Lovelyish

i work in customer service (as a manager, too), so my standards are pretty high.  even if someone isn’t feeling it, it’s not that hard to fake a smile.  i have a GREAT phone voice that makes me sound pleasant.

I have yet to visit New York City so I cannot compare the customer service to the service received in local shops.  However, I have received poor customer service.  Having been the person providing service before, I can see why a cashier or customer service representative can be jaded.  There are a few bad apples that ruin it for everyone else.  There are some people out there who intentionally cheat the system, trying to pull a fast one.  Having said that, I never had a reason to be nasty to a customer if they were being respectful and truly had a customer service issue: wrong item, defective, etc.

The beauty of a free market economy is that great service is rewarded with your demand.  If it bothers you enough, speak to the manager.  Otherwise, take your demand elsewhere.

Your issue is that you went to Walgreen’s … you should have gone to CVS. :p

If people have attitudes at their jobs, I say quit & find something that makes you happy. There are people begging for any job right now that’ll do it without complain. ON THE FLIP SIDE, I can see how people in retail can get that way. Not all customers are saints. When I worked in Kohl’s, I was expected to “do what I was asked without complaint”. I wasnt about to lose my job breaking the rules & people got attitudes & actually called managers on ,e.

My most recent bad encounter was when I went to the clinic for my prenatal checkup & the receptionist is rude & short. She’s like that every time I go & she just seems unpersonable. Like when I went back to see administration, she was curt & asked how I could come in without an appointment & if I came before. And I told her I called ahead & obviously I was here before if I need them to fill out a form for me. I like the place but I’m picking a new provider over her. If they ask, I’ll tell them they’re losing patients because of the bitch up front.

I am from Oahu and the customer service is hit or miss here, as well. I am ALWAYS friendly, cheerful, and understanding. I work(ed) in customer service for practically every job I’ve ever had, so I know how it feels when the customer is a real head ache. Yet, despite how much of a perfect customer I am, I still receive terrible service.
In fact, just recently, I received terrible customer service. I was at a drug store called “Longs”. I frequent this drugstore, especially at the locale I was at, because I live right near there. Anyway, I was re-filling a prescription and I had no idea, but apparently, the server was down. Instead of being told kindly, however, the pharmacist, YELLED at me, “THE SYSTEM IS DOWN!!” I had no idea what this meant, nor, did I expect to be YELLED at. She did not greet me or smile. Instead, she had a glare and was just so mean. I asked her, in a quiet voice, kindly, if I could just leave my prescription and have it filled the next morning. She shot back, “Um, no. Do you not understand that the server is not working, so I can’t process your insurance?” So I asked her if there was any possible way I could go to a different pharmacy and have it filled. She YELLED, once again, “I don’t know, but you can’t leave your script with us, since it’s only valid for a week. You’re going to have to come back tomorrow, but I don’t know if the server will be working”. Wow. Needless to say, I was speechless. So I did the next thing that makes the most sense, I looked over to the register/computer next to us, where that pharmacist was kindly helping a customer and explaining the situation to them. She offered to call a different “Longs” to see if they could help the customer out. Obviously, I was not in the wrong to ask the questions I asked or to have expected good customer service. I was so horrified by the service that I just took my script and left. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to. I was in such shock. I mean, she YELLED at me, FIRST thing. What is that?!
I also noticed that being a female, I receive really catty, mean, customer service from other females, especially if they are younger. They are rude, bitchy, and barely acknowledge me. I am the type that loves to make small talk, even make the employee smile, if I can, because I know that one kind customer can make all the difference. Yet, somehow, I am constantly receiving slow, rude, and incompetent service. Aiyaiyai. Where is the “aloha”?

Working in retail, I do always try to give the best customer service I can, especially since it’s required where we work.  When I go out, I do keep an eye on how other people treat me.  If someone wasn’t doing their job very well, then yes I would email whomever I had to, but they would have to be really really really bad at what they’re doing.

I’m going to be completely honest here. I work in a retail store. I do my best to give good customer service, I even strive for great customer service. I must admit that my push for that level of wonderful customer interaction has dwindled over the months that I’ve been working at my current job. Before I was all about helping people as much as I could, but added stresses From my job have caused my ethics there to slip. I work with clothes, so I have to fold and clean up after customers all the time. The managers expect the store to look perfect (in just my department apparently) every night when we leave. That means perfect jean folds, sizing, styled by brand, color and length, as well as finger spacing on all the racks. Did you know that it just takes one customer to ruin five hours worth of work? Yeah, just one. So, it gets a little frustrating at the end of the night. I do my best to work through it and I try not to be rude to customers (even though some are just flat out rude to me), but sometimes things are just nuts.

It doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong. If you weren’t giving them attitude, you didn’t deserve any. It sounds like the person at Dunkin Donuts was just being awful I am sorry to hear that you had to deal with that.
You don’t seem like the kind of person I was ranting about. I just wanted a voice up here to say that the customer service employees are people too. They have a breaking point and there are times when they get upset. You can’t expect them to be a doormat or to be super chipper no matter what. Yes, good employees strive for that. I know I do, anyway. I like my job for the most part. Sometimes the way one is treated weighs on them a little too much at times. Just sayin’.
Again, doesn’t seem to apply to your situation though.

I’ve worked in customer service before. it was robotic and mundane after a while, so after the umpteenth person asked me the same question with an obvious answer clearly written on the sign outside, I was about to go ballistic not that extreme, but I usually quietly sighed and then answered the question while thanking them for asking. some of these people are like children and need obvious things explained to them. it is sometimes adorable if they are senior citizens asking because they forgot to wear their glasses and have a difficult time reading, but if the customer looks like some jackass messing around, then I’ll be annoyed. my voice is too sweet to sound angry, so even when I’m annoyed, they can’t really tell. I felt like barbie repeating things from a preset voice box just smile and thank them no matter what:) if the customer seems like trouble or is looking for trouble or I don’t know the answers, I’ll immediately refer them to the manager myself, so they won’t have to demand to talk to the manager. let the manager deal with the stressful situations that’s what they are paid to do. my previous manager even told me to tell her to handle unruly customers, so she asked to handle it, thus she’ll take care of them. my manager smiles and caters to them, then rants to us about it. I can tell that she hates her job, but she puts up with it for the money. anyway, I know what it is like, so I usually cut them some slack when I’m the customer. I often ignore the person and want them to quickly get to the point, ring up my items, and get me out of there ASAP! quick and efficent service is good customer service to me. I’ll usually initiate the obligatory how are you? greeting before the customer service person does to cut to the chase. I don’t mind if the person isn’t personable, just hurry up and get my order fast as a tumbling mongoose! here’s the money! now quickly give me my change! I hate it when they slowly count the money and slowly punch in the numbers. go go GO!!!!! if it is busy, then what we did at my old work place was thank the customer for patiently waiting. that’ll ease some of their tension or at least it is a courtesy notice to let them know that we appreciate their business. I don’t think some people are properly trained to say tactful phrases, so management has partial responsibility, but if the employee continues to be rude or whatever, then it would be best to let the manager know, so that they would address the issues and the person might change. I was glad when a customer reported my bitchy coworker. the customer asked me who is that girl over there because he thought that she was rude and of course he asked and I couldn’t say I don’t know. he could easily read her name tag, so it isn’t my fault either way she unjustly reported me many times. it is about time to get some justice I encourage customers to report my bitchy coworkers  

As a person who has been working in retail in Northern California, I know well not to bring personal problems or attitudes to my workplace– especially with customers, even during black Fridays and other holiday sales. The last thing I want to do is make people feel bad. Only once, I received a complaint that was due to a misunderstanding(doing my job according to the policy and one customer may take it personally). But overall, I usually have people telling me that I’m pretty sweet with my service despite that I can get pretty shy. Not once, I feel like I have to fake it because I can keep myself grounded and I enjoy helping others out.

And as a customer, I don’t expect Neiman Marcus type of service– as long as they can get a job done without taking customers to their dark hole, I should be good. I have experienced some terrible customer services from various places,  and I’m a bit shy so I don’t know what I caused to made those particular retail workers lashed out (I guess they were dealing with problems with their own) . It did made me not want to step back to their business at all/ or not as much. I don’t expect anything too fancy, but it’s still nice to receive good service. I pretty much get good services from most restaurants and local businesses in my region.

Sorry about your experience. :O

I work in retail and it really bugs me when my colleagues are rude. But, I do have to say that we’re people too, and customers often expect us to be perfect the entire time (this isn’t stab at you, more of a general comment). It’s not always possible to leave your personal problems behind as soon as you clock into work, and if you’re in a job like mine, you get no sick pay, and I know people (myself included), who have shown up for work sick and not themselves because taking the day off means they can’t afford to pay their bills at the end of the month. This obviously isn’t an excuse for flat out rudeness though, and I’m sorry you had to deal with it. 

