really off topic, but need to vent

[OnourwaytoWDW]

Some days are better than others, and today just really sucked. It makes me want my vacation to get here all the sooner.
I'm tired of giving, giving, giving, and getting nothing back.
I give to my customers, I try my best to meet the needs they need and sometimes it seems like it's not enough.
DH made a good comment that people are probably just fed up with prices rising everywhere and it's just we are at the end of it.
I've had people out right lie to me, swear at me, ask me if other stores are cheaper. WTH? How do I know what other people are charging for their party supplies. Sure I keep up on competition but come on.
One women outright asked me if XXXparty store was cheaper on their plates and I honestly told her I didn't know. So she buys ours, drives across town and buys their. She brings ours back and informs me that they were 10% cheaper and wants her money back. Well, as well posted since 7/07 all sales are final. Exchange or in store credit only. She goes OFF! Finally I give in and as I am about to hand her her check, I informed her that her attitude was not needed and she really needs to apology to my employee. She keeps going off and says to me "Well to inform you that you're prices are 10% that across town." Which I said "so" her "Well, now you know." I said "I didn't want to know" She said "But you said you didn't know, and know you know." I said "No, I don't care to know." I just shook my head at her and told her to have a blessed day. Which she started to yell I was sacreligious (sp?). Uhhboy.
Now well some of you are probably shocked at how I talked to her, this is my business and I am not about to let anyone walk all over me or my employees. In some instances, the customer is NOT always right. And yes, I will let them know if they do try to take advantage of me or my customer.
And don't even get me started on the whole pitch from my sales rep for Webkinz "Oh no, they'll NEVER be sold in a big box store. We ONLY support and sell to small mom and pops like yourself." Yeah..she's getting a call from me first thing tommorrow.
Van peters out.
Brides coming in freaking out, WHat do you mean you don't have 25 pounds of black M & M's, my wedding is next saturday. WTH?
Some days I wish I could run away and never come back.

 

[jagar100]

I'm sorry to hear about your bad day Gayle, we all have those. Keep your chin up, I think you handled things perfectly. It's your store, you were kind enough to give her money back even though you didn't have to!
And I would bet that lady would be back to shop there again!!!

 

[Aliceacc]

You are the kind of employer I would want to work for, the kind of employer I hope my kids work for, and the kind of employer my husband and I currently have.

On behalf of your employees, THANK YOU!!!

I once saw a greeting card, and wish I had bought out all they had. I was a picture of an elephant, flat on his back, being over run by turkeys. Inside was the caption: "Don't let the turkeys get you down!!!"

Smile as you think of all the gas money that customer spent racing back and forth across town to save 10% off the price of paper plates.

 

[coolbeans]

I would work for you too, the best feeling in the world to an employee is to have the manager back you up 100% on a situation...you should have told her that she wasted more than the 10% difference on gas going back and forth between two stores to save a buck or two.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

did the lady ever think that by the time she drove across town and back that she would be spending more then her 10% saved in gas. SHEESH. Good for you to stand up for your employees.

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

I know how you feel - people can really just suck - in plain english!
Ok, I'm venting here too! I'm a party planner, and I had an event this past weekend - it was a sweet 16. Well, the grandmother, who is the one who contracted me, turned into the nastiest most horrible bit@h (among other things that I just can't say here) in the world. I rented a hotdog cart for them, and when people started arriving 30 minutes early, and the hot dogs were still warming up, she totaly freeked! Started yelling, putting her hands on her head, etc - total freek out over hot dogs! If she had told me that she wanted them ready early, I would have had them done, but that was never said. From there on, she was just a miserable person, anything I had to ask/say to her she gave me a total additude. At the end of the party I gave her the bill, and she (really her daughter) REFUSED to pay the whole thing withholding almost $700!!!! I told her that she would be hearing from my lawyer, and she called ME unprofessional for saying anything like that. Meanwhile, the grandmother is going around to everyone in the party pointing me out and saying VERY LOUDLY how horrible I am, and that I don't know what I'm doing, just trying to embarass me. So I got my stuff out of there (normally I would leave all the centerpieces and stuff and pick it up the next day because the party was still going), but I forgot some stuff!!!! I called the mother of the sweet 16er telling her that I needed to get it back, but to no suprise, no call back. Then, I get a call from the rental place, and they had totally distroyed the hotdog cart!!! Parts are missing, and theres a HUGE dent on it!! I told her that I was suing them, and I would add them onto the claim as well! Oh, it was such a long (10am-8m) and horrific day - I never want to see these people again, and I probally will in court. And the worst part of it, the aunt (the one who is trying to get me to less the bill) WORKS FOR DISNEY!!!
So, sorry your work isn't going well - I know the feeling!!!!!

