have been in our flyer for weeks, that have sold out (and will not be re-ordered), how they "left their coupons as home" and can I give them one, (uh, NOOOOO!!!), how long the lines are, etc.

I always bring in MY coupons that I get through the mail. I save them for the older senior citizens who are on a fixed income.

So, this is a retail vent.

Scenario #1:

Customer: "Um, I left my 20% coupon at home. Do you have any in the store I can have??"

Me: "No mam, I'm sorry, we don't get any coupons from corporate. However, you can bring your receipt back with your coupon and we will give you the difference. Anytime to bring it back is good. There's no deadline.

Customer: "Do I HAVE to drive all the way back home (she lived 5 minutes from the store) in order to get the 20% off???

Me: "I'm sorry mam, there's nothing I can do."

Customer: "Well, I want to talk to the manager about waiving the coupon!!"

Me (on the paging system): "Craig to customer service please." (I do NOT get paid enough to argue with this moron).

Scenario #2:

Customer: "Yeah, I bought these sheets a month ago (still in package, no price tag on them) and just now got the coupon in the mail. I want it taken off the sheets. I don't have the receipt."

Me: "I'm sorry mam, but you need your receipt in order for me to give you the 20% difference."

Customer: "But you waited on me!!!! Don't you remember me??"

Me: "Mam, I don't remember what I had for breakfast THIS MORNING, let alone a month ago."

Customer: "Well I want to speak with a manager!!!"

Me: (over the paging system) "Craig to customer service please." (he went upstairs to look up her receipt and then gave her the discount)

Scenario #3:

Customer in fur coat, coming over to Customer Service: (All three registers had long lines) "Yeah, can I check out here??"

Me: "Yes mam, you can. However, there are at least 10-15 people ahead of you in line, so you'll have to wait your turn." She figured she'd get in and out in a hurry. NOT!!!

Scenario #4:

Customer shoving merchandise and coupons in my face: "Yeah, I want the 20% THIS item, and the other one on THIS item."

Me: "Yes mam, it is automatically taken off the most expensive items."

Customer after seeing how much they've spent AFTER the coupons are deducted: "Is THAT price AFTER the discount???"

Me (sighing and rolling my eyes): "Yes mam, it's with the 20% off."

Customer: "But it should be 20% off the ENTIRE ORDER!!"

Me: "No mam, if you can see on the coupon, it's off a single item."

Customer: "Oh." (of course there's no apology).

I can't believe how greedy, short tempered and arrogant some of these customers have become. I cannot WAIT until our company Christmas party on January 7th! I have volunteered to be the designated driver (I'm SURE most of the employees are going to get tanked that night). It should prove to be very interesting. :p

How about being a cashier at Walmart?

Open 24 hours for this whole week.. can't wait to get to work tonight. :rolleyes:

:) Oh My at work in Aviation & look what Flew In :rolleyes: && you want what :confused: when to Fly where Now :cool: For pettss sake :o

I have never worked in retail, but I sure do feel for those that do during the holiday season. Keep on going, you'll get through this season soon!

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I have never worked in retail, but I sure do feel for those that do during the holiday season. Keep on going, you'll get through this season soon!

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JenBKR,

I'm sure I will get through this season. I'm just not sure how much of my sanity will be left!! :p

Been there done that...worked in retail for 7 years. And boy isn't the holidays fun. I worked for a specialty store so the summer time was just as bad as christmas for us with all those summer weddings. Boy I used to love when I was asked to work overnight just so I wouldn't have to deal with the customers. LOL

Hang in there girl a little less than a week and it will all be over. :)

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Hang in there girl a little less than a week and it will all be over.

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Try a little more than a week. Can you say RETURNS??? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by moosmom

Try a little more than a week. Can you say RETURNS??? :rolleyes:

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Damn....returns forgot about those...we never had returns as the things we did were customs and were approved on pick-up.

Come on Donna...deep breaths...start the count down. hehehe first do the count down to Christmas and then after a couple of days break start the countdown to the end of boxing week sales and returns...it will make it a little easier to deal with.

((((((HUGS))))) Some encouragement hugs for you. :D

I worked retail for 5 years in my High School/College years. I will always be patient and kind to cashiers/customer service people.

Never had a problem with anyone with an attitude so far. :)

I lasted 2 weeks at Walgreens, gave my 2 week, and left. It depressed me. I hate customer service and I will never take another job like that in my life. If I had to I'd go work as a groom mucking stalls. I rather scoop the crap than deal with the crap customers try and give you.

LOL! Some of these comments are great! this is my third year working in retail during the holidays. Nothing was as bad as the first year, while I was still a supervisor. Oy-yoi-yoi! Well Donna, I hope you - and poor Craig - manage to retain a small amount of serenity through all this. Just take a deep breath, and say the Serenity prayer , even if it's a million times - it works!

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

How about being a cashier at Walmart?

