![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickWell, work today wasn't too bad -- it was reasonably quiet, yet busy enough that I wasn't bored for long stretches. We had some interesting moments at the end of my shift, though.
You see, yesterday I had served this man -- he and his wife were traveling to Seattle and wanted to know if they could get same-day service for a jacket and some shirts. The jacket had some food stains on it, which I marked. I also warned the man that he wasn't going to get starch on his shirts if he wanted them same-day -- we generally send shirts out to a laundry service. He said that was fine, as long as they were cleaned and pressed. I assured him that we would do our best with that, and all was fine.
Annoying Moment #1: The wife comes in (AFTER I've given all this info to the husband, remember this), thanking me -- okay, that's nice. But then she gives me a magazine about "the signs of the times."
Oh, lovely. Evangelists. And if you've read "World of Light," you know my stance on those people.
These people, however, were pretty nice, and paying customers as well, so I put up with them -- did the nod, smile, good customer service monkey thing, let them leave their little magazine after giving me a talk on religious verses I don't quite remember. After they left, magazine went in the garbage. No big deal.
Okay, the husband was back in today to pick up their stuff (before you say anything, this actually happens quite a bit -- people wanting stuff rushed then coming in later than they wanted it by). B took him in -- and the jacket has one of those "we're sorry, we did our best" tags on it, meaning that our cleaner did all he could, but the stains weren't going to come out and further cleaning had a chance of ruining the fabric. B explains this to the guy, and he apparently accepts it, takes his stuff, and pays.
Around 12:50, he comes back with his wife -- B got them again as I was busy with another customer. Since we only have the one register counter, it was pretty easy to overhear them. The woman stated that the food stains were unacceptable and that the shirts were done wrong. B talks to them, trying to be helpful, and eventually goes to get our cleaner. Cleaner comes out and explains to them that the food stains are water-based and because of the fabric they're not likely to come out, and that since the shirts are drycleaned, they're not going to look quite as good. The wife seems shocked at the fact that they were drycleaned, and says that no one ever said they weren't going to be washed.
Okay, Lady, you weren't there, and I'm pretty sure I made it clear to your husband that we send washed items out to our laundry company.
Unfortunately, I was busy helping other customers and tagging clothes, so I wasn't able to speak up (and I actually didn't recognize them until she mentioned Seattle -- yesterday was pretty busy, and I was the only real cashier on, as B's son was sick). After a bit of go-round, in which the wife apparently kept asking B if she'd send her husband out in clothes like that, and kept complaining that our cleaner should have gotten out the stain (cleaner said straight out they weren't going to come out, and since he's the one who knows the most about cleaning. . . .) the cleaner says to just give them a refund and leave a note for the owner to explain things. Considering they're going to Seattle and have a drycleaners there too, this seems the best course of action. B does this, gives them their change, wishes them a nice day.
Annoying Moment #2: The wife looks at B and says, "Can I make a suggestion?" B says yes, and she says "Well, I work in the service industry too--"
Being a regular![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
customers_suck reader, I know EXACTLY what's coming. "You really should be more polite and always apologize, right or wrong, etc."
B is really not one to take shit, so she goes a bit snarky. "I said 'have a nice day,' I didn't throw the change at you, I was trying to polite."
Wife argues, saying that she knows a lot of people around here and she feels her advice will help us retain customers, B counters that her statements about "would you let your husband go out in those" were rude, lady apologizes but says that B should have done more, clothes are unacceptable, blah blah blah. B finally says she doesn't think they'll get anywhere by arguing, wife counters "so this is an argument and not a conversation?" B doesn't really respond, so they finally leave. B just looks at me, and I tell her about the evangelist part from yesterday -- she goes off, laughing and bitching about them.
They may have had a geniune beef with the shirts -- the pressing process is different in the laundry than here, a fact I didn't know at the time. But still! The shirts were definitely presentable, and our cleaner did the best he could with the jacket! People. . . .
-M: Uh, Vic, are you--?
Well, I don't have any stories about you in a retail job planned, and Doc never really worked in that field, so no, don't worry about any story adaptation.
-M2: Whew, thanks.-
Anyway, off to SimWorld.
You see, yesterday I had served this man -- he and his wife were traveling to Seattle and wanted to know if they could get same-day service for a jacket and some shirts. The jacket had some food stains on it, which I marked. I also warned the man that he wasn't going to get starch on his shirts if he wanted them same-day -- we generally send shirts out to a laundry service. He said that was fine, as long as they were cleaned and pressed. I assured him that we would do our best with that, and all was fine.
