Personal Treatment by Service Staff

littletiger

Does anyone feel that staff working in the service industry, especially Irish staff, have become unmannerly and even rude when they are serving customers. Visiting few supermarkets lately I noted that the cashier never looked up, never said hello, never said please when asking for the money etc etc.

Pighead

The only thing Pighead feels is shortchanged by this thread. No shape or cohesion to the whole thing and surrounded by a blanket of vagueness. Are you giving out? Are you applauding? Are you for real?

To answer your question, yes people who have to get out of bed for pennies are generally miserable.

phasers

why should they ask you for the money? did you say "I'd like these groceries please." ?

mikemac

littletiger wrote: »

. Visiting few supermarkets lately I noted that the cashier never looked up, never said hello,

Maybe they are shy

Tigger

Pighead wrote: »

The only thing Pighead feels is shortchanged by this thread. No shape or cohesion to the whole thing and surrounded by a blanket of vagueness. Are you giving out? Are you applauding? Are you for real?

To answer your question, yes people who have to get out of bed for pennies are generally miserable.

also

i find that
you get out what you put in i smile and say hello to service staff and they smile and say hello back
if you really are a tigger you should be trying to spraed happyness

hows yer personal hygiene mabey you could start there

luckat

Yes, I do find that.

And they talk to the packer across your shopping, totally ignoring the shopper.

I've actually developed a trick to *make* them look up at me - instead of moving to the end of the cashdesk where they can reach up for my credit card without looking at me, I wait at the left-hand side.

They look up vaguely expecting to see a body, don't see one and stare wildly around, and I give them a big smile and "How are you today?" - and usually then they turn into humans again.

I blame a manners-eating monster stalking the country.

And now that the supermarkets - including Lidl and Aldi - seem to have a concerted effort to hire Irish people, I really miss the more courteous and friendly and funny eastern Europeans.

My theory is that it's the big city thing. In a village, everyone knows you; you have a more personal relationship with the person cashing up - s/he's a neighbour's kid or gran or someone you know. In the city, they mean nothing to you and you mean nothing to them. It's horrible.

Piste

I find a lot of Irish customers- especially women over 30- to be horrendously rude and condescending.

It works both ways you know!

Punchesnpeaches

Piste wrote: »

I find a lot of Irish customers- especially women over 30- to be horrendously rude and condescending.

It works both ways you know!

Yup, I think that people are getting ruder generally. It's hard to be constantly polite when you get rude customers. As an Irish waitress, I love chatting to customers, it makes my day much more pleasant.

Peared

One simply cannot get the staff.

Overheal

littletiger wrote: »

Does anyone feel that staff working in the service industry, especially Irish staff, have become unmannerly and even rude when they are serving customers. Visiting few supermarkets lately I noted that the cashier never looked up, never said hello, never said please when asking for the money etc etc.

Due courtesy is met with due courtesy. I grunt and I mumble when I'm at the checkout, hand my cash over take change and say thanks. For that I really dont expect your wan to give me a song and dance and be rosy about it. If I put the effort and courtesy into it I like to see it returned but oftentimes I don't. It really is the onus of the customer to make it clear to the staff that you are trying to be courteous and polite and oftentimes its reciprocated. You'd be amazed the effect you can have on someone pulling an 8 hour shift if you let them think they've made your day.

jaffa20

Punchesnpeaches wrote: »

Yup, I think that people are getting ruder generally. It's hard to be constantly polite when you get rude customers. As an Irish waitress, I love chatting to customers, it makes my day much more pleasant.

Tips Galore I used to be a waiter and it was the tips that drove me to being polite. It was counting them at the end of the day that made my day

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

littletiger wrote: »

Does anyone feel that staff working in the service industry, especially Irish staff, have become unmannerly and even rude when they are serving customers. Visiting few supermarkets lately I noted that the cashier never looked up, never said hello, never said please when asking for the money etc etc.

I worked in the service industry and the only customers that wanker service were the ones that acted liked **** in the first place.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

I worked in the service industry and the only customers that wanker service were the ones that acted liked **** in the first place.

