Annoying Shop Assistants

[gbear]

Originally posted by Hurricane75
There have been times when I've ordered my "special" burger and its taken them 3 times before they get it right.

They can keep all their burgers with weird stuff in it, but they should also offer a plain burger with sauce sachets so you can add what you want.

Really shouldn't a cheese burger only be cheese and meat. Although I do like my ketchup.

If you had to add your own sauces, it wouldn't be fast food would it

 

[mandy]

Originally posted by RacerX
Personally, I find making small talk with hairdressers a bit of a chore. You can only talk about what you are doing, or have done, on your weekend for so long.

I went to the hairdressers last week with a girlfriend. The chick who did my hair was friendly enough, but realised I wasn't the chatty type when I buried my face in a magazine. Like you, I prefer to just go and have the service I'm paying for done without the inane "Going out tonight?" or "Have you got a boyfriend?" What are we supposed to be? 14???

My friend is the same as me. Likes to just get the job done and get out of their without having to divulge her movements for the past 15 years to some stranger. As it turned out though, her hairdresser didn't say a word to her. Other than finding out what she wanted, that was it. Nothing at all.

My friend thought this was odd and was very put out! haha, I guess you can never win sometimes.....

 

[Eago77]

Originally posted by mandy5
Are they just trained to ask the same questions regardless of the order?

One of my mates went to KFC at 8pm one night to buy dinner for his large family. The store was empty. He orders:

2 buckets of chicken
3 large chips
2 large coleslaws
2 large potato and gravys

What does the shop assistant ask?

"Will this be eat in or take away?"

I love when that happens!

Next time it happens to you (or anyone) say actually that will be eat-in thanks and see what happens next... usually it is some kind of brain explosion form the person serving!


Having been, like many here on both sides of customer service, i dont think there is anything wrong with being happy or talkative. As the salesperson/clerk it helps get you through the day to have a chat with the occassional customer and overtime build up some kind of ongoing relationship with them. As a customer, i think its the same thing, sure you dont want to have 15 minute conversations with everyone but once in a while it doesn't hurt. Usually makes the service you receive better and as mentioned, over time can lead to other benefits.

My point is that if something like that annoys you, then you're the one with the problem IMO. If you're work in customer service type jobs and you are always grumpy or dont talk much then you probably are in the wrong industry. If you dont work in customer service and people being friendly to you annoys you, chances are you're a pain in the arse or something from you day/week/life has put you in a bad mood well before the clerk/shop assistant sees you.

 

[aggels]

I don't mind them being fake. I don't mind them not saying much at all. I get a little ****ed off at those who are very obviously bored with their job, and make no effort to disguise it, and absolutely no interest in serving you properly. Like the girl who served me at McDonalds the other day, who looked bored, made several mistakes with my order, and farewelled me with "Never work at McDonalds, it's a ****hole."

Yeah, that's what I call customer service...

 

[dreamkillers]

Re: Re: "Norm!"

Originally posted by Macca19
Gotta love discounts!!!

I became quite friendly with a chick that works at my favourite cd store...and cos i used to buy lots of stuff from there every week she'd give me some pretty crazy discounts!!! Like 40-50 dollars off the stuff i bought.
Gotta love that!

Used to get the same deal at Muses as I was always regularly buying 5-10 cd's on each visit..........basically got 20% of everything I purchased as well as a few freebie sampler cd's each time as well..........sometimes it pays to put up with the 'niceness'........

 

[Adrian Shelton]

You've gotta be happy when you go into a pub in a town you haven't lived in for 2 years and if the right barmaid is on the Carlton Draught is there before you get on the stool, you cant get much better service than that.

I wonder where all these annoying people are, haven't struck one yet.

 

[fitzy's_eyes]

Originally posted by Docker_Brat
I don't mind if they say "how are you" and be genuinely pleasant but I hate the ones who take too much of an interest, "busy day?", "got much planned for the weekend" etc.

I don't think I've copped "have a nice day" in this country, I hope I never do.

As a customer service rep on the phone we are trained to say all the stuff a lot of people are bagging.
We get marked on our calls randomly (all our calls are recorded) and if we do not 'build the rapport' as they call it we get marked down. While completing orders we have to make small talk and end up learning quite a lot about some people. (We are not allowed to have silences in our calls) It makes it very hard if the person on the other end is non responsive but I respect that.