 

[RadioFanatic]

Smile as you think of all the gas money that customer spent racing back and forth across town to save 10% off the price of paper plates.

I was thinking the EXACT same thing - what a dumb woman! She really pulled one over on you didn't she?

 

[RMulieri]

I feel for you..Used to be a Customer Service mgr for a major eastern grocery chain.I had people in my face all the time.One that really sticks out was back when we first started the promotion where you earn x amt of points and get a free Thanksgiving turkey, we did not limit how many turkeys.As long as you kept earning the points you could get a turkey.I had a woman entitled to 10 turkeys and threatened me with physical violence because she wanted all 10..but we ran out and a raincheck was simply not good enough.She then wanted all her groceries free for the inconvenience.So she spit on me and called me a string of names...I hated Customer service.Not that being a nurse is any better ....sometimes I get some really rude nasty families and patients that call me names now tonly now If things are not done like ...immediately ( with 6 patients at a time it can be rough)I get threatened with lawsuits.

 

[Taja]

Sorry you had a rought day, Gayle.

But...

Thank you, thank you, thank you! For standing up for your employees, yourself and your business!

I made the mistake of working in retail a few years ago. I had owned several shops in the 70s and though it would be a nice change from my usual work.

*eek* The store manager didn't care what customers did or said as long as he hit his sales goals, controlled payroll and made his bonus! The customers seriously trashed the store daily (Sundays were the worst, after the ads came out), berated the staff when merchandise wasn't available (love the school projects that were assigned two months earlier and the parents decided to do them for the children the night before!) then he would short-staff the store and complain because people couldn't cashier, help customers and clean the store simultaneously.

Needless to say, I lasted all of three months before telling him exactly what I thought--just after I quit! *LOL*

 

[mandysbus]

I feel for you....I work at a gas station at the heart of everyones gripes. I get to hear every other person that walks thru the door whine about gas prices and a few have even yelled at me over it.

The two managers that I've had since starting there have been awesome as far as standing up for us against bad customers. Their motto is that customers are not always right and that we dont have to stand there and take it when someone is being really nasty to us. I can ask someone to leave and if they refuse, I can call the police.

I try to be as nice as possibe to my customers....I like people and I like my job and I understand that when you stop at my store, you are most likely dumping a lot of money into your gas tank and that sucks! But its not my fault when the price goes up, I dont get any kind of special discount....I pay what everyone else does.

but I guess some people feel the need to take it out on someone. And it does tickle me when people drive an xtra X amount of miles to save a few cents.

 

[PghLybrt]

Sorry you had the kind of day like the summer I am having! Its hard to compete with the box stores! The part I love is when my customers bring it back because the found it cheaper, don’t they see they spent the money in gas and time wasted??????


I also love the internet shoppers who compare, they never seem to take into account shipping and handling.

 

[OnourwaytoWDW]

thank you all for the kinds words. I feel better today.
And as for the gas station attendant, God bless you!! You have to have one of the most difficult jobs right now . I can see how people take it out on you or think you get a discount. People are just unbelievable sometimes.
Thanks guys!

 

[trivial]

I'll never work in sales again... you see people in a very negative light working in sales or support, because that's the side they seem to reveal most often. I would've said, "You need to read our return policy, then you need to apologize to my employee, and then you need to leave, because your business is no longer welcome." She most definitely did not deserve her money back.

 

[buckeyebill1995]

That's exactly why I got out of retail! I had people fling shopping carts down aisles that almost hit a baby stroller, someone jump over the counter at me when I politely refused a fraudulent return without a receipt. I had to kick countless people out of my store for swearing at/screaming at/threatening my employees over stupid stuff. Honestly, you really see the worst in people when you work in the service industry. It is sad how people confuse 'service' with 'servant.' I thought you handled it beautifully -- although I had flashbacks!

 

[Catkramer]

Omgosh, it isn't just retail. I work for an online company, and I do live chat for them. And my gosh. I think half the people I get need prozac because they are just out right paranoid. That we spend all of our waking hours trying to rip them off.

And I can copy and paste pages from our site explaining the policies and the fees, etc, and they always respond "Well, i didn't see that" or "I didn't read that"

Ok, and this is our problem HOW? We post it there, we email you the info, we can't come to your house and FORCE you to read it.