Really? I usually have to pay double for that kind of action.

Smyth

You really have to work in the industry to understand.

People have this habit of thinking that just because you're behind a till, that it's your life.

Most people behind a till are bored fcukless and deal with 100's of people per day.

If you want someone to smile at you, have a wee chat and laugh at your ****ty jokes about the weather speak to your friends.

I remember closing my till 15 minutes early so I'd finish on the dot. Customer walks up

"It's not 6 o'clock yet"

"Well, if I don't finish now, I'll be here longer than I'm getting paid for and we don't get overtime"

"This is a disgrace. Do you not take pride in your work?"

"Here?.........nope"

*counts change*

Then you have to work with self important twats in suits. All dressed up to the eyeballs with their pissy "business degrees" speaking to you like you're a piece of ****. These people are the ones to blame for the ****ty moods of staff. I spent 8 hours one day organising a stock room on my own because they ****ed up and didn't get the right stuff in and weren't organised. Lifting all day busting my ass. I then went to stock some sweets. While doing so, the manager approached me.

"You should put more heart into that work. You're not smiling. You're not working hard enough"

This was in front of a line of customers.
I slowly got up.

"I've spent the last 8 hours breaking my ****ing back organising the stockroom and you think you can come here and lecture me on not working. I'm stacking shelves for €9 an hour. Sorry love, but that doesn't come with a smile. You can shove your job!"

I was holding some mars bars in my hand. I looked her in the eye, dropped the bars on the ground and walked out.

Best moment of my summer.

</rant>

Serge

My 5 cents...When I am visiting supermarket I just like to buy essentials I am looking for and just pay for that and go. It is difficult for me to blame till person, I am not really worry, do they say thank you or please.

It is not easy job in supermarket as a cashier. Well, i know that is their choice but still I don't really concerned about cash person's attitude to my personality

Of course it is nice if customers service staff smiles to you but I don't go to shop to get smiles but just buy products.

porn_star

Well you kinda have to understand that retail really kicks the crap out of anyone working in it and sucks out their soul. Mainly due to the copious amounts of morons you have to deal with every day.
Generally speaking, I think I give pretty good customer service to anyone who deserves it. Anyone who comes in thinking they're god almighty and that you should be their personal slave, well then they don't get much time or respect-if they treat me like crap, I'm gonna treat them like crap. seriously though, if you're one of those people that walks into a shop without looking for what you want and go straight up to the counter and ask can you have it, you're a moron, do people like this enjoy being invalids or something. Dunno how many people like this I've had to deal with today, what's worse is they don't take a look around, realize it's a Saturday and I'm really quite busy dealing with the other five people that are hounding the life out of me.
retail, what's not to love huh!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Claudia Proud Rim wrote: »

Really? I usually have to pay double for that kind of action.

Obviously. The nice customers get it for free!

Ross_Mahon

Seven hours of tills can really tire you, And your not allowed sit down, So you have to maintain a smile and good manners for so long, Then your legs start aching.

MarkR

Smyth wrote: »

I remember closing my till 15 minutes early so I'd finish on the dot. Customer walks up

"It's not 6 o'clock yet"

"Well, if I don't finish now, I'll be here longer than I'm getting paid for and we don't get overtime"

"This is a disgrace. Do you not take pride in your work?"

"Here?.........nope"

*counts change*

Looks like you have a sunny disposition. I like the cut of your jib.

You don't seem cut out for working with people.

Seriously though, who did you expect to take the persons money? Is your time worth more then your colleagues? Looks like you quit before you got fired. If you'd said that to me your boss would be hearing from me, and I'm a nice guy. You sound like a sullen teen. You may not be, but you sound like one.

