Last call for bargains

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Today is the last day of our Super Duper Uber Mega Super Stupendous Lowest Prices of the Season sale. Hellishly busy and we were understaffed as usual.

Today, I:

• got stuck opening boxes and retrieving furniture parts for two different customers. This I loathe.
• got bitched at because we were out of a sale item. On the last day of the freaking sale.
• got bitched at because somebody ended up waiting about 20 minutes for a carryout item, because I asked somebody for help and she didn't get the item. She claimed she didn't know I wanted her to get it. I think she needs to retire already.
• got bitched at because there weren't any carts in the store and I was too busy with carryouts to get them.
• got bitched at because there were a lot of autopulls needing to be done, which I didn't get to because I was too busy with carryouts and carts.
• got bitched at because the checkout lines were so long, even though everybody that could be on a register was on a register.
• got bitched at over the phone because the caller kept getting put on hold because nobody could get to them. When I'm as slammed as I was today, outside calls are my absolute last priority.
• got bitched at by a customer because I said "excuse me" as I was dragging some heavy carryout items up to the front. She said "You know, you could slow down." You know, I could just speed up and run you and your kid over and laugh maniacally at your cries of pain.
• got bitched at by some guy because he had a sofa put on hold for him yesterday, but he didn't purchase it, and somebody bought that same sofa today, and it was the last one, and since I saw the tag said the sofa wasn't paid for I gave it to the people who bought it. Since when did we start holding unpaid items again?
• got bitched at by some harpy because she bought a different sofa, and I couldn't fit it in her minivan because she dragged her kids along with her.
• got bitched at by management because I wore my Bucky shirt to work again today, because the Badgers were playing (). They claim policy only allows team apparel to be worn on days the Packers are playing, but the memo in the breakroom doesn't specify that team apparel is only okay when the Packers are playing. It just says "game days." Anyway, since the Badgers have started losing since I started wearing the shirt I'm not going to wear it any more.
• watched as some little girl just climbed up on my empty flatbed as I was helping her dad find something. I told dad "Can you please get her off my cart?" I was pleasantly surprised when he did, and didn't complain about me saying something.

Let's just say I am so over our Super Duper Uber Mega Super Stupendous Lowest Prices of the Season sale.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Just hope corporate doesn't pull a fast one on you and try to extend it.

[ralerin]

*chuckle* They probably will.

And I think all of us will probably hear Irv screaming all over the globe.

[christopherius]

I just love it when a customer buys a large furniture item and only has a car. Then they expect you to get it inside their vehicle because they never planned ahead. A few times I've had to take patio sets out of the boxes to fit them inside. Of course our policy is no returns without the box. So you must be good at tetris now right?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Just hope corporate doesn't pull a fast one on you and try to extend it.

*chuckle* They probably will.

And I think all of us will probably hear Irv screaming all over the globe.

That's not going to happen. Not when this week's ad was put together weeks in advance and was in the paper today. The Super Duper Uber Mega Super Stupendous Lowest Prices of the Season sale is over.

Problem is, I tend to view it as a dry run for the Christmas rush. Foot traffic on the the busier days of LPS is probably similar to foot traffic on a normal weekday during the holidays, and on weekends and during special sales it's going to increase. Being as how management doesn't seem to be in a hurry to hire more seasonals (and might even be done with their seasonal hiring this year ), and how corporate is being really tight with the payroll, I have a feeling the holidays this year are going to suck worse than any holidays I've worked have sucked before.

[hinakiba777]

At least the last part was kind of nice.

I am so glad that I don't work in retail. I really don't think I could stand it.

*gives Irv some cake and ice cream* Congratulations on surviving the sale of doom.

But I'm a little confused. Your store let's customers hold items for free?! how the heck does that work?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

But I'm a little confused. Your store let's customers hold items for free?! how the heck does that work?

The most common way this works is somebody from another store calls us because they don't have something, and if we have it we agree to hold it, and the other store sends their customer to our store to purchase the item.

And most commonly, this customer from another store never shows up.

Otherwise, a customer can call the store, ask if we have something, and ask that it be held for them while they make their way in. The success of this method depends on who the customer talks to. If they talk to me, I always tell them we don't hold unpaid items. If they talk to somebody else, that somebody else might put the item on hold for them. I don't put unpaid items on hold because I've been told not to by management--who then commonly turns around and puts unpaid merchandise on hold for people.

A very common practice of local SCs is to call all the local stores, ask if they carry a certain item, ask what the price is for that item, and ask that it be put on hold. Then they buy it from the store with the cheapest price. I find this practice absolutely obnoxious and refuse to go along with it. There's no reason why I should tie up an item I could sell to somebody who's IN THE STORE, for some cheap asshole who isn't going to buy it anyway because we seldom have the lowest price in town on anything, and the asshole is too lazy to do their own legwork to get the lowest price.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

The most common way this works is somebody from another store calls us because they don't have something, and if we have it we agree to hold it, and the other store sends their customer to our store to purchase the item.

And most commonly, this customer from another store never shows up.

Otherwise, a customer can call the store, ask if we have something, and ask that it be held for them while they make their way in. The success of this method depends on who the customer talks to. If they talk to me, I always tell them we don't hold unpaid items. If they talk to somebody else, that somebody else might put the item on hold for them. I don't put unpaid items on hold because I've been told not to by management--who then commonly turns around and puts unpaid merchandise on hold for people.

A very common practice of local SCs is to call all the local stores, ask if they carry a certain item, ask what the price is for that item, and ask that it be put on hold. Then they buy it from the store with the cheapest price. I find this practice absolutely obnoxious and refuse to go along with it. There's no reason why I should tie up an item I could sell to somebody who's IN THE STORE, for some cheap asshole who isn't going to buy it anyway because we seldom have the lowest price in town on anything, and the asshole is too lazy to do their own legwork to get the lowest price.

Where I work it's simple. If it's another store calling, we'll usually hold, unless it's a hot new item and we're low on stock. For a customer, unless it's an older or more obscure game, I usually won't hold. I would estimate only about half of the product we hold ever actually get picked up. (excluding pre orders).

[EricKei]

I have a feeling the holidays this year are going to suck worse than any holidays I've worked have sucked before.

Dude...uh, huhuhuhuh. The TV's gone...Uh...

This sucks more than anything that has ever sucked before...

I remember that movie ^_^
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We'd do holds at our GameStore as well -- but only with a name, and it's only getting held until close that day unless you work for us. Even then, if it's a big hot seller, it goes bye-bye if someone who actually DOES show up requests it.