Ar**hole Staff

MadsL · 29-10-2013 02:54PM #1

For the sake of balance from the customer thread, regale us with your tales of rude obnoxious staff.

Are yer alright dere?

jimgoose · 29-10-2013 03:06PM

I don't tend to encounter many "arsehole" staff - maybe you get what you give. But those Russian gals that seemed to be waitressing in every restaurant a few years back used to scare me, the way they'd bark "You order now??" in a very NKVD-sort of way.

Muise... · 29-10-2013 03:07PM

MadsL wrote: »

Are yer alright dere?

is the assholery about staff manners, or elocution?

Potatoeman · 29-10-2013 03:10PM

Not an ahole thing but asking for the bill and waiting more than ten minutes. Especially bad at lunchtime when you want to get back on time.

Uaru · 29-10-2013 03:10PM

MadsL wrote: »

Are yer alright dere?

What's wrong with that? A hello when they come in, let them browse away and then hit them up with an "are you alright?" or "need a hand with anything?" if they look like they want help.

What would you prefer?

29-10-2013 03:13PM

Arsehole staff are nothing compared to arsehole customers. Trust me.

aaakev · 29-10-2013 03:14PM

Topaz deli staff..... Everything is extra, they put the smallest ammount of fillings in your roll and if you ask or a bit extra they charge you for it!!! Nine one one all the way..... Haha

29-10-2013 03:16PM

aaakev wrote: »

Topaz deli staff..... Everything is extra, they put the smallest ammount of fillings in your roll and if you ask or a bit extra they charge you for it!!! Nine one one all the way..... Haha

Does following their place of work's policy really make them arseholes?

Uaru · 29-10-2013 03:16PM

aaakev wrote: »

Topaz deli staff..... Everything is extra, they put the smallest ammount of fillings in your roll and if you ask or a bit extra they charge you for it!!! Nine one one all the way..... Haha

You do realise the deli staff didn't come up with that policy? If they didn't do it they would be sacked.

Gummy Panda · 29-10-2013 03:16PM

This American in Best Buy. I was trying to buy a tablet and another guy was showing me something. He walked off and I has to tell him he works on my time

Dravokivich · 29-10-2013 03:17PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Arsehole staff are nothing compared to arsehole customers. Trust me.

Aye. If I encounter Arsehole staff somewhere I just won't return, so can minimise my exposure. Arsehole customers are a wave of heathens that creep into every annoying crevice that they can, to rile you up.

hatrickpatrick · 29-10-2013 03:17PM

I have no shame in being an arsehole when on the phone to eircom customer care arseholes - in fact I'm really quite proud of it at this stage.

loveBBhate · 29-10-2013 03:18PM

MadsL wrote: »

Are yer alright dere?

As oppose to what exactly? I work in retail and as a customer enters we greet them; "Hi, how are you?" etc... They then proceed to browse around the shop. If they've been doing so for a few minutes we ask them if they're ok for everything and if there's anything we can help them with. What is wrong with that? Interestingly enough, most of them are happy to let us know what they're looking for or how we can help them.

Besides, we are told to do this by our managers. We'd be out the door if we chose not to greet/assist customers.

I am pie · 29-10-2013 03:18PM

I'll take are you alright dere vs the inane idea that as soon as i walk into a store I need a vacuous smile, a scripted empty greeting and unthinking attempts to sell me stuff I don't need everytime thanks.

I am capable of looking round a shop and deciding what I want without that nonsense, if I need help i am capable of finding someone and asking them. Alright dere is perfect for me...it means "hi, work away, browse all you want, if you need something we're here" but saves you listening to it all everytime.

Ed Winchester · 29-10-2013 03:18PM

OSI wrote: »

That's not ahole staff. That's ahole company.

Lets do another thread for those ones!!

MadsL · 29-10-2013 03:19PM

Muise... wrote: »

is the assholery about staff manners, or elocution?

Manners.

I don't think asking if you are 'alright/OK' is a polite way to ask if you can help a customer, regardless of accent.

I've been tempted to reply, "No I'm not OK...I will be when you ask me how you can help, rather than some sloppy question about my general wellbeing".

It's a crap habit, that has slipped into US retail. "Hi, how's your day going"...
but at least the follow up "Can I help you find anything?" is helpful, and polite.

29-10-2013 03:20PM

I am pie wrote: »

I'll take are you alright dere vs the inane idea that as soon as i walk into a store I need a vacuous smile, a scripted empty greeting and unthinking attempts to sell me stuff I don't need everytime thanks.

I am capable of looking round a shop and deciding what I want without that nonsense, if I need help i am capable of finding someone and asking them. Alright dere is perfect for me...it means "hi, work away, browse all you want, if you need something we're here" but saves you listening to it all everytime.

Again, not arsehole staff, but their place of work's policy. If they weren't like that, they'd get a bollocking from management or whoever was above them.

DrumSteve · 29-10-2013 03:22PM

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I have no shame in being an arsehole when on the phone to eircom customer care arseholes - in fact I'm really quite proud of it at this stage.

Why?

They are just people doing a job.

osarusan · 29-10-2013 03:22PM

MadsL wrote: »

at least the follow up "Can I help you find anything?" is helpful, and polite.