Conbro

I actually believe the standard of customer service has improved remarkably over the last 5 or 6 years in shops, pubs etc. Its still not at the same level as that of America or Australia but has definitely improved imo.

marti101

Work on a till for 7/8 hours and have the thickest people in Ireland ask so many stupid questions that you want to shoot them.I know of customers who have women crying shouting and roaring at them thats not the way to behave.Its like all jobs you can go in some days and nothing bothers you then other days you arent in the best humour.I like to be overly helpful especially to the narky ones it really wrecks their head.I find retired men and children to be the worse to serve.The men come in and give out to us cause they are afraid of their wives and the kids just wreck your head full stop.

genericgoon

Talking,looking up and other things all reduce efficiency. Think of all those precious microseconds the customer is being saved by having their products simply processed as quickly as possible.

Smyth

MarkR wrote: »

Looks like you have a sunny disposition. I like the cut of your jib.

You don't seem cut out for working with people.

Seriously though, who did you expect to take the persons money? Is your time worth more then your colleagues? Looks like you quit before you got fired. If you'd said that to me your boss would be hearing from me, and I'm a nice guy. You sound like a sullen teen. You may not be, but you sound like one.

You may be a nice guy, but working a 50 hour week constantly expected to smile and stay cheery is no easy feat. Add this to the fact that average everday people trod all over you and you get seriously unhappy at work.

Remember, when I'm closing the till, I have a table full of money I'm trying to count and people can obviously see I'm in the middle of something.
We also had some ****ty ass managers too. The most ungrateful sod of **** you'll ever come across. The first few days, I did work till 6..on the dot. Took customers without issue. 15 extra each day x 4 = 1hours extra pay.

We never got it, and the mangers refused to comply. So what? We're expected to work for nothing just so Mary is able to get her milk.

If I cared that much about other people, I'd join the red cross.
Anyone who works themselves like that is being made a fool of.

Corruptedmorals

Being on till is soul destroying after a while, even when I'm hungover to bits (and I have to stand, don't work in the grocery part..) I'll still say 'Next please', 'That's €X then please' and 'Thanks' when getting the money and again when giving change and receipt. Till customers tend to be much more narky than those I deal with on fitting room or the floor in general and will throw a fit because you don't have enough money in the till to give cashback or you forgot to ask them for their loyalty card or something else stupid. If someone strikes up a conversation, I'll reciprocate but I'm not going to if they don't, like saying 'Oh that's a lovely top' or something, bahh.

Zillah

MarkR wrote: »

Seriously though, who did you expect to take the persons money? Is your time worth more then your colleagues? Looks like you quit before you got fired. If you'd said that to me your boss would be hearing from me, and I'm a nice guy. You sound like a sullen teen. You may not be, but you sound like one.

Anyone working on a til is in hell. Its a degrading mind numbing nightmare. Screw you and your last minute pint of milk. I did it for a few months back in my teens, your petty desire for a cheerful service is nothing compared to the soul destroying emasculation of that sort of work.

kelle

When I was a student, I worked in a supermarket. I was always friendly and cheerful to customers, but there were a lot of smart-assed d**kheads that would just knock the stuffing out of me with rude and sarcastic comments.
What was good about my experience was: I worked like a trouper on my course so i would be qualified and not have to put up with this crap for the rest of my life.

P.S. Utick, I am awaiting your thanks!

Smyth

kelle wrote: »

I worked like a trouper on my course so i would be qualified and not have to put up with this crap for the rest of my life.

Ditto. Currently doing my masters and the mere thought of that type of work keeps me in at night and my head down.

gixerfixer

FFS. How can anyone working on a till in some supermarket smile all day long whilst looking at their payslip and see 340 euro for a forty hour week.

gixerfixer

Smyth wrote: »

You may be a nice guy, but working a 50 hour week constantly expected to smile and stay cheery is no easy feat. Add this to the fact that average everday people trod all over you and you get seriously unhappy at work.

Remember, when I'm closing the till, I have a table full of money I'm trying to count and people can obviously see I'm in the middle of something.
We also had some ****ty ass managers too. The most ungrateful sod of **** you'll ever come across. The first few days, I did work till 6..on the dot. Took customers without issue. 15 extra each day x 4 = 1hours extra pay.

We never got it, and the mangers refused to comply. So what? We're expected to work for nothing just so Mary is able to get her milk.

