Out-Of-Work Borders Employees Deliver an Honest Farewell
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
Many thanks. It is a tough job, but customers that treat us like people often get far better service - because it makes us feel better.CosmicCommander said:
True enough. To a certain degree, those employees are being paid to assist customers regardless of their job duties.Crono1973 said:
On the other hand, both sides are human beings. Unless you, personally, are paying some who agreed explicitly to endure it in exchange for your money, rudeness in either direction is wrong.
I think its like most things. Most employees, as you say, complained in private and wouldn't say these things to a customers face. But there's always a fair amount of admiration for someone who says the same thing in public. Its pretty much the entire shtick for some comedians.
It's a final straw sort of thing. When you've put your all into the day, and some swine returns a book that you KNOW they've read; (We got a Royal Wedding Teddy Bear returned 2 weeks ago) you just want to slap them.Susurrus said:
People who say this is from a bitter staff... well they're right. People who've worked retail are bitter, because they aren't paid enough to put up with what they do.
I've had to deal with all sorts of nasty customers, who freak out when they hear something they don't want, or call me a racist because I won't accept their ID, which is a paper of a photocopied card that says "not a valid ID"
It's really the corporate owner's fault too, their cheapness has pit employee vs customer; The company stops paying employees enough to care to learn about the products (there's a reason you mostly see high schoolers and college kids selling shit mostly) and reduces the number of employees on the floor, so customers get pissed when there's only one or two salespeople per department who are overworked, and then both are frustrated when they talk to each other from the get-go, creating tension when there shouldn't be.
So I just gotta say: Go boarders employees! They weren't really nasty. (though "quick question" never bothered me)
I've had to deal with all sorts of nasty customers, who freak out when they hear something they don't want, or call me a racist because I won't accept their ID, which is a paper of a photocopied card that says "not a valid ID"
It's really the corporate owner's fault too, their cheapness has pit employee vs customer; The company stops paying employees enough to care to learn about the products (there's a reason you mostly see high schoolers and college kids selling shit mostly) and reduces the number of employees on the floor, so customers get pissed when there's only one or two salespeople per department who are overworked, and then both are frustrated when they talk to each other from the get-go, creating tension when there shouldn't be.
So I just gotta say: Go boarders employees! They weren't really nasty. (though "quick question" never bothered me)
I used to work in a bookstore, and can completely relate. We used to have a guy come in and twiddle himself back in the kiddie's section; we had another gem who would come in, lean against the back wall and read an entire book, despite our polite and constant restocking of the shelves beside him; people who would demand a paperback version of the book the day the hardcover was released; and of course the wonderful souls who only knew the plot of the book they were looking for.
Good times. Thank God they're over.
Good times. Thank God they're over.
Just fyi, one of my closest friends worked through borders' closing to its dying day, and it really was the customers being assholes. They treated the closing sale like a garage sale and would explode at her for not lowering the price below 80% off, or if a book were out of stock. It's an ot an "anti-customer attitude," it's wanting to be treated like a human being and not have to deal with people be angry about themselves being stupid.Crono1973 said:
Sometimes, it's being brave. Sometimes, it's being an ass. You gotta pick your battles. The last retail job I had, the customers actually PALED in comparison to the amount of stupidity descending from the MANAGEMENT.Amakaze said:
If you're not sure whether you're being an ass or being brave, conduct the following test:
1. By saying this, am I making the basic assumption that the person I'm addressing is an adult open to reason? (If you have evidence that they're not, saying ANYTHING is NOT WORTH IT.)
2. Am I being realistic about the nature and extent of the problem?
3. Is this the appropriate time?
4. Am I talking to someone who actually has some control over the problem?
If no, to the first three, you're being an ass. If yes to the first three, you're venting. If yes to all four, you're being brave.
Now, me, I'm a talky person and I occasionally have a pretty much uncontrollable urge to vent my displeasure. I'm not a great person for working with the public face-to-face as a result. In retail/service, however, I more than make up for it with my high degree of skill. This is why I'm always the person assigned to do things like roll silverware/break down boxes/hang clothes/clean bathrooms/fix computers/etc. If I have a decent manager, they put up with the one customer a month that I completely mishandle and piss off beyond all reason. If I don't, I quit after a while.
