Do you clean up after yourself in stores?

[JacksLilWench]

If your store hates digging so much, then there are far better solutions than that obnoxious method you describe. How about hanging up the clothes with enough room and keeping them in such order that a customer can easily grab their size? Or hire enough clerks so that each customer can have a personal shopper.

Putting your hand on the stack a customer is currently using for the express purpose of preventing them from moving is incredibly rude. I would not return to a store with a practice such as that.

We were never given the payroll hours to do something that is really incredibly frivolous as a "personal shopper". As an associate, all you can do is what your manager tells you. And if your manager tells you to put out every single size you have in the back room and is an adamant jerk about it, you have to do it. If you want a personal shopper, go to Macy's.

We did what we had to do in order to keep from doubling and tripling our workload during our shift. We had to. We couldn't leave until our section was perfect, and it never would stay that way unless we used such tactics. We practiced them with care- we always smiled when we said it and I don't recall one single time where a customer even looked like s/he was put off by the action of blocking her from destroying something I had just fixed. Many of them smiled and thanked me.

If you don't like it, don't shop at American Eagle. Go over to the stores where they don't straighten anything and it all looks like crap, and you can't find your size and no one is around to help you. Then come and attack retail associates about what we do to keep our stores clean and how rude it is. And if your mind isn't changed, I don't want you shopping in my store anyway.

 

[2binak]

Then might I suggest not shopping at American Eagle Outfitters? I'm sorry you don't like it, but it made my job a lot easier to interrupt a customer from destroying a stack of shirts I will have to spend 20+ minutes refolding. And the entire time I'm trying to refold that stack, I'm supposed to be in charge of the fitting rooms AND the cash and wrap. So I don't feel bad about stopping someone from digging like an animal to prevent from having to add more to my already ridiculous workload.

You sound like someone who has never worked retail. If you haven't then you have no idea what it can be like to deal with rude people day in and day out, to have to answer to managers who have no concept of reality, and having to miss almost every weekend and holiday with your family in such a soul-crushing fashion, only to bring home a paycheck that if you're LUCKY, you can use to fill up your gas tank.

Actually, I have worked retail as have many members of my & dh's families so I'm well aware of all of the things you've pointed out.

I'm also aware of the fact that it's rude to put your hands on something that another person is looking at, whether you work for the store or not. We'll have to agree to disagree on that point.

 

[KigerKat]

Kind of related thing that really irks me....people who don't put shopping carts where they belong in the parking lot. So many times, I've seen people roll a cart into the empty space next to them or prop the front wheels on a nearby curb, but not take a few extra steps to put in a cart corral. I understand sometimes it's cold or raining outside, or maybe a mom has her kids in the car and doesn't want to leave them alone while she wheels the cart across the lot, but why don't people think about these things before the park?

I always like to park near a cart corral (maybe not right next to one, but across or a couple of spaces away) so I don't have to travel far. But I will ALWAYS return my cart where it is supposed to go. Or, how about asking for assistance to your car? I've never seen a store say no to a customer that asks for help, and then they don't have to worry about even touching the cart. I can get so heated about it, because I just don't understand why it's so difficult. I secretly hope that one day one of those people's car is severely denting by a runaway shopping cart in a parking lot that was just left there by a careless customer.

I think you'll find that most people who have worked in retail are more conscientious about their shopping habits and try to make less work for the employees.

 

[Andtototoo]

We were never given the payroll hours to do something that is really incredibly frivolous as a "personal shopper". As an associate, all you can do is what your manager tells you. And if your manager tells you to put out every single size you have in the back room and is an adamant jerk about it, you have to do it. If you want a personal shopper, go to Macy's.

We did what we had to do in order to keep from doubling and tripling our workload during our shift. We had to. We couldn't leave until our section was perfect, and it never would stay that way unless we used such tactics. We practiced them with care- we always smiled when we said it and I don't recall one single time where a customer even looked like s/he was put off by the action of blocking her from destroying something I had just fixed. Many of them smiled and thanked me.

If you don't like it, don't shop at American Eagle. Go over to the stores where they don't straighten anything and it all looks like crap, and you can't find your size and no one is around to help you. Then come and attack retail associates about what we do to keep our stores clean and how rude it is. And if your mind isn't changed, I don't want you shopping in my store anyway.