If I cared that much about other people, I'd join the red cross.
Anyone who works themselves like that is being made a fool of.

So true. I had the same ****e years ago with superquinn when i worked there as a kid. They would close at six and i would go count my till out and reciepts etc...It would take until 20-25 past before i got up and left and i realised after a few weeks that the fuc*ers were'nt paying me for the extra 20 minutes work every day. When i confronted them about it i was told thats the way they had being doing it for years and it was'nt going to change. So next day i got up and left at 6 on the dot and left the money in the till. Get a load of this the security guard told me he wouldnt let me leave until i counted the moneys out. Told him to **** off and warned him about the possiblity of legal proceedings if he refused to let me out of the shop. Next day i was called in and fired and eventually got a claim off them for wrongful dismisal and got backpay for all the 20 minute stints i wasnt getting payed for along with the other checkout staff. That got me a few free drinks for a while. Problem is most people dont stand up for themselves in this country and get the ****e beaten out of themselves mentally over time. The Irish attitude of "well it's a job aint it" is pathetic and is the reason we have such a low minimum wage.

I don't quite work a till in a supermarket but something similar and I totally agree you get back what you give. Sometimes if it's busy I just want to act like a machine and have no prob with people treating me like that (I say please and thank you automatically but might not make eye contact etc.) but if you really want to be treated with a personal touch, you'll get that if you treat the person on the till with the same personal touch. Simple as!

5starpool

I'd hate to work in a customer service job, it would suck what little soul I have left right out of me.

As for people complaining about not getting a smile from a till operator or similar, get a grip. You are buying objects, it should be as quick and painless as possible. People though that are rude should be given a swift slap though unless they are only returning rudeness. Whatever about a smile and p's & q's, it certainly costs nothing to be civil, and if I receive civility from a person I am transacting with in a shop/pub that's all I ask.

The only exception to this is when you have your hand out to receive change and they slap it on the counter in a shop/pub. That is bordering on rude and uncalled for tbh, no matter how many people you deal with.

ART6

This is a very depressing thread to read, particularly because I can honestly say that I rarely experience the attitudes described here. Perhaps it's a bit to do with the attitude of mind of the customer. Being a customer doesn't make anyone superior to the person on the till, and the recognition of that and a smile and eye contact when the assistant turns to deal with you works wonders in my experience. My old Dad used to tell me "See that man selling matches on the corner? Well, he was born same as you and he'll die same as you, and in the meantime he's as good as you." Not a bad mantra to live by maybe? Be rude or superior and you get it back.

tman

I have absolutely nothing to add to this thread, I just wanted to get the mandatory thanks from utick (every single post on the first page:p)

Can't say that I've experienced any change in the manners of service staff recently, treat them like fellow human beings and you'll rarely get **** back from them...

kieranfitz

littletiger wrote: »

Does anyone feel that staff working in the service industry, especially Irish staff, have become unmannerly and even rude when they are serving customers. Visiting few supermarkets lately I noted that the cashier never looked up, never said hello, never said please when asking for the money etc etc.

Maybe its because we're sick of being looked down on by people with real jobs, earning twice as much as we do, because we work in the service industry.

4zn76tysfajdxp

ART6 wrote: »

Being a customer doesn't make anyone superior to the person on the till, and the recognition of that and a smile and eye contact when the assistant turns to deal with you works wonders in my experience.

Such an attitude is becoming far too uncommon nowadays.

arybvtcw0eolkf

littletiger wrote: »

Does anyone feel that staff working in the service industry, especially Irish staff, have become unmannerly and even rude when they are serving customers. Visiting few supermarkets lately I noted that the cashier never looked up, never said hello, never said please when asking for the money etc etc.

No I don't find that from Irish workers, in fact I find its totally the opposite.

I find Eastern Europeans girls serving in shops, cafes, bar's etc to be very unfriendly and I miss the days when I could go into my local shops and get served by local friendly women who knew everyone in the neighbourhood & always had a ready smile.

I'm also finding more and more lately that I detest people who knock Irish people, particularly our women.

Take a bit of pride in yourselfs ffs.

