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"I want a different one, this one's open" 2 for 1! (and a bonus)

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  • "I want a different one, this one's open" 2 for 1! (and a bonus)

    I had two different customers pull the same crap on me today, so it's a 2 for 1!

    SC #1

    A customer wanted a chair. Unfortunately they're on the top of our shelving and I'm a bit afraid of heights. So I trudge up the wobbly ladder, slide this big box down and bring it up front. The customers look at it and they don't want that box because they think the box was open. The boxes have plastic straps that you have to cut off and the original tape around them. So I had to get another employee to help me get another one down (since it was even HIGHER up). So I brought up an IDENTICAL box with the same tape and the same plastic straps.


    SC #2

    A lady brings back a camera because she thinks it had been opened because there was no tape on the box and there was no memory card. The cameras usually don't come with a memory card. So I get another IDENTICAL box with NO tape on it packaged EXACTLY like the first one and she procedes to open it up to look for the non-existant memory card and make sure this one hadn't been opened.



    Both times I considered bringing the boxes to the back and coming back with the same ones saying "Here's your new box" to see if they noticed.


    As a little bonus related suckiness...

    Have you ever had a customer want to see inside a box of whatever product, rip it apart looking at the manual or what it came with or whatever, and then want to buy a SEALED one because this one was opened? Or even better yet ask for a discount since that box was open? I have. And I gave them my best "Are you fracking kidding me?" look.

  • #2
    Memory Cards

    I have three digital cameras. My ex-girl-friend has two digital cameras (but with exchanges to find the model she likes she has gone thru five different ones). My girl-friend has two digital cameras - there is zero overlap in the models and very little overlap in manufacturers

    Not a single one came with a memory card! Period! All have a small amount of internal memory that will take 4-9 pictures in the highest res, and about 25-100 in the lowest res depending on which model you are looking at. If a camera comes with a card it is some sort of store special and probably is never in the box with the camera in the first place.

    Comment


    • #3
      I bought a digital camera way back when 3-4 megapixel cameras were top of the line, and that Sony one that used floppies for memory was all the rage for its convenience.

      The one I bought was a 1.3 megapixel one, the only one with a 9-pin Serial interface--didn't have a computer with USB at the time! It was ~$150 I think, and came with, wait for it....

      ....a 4MB SmartMedia card!

      (takes mighty fine pictures too)
      Supporting the idiots charged with protecting your personal information.

      Comment


      • #4
        Quoth Mara-chan View Post
        The customers look at it and they don't want that box because they think the box was open. The boxes have plastic straps that you have to cut off and the original tape around them. So I had to get another employee to help me get another one down (since it was even HIGHER up). So I brought up an IDENTICAL box with the same tape and the same plastic straps.
        Ugh. People would try to do the exact same thing at LBoD. Clearly the thing's never been opened; the security seal and the metric fuckton of manufacturers tape should tell you that. But no, you want another one that hasn't been opened. Fine, if you come into my store being evil, I'm doing the same. I'd send it back up the conveyor belt to the stock team telling them that the customer wanted another unopened one, and if they looked, there's one just round the corner from the top of the belt, fresh off the delivery. 30 seconds later, down came the exact same box.

        The best bit is, the customer really thought they were getting preferential treatment, having the first new one out of the back room. Sorry, but we're far too busy for that kind of thing, especially so close to Christmas. You are not coming in here harassing us for no good reason.

        Some days I look back and think "What did retail do to me? I used to be such a nice boy...
        "I'll probably come round and steal the food out of your fridge later too, then run a key down the side of your car as I walk away from your house, which I've idly set ablaze" - Mil Millington

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth Mara-chan View Post
          Both times I considered bringing the boxes to the back and coming back with the same ones saying "Here's your new box" to see if they noticed.
          My friend did something like this once. He works in a hardware store, and one day a woman came in asking for a left-handed hammer. He calmly said, "Ok, I'll be right back." He walked over to where the hammers are kept, took one that was on sale, and one that was not. He brought them back to the woman and told her that the one that was on sale was a right-handed hammer, and the one that was not on sale was a left-handed hammer.

