Why do we suffer rude and ignorant waitress and shop assistants

Sleepy · 27-06-2007 09:35AM

Faerie wrote:

Actually it's not in my job description. It speeds up the whole transaction if the customer packs their own bag. I help on big shops of course as that speeds it up too. On express though I can go on to serve other customers who have just popped in for milk. You're not there for the wonderful relaxing shopping experience with servants pandering to your every whim you know! It's just picking up a few things with little hassle. If the customer is counting out their change and I'm doing nothing then of course I'm going to help too. Surely it's a logical thing rather than just standing there to make sure the 'stupid checkout girl' knows her place.

With regards the 'stock in the back' we're told to tell the customer that we don't have it. If it's in the back then it's not for sale. I don't understand why so many people are complaining about this - the shop doesn't promise to stock everything you want so if it's not on display you can't buy it. Go somewhere else.

The truth is so many customers rant about things and complain about petty bull**** but they're in the wrong 99% of the time anyway. Nobody seems capable of reading special offer signs correctly or even the prices. The thing that really makes me laugh though is all the 'rights' that people make up.

Oh and by the way I'm not bitter about my job, I'm bitter about people. I've never had a problem with people who work in retail or in restaurants and bars. Yes I'm a student but I don't think I'm any better than the full-timers. As far as I'm concerned it's just a way to make money and it's not a hard job. I don't like Irish society and the general attitude towards people. The rudeness of people is unbelievable. And before anyone says 'just move', don't worry I will once I've finished my degree.

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And that's why we have crap service in Irish retail and restraunts. The Celtic Cubs are clearly above working in menial tasks whilst earning their degrees. During my time in college I worked in all manners of shops, bars etc and the only places I ever gave customers short shrift was in a night club where I worked as a cloakroom attendant (and even then it was when they got abusive with me or one of the girls I worked with) and in a Bank when people got ignorant because I wouldn't break the law for them.

27-06-2007 09:55AM

I think it's a two-way system. I, as a customer, don't need small talk, always say "hello", "please" and "thank you" and pack my own bag. What I expect from the person at the till is some acknowledgement- a hello or nod will suffice- and the ability to wait until I have everything in my bag and my change thrown into my wallet (I do this very quickly) before shouting "next" to the person behind me.

I grew up in retail (family-run supermarket) and have seen just about every facet of humanity over the years.

"Hi, I bought this St. Bernard brand milk in Dunnes 3 weeks ago and it's gone sour sitting in my fridge. I can't bring it back to them so will you let me swap it for one from your fridge?"

People asking us to keep the Sunday paper for them until Monday and then refusing to pay for them saying we can just cutoff the barcode and give them away.

People asking to use the shop phone and not paying for it.

A few years ago, my sister was working the till and a local woman from a very strange family came in holding a single sausage from a pack of Denny's/Galtee/similar.

Sister- Hi
Weird Woman- I bought this sausage here two weeks ago and when I opened the pack today, they looked bad and smelled funny.
Sis- What did you do with the other sausages from the pack?
WW- I cooked them and ate them.
Sis- Why did you keep this one?
WW- So I could bring it back and get my money back for the pound of sausages.

At this stage, my sister picks up the sausage, flips it into the bin by her side and asks yerwan if there's anything else she wants to buy.

luckat · 27-06-2007 10:07AM

Yes, actually, I do think that the 'resentful Cockney' attitude contributed to Britain's industrial decline from the 1960s. There was a sense of dismal anger at the idea of working for a living, and wave after wave of strikes.

If you want your country to do well, you should hope for people who like to work hard, and do it cheerfully.

Of course people should be paid properly too, I'm not saying anyone should have to work for low wages.

Fratton Fred · 27-06-2007 10:53AM

luckat wrote:

Yes, actually, I do think that the 'resentful Cockney' attitude contributed to Britain's industrial decline from the 1960s. There was a sense of dismal anger at the idea of working for a living, and wave after wave of strikes.

If you want your country to do well, you should hope for people who like to work hard, and do it cheerfully.

Of course people should be paid properly too, I'm not saying anyone should have to work for low wages.

I'd agree with the attitude, I rememebr very clearly the strike etc of the 70s and 80s, but I don't see how this can be blamed on people from East London?

Slutmonkey57b · 27-06-2007 11:13AM

luckat wrote:

Yes, actually, I do think that the 'resentful Cockney' attitude contributed to Britain's industrial decline from the 1960s. There was a sense of dismal anger at the idea of working for a living, and wave after wave of strikes.