We're an extremly friendly people, on the whole Irish women are very good looking. The one's who aren't mostly fail themselves and its nothing to do with Irish genetics and more to do with the way they've let themselves go - ie PJ and wellies walking from Darndale to the shopping center's etc.

And while young Irish lads drool over Polish chic's let me tell you, there's some right pigs from Poland too. Alright when their good looking its Woooooooo, but there a lot of wicket looking things out there too.

Nope, give me Irish any day of the week please.

irish_bob

Smyth wrote: »

You may be a nice guy, but working a 50 hour week constantly expected to smile and stay cheery is no easy feat. Add this to the fact that average everday people trod all over you and you get seriously unhappy at work.

Remember, when I'm closing the till, I have a table full of money I'm trying to count and people can obviously see I'm in the middle of something.
We also had some ****ty ass managers too. The most ungrateful sod of **** you'll ever come across. The first few days, I did work till 6..on the dot. Took customers without issue. 15 extra each day x 4 = 1hours extra pay.

We never got it, and the mangers refused to comply. So what? We're expected to work for nothing just so Mary is able to get her milk.

If I cared that much about other people, I'd join the red cross.
Anyone who works themselves like that is being made a fool of.

i think perhaps you would be better with a job in the public service where contempt for the public is expected

arybvtcw0eolkf

irish_bob wrote: »

i think perhaps you would be better with a job in the public service where contempt for the public is expected

I don't think that poster has an attitude or holds the public in contempt. It sounds to me like he/she's working in a particulary unfriendly environment, probably made that way by bad management.

Smyth

Mairt wrote: »

I don't think that poster has an attitude or holds the public in contempt. It sounds to me like he/she's working in a particulary unfriendly environment, probably made that way by bad management.

Was my friend...was working. It gave me the get up and go to finish my masters in civil engineering. I actually got my younger brother a job there too as he's very unmotivated and is a bit of a bum. I told him to take a year out and work in the service industry, then come back to me and tell me he wants to work there for the rest of his life.
2 months in and he's already cracking up.

BroomBurner

I am always polite and professional no matter what the job. If someone is serving the public, no matter what their pay, etc., they should ALWAYS be polite and respond as such. If you're unhappy, then get a job where you don't deal with the public.

Don't worry though, with this recession, a lot of people's attitudes to their jobs will be changing! They'll all just be delighted to still have one. Should separate the wheat from the chaff.

fifth

I used to work in retail and never want to go back... But now i'm in a call centre and it's not a whole ton better. But at least I can hang up the phone if I want.

Dave!

I'm usually pleasant to customers, and get on well with quite alot of the regulars. But in my experience, customers will jump on any mistake or oversight on the part of the shop so that they can save themselves a few pennies. If there is something to be given free when you buy an item, and there are none left, they'll expect something else instead. If a mistake is made with the pricing, and the wrong price is on the sticker, they'll always insist on having it for that price. There's an attitude of 'us and them', with the customers being the victim of the faceless corporate machine, and me, as their employee, being an agent of that machine, trying to get as much money from the customer as possible.

When in reality, I don't give a sh*t about my job or the company. I just want to earn my minimum wage and then go home without getting grief from some c*nt with an axe to grind.

But as I say, most people are quite pleasant, and I'm always pleasant to them. If I'm being rushed off my feet then courtesy may suffer for the sake of efficiency, but get over it tbh.

oh yeh, and STOP MAKING A F*CKING MESS!!!

SV

If you haven't worked in retail you can't comment..


It's horrible.
Worked in a warehouse toy store over christmas (yeah.. :rolleyes: )

worst job ever. People look down on you, walk into you, drop crap on the ground in front of you and expect you to be the one to pick it up, throw toys around that you just spent 2 hours arranging.
and on top of that i got 7.30 an hour, and people expected me to be happy.


bollocks to that. Wasn't marked down for work on the roster one week, never bothered showing up again. Apparently I had more work but..oh well.


Retail? never ever again.


Then again I deal with crap now, but i'm in a better position to tell them to piss off if they start their crap.