Love (LOVE!!!) the "Nicholas Sparks is NOT a good author - facts are facts" bit in there!
I shopped at Borders a ton before they closed and the kids thing was definitely true; people would let the little brats tear the place up. It was unfortunate how I found myself going through books to make sure that hardcover #1 didn't have the pages folded in half towards the middle because people cannot respect the store's merchandise. ]
Some of the Borders in my local area have no right to complain, however. A couple had plain awful people working there that have no business socializing with rational human beings. Of course, every place runs into those types, and they just hurt the location's reputation. Hell, those types belong with the awful customers that ruin it for retail workers.
Good on these employees and certainly their restraint is remarkable knowing how customers can be so abrasive on the level of a sheet of sandpaper coated in glass.
I shopped at Borders a ton before they closed and the kids thing was definitely true; people would let the little brats tear the place up. It was unfortunate how I found myself going through books to make sure that hardcover #1 didn't have the pages folded in half towards the middle because people cannot respect the store's merchandise. ]
That one got me as well. Yeah, they're "looking for a book." You're a book store. Surely there's something a little worse (and creative) than being asked about a book [sub]in a book store[/sub].RiffRaff said:
Some of the Borders in my local area have no right to complain, however. A couple had plain awful people working there that have no business socializing with rational human beings. Of course, every place runs into those types, and they just hurt the location's reputation. Hell, those types belong with the awful customers that ruin it for retail workers.
Good on these employees and certainly their restraint is remarkable knowing how customers can be so abrasive on the level of a sheet of sandpaper coated in glass.
They can't really "prove" they read the books, but when you have a book for over 10 days and just "return it"? Once in a while it may be true you didn't read the whole thing,but when it's the same customer constantly returning books several days after getting them for over 30% of there purchases it's likely they are reading them and then returning them.Susurrus said:
About it being store policy? Yeah for some reason people hate being called thieves even when it's true and people listen to negative comments about things better than the same amount of good ones it's why slander in politics is so easy you only have to seed a few bad things to tarnish your opponent to undecided voters.
It was cool except for the political rant and attacks, that kind of defused the whole thing IMO turning it less into a commentary about retail as a personal thing by one writer. Going off against the right wing/Glen Beck, Oprah, and Nicholas Sparks... while a fairly broad brush doesn't seem like something that applies to Borders employees in general. 
coming back to this, i just recalled some lovely tales ill tell.
1. several customers per day will come into the store with food/drink, some wont leave a mess, SOME. however often i'd or my co-workers would find food crushed into the floor, or some other nastiness on the floor, created by some substance forged in hell. or drinks bottle, food containers what ever Crammed into places we put stock. this is always a treat.
2. ok this is more nagging but i still found it infuriating, Very often someone will pick something up from once place and put it back somewhere else, small i know but if everyone does it i have to re-order the entire block which can take hours. this happens every day. is very time consuming and increasingly boring.
3. its the companies rules don't get pissy with me jackass. where i worked we had a policy of putting out a dummy box with a coming soon sticker for games that were in the chart but out of stock. because its company policy. its there for advertising. IT IS NOT FALSE ADVERTISING, WERE NOT SELLING YOU A EMPTY BOX ASSHOLE. WE'RE INFORMING YOU ITS NOT IN STOCK. HAVE AN ISSUE WITH IT CALL HEAD OFFICE DON'T MOAN AT THE UNDERPAID UNDERVALUED POORLY TREATED STAFF.
wow, i didn't realize it made me that mad.
4. STOP STEALING SHIT ASSHOLE, WE KNOW YOU HAVE, EVERYTHING IS TAGGED.
i will add, that this was the vast minority of people, most were either unremarkable or nice people, its the few that drive you nuts that pissed me off.
but Rule 101 applies grin bare it and clock out on time.
1. several customers per day will come into the store with food/drink, some wont leave a mess, SOME. however often i'd or my co-workers would find food crushed into the floor, or some other nastiness on the floor, created by some substance forged in hell. or drinks bottle, food containers what ever Crammed into places we put stock. this is always a treat.
2. ok this is more nagging but i still found it infuriating, Very often someone will pick something up from once place and put it back somewhere else, small i know but if everyone does it i have to re-order the entire block which can take hours. this happens every day. is very time consuming and increasingly boring.
