Onchan1 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Idiot on the door at the Villa tonight - you know who you are (I know you boy and I know you read this forum) - everybody leaving and you still have to be a total asshole to the poor ripped off sods going home unhappy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Why were they going home unhappy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sausages Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Stubbed toe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 That's what happens when you double book Sandie Shaw and Riverdance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusAurelius Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 So you think its ok to be rude to the public just so long as you have an excuse? Time of the month,overworked/underpaid,broken nail,lack of sleep, blah etc,(welcome to the real world) i have worked serving the public myself and i loved it which obviously reflected in my rapport with people,personally i couldnt imagine being rude to someone unless they were rude to me.I also worked with a girl a few years ago who was so rude in her mannerisms she made all the staff miserable,the annoying thing was because she was so horrible and rude nobody would leave tips for her but the rest of us always had to share the tips that we worked so hard for with her,yes some people do genuinely and obviously do have problems but some people are genuinely just rude and miserable (and are not people persons) so clearly they shouldnt work with the public, after all you wouldnt work with children if you didnt like them would you! I wouldn't call it an excuse , just more of maybe offering some sort of explanation.I'll let you into a secret here , on this forum I am known for being one of the most miserable gits around at work.I am sick and tired of having the internet rammed down my throat and it is reflected now in my attitude towards said potential customer <ahem> Its unfair of people who have no intention of using your shop to come in and prime you for information about the product and then go and get the product from the internet even though you have the item they want because they can get it for £5-10 less on the internet.You get to find out who are time wasters and who are real genuine potential customers. You ask the regular customers who come to us about our customer service and they will tell you how different I can be compared to the persona that gets highlighted here. My favourite opening comment ' I bought this on the net ' , to which I reply ' Thats nice ' . If you bought it from the net , go and take it up with them. I am not the only local retailer to take this stance , many others take a similar view , and until they realise that we are not making the markup they think ( no doubt some are ) and that we are not here to service their internet problems then I suspect things like this will go on. Bad service at places like HMV is almost understandable.The wages that these companies pay are atrocious and what some of the young 16,17,18 year olds put up with tfrom he customer side of the counter is just not acceptable.Staff are not their to be talked down too , mocked , insulted etc.. yet things like these are every day occurences in a customer service environment. Yes , we appreciate you spending your money with us , but it doesn't give you the right to abuse staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 My favourite opening comment ' I bought this on the net ' , to which I reply ' Thats nice ' . If you bought it from the net , go and take it up with them. That sounds like a way of basically telling them to bugger off. Telling people to bugger off is unlikely to encourage them into buying anything from you in the future. If you were less point blank about it you might find them more likely to linger, visit again etc. The longer you keep people in your shop, the more they will spend on average. Them even coming through your door is already an opportunity for you. You should thank the internet if it gives you the opportunity to be helpful. --- The weirdest thing is when people in shops don't even say hello. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Roo Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 So you think its ok to be rude to the public just so long as you have an excuse? Time of the month,overworked/underpaid,broken nail,lack of sleep, blah etc,(welcome to the real world) i have worked serving the public myself and i loved it which obviously reflected in my rapport with people,personally i couldnt imagine being rude to someone unless they were rude to me.I also worked with a girl a few years ago who was so rude in her mannerisms she made all the staff miserable,the annoying thing was because she was so horrible and rude nobody would leave tips for her but the rest of us always had to share the tips that we worked so hard for with her,yes some people do genuinely and obviously do have problems but some people are genuinely just rude and miserable (and are not people persons) so clearly they shouldnt work with the public, after all you wouldnt work with children if you didnt like them would you! I wouldn't call it an excuse , just more of maybe offering some sort of explanation.I'll let you into a secret here , on this forum I am known for being one of the most miserable gits around at work.I am sick and tired of having the internet rammed down my throat and it is reflected now in my attitude towards said potential customer <ahem> Its unfair of people who have no intention of using your shop to come in and prime you for information about the product and then go and get the product from the internet even though you have the item they want because they can get it for £5-10 less on the internet.You get to find out who are time wasters and who are real genuine potential customers. You ask the regular customers who come to us about our customer service and they will tell you how different I can be compared to the persona that gets highlighted here. My favourite opening comment ' I bought this on the net ' , to which I reply ' Thats nice ' . If you bought it from the net , go and take it up with them. I am not the only local retailer to take this stance , many others take a similar view , and until they realise that we are not making the markup they think ( no doubt some are ) and that we are not here to service their internet problems then I suspect things like this will go on. Bad service at places like HMV is almost understandable.The wages that these companies pay are atrocious and what some of the young 16,17,18 year olds put up with tfrom he customer side of the counter is just not acceptable.Staff are not their to be talked down too , mocked , insulted etc.. yet things like these are every day occurences in a customer service environment. Yes , we appreciate you spending your money with us , but it doesn't give you the right to abuse staff. But ....i was'nt the one being rude,and i certainly cant say i've ever abused any member of staff anywhere.If you would care to read the "cheery" thread, which no doubt you have!You will see we have bigged up loads of people/places, so the way i see it is that most people are really good with the general public,its just the odd moody **** (sorry) that lets a good team down.I will shop where staff are happy to serve me but i'm afraid my hard earned cash (which i have earned through being polite and happy) wont be spent in places where the staff cant be ****** and are horrible.Before the internt came along we just had to put up with it but we all have choices nowadays,thankfully!