Open 24 hours for this whole week.. can't wait to get to work tonight. :rolleyes:

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I love Wal-mart here, and we have the best cashiers. These people are working their butt off! Its a super walmart so groceries as well as shopping and its crazy. But once you hit the lines, no more than 10 max 15 minutes before they can do your order. And that is swapped on a saturday mid afternoon... I think they do a great job!!!

I did the retail thing in college...working summer and holidays. My very first day on the floor was the day after Thanksgiving! Talk about trial by Fire!!!

Hang in there Donna! It will be over soon :)

I'm sorry I wasn't a Customer at "Your Store" Donna~ :cool:

Great Comments , Everyone~

Donna, Hang in there~ You're a Peach!!!!!(Don't ever allow their *Greed * to Consume You)

The Serenity Prayer works Wonders Honey!!! You do have the Wisdom to Know the Difference :cool:

You "are" the designated *Driver*~ That is your New Title Donna~ ;)

That is Your Purpose~

You're an Awesome Driver!!!!!!!!

Hold Your Head High Baby!!! :D

My WalMart experiences have been good, too. At two different stores even. One girl even went to the back and found a jacekt in the size I needed. At the other store, a girl spent at least 10 minutes helping me in the toy dept. I had picked a 1 year old to buy some presents for and had no clue which things to get.

I couldn't do retail. I'd end up telling someone off the first day. Props to all you that do and survive.

Oh gosh people can be so awful. My very first job was at kmart, and it was a struggle to deal with some people even when it wasn't the holidays. People can be so rude and just terrible.

Once, a man came through my line and bought an item for $1.99. I rang him up, bagged the item and gave him the receipt. The receipt wrote the item slightly differently than on the package- it was the same item, but it was written minimally different. The man looked at the receipt, said "This isn't what I paid for," and THREW the item towards me and said "Take this a shove it." It was horrible, it was all I could do not to cry.

I have no idea why he was so horrible to me, but I know from working in retail that I should always always always be very nice and understanding to cashiers.

*Sigh* Donna..Been there..Done That.

I worked xtra jobs in a department store and a discount beauty supply place. Man o Man! Either people are fantastic and sweet or they're from he**. I always tried to be nice but one lady got under my skin, trying to test me about a return so I quit shortly after. I knew I'd freak out sooner or later. Once at Christmas, only I and an elderly saleclerk showed up, had to open 5 registers (!), customers wound up at MY register, at least 50 in line at one time. It was so hot and I was starving and thirsty. One couple was so fantastic and sympathtic they came back later with a soda and a sandwich!! I ate it at the counter even though I wasn't allowed. At midnight, the manager wanted to leave, was questioning why it took me so long to close 5 registers (on my own-forget the other cashier). So..since I didn't get help ALL day, I closed my register, grabbed my purse and left and told the manager to do it since she sat around all day and wanted to leave. She did, cause I was gone. Not another word was said to me.

I worked at walmat at the customer service desk a few yrs ago and these ppl were nuts!!! Honeslty were do they come from this one woman asked to speak to a manager cuz I wouldn't return her item (no receipt and it was ruined by her) He came and refused also kindly tho and she took off her shoe and threw it at him and hit him in the head :eek:

Ok remind me never to move to the States to become a retail person - oooohhh wow what a life. But even in my job I get snide ignorant and over the top people. I remember this one client who came in to see one of the Solicitors in the office where I worked and when she came in she was told that he was on holiday and when the principle of the firm came down to speak with her she told him she did not want to deal with him and would sit there until the other solicitor returned. We kinda had to laugh at that one as he had only begun a two week holiday in France...... So she would have been sitting there for 14 days and nights in a cold office as it was winter and the heating system was broke. so the principle (my boss/owner) told her go ahead but we would not be sitting with her or entertaining her during her two week stay and she looked at him and said what do you mean 2 week stay and he again explained that Mr. D. had gone on holiday for 2 weeks and would not be back before Christmas but she was more than welcome to stay in an uncomfortable chair and cold office for 2 weeks, she soon left.

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Originally Posted by moosmom

Try a little more than a week. Can you say RETURNS??? :rolleyes:

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Oh man... I hear ya on that one. I worked in a Toy store for 5 years (part of the old Learning World chain in the states, Kids are Worth It up here in Canada before the whole thing went belly-up in like '96) and worked Christmas eve every year. We'd be open till like 5, and about 4:30 we'd get the inrush of Dads trying to get last minute things for their kids. The conversations usually went :

me: Well, how old / many kids are we getting things for?
them: *ages / sexes*
me: what kinds of things are they into? we have all kinds of stuff.
them: urrr... *clearly didn't have a clue*

So, I'd help them pick things out that were age apropriate, and after the 3rd year i'd start keeping a record of receipt numbers ... sure enough, the next available return day, the mother would be back in returning the gifts. It always made me kind of sad, since the father clearly had no idea what his kids were into, and were going through the motions :(