Awful day at the K

[PorkChop]

Oh vey, I grew up with KMart. My mom worked at the big K for 22 years! At one time as a kid, I knew everybody's names who worked there. lol!

In 2003, her KMart closed. I wasn't surprised because Wal-mart was a super-sized store and across the street. That store went downhill big time in the late
90's and early 2000's. Mom was a department head (I forgot which one) and they gave her so much work that they wanted her to do it off the clock! She was already 40 plus hours that week. I hated how they treated her and it made me not want to shop at KMart in Arizona. I was born and raised in Kentucky, BTW.

After Mom was let go, she got a better job working at the local university in the finance office. She loves it there so much better. Then, my dad lost his job and so she had to get a second job at Wal-mart as a cashier on the weekends. For two Christmas's, she told me she truely enjoyed Christmas because she escaped Retail Hell.

Here, my hubby works at KMart in the Garden shop. He says it is just another job to him. Of course his hours have been cut in half since Christmas. He doesn't seem to mind the work.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Every K-Mart I've been in lately has been a garbage pit. Worse than Wal-Mart even.

The one I used to occasionally visit in college had a parking lot made up entirely of potholes and was always dirty, unorganized and had just a few surly floor workers to help you out.

It's obvious no money whatsoever is being put into those stores to make them look updated and neat. It's truly a depressing shopping experience.

About music--I noticed Target stores have no music playing. Which to me can be a good thing and a bad thing. I get sick and tired and hearing the same songs over my store's PA (especially that song "Young Folks" I believe it is called, with all the whistling. I truly believe the person(s) responsible for writing, recording and distributing that song should be taken out to the back forty and shot repeatedly). But on the other hand I might go nuts after a while from having no ambient noise other than customers and screaming kids.

Also they do not do announcements and pages over the PA--at least I've never heard them done at a Target. Everything goes over two-way radios everybody has, and the woman voicing the calls for service sounds like a real Queeny McUberbitch type.

Still, I very much enjoy shopping at Target stores and secretly pine for one to be built in my city, even though it will not happen in the foreseeable future. Instead we got a Kohl's Yay. Not.

[Estil]

Talk about getting what you pay for. :P

[laura91]

I wish we had a k

Im new here. Love the site! anyway, I live in a little town in KY. Thanks to good ol Wal mart. We no longer have a k-mart.

Anyway sorry that happened to you. I dont know why people think that acting nasty to workers is really going to help them any faster. Dumbasses!

[technical.angel]

Welcome to the family, Laura!

If you're new, head over to the front page, and make sure you read the Vinegar Boy Saga. http://www.customerssuck.com/index.p...00_articleid=1

You've not lived until you do!

[Crawley]

Wow, I had almost supressed my memories of being a Kmart cashier. Damn you! ;-)

First job ever, started when I was 16, left when I was 16 (I'm now 25). I was one of the "lucky" one who got to work there when Kmart was just starting to switch to the "Big K" concept and stock grocery items. The store was pretty much in chaos for the full remodel.

[texasbelle5]

As a customer, I am just thrilled if a cashier actually ever says "Thank You". I haven't heard that phrase in a long time.

I get "here you go"

Or "No Problem" when I say "Thank You" but I haven't heard a TY in years.

[marasbaras]

I _hate_ Stepford Sales Drones. How many bloody times do I have to say "no, I'm fine and am finding what I need?" Don't the suits know that after about the third time customers get pissed? It's NOT HELPFUL. It's aggressive and annoying.

[Anakah]

I know how you feel. I get docked all the time for not using our "scripts." Its so stupid. I refuse to say the customer's name too. I don't feel comfy saying: Why thank you Hal, it was my pleasure."

As a customer, I don't really like it when my name is used. I know its weird. I don't like when my own customers say my name just because I am wearing a name tag.

If the job is getting done right, why do they have to nit pick us so bad? Sorry, venting a bit.

But that poor girl. I hope she comes back. Being on a register for the first time IS scary... Especially at 16.

[Dark-Star]

You can always get another job. Don't work at a place that treats you like shit.

Careful there. I'm STILL unemployed, not even a fast food place wants me.

[Tigress]

Careful there. I'm STILL unemployed, not even a fast food place wants me.

Well, work in a place that treats you like shit while finding a better job. Then tell the first place to kiss your ass as you walk out the door.

[theredbaron47]

I'm lucky in the sense of corporate scripts.

When I first started in the pharmacy (a year and a month ago), training told me that we were required ( yes, required ) to refer to our customers by name ( i.e., "Thank you for coming in, John, it's been a pleasure serving you" ).

Fortunately, this is not enforced at all.

And it isn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would, as virtually all of the regulars either stand out in some way to me, or come in often enough that I just came to know them after a while.

Answering the phone is something completely different, though.

Proper Answering Method: "Thank you for calling CVS Pharmacy, this is ____ speaking, how may I help you today?"
How I Answer: "CVS Pharmacy, ____ speaking. . ."

Haven't gotten in trouble for it yet. The one pharmacist answers with just, "Pharmacy. . .", which I find incredibly amusing, and he never catches hell for it either.

I feel terrible for people who have to answer the phone in such a way so as to highlight any sales or specials they have going on at the time.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I do not like being referred to by name by someone to whom I haven't introduced myself.

I mind it less when I am referred to as "Ms. Kinkoid", but I still find it incredibly creepy. A person I don't know chirpily using my first name uninvited is not only creepy, but frankly, kind of rude and presumptuous.

I know ya'll have to do it, so I don't get mad, of course. But I don't like it.

Oh, yeah, and Bath and Body Works? I've literally FLED THE STORE after every single person in the place (about five all total) bombarded me with their "greeting" inside of 2-3 minutes of entering the store. I didn't get nasty with any of them, but after the fifth person "greeted" me, I just stood there a minute, bewildered, then thought "I am clearly not going to be able to just browse here." And I hauled ass and have so far not gone back. That was three years ago, I think.

[theredbaron47]

I don't like being referred to by name by people I'm not familiar with, either. I find it creepy, and, as you said, somewhat rude. I didn't introduce myself to you, you didn't introduce yourself to me, how do you get off calling me not even by my last name, but by my first name?

No one has complained about it yet. As a general rule, I only address customers by name in one of two occasions:

1] I know the person, either personally, or from having introduced ourselves to each other.

or. . .

2] The person seems genuinely pleasant, in a cheerful mood, and would not mind one bit being referred to by his / her name.

As another general rule, I never refer to customers by their first names. Being that I'm only 21, it could still be taken as being disrespectful to my elders.

Anyone who complains to me about something I have to do per corporate policy, I tell them the number to call, and instruct them to call and complain about it, as really only they have the power to do so.

[technical.angel]

The one and only problem I had the fiancee's father (his mom more than made up for it) was his assertion that it was a sign of class and good breeding to ask your server's name, and refer to him or her as that during your entire interaction.