If you want your country to do well, you should hope for people who like to work hard, and do it cheerfully.

Of course people should be paid properly too, I'm not saying anyone should have to work for low wages.

I've forwarded your research to the Nobel committe. They'll be astonished at your insight. Clearly the industrial decline had nothing to do with increasing automation, the dawn of the electronic age, the creation of an information and service economy, and most of all the replacement of skilled machine workers with labour from poor countries and the start of globalisation.

It's all the fault of those bloody stroppy shop assistants. They should know their place!

Plissken1 · 27-06-2007 11:26AM

Gingerspice99 wrote:

Arrrrrrrrrghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

This is driving me mad :mad:

I hate the service you receive when you go into shops like its too much trouble for the shop assistant.

The same goes for cafes or restaurants - you order your meal they take an eternity for them to bring your drinks - they never make eye contact and walk away when you are talking to them.

I am not tarring them all with the same brush but good service is not the norm and I feel it should be. Simple manners and taking time to pay attention to your customers either in a shop or restaurant should be standard.

In the USA the waitresses and shop assistant earn a very small basic wage and the majority of there salary is made up of commission or tips. If the same rules were applied here you can be damn sure the service would improve.

What do you all think

Its not as bad as it used to be, but only because Shell and Tracey's jobs are now filled by non nationals who are far more polite.

Font22 · 27-06-2007 12:04PM

tbh i find the OP's comment appalling. i work as a shop assistant and i have had it with completely ignorant customers. it ruins my day sometimes. you do absolutely everything you can to be nice etc and they still treat you like crap. tbh i cannot wait to stop working there. i love working there etc but with the attitude of customers its time to leave. again, not every customer is rude but it only takes one snide remark to ruin a day.

PeakOutput · 27-06-2007 12:36PM

i was told by an american "business owner" as i was cleaning the place up for the day that "obviously your boss dosnt know what he is doing closing at dinner time like this.............he losing turnover which will cost you your job and lets face it man you probably won't get a job anywhere else"

it was 10.00pm "dinner time"??? and he was the only one person in the entire food hall of the airport.

customers are IDIOTS

DonkeyStyle \o/ · 27-06-2007 12:49PM

PeakOutput wrote:

customers are IDIOTS

Well we're all somebodys customers aren't we?

PeakOutput · 27-06-2007 12:56PM

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

Well we're all somebodys customers aren't we?

no denieing(sp) that but i have never;

1. told an employee that i KNOW they are wrong when i don't

2. tried to insult an employee either directly or indirectly to their face

3. told them "the customer is always right"

4. or done any of the million other stupid cliches most customers always have to feel superior to those serving them

Nala · 27-06-2007 02:57PM

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

Actually there's this really creepy soap shop at the bottom of Grafton street where all the girls there behave like they're on SUPER HAPPY DRUGS... dancing to the music, smiling and saying hello every time you pass by... it really freaked me right the fúck out. :eek:
It's beyond friendly and right into spooky fake territory.
I can almost picture their manager screaming at them to smile and dance more.
God it was like another planet altogether.

That would be Lush, there's another one on Henry St. I think they get high from the soap fumes, I really do.

Nala · 27-06-2007 03:11PM

maxi-twist wrote:

Gotta mention that im on energy pills so im kinda jumping around,smiling,real chatty etc...

Whats the name of them and where do you get them?

Twinkle-star15 · 27-06-2007 03:48PM

I think I'm really patient with shop assistants, there's just a few things that annoy me:
1. When everyone in the shop's watching my friends and I because we're teens, and therefore shoplifters;
2. When I'm treated like I'm a toddler;
3. When I'm rushed out of the shop before I can get my change into my purse.

I know you're people too and all that but seriously! I need more than 2 seconds flat to collect my change, fit it into my purse, grab my bag, get my handbag, get my receipt, and finally be ready to move away from the counter. Please don't start serving a new customer over my head!!

Binomate · 27-06-2007 03:53PM

If everyone in a shop is watching you they've probably had a history of having trouble with people in your age bracket or people who are like you. It's understandable.

modalcommand · 27-06-2007 04:00PM

I'm definitely glad we have rude and ignorant waiting staff or shop assisants rather than the american model.
In the US if a waiter/waitress is being nice to you its because they want you to give them money. In Ireland if it happens (which it does more often than not) its a genuine human thing.
In the US if a shop assistant is being nice to you its because they really need the job.
In both cases you can completely see through the smiles and its depressing.

