Several times a day I’ll be helping a customer and another will walk up, interrupt the conversation in progress and then get mad that I won’t drop the current customer to tend to Mr./Ms. Special. Even if I acknowledge it the person on approach and assure them that I’ll be with them next they either interrupt or stomp off angry. I’ve had a few go find another manager or store/assistant store manager to complain. It’s always hilarious when other customers back me up. The rude jackasses lose their damn minds when that happens. [/end_of_pissing_and_moaning]

Yup, then the phone rings & the phone caller is now at the front of the line. I tried to explain this to more than one counter man who couldn't seem to get it.

quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:

Yup, then the phone rings & the phone caller is now at the front of the line.

I resist the temptation to reach over the counter and press the disconnect button on the phone.

In places like Home Depot it's hard to find a live person to help customers. When I find the guy in the orange apron I stand close by until he's done with the previous customer. It's like calling 'dibs'.

quote:

n places like Home Depot it's hard to find a live person to help customers. When I find the guy in the orange apron I stand close by until he's done with the previous customer. It's like calling 'dibs'.

^^^^^
Yep. Always seriously understaffed throughout the store. Due to this fact, I will occasionally interupt and ask for the location of a product.

quote:

In places like Home Depot it's hard to find a live person to help customers.

That's why I like places like Ace Hardware, or True Value. I barely get into the store and I'm practically tackled by an employee who asks, "Can I help you find something?"

If I ask for an ambidextrous framistan, the reply is "Aisle seventeen, about halfway down, left side. Here, I'll show you."

I had to shadow this wise old man when I first started, where I work. He was in his 70's. He was always big on being in control of the sale, not letting the customer control you.

On 1 particular busy day, he was helping a lady when some rude woman butts right up to him & tells him she wants to see this product. Cool as can be, he looks at the lady that he was helping & says "Excuse me, do you mind if I help this lady that just rudely interrupted us?" She said no. Then he turns to the rude woman & tells her she can go over there (where he motioned to) & wait your turn. Then he proceeded to help the nice lady like nothing ever happened.

I still get a kick out of that & it was years ago.

In Lowes just last week an employee asked if she could help me find something. I replied, "NO thanks... It's just my wife. She has wandered off again... unfortunately she always comes back. She laughed out loud at that and moved on.

So how come if I actually need help there is no one in sight, but if I don't want or need help the offers to help are endless.

If I see a Karen coming with "that" look on her face I try to position myself between her and the employee to block, you have to watch for them but it sometimes works. It also helps to learn which employees actually know their stuff and are helpful and which are just placeholders.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

In places like Home Depot it's hard to find a live person to help customers.

That's why I like places like Ace Hardware, or True Value. I barely get into the store and I'm practically tackled by an employee who asks, "Can I help you find something?"

If I ask for an ambidextrous framistan, the reply is "Aisle seventeen, about halfway down, left side. Here, I'll show you."

^^^^ This times 2. Ace has been getting more of my business because of how they treat customers. Their prices are competitive as well. I'm a fan.

Jim

quote:

It also helps to learn which employees actually know their stuff and are helpful and which are just placeholders.

^^^^^^^^^^
A friend of mine said it is best to go during the day, because the Smurfs come in after three. I don't know if that is true but he was a retired Seabee and knew all the right salespeople to speak with.

I find that the number of employees available to help me on any given visit is inversely proportional to the amount of help I need. When I don't need them, I could stack 'em like cord wood. When I do, I can't find them anywhere.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:

Yup, then the phone rings & the phone caller is now at the front of the line.

I resist the temptation to reach over the counter and press the disconnect button on the phone.

I noticed this phone-takes-precedence-over-onsite-customer effect a while back, waiting in a long line to get on the list for a table at a restaurant. People physically there in the line were being ignored while the reservation-takers were servicing the phone and putting people on the waiting list. So, rather than fighting city hall, I whipped out my cell phone and dialed and got on the waiting list that way.

Not saying you don't have a point but even rude customers still buy from your business.
Sometimes you just have to handle it.
There are ways to handle more than one customer at a time, not always fair but if it is just a simple interruption then it is easily doable.
YMMV

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

In places like Home Depot it's hard to find a live person to help customers.

That's why I like places like Ace Hardware, or True Value. I barely get into the store and I'm practically tackled by an employee who asks, "Can I help you find something?"

If I ask for an ambidextrous framistan, the reply is "Aisle seventeen, about halfway down, left side. Here, I'll show you."

^^^^ This times 2. Ace has been getting more of my business because of how they treat customers. Their prices are competitive as well. I'm a fan.

Jim

X's THREE. I have one just a couple miles from my house, kind of out of the way. I am trying to remember to go there first, before the HD and Lowes.

I needed an odd 90 degree fitting for inside this shower thingy my smokin' hot wife bought me, it was leaking. A plastic fitting that swiveled, no way to repair it. The ACE guy took me back to the brass fittings and put together three options for me. Try to get that kind of service at the HD

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
If I ask for an ambidextrous framistan, ..."

I Googled it.

Walmart, $16.64, Out of stock
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Framistan/683423729

Almost all of my customers are Ace or True Value hardware stores.

The store owners are "hands on." They actually TRAIN their employees! If you have a question for an employee, and s/he does not have the answer, they all have radios and they can get a supervisor's or manager's attention quickly.

There is a world of difference in the level of customer service between these independently owned stores, and places like Home Depot or Lowe's.

quote:

Originally posted by Eponym:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

If I ask for an ambidextrous framistan, ..."

I Googled it

Ace carries the metric ones, too.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Almost all of my customers are Ace or True Value hardware stores.

The store owners are "hands on." They actually TRAIN their employees! If you have a question for an employee, and s/he does not have the answer, they all have radios and they can get a supervisor's or manager's attention quickly.

There is a world of difference in the level of customer service between these independently owned stores, and places like Home Depot or Lowe's.

I wouldn't necessarily disagree at least in part.
However, you/we/us have brought a lot of this on ourselves.
It is part of the evolution of business vs technology.
Yes, we have all but destroyed the brick and mortar stores of yesteryear.
Retailing while always an entry level position in many cases but not always.
There used to actually be well informed, knowledgeable and wall qualified that were also well-to-fairly compensated.
Hence, the race to cut costs also cuts service.
Some good and some bad in that,
Unfortunate but true.
Nothing really to complain about and it's only going to get worse especially with all of this anti-social shit during the current apocalypses
Better just learn to deal with it.

I'm sorry I interrupted the discussion about your latest round of Golf but I was sent to get rice as quickly as possible. So I just don't have time to wait for 10 or 15 minutes and all I need is to know where you are keeping the rice this week. Oh, it's by the potato chips this week, I never would have thought to look there.

BTW, the two customers who got fed up with waiting to pay for their items have left the ice cream to melt on the donut display and you'll find a T-Bone well hidden behind the cash cards.

Note, if you don't get the hint the checkout line isn't a place for socializing, it's a place where the customers want to pay for their items so they can get back home. If you want to chit chat about nonsense then do that on your own time.