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusAurelius Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 My favourite opening comment ' I bought this on the net ' , to which I reply ' Thats nice ' . If you bought it from the net , go and take it up with them. That sounds like a way of basically telling them to bugger off. You said it Telling people to bugger off is unlikely to encourage them into buying anything from you in the future. If you were less point blank about it you might find them more likely to linger, visit again etc. The longer you keep people in your shop, the more they will spend on average. You would think so , however the reality is that they have already made their mind up before they even walk in that they won't buy from you because the internet is cheaper and that's that.You get to know who the real potential customers are , and who the time wasters are. Them even coming through your door is already an opportunity for you. You should thank the internet if it gives you the opportunity to be helpful. Thank the internet for being helpful ? Unbelievable.Like I said before why should I waste my time with people who have no INTENTION OF EVER PURCHASING FROM US The local retailer is not a service centre for websites. The weirdest thing is when people in shops don't even say hello. Its a basic thing to offer a greeting and ask if you can help , however some people just like to be left alone.They will even scowl at you for saying Hello. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusAurelius Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 But ....i was'nt the one being rude,and i certainly cant say i've ever abused any member of staff anywhere.If you would care to read the "cheery" thread, which no doubt you have!You will see we have bigged up loads of people/places, so the way i see it is that most people are really good with the general public,its just the odd moody **** (sorry) that lets a good team down.I will shop where staff are happy to serve me but i'm afraid my hard earned cash (which i have earned through being polite and happy) wont be spent in places where the staff cant be ****** and are horrible.Before the internt came along we just had to put up with it but we all have choices nowadays,thankfully!!! I would be happy to serve you The internet does offer choice and thats good , and people can choose to shop wherever they like which obviously is a good thing. If I was the manager of the grumpy shop assistant and you made it known that you were not happy I would do something about it.Perhaps you should speak to the manager of HMV , because I am sure they would not want to lose your custom in this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 @ Marcus If you see yourself as being in competition with the internet then you are fighting a battle which you will not win. The numbers are inevitably against you. It's incredible that you even think in terms of "wasting your time" with customers. To even say such a thing. You are lucky anyone comes in your shop. It's an opportunity to sell them something either now or in the future. Provided you do not make assumptions. Most people do not either buy local or from the internet. Most people who buy off the internet will also potentially buy local. If you alienate them by being unhelpful then they will be less likely to buy anything from you. And they will tell their friends that you are unhelpful. If someone mentions having seen something on the internet it does not mean that they will not still potentially buy it from you. The other side of the internet for retailers is that it encourages more stuff to be sold in general. It provides you with fantastic marketing of products which people might not otherwise know about. If you have something available now in your shop on a Saturday afternoon there is a good chance of someone buying it instead of getting it online. Even if it costs very slightly more. Another great way to make money is to sell the product for exactly the same price + delivery as it is available online. You can do this by buying online yourself and passing on that price at no markup. Potentially you can then make money selling a bunch of other stuff which they end up leaving the shop with - eg leads, discs, cards etc. ___ Something which is a bit annoying is when people say - no we don't have that in stock but we can order it. And it will still cost more than just ordering it ourselves! ETA: if you think of the really great shops ... they are great places to visit. The people that run them know that if enough people come in then stuff will get sold. The great shops encourage casual browsing. They change their displays and have stuff for people to come in and look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 But ....i was'nt the one being rude,and i certainly cant say i've ever abused any member of staff anywhere.If you would care to read the "cheery" thread, which no doubt you have!You will see we have bigged up loads of people/places, so the way i see it is that most people are really good with the general public,its just the odd moody **** (sorry) that lets a good team down.I will shop where staff are happy to serve me but i'm afraid my hard earned cash (which i have earned through being polite and happy) wont be spent in places where the staff cant be ****** and are horrible.Before the internt came along we just had to put up with it but we all have choices nowadays,thankfully!!! I would be happy to serve you The internet does offer choice and thats good , and people can choose to shop wherever they like which obviously is a good thing. If I was the manager of the grumpy shop assistant and you made it known that you were not happy I would do something about it.Perhaps you should speak to the manager of HMV , because I am sure they would not want to lose your custom in this way. Brian at HMV is a top fella, and always helpful and has excellent knowledge of the music i am looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusAurelius Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 @ Marcus If you see yourself as being in competition with the internet then you are fighting a battle which you will not win. The