I've worked in loads of customer service jobs (pizza, tesco, Topman) and have to say that the vast majority of customers are quite pleasant to deal with and I'd no complaints.

Twinkle-star15 · 27-06-2007 04:02PM

Binomate wrote:

If everyone in a shop is watching you they've probably had a history of having trouble with people in your age bracket or people who are like you. It's understandable.

But what really gets me is that I'm (usually) only followed if I'm with a certain group of friends- and I know for a fact that they don't shoplift, whereas some people in the other group do :rolleyes: .

Duggy747 · 27-06-2007 04:05PM

Meh, both sides of the counter you get horrible, ignorant people. Sometime 2 years ago me and my buddy (Back when we both had long hair *We weren't metalheads*) walked into the SuperValu in our town to buy BBQ food. As we walked down the aisles the radio was playing James Brown so me and him were discretely enough acting and walking like him. Next thing we noticed one of the senior managers tailing us, stopping right beside us and "fixing" odd things on at close shelf. To make sure if she was following us we walked all over the shop (which is pretty big) and stopped at certain spots and, lo and behold, she repeated herself. Ignorant bitch tailed us from litteraly the back exit all the way to one of the counters at the front door. What got me about that was she's been in that store for as long as I can remember so she had to at least know my face AND I pretty much served her in Lidl every second day, grrr!

I can't stand people making a big fuss over change. Naturally there's nothing wrong if you're a few quid or what-not down but for Christ's sake, 10c??? Asian people are the worst for this, especially the rich doctor-types (You know well they're doctors). During my stint in Lidl at least 5 / 6 people would come back into the shop and DEMAND that I give them their change back immediately which, litteraly, was always under 10c. I'd give it to them, they'd give me an eye and then pull off in their slick, new Mercedes or 4X4.

Twinkle-star15 · 27-06-2007 04:07PM

PeakOutput wrote:

who gives a crap to be honest, they are not actually harming you in anyway at all

also they have no idea who is and is not going to shoplift so the fact that you know who it is is largely irrelevant

I'm not that bothered about it, I just think it's slightly ironic!

PeakOutput · 27-06-2007 04:07PM

Twinkle-star15 wrote:

But what really gets me is that I'm (usually) only followed if I'm with a certain group of friends- and I know for a fact that they don't shoplift, whereas some people in the other group do :rolleyes: .

who gives a crap to be honest, they are not actually harming you in anyway at all

also they have no idea who is and is not going to shoplift so the fact that you know who it is is largely irrelevant

modalcommand · 27-06-2007 04:10PM

I can't stand people making a big fuss over change. Naturally there's nothing wrong if you're a few quid or what-not down but for Christ's sake, 10c??? Asian people are the worst for this, especially the rich doctor-types (You know well they're doctors). During my stint in Lidl at least 5 / 6 people would come back into the shop and DEMAND that I give them their change back immediately which, litteraly, was always under 10c. I'd give it to them, they'd give me an eye and then pull off in their slick, new Mercedes or 4X4.

Of course they wanted their change back, who wouldnt?

mickoneill30 · 27-06-2007 04:22PM

Duggy747 wrote:

I can't stand people making a big fuss over change. Naturally there's nothing wrong if you're a few quid or what-not down but for Christ's sake, 10c??? Asian people are the worst for this, especially the rich doctor-types (You know well they're doctors). During my stint in Lidl at least 5 / 6 people would come back into the shop and DEMAND that I give them their change back immediately which, litteraly, was always under 10c. I'd give it to them, they'd give me an eye and then pull off in their slick, new Mercedes or 4X4.

I don't get that. You don't give change? Is that what you're saying?

I always take my change (I'm not Asian or a doctor or a 4X4 Merc owner). Doesn't everybody? Or is it normal to tip people at cash registers now?

mickoneill30 · 27-06-2007 04:24PM

Binomate wrote:

If everyone in a shop is watching you they've probably had a history of having trouble with people in your age bracket or people who are like you. It's understandable.

My other half is Asian and gets this a fair bit. She got so fed up with one security guard following her in a Boots a couple of weeks ago that she gave him her basket of stuff and told him he could put them back on the shelves as she wouldn't be shopping there anymore.

