You can't please anyone these days

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

At my store I guess I'm technically still supposed to "seek and greet within 10 feet."

I haven't made a habit of doing so since my first day on the job, 10 years ago.

Seriously, this is one of the stupidest retail fads going. It doesn't make a difference to the customers if the warm body in the green polo shirt says hi to them or not. In fact I bet most people would prefer to be left alone so they can shop in peace. I know I sure as hell would.

The only people who get their undies in a twist about not being greeted in a store are people who live their lives looking for things to feel slighted by.

Oh, but greeting customers is a form of theft deterrence, you say? Oh pah-leeze. The thieves see right through it. There are so few of us working on the salesfloor and so many blind spots where the employees don't normally go anyhow. Shit, in electronics we've had thieves steal ipods and mp3 players by melting the plastic blister packs off the locked peghook with a cigarette lighter. There's always somebody working back there. Greeting people doesn't do shit to prevent shoplifting when there's too few people to be greeting and watching.

[Snowbird]

At my store I guess I'm technically still supposed to "seek and greet within 10 feet."

See, my first gut instinct reading that was to feel like I'd have a big old bullseye on my forehead, lined up for a Scud missile. I'm betting that's why people take to it so negatively too.

Oh, but greeting customers is a form of theft deterrence, you say? Oh pah-leeze.

Oy. Yes, that might work on a prepubescent wannabe shoplifter but the rest would send the greeter a smile that would melt their mother's heart, all the while shoving products down their aluminum foil lined pants.

I had to greet in the first half minute the customer came into the store and I had to go through such a mouthful that even I was annoyed by the time I was done. We had secret shoppers enough that it was too risky not to do it, so every person was greeted and we still had theft out the wazoo, including my personal favorite, the guy that left a little stash of drugs in the empty product box*. What was that product he stole, you ask? A bible.

*I found out later that the police actually thought it was a bungled drug drop but we never found out for sure.

[Balgram]

Way back when I worked for Taco Bell, my manager pointed out that while I smile and am friendly, I don't make an effort to be polite to repeat customers or greet them by name. He asked me to work on that.

My response was fairly simple. "Dude, if I was a regular at Taco Bell, I wouldn't want anyone to know that." I hate it when fast food places know my name. Subway did that once. I walked in, they all said "Balgram! Turkey Sub on wheat sans cheese, all the fixings, right?" I was shocked.

(Looking back, I'm totally impressed. At the time I nearly died of embarrassment, since I was a tweenie.)


I like being greeted, and I like smiling at people. I hate when I greet the cashiers warmly and get a dead beat "Hunh" and no eye contact. It's depressing. My heart goes out to that over-worked cashier, but really? Hunh? That's not even Hi.

I'd never complain and I'd never get mad, but sometimes I miss the whole small-town-feel. I can't leave my bag sitting on a bench while I check something, and I can't even ask someone to watch my bags anymore. People don't greet each other on the street because they have someone they want to talk to on the phone.

I like the advancements in technology and the growth of the city (more ethnic foods! Woot!), but sometimes it's sad to see what we've lost.

[Alpha Strike]

I have to be honest here. I do not greet people, smile and act friendly because I want to. I do it because it's my job. *snip*

Normal people don't genuinely like people they don't know. So, you could say you "Target like them" or you "church like them," like Rod and Todd say on the Simpsons. *snip*

So, I don't think it's particularly "rude" on every customers' part when they don't respond in kind. It's because it's not natural.

Here's the problem I have with this line of thinking.

First, we're not talking about forcing shoppers or customers to have a conversation with store workers - simply that they show the most bare minimum of civility in responding to "Hello/Thank You/Have a good day/Etc." It's a matter of manners: it's the same reason you should say "Thank you" when someone holds a door open for you or "You're Welcome" in response. Being polite doesn't require that you like or care about the person on the other side of the cash register.