numbers are inevitably against you. Unfortunately we are in competition against the internet and the fact is traditional retail all over the world is suffering. It's incredible that you even think in terms of "wasting your time" with customers. To even say such a thing. You are lucky anyone comes in your shop. It's an opportunity to sell them something either now or in the future. Provided you do not make assumptions. I don't waste my time with customers , customers are people who buy items from 'our establishment'.If you buy something from me , I will give you really good customer service , if you don't buy from us and never have any intention to buy from us then they are 'wasting my time' Most people do not either buy local or from the internet. Most people who buy off the internet will also potentially buy local. If you alienate them by being unhelpful then they will be less likely to buy anything from you. And they will tell their friends that you are unhelpful. If someone mentions having seen something on the internet it does not mean that they will not still potentially buy it from you. The same works with the internet though.I have had such bad customer service from places like Amazon , Shopto , Dell , that I will never buy from them again.I gave all 3 companies a chance and they just were not interested.People will buy from wherever they want , but my retail experience tells me the vast majority of people have already made their mind up before going in store that they are going to buy from the net. I will give you an instance A local shoe retailer had a member of the public come in and asked to be measured up for some new shoes.The assistant spent 45 minutes with the member of the public.Then she asked the assistant to write it down so she could buy it from the net.The lady had already predetermined that she was not going to buy from the shop.This sort of instance is extremely common. The other side of the internet for retailers is that it encourages more stuff to be sold in general. It provides you with fantastic marketing of products which people might not otherwise know about. If you have something available now in your shop on a Saturday afternoon there is a good chance of someone buying it instead of getting it online. Even if it costs very slightly more. Another great way to make money is to sell the product for exactly the same price + delivery as it is available online. You can do this by buying online yourself and passing on that price at no markup. Potentially you can then make money selling a bunch of other stuff which they end up leaving the shop with - eg leads, discs, cards etc. It provides you with fantastic marketing of products ? Is that why people come into a shop saying I saw this on the internet but I am not sure what it does etc.. If the internet was so good at marketing products you would not get people coming into shops asking what certain things can do.The answers would all be there.If you walked into my shop and and asked about a certain product I would let you test it , use it etc.. Can't do that on the internet. I tell you something else , I have lost count of the times I have let a potential customer try something out , see them really enjoy using it , then they say I will think about it , never ever to see them again.Can you see where we are coming from now ? Something which is a bit annoying is when people say - no we don't have that in stock but we can order it. And it will still cost more than just ordering it ourselves! ETA: if you think of the really great shops ... they are great places to visit. The people that run them know that if enough people come in then stuff will get sold. The great shops encourage casual browsing. They change their displays and have stuff for people to come in and look at. You see people shop around on the net and get the lowest price.It seems to miss people's notice that not all websites offer the same product at the same price , there can and is great variation between the prices different websites offer.On what we sell the margins are atrocious even at RRP.Now you could then go and buy the same item for substantially less from some guy operating from his bedroom in China.However if you buy from a retailer like us you will get full support and backup for your product. Also why should we sell items at no markup ? I have staff to pay , TAX , NI , Rent etc.. In retrospect we should not have opened and that is why we have changed what we do.As a shop I have bitten the bullet and pretty much called it a day as we have lost too much money.But at least I can say we have tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusAurelius Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Brian at HMV is a top fella, and always helpful and has excellent knowledge of the music i am looking for. I really enjoy shopping in HMV.I tend to steer clear on a Saturday as it is probably quite busy , but sometimes we go in on a Sunday and its relatively quiet.Have a good browse , see what I like the look of , buy some albums etc...I can't think of an instance in HMV where I have left feeling upset about something.There is nothing better than going into a shop having a good look and then buying something. I find Chris the manager a decent bloke as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Unfortunately we are in competition against the internet and the fact is traditional retail all over the world is suffering. Lots of small shops are still doing great. You have to offer added value and a great shopping experience. The point of selling at no markup is to then make up the profit on all the extras. Which is often what the internet is doing btw. I don't waste my time with customers , customers are people who buy items from 'our establishment'.If you buy something from me , I will give you really good customer service , if you don't buy from us and never have any intention to buy from us then they are 'wasting my time' If people are visiting your shop then they might buy something. If you previously told them to bugger off then they won't. It does rather sound as if you are wasting your time. You already put me off your shop before I ever even went in it. Do you even like being in business ? You seem to be describing it as if it was all a bit of a drag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 It provides you with fantastic marketing of products ? Is that why people come into a shop saying I saw this on the internet but I am not sure what it does etc.. If the internet was so good at marketing products you would not get people coming into shops asking what certain things can do. They want to buy something and they don't even know what it is ? That's a triumph of marketing. And it's a fantastic opportunity for you to show them how great it is and sell them one. Der lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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