1. Gee, really? This is SOP at American Eagle? Really? I have shopped at AE often. In three states I can think of right now. In fact, we've shopped there so often for my teen dd, her teen cousins and friends, that I have an AE credit card. And yet, never have I experienced the stack slap down you suggest is standard policy. Because if I had, I would have never returned to the store, let alone been such a frequent shopper that I took out and AE credit card. So I find your protestations lacking in believability.

2. I have worked retail. I have been a retail manager. So the difficulties of keeping a store clean and neat are not news to me. And yet my store was able to do so without being rude to customers. It's absolutely doable. You have to have the right attitude toward customer service, of course. It's curious to me that you're on a Disney board, given Disney's reputation in the area of customer service when you seem to have such disdain for the idea.

3. The attitude you evince -- that customers are a bother and a nuisance and an obstacle to your "real" work of keeping the store clean and neat -- is not only deplorable, but one reason any store will lose business to another and why brick and mortar stores are losing ground to online shopping. The customer is paying your wages. Period. Don't like customers? Then get out of retail. Please. Do us all a favor and get out of retail. And if you wouldn't quit, as a manager, if I had a clerk with your attitude, I'd fire you. There's always another person looking for your job.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I worked in retail for 6 years, so yes I do make an effort to keep displays nice. I rehang anything I try on, but I do think it is the staff's job to put away items that have been tried on. I once had a sales person at a certain big box store chase me through the store yelling at me because I left my items neatly hung in the fitting room....

 

[jlewisinsyr]

We were never given the payroll hours to do something that is really incredibly frivolous as a "personal shopper". As an associate, all you can do is what your manager tells you. And if your manager tells you to put out every single size you have in the back room and is an adamant jerk about it, you have to do it. If you want a personal shopper, go to Macy's.

We did what we had to do in order to keep from doubling and tripling our workload during our shift. We had to. We couldn't leave until our section was perfect, and it never would stay that way unless we used such tactics. We practiced them with care- we always smiled when we said it and I don't recall one single time where a customer even looked like s/he was put off by the action of blocking her from destroying something I had just fixed. Many of them smiled and thanked me.

If you don't like it, don't shop at American Eagle. Go over to the stores where they don't straighten anything and it all looks like crap, and you can't find your size and no one is around to help you. Then come and attack retail associates about what we do to keep our stores clean and how rude it is. And if your mind isn't changed, I don't want you shopping in my store anyway.

I agree that its all in perception, but I'm wondering if this is truly an American Eagle policy and that you are speaking on behalf of their policies and procedures (I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate it either way).

 

[DebD4T]

While Christmas shopping this past year, I went into Armani Exchange to purchase a shirt for DS. I had never been in the store before since it is rather pricey.

The t-shirts were folded and stacked on shelves and tables. I roamed from display to display, picking up shirts, unfolding them, looking at them, then folding and putting them back where I found them.

At least 3 times sales associates came over to me and asked if I needed assistance. Each time I replied," no thanks, I'm just looking".

Finally, at the back of the store, one more sales associate approached me and the light bulb went on in my head... they didn't want me unfolding the shirts!! LOL!!

So I said to the sales associate, " Oh, do you not want me to unfold and refold the shirts??!! Is that why so many people asked if I wanted help??" The sales associate laughed and said "Yes, but you are very neat about it!"

I guess if you are paying upwards of $40 for a t-shirt, they want to make sure no one damages the merchandise!!

I voted "yes, always". I also usually pick up clothing other people dropped on the floor and hang it up.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

While Christmas shopping this past year, I went into Armani Exchange to purchase a shirt for DS. I had never been in the store before since it is rather pricey.

The t-shirts were folded and stacked on shelves and tables. I roamed from display to display, picking up shirts, unfolding them, looking at them, then folding and putting them back where I found them.

At least 3 times sales associates came over to me and asked if I needed assistance. Each time I replied," no thanks, I'm just looking".

Finally, at the back of the store, one more sales associate approached me and the light bulb went on in my head... they didn't want me unfolding the shirts!! LOL!!

So I said to the sales associate, " Oh, do you not want me to unfold and refold the shirts??!! Is that why so many people asked if I wanted help??" The sales associate laughed and said "Yes, but you are very neat about it!"