Secondly, being friendly isn't always done as a job requirement - it often makes life easier for everyone involved. I'm a phone CSR and even though I only have to give my name and department listing, and "only" do my job I try to be friendly (or at least polite) with those who call in. Doing more then the bare minimum makes customers easier to deal with and can help defuse potentially bad situations.

It's like saying "you're welcome" to one of those machines in Tokyo that's always thanking you for patronizing him, whether "he's" a door, or a bidet.

Yikes! Sounds like an SC talking! Are you really comparing a customer service person to an machine? That's the whole reason we have so many SC stories.

The game's artifical, and I fully acknowledge it. *snip* You choose to play, and there are rational reasons on both sides whether or not to participate.

Once you choose to participate in the "game," why not make it as easy as possible for all involved?

There's just no excuse for someone completely ignoring a person who is greeting them. None whatsoever. And to leave without either a "thanks" or a "you too" is also unacceptable. It's called basic manners. If you totally ignore my every attempt to speak to you, I'm going to assume you're a snooty bitch.

Well said.

[aurelemsrealm]

I try to treat people the way I want them to treat me until I get to know them. Once I get to know them, I treat them they way they treat me. Want me to be nice, then be nice to me. Act like a jerk to me, and I'll return that favor, too.

At the convenience store, it's half and half whether or not I bother greeting customers. Largely, it depends on whether customers look at me when they walk in the door. If they don't look at me, I don't bother speaking until they get to the register. If they have a cell phone plastered to their ears when they arrive at the register, I still don't speak to them. I just ring them up, bark their total at them, and shove their change and receipt at them. If they do look at me when they walk in the door, and I'm not busy, I will greet them. Whenever possible, though, I volunteer for just about any other task that will take me away from the registers, like stocking shelves or the coolers. I absolutely love working on grocery days so long as we have two people to run register. That way, I can get lost in my own world, and have a little freedom in deciding who to approach and who to ignore.

Also, I virtually ignore regulars who've proven themselves to be sucktomers if given a choice. If I do have to interact with them, I tend to be fairly terse in dealing with them, cutting it as short as possible.

At the museum, I'm a much nicer person to deal with because I actually like my job there. The only drawback is that it's a temporary work-study job as a tour guide. The public just seems so much more appreciative and eager to listen to what I have to say. It also makes a difference that I'm genuinely interested in the things I learn there to present to my tour groups. It sure as hell beats dealing with the bullshit of convenience store or fast food hell, and having to pretend to be nice to jerkwad sucktomers and dipshit upper managment from the corporate office!!!

Outside of work, I tend to keep to myself. I speak to those who approach me first, but am more than content to do my own thing mostly. I'm usually the guy you see sitting away from the group reading a book or magazine, or working a puzzlebook. When I'm with a group, I'm usually the one who seems quiet until I surprise everyone with a random smartass comment or observation that surprises the others in the group. I can quickly become irritable with people who seem rude toward me first, but I generally mind my own business and give a similar attitude to what I feel I'm getting. If I'm in a bad mood, I'll try to avoid everyone and everything that I can. If possible, I'll bury myself in some kind of mindless busy work that I don't mind too much when I'm in a bad mood. So, most people think I'm quiet until they really get to know me, then I surprise them with how much of a smartass I tend to be. Then, everyone who knows me can potentially be a target, but I try to make it clear that I'm just joking around. In fact, the few people in the world who are close to me can tell you that I thrive on battles of wits with others who think like me. That's when you really know you've won me over.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I'll usually get people greeting ME when I'm at work, usually regulars who recognize me (not hard, since I've been there for almost eight years), and they'll ask "How ya doing?" and I'll just shrug and give a "meh" while I ring them up or check their receipt. But then, they understand that it's a job, and not everyone has a good day.

Sometimes we'll turn it into a topic of conversation if there's time, other times they'll just give an "ohh, well, you feel better, all right?" or something similar.

I do try to be friendly to people, though, no matter what my mood is like, and just let the assholes' remarks or attitude just roll off.