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Are you an ill-mannered customer? Do associates gather after you leave a store to release their pent-up frustrations about your inappropriate behavior? You probably would not know how irritable some customer interactions could be if you have not been on the employee\u2019s end of those theoretical questions. At least one of these actions provided will make you want to rethink your behavioral approach as a customer. If you have had the pleasure of working in retail, as a simple warning, these points may strike a nerve or bad memories: be prepared for flashbacks.<\/p>\n
1. Ignoring an Associate\u2019s Greeting.<\/b><\/p>\n
Sales associates are human beings and they deserve a response when welcoming you into a store. Lisa Webster, a store manager of Lucky Brand Jeans, pleads, \u201cI would love customers to understand the feeling of rejection us associates get when being ignored. I am being genuine and I still get dismissed.\u201d Sometimes, a little acknowledgment can go a long way. \u00a0This has been happening a lot of late, since my store has been going over the top on greeting every customer. \u00a0Sometimes I’ll say “Hi!” and get ignored, follow up with “Hello?” and if they still ignore me I’ll go for broke with “What can I help you find?”<\/p>\n
2. Erroneously Using the: \u201cJust Looking,\u201d Phrase.<\/b><\/p>\n
Be a unique consumer, stray away from pushing associates away by saying, \u201cjust looking.\u201d Unless you, plan on literally just looking at what the store has to offer, then this phrase becomes erroneous and improperly used. Even more importantly, if you know exactly what you are looking for when you go into a store, SAY SO. Associates are trained and qualified to assist customers with all store-related needs\u2014they are there at your own expense, so use them! \u00a0Or at the very least, “No, thanks!” goes a long way.<\/p>\n
3. Refusing Help.<\/b><\/p>\n
You, as a customer, are the sole reason for the sales associate\u2019s existence within the store. They are strictly there to make sales and help customers. Therefore, by refusing assistance you are hindering them from doing their job. Need an item out of reach? Looking for a size? Can’t find the dental floss even though you’re in the right aisle? \u00a0If an associate asks if they can help you, allow it. Accept it. Enjoy it. It will only make your shopping experience that much easier. Associates do not bite.<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0Ask for Advice We Can’t Give You.<\/b><\/p>\n
We have a great staff of pharmacists who are there to help you choose the right cough syrup, hemorrhoid cream or something for that itchy rash you have. \u00a0 \u00a0Front store personnel are not allowed to offer any kind of advice\/recommendation for health care products. \u00a0 So no, asking me “Which one would you use?” or “Which is your best seller?” will still get you “The pharmacist will be happy to help you with that.” \u00a0I once heard that a customer asked a store clerk for the best flavor of cat food, and when her cat died the next day she sued the store because she claimed it was the cat food that did it. \u00a0 Sorry, I’m not getting sued because I told you that Cortaid will clear up your rash, especially if you forgot to mention the rash is inside your mouth.<\/p>\n
\u00a05<\/b>. Arguing with Associates Over Company Policy.<\/b><\/p>\n
In retail stores, employees often have no control over company policies such as returns and sales. These policies are often created and enforced by corporate\u2014who are responsible for employee termination. Sales associates and customer service personnel are only enforcing policies that they have been told they have to uphold in order to keep their job. Next time a 30-day return policy has you arguing with a sales associate, take a step back, breathe, and think about it. Take the issues up with the appropriate personnel. \u00a0And no means NO.\u00a0If someone is direct and says “Sorry, we absolutely can’t do that” (which hardly ever happens, by the way), then whining, yelling, or threatening people is not going to change the answer.<\/p>\n
6.\u00a0Attempting to Haggle Prices.<\/b><\/p>\n
This is not a market. This is not a yard sale. This is not Pawn Stars<\/i>. This is retail. Prices are predetermined, and again, not usually in the control of the sales associates. If employees say it is \u201cpriced as marked,\u201d and you do not like the price, then keep walking. If a picture frame\u00a0is clearanced for 75% off but has a scratch on the corner, don’t ask for more off–you’re already getting it under cost and saving a ton of money. \u00a0 In most retail stores, there are coupons, there are sales, but there is no haggling.<\/p>\n
7. Letting the Kids Run Wild.<\/b><\/p>\n
The retailing world is not a child\u2019s playground. Other customers may find your children running around a store disruptive or dangerous. On top of the annoying factor, there is the risk of merchandise getting damaged in the process. For your own best interest, keep the kids calm and in eyesight. \u00a0 And personal pet peeve–we don’t sell drugs in your kids playground, so don’t let them throw balls around in our drug store.<\/p>\n
8. Staying After Closing Time.<\/b><\/p>\n
The hours of retail locations are made for a reason, and are usually more than acceptable. It may seem that staying ten minutes after closing time is not a big deal, but in the world of retail employees, those ten minutes makes all the difference. There is still cleaning to be done, paperwork to be filled out, deposits to be made, and the list goes on. The associates on a closing shift have been in the store for hours already and are looking at another long sixty minutes of the closing process. Typically, these associates have families, homework, or beds they want to get home to. \u00a0If there’s something you absolutely needed that you ran down here late at night just tell us and we’ll get it for you–but don’t spend time “just looking.”<\/p>\n
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Are you an ill-mannered customer? Do associates gather after you leave a store to release their pent-up frustrations about your inappropriate behavior? You probably would not know how irritable some customer interactions could be if you have not been on the employee\u2019s end of those theoretical questions. At least one of these actions provided Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-customer-stories","category-retail-humor"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":460,"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions\/460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}