We also must end our calls politely with 'have a good day' or 'thank you for your call'.

If we don't do these things we don't get our bonuses based on our overall call scores.

On a slightly different note....some customers are over friendly. Sometimes I feel like I work for a 1900 #. I can clearly see how old people are and that they have a wife but men continue to answer my question 'is there anything else I can help you with today?' with 'you are too far away for that! Then they tell me their problems ie. no loving and I sound so nice....blah blah blah!

 

[evade28]

that doesnt happen to me often but wen the ponny stand was still at the mcg i used to go to the bar there and the chick would automatically kno that i wanted two stollies, hehe sometimes i was that pist i couldnt even remember what i wanted, so it was helpful!!

 

[Spidergirl~RiCkChiCk]

When i went to school right next door to Maccas (modelling school how ironic) every morning i would get a hash brown for breakky then morning break i would get a cheeseburger and get a meal at lunch then sometimes go back after class for a snack. They would actually call out to me by name before i even stepped in the door to tell me 2 minute wait on the quarters hehe. Became friends with the Maccas chick who was a Carlton fanatic!

 

[mandy]

Originally posted by evade28
that doesnt happen to me often but wen the ponny stand was still at the mcg i used to go to the bar there and the chick would automatically kno that i wanted two stollies, hehe sometimes i was that pist i couldnt even remember what i wanted, so it was helpful!!

I always go to the public walk through bar on level 1 in AFL members. Kinda sad that it would be weeks at a time before I'd been there, but as soon as I walked in the guy would already be pouring my scotch....do I have a drinking problem or does he just have a really, REALLY good memory?

 

[tashibatts]

My local baker (we have 2- one is Bakers delight, moved in last year, I never go there, hate the place) has these really cool people runnin it, its a family I think.. apart from a few people- they are really nice.. and genuinely nice as well. Not like robots.

Some shop assistants can be painful, but 3 minutes of your day shouldnt worry you to much.




Go Roos

 

[grinspoon]

do macca's still put there floor cleaning liquid in there burgers to make them sweeter?

 

[mattyc2422]

Re: "Norm!"

Originally posted by bluechampion
No, I love that ****. Makes me feel as if my life is a TV show. Next thing you know i'll walk in the pub and the whole place will exclaim "Norm!"

I feel exactly the same! NORM!

Oh, and I used to love Flake Shakes.

 

[Harry]

Originally posted by fitzy's_eyes
As a customer service rep on the phone we are trained to say all the stuff a lot of people are bagging.
We get marked on our calls randomly (all our calls are recorded) and if we do not 'build the rapport' as they call it we get marked down. While completing orders we have to make small talk and end up learning quite a lot about some people. (We are not allowed to have silences in our calls) It makes it very hard if the person on the other end is non responsive but I respect that.

We also must end our calls politely with 'have a good day' or 'thank you for your call'.

If we don't do these things we don't get our bonuses based on our overall call scores.

The bank I work for employs "Mystery Shoppers" to pose as a customer and complete a checklist of service standards.

Last month I was Big Brother's victim. Our branch lost points because I didn't address the "customer" by name. We also lost presentation points for the amount of litter in the garden beds on the street outside the branch (Council property - we lease the building, not the whole street).

My remedial action was a coaching & counselling session with my boss, with the Area Manager listening on speaker-phone.

This is why many service and sales staff sound like robots. We say Thank you for banking with us or Would you like fries with that? because we have to. Our jobs may depend on these stupid scores.

 

[Zombie]

The best way to combat annoying shop assistants is to have fun with them.

SA: How has your day been?
You: terrible I've had the screaming sh*ts all day, and you?
SA: ah, um, ah... <<this wasn't in the manual!>>

or

SA: Eat in or Take Away?
You: Drive Thru

Just generally unexpected responses are good, completely throws them off because they just expect to hear the same thing over and over. And you can always make things up aswell, they can never argue with you or call you a liar either.