I think who ever came up with "The customer is always right" should be slapped. I think it worked 30 years ago before people started EXPECTING companies to always side with them and now I think they expect it.

I get atleast 10 people a day who tell me how much business that they do with us and if we don't give them a credit, or make them happy, they will leave. And honestly, there is nothing I can do. The policies are the policies. You agreed to the policies when you purchased our services.

And people don't seem to understand that they can get a lot more out of someone by being nice. Amazing concept. But cursing me out and asking me "If I am ********" is not going make me want to go and get my supervisor and appeal their case. It makes me want to hang up on them.

I agree, the customer isn't always right. And people need to get back to basics of the common courtesy and dignity of how you treat human beings.

Thank you thank you thank you for standing up for your employees and business. I hope your day gets better!

 

[Stitchfans]

Also sorry you had a bad day. Also would like to say how great it is to hear of someone standing up for their employees. So rare from my experiences. The "old" manager where I work would actually lie about us and blame us for things to make her look better. We have a brand new manager who seems to be very nice, and fair. Hope that lasts.

 

[StephMK]

for a rotten day! Some people just have nothing better to do than create trouble. You can only hope you said enough to keep her from coming back. Though usually those are the ones you can't get rid of and they b#tch each time they shop.

Luckily, the people I deal with are mostly over the phone but even still... Each time I get frustrated, I focus more on my goal of paying off my debt and quitting so I can get back to working with kids. Kids are way more fun to deal with (even at their worst) than most "grown-ups"!

 

[buckeyebill1995]

I get atleast 10 people a day who tell me how much business that they do with us and if we don't give them a credit, or make them happy, they will leave.

And people don't seem to understand that they can get a lot more out of someone by being nice. Amazing concept. But cursing me out and asking me "If I am ********" is not going make me want to go and get my supervisor and appeal their case. It makes me want to hang up on them.

I agree, the customer isn't always right. And people need to get back to basics of the common courtesy and dignity of how you treat human beings.

More Flashbacks! When rude people would inevitably start spouting off how much they supposedly spent in my store, it took everything I had to keep from rolling my eyes at them. It didn't matter if they spent $5 or $50,000 I treated them with the utmost respect as long as they did the same for me and my employees. And you're right -- they seem to have forgotten you get a lot further with sugar. Most people nowadays seem to subscribe to the theory that you scream until you get what you want. Didn't work for my toddler, didn't work for them. But the people with some basic decency, I'd bend over backwards for...All we can do is hope to lead by example and teach our children to be better people than they are.

I'll give you a great example of the state of our world today. I was behind a pick up truck today with a bumper sticker on it that looked like those honor student bumper stickers...but this one said, with great pride... "My child beat up your honor student." Sad, sad, sad...

 

[Catkramer]

More Flashbacks! When rude people would inevitably start spouting off how much they supposedly spent in my store, it took everything I had to keep from rolling my eyes at them. It didn't matter if they spent $5 or $50,000 I treated them with the utmost respect as long as they did the same for me and my employees. And you're right -- they seem to have forgotten you get a lot further with sugar. Most people nowadays seem to subscribe to the theory that you scream until you get what you want. Didn't work for my toddler, didn't work for them. But the people with some basic decency, I'd bend over backwards for...All we can do is hope to lead by example and teach our children to be better people than they are.

I'll give you a great example of the state of our world today. I was behind a pick up truck today with a bumper sticker on it that looked like those honor student bumper stickers...but this one said, with great pride... "My child beat up your honor student." Sad, sad, sad...

I agree. It is hard not to let them get to you. I don't even know how to respond when they try and "black mail" me into giving them what they want. "If you don't do this, I will cancel". Ok, here are the steps.

Oh, they get so mad. What I am supposed to say. OH PLEASE! DON'T! The 4.95 a month that you give to use is worth all of the verbal abuse that you dish out to us! PLEASE STAY!

Yeah, one of our mottos in this house is "The only person you have to be mad at is yourself" and "For every finger you point, there are 10 pointing right back at you".

Which I could get those as bumber stickers!

 

[pixiewings71]

Gayle, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that! Good for you for sticking up for your employee and asking for an apology, people have such a sense of entitlement these days. Not everyone of course, but a lot of them. I worked CS at Target for years....I'm so glad I didn't go back to working for them. And I too can't help but giggle at her 10% "savings" that she spent on gas driving back and forth...unless of course she has a Prius or hybrid Civic.