The Customer Doesn?t Care About Your Burglar

Karloff

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Oct 19, 2009
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The Customer Doesn?t Care About Your Burglar

Keeping customers happy ? and loyal ? requires a deft hand. Screw them once, pay the price forever.

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RedEyesBlackGamer

The Killjoy Detective returns!
Jan 23, 2011
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I came in expecting this to be about piracy and DRM. Interesting read regardless. Customers can be fickle, but they are just looking after their own interests.
 

redisforever

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Oct 5, 2009
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Ouch. That's never happened to me, but it certainly sounds like it could happen at any time.
 

putowtin

I'd like to purchase an alcohol!
Jul 7, 2010
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Reminds me of the time I worked at an independent games store, it was the middle of one of the hottest summers yet I was sat there with the manager, explaining to him what games were gonna be the Christmas hits what quantity we were gonna need and how we couldn't go through another Christmas with only two members of staff on the tills. (He being a lazy swine that sat in his office, calling his bit on the side all day)

Well we got to the end of October and I was called in on my day off (the manager had a great way of calling in sick when there was a large delivery expected) attached to the delivery note was an invoice for all of our Christmas deliveries and invoices for all the stock, in all it was a quarter of what I'd recommended. Well we got to the beginning of December we had none of the new releases that everyone wanted for Christmas gifts, we sold practically nothing for a month and closed our doors on the 10th of January.

I loved that job but by the Heavens did it teach me the perils of retail.
 

John the Gamer

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May 2, 2010
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Well... At least you were never knifed by a shoplifter and the cops might be slow, but they're probably not being bribed by the local mafia. Right?
 

Fappy

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Jan 4, 2010
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I was offered to manage an old used-game/console repair shop on Friday... now I am not so sure... o_O
 

Atheist.

Overmind
Sep 12, 2008
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I wish my boss didn't look at bar business like this. Regulars (Especially in the bar scene) should be rewarded. Not only does (For example) Frankie come in every single night, but he spends at least 10-20$ a day and actually has a designated spot. The guy spends 5-10 thousand a year (That means he's worth around a grand in tips for me a year) at our establishment and my boss won't even let me throw him a free one now and then, I have to take it out of my own pocket.

Regulars keep your business around, I wish more managers would understand that. Regulars and friendly, personable staff. When people come in just to see certain staff members, you know you've made a good hire.
 

Xanthious

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Dec 25, 2008
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Sounds like you screwed over your supplier and had shit security and it came back to bite you in the ass. Seems more like the issues that caused the store to fail were the failings of ownership rather than anything management had any control over. There should have been bars put over the window after the first break in once it was apparent how vulnerable the shop was to burglary.
 

Hungry Donner

Henchman
Mar 19, 2009
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Excellent article, and a good read. I haven't worked retail by the Escapist has put up some fascinating articles about it.
 

Karloff

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Oct 19, 2009
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John the Gamer said:
Well... At least you were never knifed by a shoplifte
We did have shoplifters once - to my knowledge, anyway, because I caught them. They were the dumbest kids going, the most obvious thieves, and they lifted the one truly worthless thing in the shop: a WWF CCG box. Seriously, as punishment I ought to have made them keep it. Instead I turfed them out, and they didn't come back. No knives, though.
 

geizr

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Oct 9, 2008
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So, bottom line is don't be cheap and an asshole.

Also, this story points out, indirectly, why the term "consumer" is so bad compared to "customer". Treating people like "consumers", they're just cattle to you, so, naturally, they also have no loyalty to you to help your business in troubled times. However, treating people like "customers" garners a personal relationship and strengthened bond that will last through even the worst of times. Very few businesses today, both large and small, seem to truly understand the distinction, and the reporting of the media generally only clouds this even further.
 

fundayz

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Feb 22, 2010
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What a pointless article, anyone with any kind of business sense would not have made those mistakes. The owner deserved to lose his business for making such obvious and stupid mistakes.

Edit: Oh and the author was a terrible manager. If you knew that around 6 regulars would be requiring 2 to 3 boxes each WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU ORDER 2?
 

Smokescreen

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Dec 6, 2007
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geizr said:
So, bottom line is don't be cheap and an asshole.
Pretty much--but I've always been surprised at how difficult it is to take the better route. If your choices are to eat properly for the next month or put bars on the windows, it's really hard to knuckle down and do that, especially if you have a family.

Not being an asshole though; that's the kind of thing that just can't be changed. It's why we have laws to protect workers: because enough people are assholes who will screw you over. Because you aren't a customer, you're the fuck who's giving (or costing) me fuckin' money.

But being nice won't pay your bills either. It will, however, get support from a community and if your business last long enough, hopefully gather people who will go out of their way to shop at your store. Again, you have to think long term to enact this mindset and that can be hard when you can't pay your heating bills. Going home and freezing every night isn't a healthy way to live.

Still; it's better to be kind and better to at least try and act for the long term: it pays off in spades, if you can make it.
 

Rude as HECK

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Feb 24, 2011
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fundayz said:
Edit: Oh and the author was a terrible manager. If you knew that around 6 regulars would be requiring 2 to 3 boxes each WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU ORDER 2?
Nowhere said they ordered 2- just that they were sent 2. Supply does not always meet demand.
 

grigjd3

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Mar 4, 2011
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So being robbed is unfortunate and perhaps led to the other problems, however, some of these seem like nobrainers. Pay your bills and keep your customers happy is fairly straight forward. I mean, I get that it's not easy and it's really terrible when there is a break in. I wouldn't operate a gaming store to save my life - it's just not worth it to me.
 

Frost27

Good news everyone!
Jun 3, 2011
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Note to self: Pay someone $8 an hour to sleep in the store overnight with a shotgun.
 

Dutch 924

Making the impossible happen!
Dec 8, 2010
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I did have an idea for a store. Say someone had something of value and didn't need it, they could give it to me, and then I could sell it to someone else. Any bits and bobs would do, so long as it could be useful. That could be a lot of stuff if you think about it.

Does that sound like a good idea?
 

Al-Bundy-da-G

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Apr 11, 2011
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Dutch 924 said:
I did have an idea for a store. Say someone had something of value and didn't need it, they could give it to me, and then I could sell it to someone else. Any bits and bobs would do, so long as it could be useful. That could be a lot of stuff if you think about it.

Does that sound like a good idea?
Yeah it does, it called the Salvation Army and Goodwill. Wow you just got hit by a 60 year old ninja attack. I'm slightly jealous.