Are you alright there? = can I help you with anything?

This is obvious.

29-10-2013 03:24PM

I don't even work in retail and I have seen many many more instances of snobbish arseholes as customers, than I have staff.

Jesus if there's one thing I cannot stand it's snobby ****.

Muise... · 29-10-2013 03:24PM

MadsL wrote: »

Manners.

I don't think asking if you are 'alright/OK' is a polite way to ask if you can help a customer, regardless of accent.

I've been tempted to reply, "No I'm not OK...I will be when you ask me how you can help, rather than some sloppy question about my general wellbeing".

It's a crap habit, that has slipped into US retail. "Hi, how's your day going"...
but at least the follow up "Can I help you find anything?" is helpful, and polite.

oh ok, it's semantic. If you did reply as tempted, you'd end up right back in the Ar*ehole Customers thread though, because that's simply a colloquial way of asking if someone needs assistance.

Overheal · 29-10-2013 03:24PM

Gummy Panda wrote: »

This American in Best Buy. I was trying to buy a tablet and another guy was showing me something. He walked off and I has to tell him he works on my time

...

P_1 · 29-10-2013 03:24PM

MadsL wrote: »

Manners.

I don't think asking if you are 'alright/OK' is a polite way to ask if you can help a customer, regardless of accent.

I've been tempted to reply, "No I'm not OK...I will be when you ask me how you can help, rather than some sloppy question about my general wellbeing".

It's a crap habit, that has slipped into US retail. "Hi, how's your day going"...
but at least the follow up "Can I help you find anything?" is helpful, and polite.

TBH it's more local custom than manners really. Asking a customer if they're 'alright for everything' is just a different way of asking if they need any help with anything. Same way as some american customer service language might strike folk as odd

MadsL · 29-10-2013 03:25PM

Uaru wrote: »

What's wrong with that? A hello when they come in, let them browse away and then hit them up with an "are you alright?" or "need a hand with anything?" if they look like they want help.

What would you prefer?

"are you alright?"

and

"need a hand with anything?"

are very different. The first is a lazy phrase that doesn't actually offer help (ok, it is implied, but show little respect or courtesy to the customer) the second actually offers help.

I actually think it is a symptom of Irish misplaced classlessness. How dare the customer be thinking he's above the staff, bring him down a peg or two. It's trying way too hard to egalitarian, and unnecessarily so.

I think it is rude personally. I also think better commission/satisfaction structures would fix it.

29-10-2013 03:27PM

MadsL wrote: »

I actually think it is a symptom of Irish misplaced classlessness. How dare the customer be thinking he's above the staff, bring him down a peg or two. It's trying way too hard to egalitarian, and unnecessarily so.

:pac:

elfy4eva · 29-10-2013 03:28PM

I don't bother going into my local shop anymore,
this awlfella runs the place and he's an absolute
bollox.

He's consistently narky to me and my OH (possibly
everyone else too) He grabs the cash and shoves
the change on the counter never states the amount
and never says thanks. I've a feeling it's because all
we ever got there is milk and bread (or he could just
be a miserable fecker in general).

Also one time he came out from behind the counter and
started gawking at us down the aisles like we were thieves!
We'd be the most timid looking thieves ever lol!

P_1 · 29-10-2013 03:29PM

MadsL wrote: »

"are you alright?"

and

"need a hand with anything?"

are very different. The first is a lazy phrase that doesn't actually offer help (ok, it is implied, but show little respect or courtesy to the customer) the second actually offers help.

I actually think it is a symptom of Irish misplaced classlessness. How dare the customer be thinking he's above the staff, bring him down a peg or two. It's trying way too hard to egalitarian, and unnecessarily so.

I think it is rude personally. I also think better commission/satisfaction structures would fix it.

If it shows anything to be honest its a difference between Irish/UK and American linguistics. Here things tend to be more implied but in the States things tend to be more explicit. You are not being rude by being more implicit with your speaking patterns.

MadsL · 29-10-2013 03:29PM

osarusan wrote: »

Are you alright there? = can I help you with anything?

This is obvious.

No. No, it isn't. Sometimes when you mean something, you have to actually say it.

I have to say, whilst living in Ireland I missed the attitude of the Czechs, whilst they were often grumpy sales people when actually dealing with customers, at least every shop gave a cheery Good Morning, and Goodbye when you left, and it was expected that you do the same. The Austrians/Germans are the same.

I guess once upon a time rural Ireland did it too...

hatrickpatrick · 29-10-2013 03:30PM

DrumSteve wrote: »

Why?

They are just people doing a job.

Ah, the adorable naivety of someone who's never spent three hours on the phone trying to sort a broadband outage and just been passed from department to department over and over in an endless loop while everyone you get through to says "not my problem, someone else will sort you out in just a minute"

MadsL · 29-10-2013 03:30PM

P_1 wrote: »

If it shows anything to be honest its a difference between Irish/UK and American linguistics. Here things tend to be more implied but in the States things tend to be more explicit. You are not being rude by being more implicit with your speaking patterns.

I'm not American.

MadsL · 29-10-2013 03:32PM

Deleted User wrote: »

:pac:

Do elucidate further. Or perhaps I'm supposed to infer your argument?

Are you alright there?

Ar**hole Staff

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