My advice – go the manager. In my store anyway, the managers will listen and they will pass your complaints (or compliments) on to the colleague in question. I remember doing a really busy shift and we were painfully understaffed – there were just two of us on and it was crazy busy – customers queuing everywhere and everything. Several customers went to the manager and said that we needed more staff – they said that my colleague and I were both working really hard and delivering fantastic customer service, but that there clearly needed to be more staff. Since then, there’s never been that few people working that shift. Honestly – your complaints are listened to, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

“The customer IS always right, in my opinion.”

No.

If someone working in a store I visit is having a bad day and he/she gives me attitude, I don’t respond in kind. Instead, I remain friendly and polite because I know the kind of crap they have to deal with. I hope that my behavior will ease their depressing day, take away the sting from any previous rude customers or give them solace for any incoming assholes. I try to make small talk while they’re helping me and I always take care to thank them, whether or not they actually helped much, and end with “have a great day” because I really do want them to experience that. Bad moods are contagious, but in my opinion, so are good ones.

I’m sorry, you’re absurd if you think the customer is always right. You should hear some of the nonsense they come up with.

@AllthatisRachel@xanga -  I work for a major pizza chain with online ordering. The thing that sucks is that when they fuck up their own order, we’re expected to give them free food/credits for next time.  I’m generally understanding when we legitimately mess up an order. But if you can’t work your computer, why should I give you something for free?

@Love_never_fails - I understand completely. I actually work for Walgreens, which is the only reason I commented on this. I think it’s hilarious that people complain so much about shitty service when they have no idea how we’re treated. I fully understand that it is my job to make their experience a pleasant one, but I’ve been called names, I’ve been told I was retarded because of their own mistakes. We all just have to put on that game face, grit our teeth, and apologize. We have a breaking point, but that’s life. It’s unrealistic to think that your customer service is going to be 100% every time. We’re people, not robots. We’re affected by everyone, not just ONE nice customer… Although it helps. 

As someone who has worked in customer service before, it’s been my experience that the people that have the best attitudes and work ethics wind up getting moved up to management, or moving on to better jobs in the retail sector or something like that. 

Yeah, no.  The customer is definitely NOT always right.  Have you ever worked in customer service?  I would say you’re right when you order a NON-TOASTED everything bagel and they give you a toasted bagel (this happens to me all the freaking time at Tim Horton’s) and they should fix it, but you are just nitpicking at having to wait a WHOLE TEN MINUTES for them to find your order from yesterday.  It isn’t their fault the photo machine did that to your photos, nor is it all that simple for them to find your stuff.

That being said, I’ve been working customer service and the customers are hit or miss.  I’m always polite or at least civil if you’re a psycho.  I like customers that are fun.  Ones that also work retail are the best customers because they are the most understanding.  If its busy they are the ones that bring the clothes back on the hangers with all the buttons done and garment cared, ready to go back on the go back racks to save me a few precious moments of time to deal with the customers that bring things back inside out in a huge pile all tangled up with the hangers.  They also don’t bitch about the obnoxiously long line (we are the only store of our kind for like, 2 hours) or complain that there’s nobody working in certain departments.  Umm.  If you need help just go find somebody.  We’re not mindreaders.  If they’re being crazy on me, I just stick with company policy or compromise the best I can.  I had some lady start flipping out at me that she couldn’t keep the hanger that her son’s suit coat came on, so quick-thinking me said she could have a kid’s hanger cuz we can actually give those away.  I don’t know if I was technically allowed to do that, but whatever, it got her to stop flipping out.  I had a guy at my old job try to convince me it was the book’s fault that the cover got ripped off, not his own, and so he shouldn’t be responsible for paying damage fees.  Yeah.  That was funny.  The customer is NOT always right.  Work a day in your life in customer service and you will know this.  It is not our job to bend over backwards and serve you like life is a bed of fluffy clouds and rainbows.  It’s our job to help you select merchandise and be efficient in a friendly atmosphere.  Believe me, most of my job is really loss prevention and cleaning up after the a-holes that just destroy display after display of sweaters.  How hard is it to be respectful of our hard work?  And you’re demanding that I be overtly nice to you?  I respect you by default.  I wish it worked both ways.

I just think it’d be better if everyone thought about everyone else a little more. Its always me, me, me. If the customer service workers would stop and think, gee I’m not being very kind with my customers, and if the customers would stop and think, gosh maybe there is something else affecting this person to cause them this bad temper, things would go a lot more smoothly. Just a little more understanding and compassion for others! We have to deal with people day in and day out, yet we hardly give any of them a single thought.

@Love_never_fails - omg. i do too.  customers call in and complain that the pizzas are wrong and yet i made it just the way they placed their order online.  and yet i’m stuck giving them credits or sending them a new one.  is it really that hard to look over your own order ._.