Open Your Mouth!

[Mondestrucken]

This was at Panera a few weeks ago. I was about 3rd or 4th in line, and one of the workers was brand new and being trained by the others. Okay, this is a pretty good Panera, I've seen them work well together as a team.

The line moved forward, and the Trainer went off to make a specialty drink for a customer. Just before she leaves, she said to the Newby, "Find out what the next customer in line wants, and see if you can start entering it on the cash register. I'll be right back."

The woman in front of me was the next customer, and she was reading the menu board and hadn't realized she was now up.

Newby turns her yearning gaze to the woman in line, and she stared meaningfully at the customer. She tried a wistful smile. She pleaded with her eyes. Newby even stared helplessly at me, casting significant glances at the woman in front of me. Not once did she so much as clear her throat. She looked and she looked hard and she looked intensely, but not once did she say those seemingly impossible words, "Can I help who is next?"

Since I work in customer service, I could not believe that such a simple concept as saying something, anything, should be so difficult. I stared back. On the job, I have developed a voice that makes the windows shake, but I make it as cheerful as it is loud. I figured that if she can't do this, she better find another job. Even a simple, "Hi!" probably would have worked.

Only the return of the Trainer saved the day. Trainer was a little surprised that we were all just standing there, but she called the woman up ("There! Did you hear that? That's how it works!") and got the line moving again.

[bhskittykatt]

Almost reminds me of a newbie employee I encountered at the shoe store a brief while back. I don't remember what it was, but I remember I actually had a question and thinking how there were always tons of sales staff pestering me at that store, so I shouldn't have a problem.

I went in and down one of the shoe aisles, and there was an employee walking toward me. She smiled and greeted me with "Good afternoon!"

I was like, "Hi, do you you have a moment? I was wondering..."

The employee suddenly got a fearful look, ducked past me, and speedwalked (almost running) away!

At check-out, I saw she was new and being trained. (I was planning to say something to someone at check-out until I saw that she was right there.)

I get that you're new and probably can't answer most customer questions yet, but if you're going to be working there you should probably come up with a better response than looking afraid and literally running away from the customers. It was such a bizarre experience!

I guess customer service is an acquired skill. Maybe it's their first jobs and they really just don't get it yet, even though it seems like it should be such a basic concept?

[Sapphire Silk]

I get how this newbie was feeling. I often have to push new nursing students into patient rooms for the first time. It's a terrifying experience, whether a patient or a customer. Once you get past it and realize you are NOT going to die, it gets better.

[KellyHabersham]

I get how this newbie was feeling. I often have to push new nursing students into patient rooms for the first time. It's a terrifying experience, whether a patient or a customer. Once you get past it and realize you are NOT going to die, it gets better.

That it does.....I know I still feel that way sometimes with helping customers at the library, because for so long the "shelving staff" were VERY limited in how we were allowed to help customers.

[greek_jester]

I get that you're new and probably can't answer most customer questions yet, but if you're going to be working there you should probably come up with a better response than looking afraid and literally running away from the customers. It was such a bizarre experience!

Perhaps they had already tried to explain that they were new, didn't know the answer to the question, but could run and get their supervisor to a SC and got thoroughly blasted? That could explain the brief look of terror.

[Joyius]

I'd hate to play devils advocate, but they were most likely having first day anxiety, and anxiety can be real bad. The newbie in op's story I can understand, I'm sure they wanted to say something to the woman, but they felt like they'd get yelled at for it. Sure, she should of cleared her throat or something...

[XCashier]

Sounds a bit like stage fright to me. Hopefully they will work it out.

[KellyHabersham]

Perhaps they had already tried to explain that they were new, didn't know the answer to the question, but could run and get their supervisor to a SC and got thoroughly blasted? That could explain the brief look of terror.

That could be.....I had that experience my second day at Macy's, with a guy who was upset because something had messed up with his watch.

[Gilhelmi]

I know that feeling of doing something new, being afraid, and wanting to run away.

During a rather large Annual Training event. We had a Mass Casualty training event. 50+ soldiers pretend to get hit by enemy fire/artillery and the medical personnel and Chaplains respond. I was a Chaplains Assistant, my job was to "Triage" the wounded to see who would the Chaplain would go to next (expectant, loss of limb, loss of buddy/server wound, minor wounded, last rites for the deceased. In that approximate order). I am glad that it was training, because I nearly froze up from the amount of noise and activity. The training Chaplain had to tell me to start. So I can sympathize with new employees, on their first day, outside their comfort zone.

All I can say is, it gets easier with training and practice, today I can honestly say that I would not get nervous during a real mass casualty situation.

[raudf]

This day and age, with customers going bat-shit-insane over the littlest thing, it's not surprising to see new employees who are reluctant to deal with situations that could cause a tantrum. I imagine the poor newbie had already had her first chewing for "interrupting a customer who was reading the menu!" I'd be reluctant to do it again too. Once bitten, twice shy!

Heck, I was reluctant to answer phones at MW repair, after my first chew out over something I literally had no control over.. and that was the FIRST day on the job. Oh, I eventually got over it and could deal with an tantrum with the best of them, which helped at Hell-Mart when I cashiered.

I have no problem prodding the customer in front of me, if they seem lost in space and they're next. A simple, "They're open and you're next," seems to work and adverts a hurricane. Probably because I am not an employee, so throwing a tantrum at me for interrupting your daydream only gets you laughed at.