          This woman actually took the two from him, compared them and said, "Yeah, the left-handed one would be better for me."

          It was all he could do to not hysterically laugh at her.

          P.S. sorry about the thread jack

          Comment


          • #6
            I have two digital cameras - a Nikon from when 3 megapixels was good, and a newer compact Fuji, which has more megapixels but takes lower-quality pictures.

            The Nikon came with a 16MB memory card. At the same time I bought the accessory pack, which had a 32MB card among all the other essentials - this is enough to be equivalent to a roll of film. I now have a 256MB card for it, which means I virtually never run out of space on high quality, and I can even take a decent number of lossless images.

            It's still a good camera, despite being quite a few years old. It needs a bit of repair - the battery compartment won't stay closed, and there is a minor fault with the optic mechanisms - but that can wait for a while.

            The Fuji came with nothing. I think it has internal storage, but that's so small as to be useless. I bought a 1GB card on the spot, which will be more than adequate.

            But it's small enough to be taken almost anywhere, and manages to not look silly on top of a miniature tripod, which is necessary to get any kind of good picture from it.

            Comment


            • #7
              Quoth Mara-chan View Post
              As a little bonus related suckiness...

              Have you ever had a customer want to see inside a box of whatever product, rip it apart looking at the manual or what it came with or whatever, and then want to buy a SEALED one because this one was opened? Or even better yet ask for a discount since that box was open? I have. And I gave them my best "Are you fracking kidding me?" look.
              Yes.

              Yesterday.

              I opened the box for the customer so that she could count what was inside.

              She counted them, then asked for a sealed box.



              I pointed out to her that the box was sealed until I opened it for her, and she just blinked at me.

              I put the sealed box back on the shelf, and she bought the box I opened.

              Oh, and what was in the box?



















              One dozen chisel point black markers, worth around $11.
              "Kamala the Ugandan Giant" 1950-2020 • "Bullet" Bob Armstrong 1939-2020 • "Road Warrior Animal" 1960-2020 • "Zeus" Tiny Lister Jr. 1958-2020 • "Hacksaw" Butch Reed 1954-2021 • "New Jack" Jerome Young 1963-2021 • "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff 1949-2021 • "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton 1958-2021 • Daffney 1975-2021

              Comment


              • #8
                I've never known a digitial camera of any description to come with any removable memory whatsoever!

                I wish I didn't have to pay for one of my 6 2gb cards but there we go!
                A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

                Comment


                • #9
                  RE: SC #1

                  This is PRECISELY the reason why I despite dealing with furniture customers. Never mind the fact that I know squat about furniture, ALL the boxes come in with some sort of damage, or become slightly damaged in the process of removing them from the high overhead racks. And people ALWAYS think it's a return. n

                  Re: SC #2

                  FYI: Of the various brands of digital camera that Staples carries, only Canon routinely includes a memory card, and at that it's only a 32MB SD card. I am unsure if their SLRs come with cards or not, but the small ones (PowerShot series) do. Sony, Kodak, Olympus, Nikon, etc do NOT come with memory cards. Hopefully that info will come in handy for you next time.

                  (I'm assuming that you have the same lineup of cameras at your store that I have at mine).
                  "We guard the souls in heaven; we don't horse-trade them!" Samandrial in Supernatural

                  RIP Plaidman.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth Dave1982 View Post
                    RE: SC #1

                    This is PRECISELY the reason why I despite dealing with furniture customers. Never mind the fact that I know squat about furniture, ALL the boxes come in with some sort of damage, or become slightly damaged in the process of removing them from the high overhead racks. And people ALWAYS think it's a return. n
                    I get the same thing at my store. Any damage to the outside of the box and they assume the product inside is shot as well.

                    It doesn't matter if the only thing visible through a tear in the box is a chunk of styrofoam and the only apparent damage visible is to that chunk of styrofoam. They immediately assume I'm bringing them a credenza that's been pre-fed through a wood chipper For Their Convenience.

