What I sent to Rite Aid

[Rantsylvania 6-5000]

That was awesome! If many more people do this, we might just get through to the executives who came up with this crap! It might take awhile before things change, but it would be worth the effort!

I know! It's like maybe they never even entertained the thought that maybe, just MAYBE, the customers don't want the shit! It's like it's the fault of the clerk that ther customer decided not to spend his money on whatever it is they are pushing. If the clerk just tried harder, if he was just a better saleman, the customer would come to his senses.

The corporate suits were hired into their positions straight out of business school. They have never had to start at the bottom and work with the public like us, and are completely out of touch with what customers think.

[tigger222]

When it comes to loyalty cards I ask two questions. One do you have a card? And if the answer is no do you want one? If they say no then I drop it and will only give more info if asked. I don't like hard pressured sales and refuse to do it.

[jjllbb]

Irv, my store can rival your store with the extended warranties. Probably even beat you.

The warranties pop up on everything. Even baby toys that the kid will grow disinterested in LONG before the warranty makes itself useful.

Not only do we have to sell them on furniture and electronics and such, we're required to sell them on EVERYTHING. Anything. As long as we get the sale. Cheap pieces of plastic. Foam pool noodles. Styrofoam airplanes that are meant to break anyway.

Warranties are automatically set to pop up on items at are $10 bucks. If you're buying something for ten dollars they force me to ask if you want to spend $3 on a warranty for it. A third of the cost. It's just insane.

[mikoyan29]

I never buy one of those extended warranties. I figure the Manufacturer does its homework and sets its warranty accordingly. So far this has played very well for me.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I know! It's like maybe they never even entertained the thought that maybe, just MAYBE, the customers don't want the shit! It's like it's the fault of the clerk that ther customer decided not to spend his money on whatever it is they are pushing. If the clerk just tried harder, if he was just a better saleman, the customer would come to his senses.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

RK, just thank your lucky stars you don't have any clearance swamps near you.

Not only are our cashiers pressured to hassle people into signing up for the loyalty card, but we also have extended protection plans on all electronic items (including small appliances and fans), all furniture, all infant furniture, and all jewelry we have to pressure people into selling.

I can't think of another retailer that has embraced the extended warranty concept as much as we have, and I think it sucks rocks through a straw.

Plus if you're buying furniture or TVs or video game systems, we're supposed to offer Zip assembly, delivery and/or setup, but I haven't seen people doing this and management doesn't seem to care.

Every day management prints out a report with our conversion percentage for the day and the week thus far, and always writes in semi-desperate comments like "Only 7% We can do better than this! Take advantage of the opportunities! We are going to resume role-playing and monitoring your EPP presentations until we start getting our numbers up" and so on.

Normally I think people should generally be left free to spend their money and screw up their lives as they see fit, but I'd love to see these damn extended warranties made illegal, if for no other reason than we can stop bothering people about them that don't want to hear it anyway. I mean, it's getting to the point where I'm wondering if people are going to start being fired over lousy conversion rates.

[evillebee]

Thank you for complaining. I understand they are forced by corporate to ask, but the "so you're not interested in saving 10% today?" that I heard from a Kohl's clerk in a condesending tone was not going to get me to change my mind about applying for thier high interest card. I was there spending my giftcard, or I would have walked out. I have heard the same from Target cashiers. (Love my Target anyway!)

[sarasquirrel]

recently rite aid started airing commercials for their new savings card. and it sounds like the employees are being pushy. maybe theyre all worried about going under

i suppose they want us at BVS to ask customers to sign up for one, but ive never once asked a customer if they were interested. its bad enough they get all pissy when i ask for their card.

though i heard my manager say they they plan on getting rid of the universal card, so we may have to push the card more to the customers. which...i will not do. then again, the manager has been wrong before

[Dips]

Like I said, by the time I had cooled off enough to think straight, I had either failed to get or misplaced the receipt. So I went on line and found a feedback form.

Probably just as well that you didn't have the receipt. I bet there's a code on there that would identify the employee. Knowing how their minds work, it wouldn't shock me if corporate tried to spin it into being the employee's fault that their policy is annoying the crap out of customers.

The way you did it, they'll have no idea who the employee is. Can't get her in trouble or blame her if they can't find her.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

No, not yet. This was like two am when I did this.

[PepperElf]

any replies?


and hmm is the lady who threw the bag still there?

[infinitemonkies]

When I worked at blockbuster, we were required to ask every single person who entered the store if they were interested in signing up for a rewards membership, even though over 70% of our customers were already members.

Example: Regular customer comes in, he's been in 4 times already this same week, I know he has a membership, he's been a member for over 6 years, management informs me I will ask him every time he walks through the door or I will get fired.

Corporate policy: Spend tens of millions of dollars annually on market research to treat your customers and your staff like they're completely incompetent morons. Lose money anyway, wonder why, blame front-line grunts.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Thanks, and I hope it goes to the right place. Like I said, by the time I had cooled off enough to think straight, I had either failed to get or misplaced the receipt. So I went on line and found a feedback form.

[Magpie]

I'm with Dips. for writing a complaint to corporate.

[Dips]

I hate that hard-sell crap as a customer and, reading stories here, I know employees hate it even more. It's hard enough getting through a day dealing with the public without being forced by policy to piss them off on purpose.

I really like how the employee subtly gave you the tools to tell corporate to jump in a lake.

And you for following through and doing it? That was awesome.