 

[mantis]

I am pretty tolerant with shop assistants, because I know they are badly paid, but when I go to do my weekly grocery shopping & you are standing behind at least 2 other people, then when you finally get to the counter & the cashier turns her back on you & is talking to a mate about what her plans are for that night, I totally lose it.
I wait until she has rung up nearly everything in my trolley & then say, sorry I am in a hurry, while you were planning your night out, I had mine planned, she is stuck with trolley full of goods she has rung up & no customer.

 

[Squeak]

I hate people who talk down to service assistants. I do checkout at Coles and often a customer will be a little bit patronising or whatever, or not think much of you cos you're just a checkout chick (or boy). I don't mind because they don't know that I'll be earning more than them in 4 or 5 years.

I always immediately greet customers with a smile and a ''how ya goin'', and the level of conversation I have with them depends solely on their repsonse. How they answer that question you can tell if they can be bothered chatting to you. I don't bother chatting if they don't initiate it.

 

[BluesBabe666]

I have had the same hairdresser for 11 years, so i love going in there and having a cuppa with the girls and catching up on goss - it makes it all the more pleasant when i am there for so many hours.

As for checkouts, if someone is monotone in asking "How are you" i will just say good thanks and leave it, however some are bored and are genuine, so i'll ususally joke around with them to try and brighten up their day a bit - same for everywhere else - must be a boring old day all day serving rude housewives and arrogant customers. I couldnt do it, so i try to make sure i am not like that to them.

 

[Joel]

Just some advice:

You wouldn't believe how much it can brighten up your day if someone is happy or has a bit of un with you. Its great when a customer puts a smile on your face. I could never be an arseh*le to someone working in customer service (unless they are genuinely being slack) because I know what its like. So, please be nice.

 

[Unwritten_Law]

Originally posted by Squeak
I hate people who talk down to service assistants. I do checkout at Coles and often a customer will be a little bit patronising or whatever, or not think much of you cos you're just a checkout chick (or boy). I don't mind because they don't know that I'll be earning more than them in 4 or 5 years.

I know that all too well. There is a stigma attached to people that work in a supermarket. Most customers think, just because you work on checkouts etc, that you are stupid. I'm just paying my way through college/uni and while I might be below you on the food chain at the moment I wont be for long.

When I worked on checkouts I tried to not sound like a robot and mix up the things that I said to customers. Not that it mattered much because the customers assume that you are programmed anyway. My favourite thing to do was instead of saying "how are you", "how's it going" or "g'day" etc I would simply say "Hi" and the customers favourite response would be "good"

 

[Joel]

Originally posted by Unwritten_Law
I know that all too well. There is a stigma attached to people that work in a supermarket. Most customers think, just because you work on checkouts etc, that you are stupid. I'm just paying my way through college/uni and while I might be below you on the food chain at the moment I wont be for long.

When I worked on checkouts I tried to not sound like a robot and mix up the things that I said to customers. Not that it mattered much because the customers assume that you are programmed anyway. My favourite thing to do was instead of saying "how are you", "how's it going" or "g'day" etc I would simply say "Hi" and the customers favourite response would be "good"

LOL! I do that sometimes, you say 'Hi', they reply with good and I'm like, 'what?'

I'm the same. If I didn't have to work in customer service I wouldn't. I'm also paying my way through Uni.

I HATE the following phrase: 'The customer is always right', because they are not, infact you will find that 85% (if not more) of the time they are wrong.

 

[BluesBabe666]

Its not just checkouts, its everyone... bus drivers, tram drivers, cabbies... people who work at Burger King... its amazing how something as small and inexpensive as a friendly customer can brighten a persons day - it doesnt take much, and really, they're getting paid peanuts to deal with arseholes and morons.

But in saying that, you do get the few idiots on the other side!

 

[Spidergirl~RiCkChiCk]

I hate the fake how are yous we are sposed to say it at work but i never do because straight away they will think im selling something when im not!

 

[Joel]

Originally posted by Spidergirl~RiCkChiCk
I hate the fake how are yous we are sposed to say it at work but i never do because straight away they will think im selling something when im not!

You don't say it you get told off, or the customer thinks you are rude. Catch 22.

 

[Spidergirl~RiCkChiCk]

Originally posted by Joel
You don't say it you get told off, or the customer thinks you are rude. Catch 22.

ah but thats where ya be smart, only say it when my calls are getting monitored actually i think whatever we write on here is too