I guess if you are paying upwards of $40 for a t-shirt, they want to make sure no one damages the merchandise!!

I voted "yes, always". I also usually pick up clothing other people dropped on the floor and hang it up.

A/X, Guess by Marcianno, Emporio Armani, etc are stores that actually prefer to do the work for you. You tell them you like something, they'll get the size, you want to try something on just hand the items to an associate, they'll start a fitting room for you, if you need a different size, just ask, they'll go get it. And when you done trying things on, just leave the items in the fitting room, they will take care of it.

 

[DebD4T]

A/X, Guess by Marcianno, Emporio Armani, etc are stores that actually prefer to do the work for you. You tell them you like something, they'll get the size, you want to try something on just hand the items to an associate, they'll start a fitting room for you, if you need a different size, just ask, they'll go get it. And when you done trying things on, just leave the items in the fitting room, they will take care of it.

I figured that out after about 15 minutes in the store!!

But they were so polite about it.

 

[JacksLilWench]

I agree that its all in perception, but I'm wondering if this is truly an American Eagle policy and that you are speaking on behalf of their policies and procedures (I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate it either way).

I should make the distiction, you're right: this was the policy at MY AEO. This is what we were told to do by our managers at my location only. I can't speak for other stores, but this is what we did. And it worked

 

[JacksLilWench]

1. Gee, really? This is SOP at American Eagle? Really? I have shopped at AE often. In three states I can think of right now. In fact, we've shopped there so often for my teen dd, her teen cousins and friends, that I have an AE credit card. And yet, never have I experienced the stack slap down you suggest is standard policy. Because if I had, I would have never returned to the store, let alone been such a frequent shopper that I took out and AE credit card. So I find your protestations lacking in believability.

2. I have worked retail. I have been a retail manager. So the difficulties of keeping a store clean and neat are not news to me. And yet my store was able to do so without being rude to customers. It's absolutely doable. You have to have the right attitude toward customer service, of course. It's curious to me that you're on a Disney board, given Disney's reputation in the area of customer service when you seem to have such disdain for the idea.

3. The attitude you evince -- that customers are a bother and a nuisance and an obstacle to your "real" work of keeping the store clean and neat -- is not only deplorable, but one reason any store will lose business to another and why brick and mortar stores are losing ground to online shopping. The customer is paying your wages. Period. Don't like customers? Then get out of retail. Please. Do us all a favor and get out of retail. And if you wouldn't quit, as a manager, if I had a clerk with your attitude, I'd fire you. There's always another person looking for your job.

I'll tell ya now, the procedure that I've described happened everyday at work, and continues to happen everytime I go into the store, now as a customer. It didn't happen with every customer, but there are those who had to be "slapped down" like you put it.

There is a reason I don't work there anymore, and quite a few at that. So you don't have to worry that you'll be one of those customers and I'll have to be your associate. And trust me, I'm glad I won't be. I know full well I am not cut out to work in a retail environment, yet for three years I DID work in retail because I had bills to pay, and I was raised to do what it took to make sure my bills got paid. And for those three years I worked in the SAME store, with the SAME managers. If my behavior and my attitude were so "deplorable" as you call it, don't you think it would have taken more than three years to notice? Retail managers didn't get their positions by being stupid; they know what they're doing. And that is to your credit. But how dare you insinuate that I can't do my job properly when you don't know what my job consists of. Just because you've shopped in a specific store doesn't mean you can judge their management or SOP.

I'm not going to argue this point anymore. This is what I did and if you don't like it, that's your problem.

 

[mhsjax]

I hate the "the customer is paying your wages" type thing. Wether or not I agree with putting your hand on the stack of shirts or not, this type of attitude is what is wrong with people. I am the customer, so I am right. WRONG. The customer isn't always right.

So glad I don't work with people anymore. I can't and won't put up with that attitude anymore. Too old for that crap.

PS, I had the same attitude when I worked customer service for a major credit card for 4 years. I hate customers then too. I always got over the top reviews on customer service.

 

[Debi]

Like others, I've spent a long time working in retail. As a result, I do clean up after myself after shopping.

 

[Rora]

I treat clothes gently because they're not mine and I dislike the idea of buying stuff that other people have put through the wringer. I don't always fold as nicely as they were before but I try to at least fold them back.

Me too.