Annoying Moment #1: The wife comes in (AFTER I've given all this info to the husband, remember this), thanking me -- okay, that's nice. But then she gives me a magazine about "the signs of the times."
Oh, lovely. Evangelists. And if you've read "World of Light," you know my stance on those people.
These people, however, were pretty nice, and paying customers as well, so I put up with them -- did the nod, smile, good customer service monkey thing, let them leave their little magazine after giving me a talk on religious verses I don't quite remember. After they left, magazine went in the garbage. No big deal.
Okay, the husband was back in today to pick up their stuff (before you say anything, this actually happens quite a bit -- people wanting stuff rushed then coming in later than they wanted it by). B took him in -- and the jacket has one of those "we're sorry, we did our best" tags on it, meaning that our cleaner did all he could, but the stains weren't going to come out and further cleaning had a chance of ruining the fabric. B explains this to the guy, and he apparently accepts it, takes his stuff, and pays.
Around 12:50, he comes back with his wife -- B got them again as I was busy with another customer. Since we only have the one register counter, it was pretty easy to overhear them. The woman stated that the food stains were unacceptable and that the shirts were done wrong. B talks to them, trying to be helpful, and eventually goes to get our cleaner. Cleaner comes out and explains to them that the food stains are water-based and because of the fabric they're not likely to come out, and that since the shirts are drycleaned, they're not going to look quite as good. The wife seems shocked at the fact that they were drycleaned, and says that no one ever said they weren't going to be washed.
Okay, Lady, you weren't there, and I'm pretty sure I made it clear to your husband that we send washed items out to our laundry company.
Unfortunately, I was busy helping other customers and tagging clothes, so I wasn't able to speak up (and I actually didn't recognize them until she mentioned Seattle -- yesterday was pretty busy, and I was the only real cashier on, as B's son was sick). After a bit of go-round, in which the wife apparently kept asking B if she'd send her husband out in clothes like that, and kept complaining that our cleaner should have gotten out the stain (cleaner said straight out they weren't going to come out, and since he's the one who knows the most about cleaning. . . .) the cleaner says to just give them a refund and leave a note for the owner to explain things. Considering they're going to Seattle and have a drycleaners there too, this seems the best course of action. B does this, gives them their change, wishes them a nice day.
Annoying Moment #2: The wife looks at B and says, "Can I make a suggestion?" B says yes, and she says "Well, I work in the service industry too--"
Being a regular
customers_suck reader, I know EXACTLY what's coming. "You really should be more polite and always apologize, right or wrong, etc."B is really not one to take shit, so she goes a bit snarky. "I said 'have a nice day,' I didn't throw the change at you, I was trying to polite."
Wife argues, saying that she knows a lot of people around here and she feels her advice will help us retain customers, B counters that her statements about "would you let your husband go out in those" were rude, lady apologizes but says that B should have done more, clothes are unacceptable, blah blah blah. B finally says she doesn't think they'll get anywhere by arguing, wife counters "so this is an argument and not a conversation?" B doesn't really respond, so they finally leave. B just looks at me, and I tell her about the evangelist part from yesterday -- she goes off, laughing and bitching about them.
They may have had a geniune beef with the shirts -- the pressing process is different in the laundry than here, a fact I didn't know at the time. But still! The shirts were definitely presentable, and our cleaner did the best he could with the jacket! People. . . .
-M: Uh, Vic, are you--?
Well, I don't have any stories about you in a retail job planned, and Doc never really worked in that field, so no, don't worry about any story adaptation.
-M2: Whew, thanks.-
Anyway, off to SimWorld.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-10-05 11:24 pm (UTC)That is extremely nervy of them to hand out their "propoganda" in businesses. Obviously, these two never learned the simple concept of respect as they seem to think that everyone believes what they believe. This is why I wear my pentacle everywhere (well, except work as it's too dangerous to wear dangling jewelry around machines). Most people around here know what that symbol means and they leave me alone.
BTW: You know you could print those FAQs in bold, black marker on a huge sheet of neon pink poster board, with the letters highlighted in glitter and those people would still ask you about that stuff. People are real observant, aren't they?
I know all about the glad it's only part-tim ething. Yeah, I would appreciate more hours for a fatter weekly check, but I don't know if I could stomach my coworkers for a full 40-hour week. I can barely tolerate most of them for the mere 27.5-hour week that I work now. The job itself isn't too bad (if I don't allow myself to think about it), but those people make me want to go postal.