Shelflife

its not an easy job, and imo the customers have become very demanding and rude over the last few years, they complain about the smallest thing and expect to be compensated over nothing.

i find in general that you gat back what you recieve, if you're pleasant they will be pleasant back if you're sullen and rude then thats what you get back too.

as a customer once said to me "its nice to be nice"

JC 2K3

I find modern service staff like these to be very polite. They never forget to thank you for shopping there and always are very mannerly.

MarkR

Smyth wrote: »

You may be a nice guy, but working a 50 hour week constantly expected to smile and stay cheery is no easy feat. Add this to the fact that average everday people trod all over you and you get seriously unhappy at work.

Remember, when I'm closing the till, I have a table full of money I'm trying to count and people can obviously see I'm in the middle of something.
We also had some ****ty ass managers too. The most ungrateful sod of **** you'll ever come across. The first few days, I did work till 6..on the dot. Took customers without issue. 15 extra each day x 4 = 1hours extra pay.

We never got it, and the mangers refused to comply. So what? We're expected to work for nothing just so Mary is able to get her milk.

If I cared that much about other people, I'd join the red cross.
Anyone who works themselves like that is being made a fool of.

Yes, but all of that's your problem, not the customer. If you've a problem with your stores opening hours then take it up with them, no need to be rude to customers.

You never answered, who do you expect to take the money?

taibhse

I worked in a bridal shop for a few years when I was in college. Most people were friendly enough, but you would always get some bint come in with a chip on her shoulder, being unnecessarily rude. There seems to be a mentality in Ireland now of I'll get what I want, how I want, NOW.

On a saturday, I worked nine hours, with one for lunch, taking a bride every hour. Have to pick out dresses, put them into the dresses, lace them up only to be told "NO", that was it nothing more.

Also a lot of them would try to get compensation, for the slightest thing.
To be honest if you're nice to the people serving you, they''ll be nice back, it works both ways

mikemac

From my own experience:

90% of hassle, sneers, remarks and complaints come from middle-aged housewifes.
Actually it's a honourable thing to be a housewife, a better description are "kept women" who like nothing more than looking down on service staff. They spend their days going to cafes and shopping.
Men are usually fine and pleasant by comparison.

And if there is a problem with pricing or stuff out of stock or whatever, talk to a manager and don't abuse the staff earning minimum wage.
Before last Christmas there were heavy storms so the local M&S had very little stock as the ferries couldn't sail.
Jaysus, the poor staff were getting abused everytime they I was there, it was nobodys fault at all in this case, the ferries couldn't sail.

Oh, my own appeal to service staff.
If you work in Tesco and your store has a self-service checkout, it's for baskets only! Keep those muppets with trollies away..........please

Smyth

MarkR wrote: »

Yes, but all of that's your problem, not the customer. If you've a problem with your stores opening hours then take it up with them, no need to be rude to customers.

You never answered, who do you expect to take the money?

If the management acknowledge the extra working hours past 6 and pay their employees, then the employee of course.

BUT, if they don't, it ceases to be the employees problem. At this point, they should take it up with management. After all, what would someone behind the till know eh?

marti101

I do tell people that the small self service is for baskets and i get askes why honestly how do they find their way home.Also people give out over the slightest thing that has nothing to do with you at the checkout,i had some guy giving out about buying bags i said if you have a problem talk to the government.And i actually dont mind my job its not as soul destroying as some of them are trying to make out.You have friends and the nice customers who have a laugh and ajoke and i find its usually the customer will say something to another rude customer if they are trying to be smart.Like i said before its a job like many you have good and bad days.

MarkR

Smyth wrote: »

If the management acknowledge the extra working hours past 6 and pay their employees, then the employee of course.

BUT, if they don't, it ceases to be the employees problem. At this point, they should take it up with management. After all, what would someone behind the till know eh?

Still not the customers problem. Still no reason to be rude. Still no answer as to who should take the money at 5:45.

If you don't take money after 5:45, shop gets no money from 5:45. Why should they pay you past 5:45?