The story below is from Retail Hell Underground and is a classic. There are always a few customers who think that only the store manager can help them, or maybe because they had an issue in another store where a clerk didn’t help them but the manager did, that they are sure it will happen again and won’t even give the clerk in a totally different store a chance. Guess what people? The majority of stores now empower the clerks to help you so that the manager doesn’t have to deal with your request to return a tube of toothpaste or your attempt to get the sale price on something that’s no longer on sale. When I was an assistant manager and a manager was requested and I came over I occasionally had someone say “”Assistant Manager?” I want an actual manager.” Well, first off if the store manager is actually there, there’s no way you’re getting to him now, and secondly you’ve just lost 50 points on my “Am I going to try to satisfy this guy or not?” meter.
Back in the day I had a female assistant who went to help a guy who said “I want to speak to a man manager please.” He asked for something unreasonable and my assistant declined, when he insisted on the store manager (and my assistant told me what happened) I told her to tell him that the store manager was also a female and that she was not available but had agreed with her decision 100%. So yeah, don’t be a jerk OK? It really gets you nowhere.
I used to work in a retail location for a large cell-phone provider as a store host. The store would always get extremely busy during the holiday season and the wait time could get fairly long. My job was to check customers in and have them added to the wait-list and also to deal with simple questions or quick transactions. It was a particularly busy day and the wait-list was an estimated 2 hours.
I had a line of about 3 people waiting to be checked in and I had a man, whom we will can John, walk into the store and walk directly up to me. He immediately demanded a manager. To which I informed him that my manager was currently busy and I could see what I could do for him as soon as I finished checking everyone in. He angrily stormed to the back of the line.
After I finished checking the rest of the customers in I begin to talk to him.
Me: Sir, what brings you into the store today?
John: I want to speak to the manager.
Me: Sir, my manager is currently busy but if you tell me what’s going on I can try my best to help you and if it’s something I can’t do I will find someone who can!
John: Ok, can you help me find your manager so that I can speak to him?
Me: (I tell him I will walk in back and check to see how long it will be until a manager is available.)
I walk into the back of the store and grab a soda and wait a minute or two. If you have worked retail you understand that the manager doesn’t just sit in their office all day doing nothing. They are MANAGING the store. The entire reason the other employees exist is to handle customers and their problems. I knew my manager was going to be busy for a while but hoped that if John thought I had tried to get the manager he might calm down a little bit. I went back and informed John:
Me: Sir my manager is currently in a meeting and he won’t be free for at least an hour. If you tell me what’s going on however I can do my best to help you out!
John: Ok, let me ask you a few questions. Is their currently a manager in the store?
Me: Yes sir, as I said he’s in a meeting.
John: Is it your job to help customers?
Me: Yes sir, and if you tell me what brought you in I might be able to help you out.
John: I already know that this is going to be something only a manager can deal with, so I don’t want to waste my time telling you what’s going on, only to have to repeat it again. Here’s what I want you to do. The manager is in the back. You have legs and seem able to walk perfectly fine. You are going to walk into the back of the store and tell your manager that if he doesn’t come out here right now I am going to start screaming and yelling and throwing a huge fit in his store.
Me: I just went back and talked to my manager and as I told you he isn’t available to help you right now, I can’t check you in unless you tell me what brings you into the store, and that means that more people will keep getting checked in before you and you might have to wait longer. I don’t want to cause any problems or inconvenience you, is your phone broken or are you having a problem with your bill?
John: What’s the phone number for the store?
I hand the man a card for the store thinking he’s going to leave and call later. I worked behind the host stand and there was a phone there for answering calls and setting up appointments. John proceeded to call the store and policy states I had to answer the call. I couldn’t just ignore it… So I pick it up right in front of him, looking him in the eyes as I do so.
Me: Thank you for calling the ______ store in ______ my name is marketingman99 how can I help you?
John: I want to speak to a manager immediately.
Me: My manager is currently busy, I can take down your name and phone number and have him give you a call when he is available.
John hangs up the phone and begins yelling at me that he is the most important customer in this store and that I’m going to lose my job and he’s going to make sure my manager loses his job as well. It’s at this point that I have to pull my manager from his meeting because it’s looking like we might have to call the police because this man would not leave the store. I pull my manager out of his meeting, which he is very unhappy about, and he heads to the front with me.
John: Hi can I speak to your manager?
Manager: Yes sir, I am the store manager what’s going on?
John: Your name-tag says Assistant Manager, I want to speak to the manager.
It’s at this point that my manager explains that due to the store manager getting transferred he has been promoted to manager but hasn’t gotten the new name-tag yet. This causes the man to start yelling at my manager about how he was lying to him.
Manager: Sir, I can help you with absolutely anything you need in the store. I am the store manager, there is nobody above me here and I report directly to the district manager. If you tell me what the problem is I will do everything I can to make sure you get taken care of.
John is apparently satisfied with this answer and pulls out a phone and proceeds to show my manager how the screen is frozen. He begins his story about how he was not happy with this because the phone was less than 2 years old and how he knew only a manager could give him a free phone etc. My manager takes the phone, and proceeds to hand it to me and tells John that I’m the guy he needs to talk to, as he manages the store and doesn’t really deal with the phones.
I reset the phone and hand it to him in 15 seconds and telling him to perform the software update when he gets home and bring the phone back in if he has further problems.
John is now very embarrassed at having caused a scene and quickly leaves the store.