Binomate · 27-06-2007 04:25PM

Twinkle-star15 wrote:

But what really gets me is that I'm (usually) only followed if I'm with a certain group of friends- and I know for a fact that they don't shoplift, whereas some people in the other group do :rolleyes: .

That's even more reason to watch the group. Groups of 15 year olds give us, in the shop I work in more grief than anyone else.

Revelation Joe · 27-06-2007 04:26PM

I've read this thread with some interest, having worked in retail in the UK and Ireland.
When I started in retail in the late '80s, working for a clothes shop in England, the shop had plenty of staff and so there was time for you to take time with customers, greet them properly *and* still keep the place clean and tidy. But as people left, they didn't get replaced and so less staff had to deal with the same number of customers. Of course, this means harder work and less time to either deal with customers or look after the shop. Something has to give...
In Ireland, I worked in an independent bookshop which was pretty quiet most of the time, so I could keep the shop tidy. When customers came in, I would say 'Hello' or 'Good morning' until one day, the owner said I was being 'too friendly'! WTF? Apparently, customers thought I was pressurising them into buying something. By saying 'Hello' ???

And yes, you get rude customers. I just serve them politely, as I would any other customer and then bitch about them when they've left

But never, ever treat a customer badly. Stick your guns *if* you are right. But never be rude to them, or crack smart comments because you will lose their custom and quite often, that of their friends as well. People are six times more likely to not return to a shop where they have been treated badly, than return to one where they have been treated well.

To sum up, yes, there are bad sales assistants, which I think comes down to bad training. Yes, there are bad customers, but I think that's just the way they are. And yes, there are bad managers and all you can do there is quit and find another job, otherwis they'll drive you demented

Duggy747 · 27-06-2007 04:29PM

mickoneill30 wrote:

I don't get that. You don't give change? Is that what you're saying?

I always take my change (I'm not Asian or a doctor or a 4X4 Merc owner). Doesn't everybody? Or is it normal to tip people at cash registers now?

Sorry, I realised I said that completely arse-ways. I meant over-charge, when you over-charge someone too much. Again, it's wrong if you're over-charged something like 40c and above but, come on, 10c? You'd go to all that trouble of coming back into the store, wait in line and then ask for your 10c back? I'd only do that if I desperately needed 10c more to buy fags or something.

modalcommand · 27-06-2007 04:35PM

Duggy747 wrote:

Sorry, I realised I said that completely arse-ways. I meant over-charge, when you over-charge someone too much. Again, it's wrong if you're over-charged something like 40c and above but, come on, 10c? You'd go to all that trouble of coming back into the store, wait in line and then ask for your 10c back? I'd only do that if I desperately needed 10c more to buy fags or something.

Fair dues to them for doing that. Plenty of shops are always changing prices up without telling the customers. That 10c might be a few hundred euro extra profit a week for a sneaky shop owner.

Duggy747 · 27-06-2007 04:39PM

modalcommand wrote:

Fair dues to them for doing that. Plenty of shops are always changing prices up without telling the customers. That 10c might be a few hundred euro extra profit a week for a sneaky shop owner.

Lidl was absolutly notorious for that. People would say to me after I scan something in: "Whoa, you charged me too much for that!" I'd look at the till and notice the massive price change and feel like an idiot as the customer would presume I was in on it.

maxi-twist · 27-06-2007 05:11PM

Nala wrote:

Whats the name of them and where do you get them?

Venom,there actually a fat burner but this isnt the fitness forum so i wont go into specifics.

Mossy Monk · 27-06-2007 05:34PM

I deal with customers all day long over the phone and most of them are ****ing idiots. Some are grand but the majority are ****tards. I accept also that I too am a customer but am always polite and don't spend time harrassing the staff.

Fratton Fred · 27-06-2007 05:54PM

to open this up a bit, I spent 30 minutes on the phone to Eircom trying to explain that Ihad ordered one phone, been sent two and charged for three. The guy practically called me a liar because his computer didn't agree with me. (Despite me looking at the two phones and seeing a charge for two on my phone bill and one on my credit card statement) His whole attitude was awful and left me waiting around for ages until he eventually gave up and asked me to phone back on Monday.

This was after hours I spent on the phone to Eircom trying to get a phone line installed only to be told it would be six weeks, then they would do a site survey and it would be another six weeks, then they dug a hole and put a cable in it, so this added another six weeks etc etc etc:mad:

I'm with Perlico now who are great.

Why do we suffer rude and ignorant waitress and shop assistants

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