3. its the companies rules don't get pissy with me jackass. where i worked we had a policy of putting out a dummy box with a coming soon sticker for games that were in the chart but out of stock. because its company policy. its there for advertising. IT IS NOT FALSE ADVERTISING, WERE NOT SELLING YOU A EMPTY BOX ASSHOLE. WE'RE INFORMING YOU ITS NOT IN STOCK. HAVE AN ISSUE WITH IT CALL HEAD OFFICE DON'T MOAN AT THE UNDERPAID UNDERVALUED POORLY TREATED STAFF.
wow, i didn't realize it made me that mad.
4. STOP STEALING SHIT ASSHOLE, WE KNOW YOU HAVE, EVERYTHING IS TAGGED.
i will add, that this was the vast minority of people, most were either unremarkable or nice people, its the few that drive you nuts that pissed me off.
but Rule 101 applies grin bare it and clock out on time.
What opportunity? I don't see the list signed, and I don't see them saying anything to customers in person prior to closing up, so what makes this different to the rather frequent people in retail bitching about theirs jobs online? Nothing? Didn't think so.
I've worked food service, retail, and several different flavors of customer support. They were all great motivators for doing well in college and grad school so I could move on to other things (You never get away from -all- the shitty people, you just get paid more to deal with them). On average, the customers were tolerable, but the worst definitely blotted out the light of the best, especially the one guy who threatened to drive down to the small ISP I worked at and 'declare war on us'.
Yes, they're annoying jobs with low pay (with a few exceptions, of course) because anyone who can walk and talk and not trip over themselves can do them. This reminds me of the ridiculously snide series of articles that appeared here about the Gamestop employee complaining about how horrible all his customers were, as if he was surprised to find that he had to deal with the unwashed masses and their grubby hands. This is really like getting a job digging ditches and complaining that it involves dirt and shovels.
I always make sure to tip well, write nice things in surveys and generally make life easier for people who help me in the service industry today. And contrary to what it might sound like, I don't look for any old excuse to give them a hard time, because I know we all have bad days, and mistakes are made. But if it seems like my asking you to do your job is just putting you out, then I've got a problem.
Yes, they're annoying jobs with low pay (with a few exceptions, of course) because anyone who can walk and talk and not trip over themselves can do them. This reminds me of the ridiculously snide series of articles that appeared here about the Gamestop employee complaining about how horrible all his customers were, as if he was surprised to find that he had to deal with the unwashed masses and their grubby hands. This is really like getting a job digging ditches and complaining that it involves dirt and shovels.
I always make sure to tip well, write nice things in surveys and generally make life easier for people who help me in the service industry today. And contrary to what it might sound like, I don't look for any old excuse to give them a hard time, because I know we all have bad days, and mistakes are made. But if it seems like my asking you to do your job is just putting you out, then I've got a problem.
I remember a very important lesson my mother taught me.
I had complained about dinner (something about the meat being dry, I think) and had been rather rude about it. My mother picked up my plate and examined the food from several angles.
"I think I see the problem" she said, then spit on the plate and handed it back to me. I just stared at her, shocked speechless.
"You remember that next time you're expecting something from someone. Especially if they're serving you food."
"Do I have to eat that now?" I asked.
"No, you don't have to eat that. You can go hungry."
I'm always polite to my servers and retailers.
I had complained about dinner (something about the meat being dry, I think) and had been rather rude about it. My mother picked up my plate and examined the food from several angles.
"I think I see the problem" she said, then spit on the plate and handed it back to me. I just stared at her, shocked speechless.
"You remember that next time you're expecting something from someone. Especially if they're serving you food."
"Do I have to eat that now?" I asked.
"No, you don't have to eat that. You can go hungry."
I'm always polite to my servers and retailers.
that sounds just horrible, i've seen the toilets in theaters, they are not nice, not school level bad but not nice.
also at the end of a retail day most workers are not in good moods.
1) alot of them have been up since 5am.
2) they have had to deal with alot of crap all day
3) your not helping their mood by not letting them go home and hanging around till as close to kicking out time as possible.
4) some of them might have been moving stock all day. this is not fun.