                    Then they either ask me to open the box so they can inspect each and every piece (Makes for lots and lots of fun to take the thing out to their vehicle after it's been ripped apart ) or they just ominously threaten that they better not have to return it.

                    It doesn't help when some items are packaged in thin, flimsy cardboard boxes, thus making damage in transit inevitable.
                    Last edited by Irving Patrick Freleigh; 12-24-2008, 10:38 PM.
                    Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.

                    "I never said I wasn't a horrible person."--Me, almost daily

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Dave1982 View Post
                      Re: SC #2

                      FYI: Of the various brands of digital camera that Staples carries, only Canon routinely includes a memory card, and at that it's only a 32MB SD card. I am unsure if their SLRs come with cards or not, but the small ones (PowerShot series) do. Sony, Kodak, Olympus, Nikon, etc do NOT come with memory cards. Hopefully that info will come in handy for you next time.

                      (I'm assuming that you have the same lineup of cameras at your store that I have at mine).
                      Yeah, *I* know what's in our boxes. Our customers just assume they come with everything. "what do you mean I have to BUY stuff to make my camera work!?" is their usual question (or ink, paper and cable for printers, etc). My usual answers are "When you bought your car, did they fill the tank with gas?" or "when you bought your VCR did they give you a bunch of blank tapes?"

                      Our assortments should be similar depending on your store layout and size. We have 12 feet of cameras and an alarm that goes off if you look at it wrong.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        To be quite honest, I *do* think it's reasonable for manufacturers to include all the necessities for making their product work out of the box.

                        In the case of a camera, that means a memory card (even if it's a small one), a cable to transfer files to the computer, and some way of charging the battery. If it's an SLR, I would normally expect to get a basic 50mm-equivalent lens, too.

                        In the case of a printer, I expect to be able to plug it into the mains and the computer, and print something, without having to buy anything else first. By all means assume that I *have* a computer, but don't make me buy the necessary cables separately. I expect to get at least some ink with it, too.

                        Anything less than that is just being cheap, and misleads the customer, and leads to SCs. Unfortunately, manufacturers *usually* omit at least one thing from the above lists these days.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth Mara-chan View Post
                          When you bought your car, did they fill the tank with gas?
                          Actually, it's quite common for dealers to do that these days. Perhaps it's not universal, but it would be silly if you were unable to drive off the forecourt because there was *no* fuel in the tank.

                          Some of the missing "accessories" are akin to missing the fanbelt or the driveshaft, and calling them "optional".

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Quoth Chromatix View Post
                            Some of the missing "accessories" are akin to missing the fanbelt or the driveshaft, and calling them "optional".
                            Perhaps, but I've very picky on what memory I want in my DSLR, and quite frankly a small card would be worse than useless (I can get around 250 shots on each 2gb card I have a Nikon D300). I don't want the camera manufacurer (sp?) to incur the extra costs of adding said memory card to each and every DSLR.

                            In addition most DSLR owners that I know are very choosy about which brand they put into their camera, you can bet your bottom dollar you'll get collosall arguments as people try to change it for 'their' brand.
                            A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Quoth Mara-chan View Post



                              As a little bonus related suckiness...

                              Have you ever had a customer want to see inside a box of whatever product, rip it apart looking at the manual or what it came with or whatever, and then want to buy a SEALED one because this one was opened? Or even better yet ask for a discount since that box was open? I have. And I gave them my best "Are you fracking kidding me?" look.
                              Oh gosh...I used to get that all the time with men's underwear! The guest would open a pack to see the size...then want a new package because this one 'has been opened'!!(and it WASN'T a gift, which I could at least understand, sorta) YOU fraggin' OPENED it, moron!
                              I had one co-worker who, in the exact same circumstances, flat out told the customer 'NO. You opened it, it fits, you're gonna buy it." And he did. She took no sh*t from noone!
                              I no longer fear HELL.
                              I work in RETAIL.

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