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Short biography (I'm new here!): I've worked in various retail venues for the past 15 years. Picture any store in any mall, and I've probably worked there. Now I run the front desk at a busy spa. I hit "retail burnout" a few years ago, and starting doing this, which, yeah, still customers, many sucky, but the difference in environment makes life a little less stressful for me.
My job consists of many things, but most often, I answer the phones, book appointments, coordinate staff schedules, check clients in and out, help people with retail products, and a whole lot of operations and training stuff that doesn't directly involve clients. Since I've been doing this, I've developed a whole new list of stuff that pisses me off, mostly in addition to, not replacing, the stuff that regular retail customers do. Some examples:
-The recent idea that "give me" is an acceptable substitute for "May I have, " or "is it possible," or "could I please?" I hear, on a daily basis, "Give me a $50 gift certificate," "Give me an appointment in four weeks," "Give me the smaller size." Seriously, "please" is one syllable too many? I'm always tempted to reply "Give me $50 and you'll get your gift card."
-Zero-pushers. These are people who think they: a) have the phone system all figured out, and pushing zero on any automated phone system will get you a live person, b) are too busy and important to listen an extra 10 seconds for the correct number to push to get the desk, or c) have listened to the prompts, and still think pressing zero is a better plan. On our system, pushing zero makes only one of our many phones ring (the designated "operator" phone), and if someone's on that phone, which there almost always is, your call gets dumped into voicemail. When I call you back, I get reamed for 10 minutes about how you couldn't get through, and no one answered the phone and aren't you people open? ("You people" is a rant all its own). I try to nicely say at the end of the conversation, "If you need to contact us, if you hit 3 when the phone system picks up, you'll be connected to the front desk directly." Do they? No.
-The tried-and-true "customers can't read signs." We have (I counted one day) more than a dozen signs saying we don't allow cell phone use. Please turn off your cell phone. This is a cell phone free establishment. Please make or take any cell phone calls outside. Guess how many times a day I have to ask someone to shut off their cell phones? Many. Many many many.
-People who think "children under 18 years old are not permitted at this establishment" doesn't apply to them. Or that a baby is exempt (umm, 2 months is definitely less than 18 years). Or if it's a quick appointment, no big deal. Or my personal favorite, just leave them in the waiting area and the staff will watch them. People pay a lot of money for their services, many of them arranged for childcare, and your kid screaming and running around does not make a pleasant, relaxing environment. Of course, we have signs about this policy everywhere, including directly outside the entrance.
I have a ton more, but this is already veering into too long territory, and some of my stories really should get their own posts.
My job consists of many things, but most often, I answer the phones, book appointments, coordinate staff schedules, check clients in and out, help people with retail products, and a whole lot of operations and training stuff that doesn't directly involve clients. Since I've been doing this, I've developed a whole new list of stuff that pisses me off, mostly in addition to, not replacing, the stuff that regular retail customers do. Some examples:
-The recent idea that "give me" is an acceptable substitute for "May I have, " or "is it possible," or "could I please?" I hear, on a daily basis, "Give me a $50 gift certificate," "Give me an appointment in four weeks," "Give me the smaller size." Seriously, "please" is one syllable too many? I'm always tempted to reply "Give me $50 and you'll get your gift card."
-Zero-pushers. These are people who think they: a) have the phone system all figured out, and pushing zero on any automated phone system will get you a live person, b) are too busy and important to listen an extra 10 seconds for the correct number to push to get the desk, or c) have listened to the prompts, and still think pressing zero is a better plan. On our system, pushing zero makes only one of our many phones ring (the designated "operator" phone), and if someone's on that phone, which there almost always is, your call gets dumped into voicemail. When I call you back, I get reamed for 10 minutes about how you couldn't get through, and no one answered the phone and aren't you people open? ("You people" is a rant all its own). I try to nicely say at the end of the conversation, "If you need to contact us, if you hit 3 when the phone system picks up, you'll be connected to the front desk directly." Do they? No.
-The tried-and-true "customers can't read signs." We have (I counted one day) more than a dozen signs saying we don't allow cell phone use. Please turn off your cell phone. This is a cell phone free establishment. Please make or take any cell phone calls outside. Guess how many times a day I have to ask someone to shut off their cell phones? Many. Many many many.
-People who think "children under 18 years old are not permitted at this establishment" doesn't apply to them. Or that a baby is exempt (umm, 2 months is definitely less than 18 years). Or if it's a quick appointment, no big deal. Or my personal favorite, just leave them in the waiting area and the staff will watch them. People pay a lot of money for their services, many of them arranged for childcare, and your kid screaming and running around does not make a pleasant, relaxing environment. Of course, we have signs about this policy everywhere, including directly outside the entrance.
I have a ton more, but this is already veering into too long territory, and some of my stories really should get their own posts.
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