Working Retail; Angry Customers

[Playful Pony]

It's going to be a bit of venting, I apologize in advance!

Where I work, we sometimes take in products which are new on the market. You know how it works, like how a new game shows up, and people come in to the store to get it on launch day. This works fine in my opinion. We get a limited ammount of the new product in question, because the company selling this product are obviously shipping loads of them worldwide, and a small retailer like us can't put up an order of much more than 50-80 units for the launch, depending on the product of course.

Some people will have pre-ordered by putting up half the buying sum, and that further limits the units we have available for regular sale.

This is where it all goes wrong. We're out of units, and people still come by to get one. We have to tell them that we're sorry, but we are all out. Red faces and cursing ensue. You wouldn't believe how furious and rude people sometimes become in this situation. They yell, spit and sometimes even get physically abusive, while loudly proclaiming to us and other customers how we have "ruined their weekend" and "I'm never shopping here again".

Now, I'm sorry guys... If this thing was REALLY that important to you, why the hell didn't you pre-order?! And if the angry guy sees you hand a pre-order customer his item... By Sithis, does hell break lose...

--- aaah... ---

So what are your experiences on this, and/or your opinion? Do you yourself consider the fact that a retailer isn't always capable of ordering as many units as they please? Most of the time it seems like they assume we could have just ordered more units from the publisher, while this frequently isn't the case...


Uh... Discuss around this! <3

 

[DoPo]

Well, obviously it's your fault. You should have used your powers of a sales assistant in a video games shop to 1. read the minds of everybody in your area 2. also do it through time itself 3. find out how many want the game 4. order that many copies

Seriously, it never occurred to you to do that? That's it, I'm never buying another game from you again!

 

[aba1]

Ahhh I love these threads so many awesomely funny stories! The funny part is when the customers freak out they are essentially acting like toddlers throwing a tantrum because they didn't get the toy they wanted I have almost laughed in peoples faces over this before.

Anywho I think I shall contribute a story. I used to work at the grocery stores called price choppers. They were discount grocery stores so naturally the products were not as good all the time because it was discount. I would constantly get people complaining about how good the produce was despite the fact the place was a store for the left over produce that didn't get sent to Sobbys and other more expensive stores.

I remember one time a lady slipped on a single blue berry... that is right she slipped not on 2 blue berries but just 1... 1 blue berry. So naturally she fell on her butt so I walked over and asked if she was ok and offered my hand to help her up. When I leaned over to help her up she turned and looked up at me and give me this look like she just wanted to say say why would you make me slip how dare you push me over. Like I intentionally decided to leave just one berry on the floor by her to destroy everything she ever believed in because I am that dastardly of a fellow. I mean it couldn't be customers are ridiculous and rip open the berry packages and drop them all over the place constantly to mix and match them as they please so they get the "freshest" berries. So I help her up and she lets out one tear drop lips quivering so I ask if she is ok again and if she is hurt and the only thing she does is ask for the manager to make a complaint about me in a attempt to get me fired I can only assume.

Moral of the story many customers make assholes of themselves for no real reason.

 

[SaetonChapelle]

I work in the retail food business, most noticeably a deli. Besides the normal people coming in right before we close and expecting us to re-open all of our products and machines, we get hisses and boos all the time.

We have a specific time we close down the hot food cases, seven at night. Yet 9pm, people will come in, the same people usually, asking for wings, in a supermarket. Of course when I have to tell them no, I get complaints.

the ordering problems are frequent where I work as well. We too have to have certain products, but funny enough sometimes we don't get product from the warehouse, especially when they don't have it either, but it automatically becomes our fault that the warehouse ran out. Either that, or we don't carry a specific product our competitor has.

Oh retail, I hate you~

 

[FalloutJack]

Well, as much hell as any retailer has to go through for angry customers, do understand that not everyone has the opportunity to pre-order. I don't imagine all of those people are this, but some of them probably just forgot or couldn't or something. Of course, I don't deny you that some people are just idiots and this is how fights break out.

NOW THEN!

Personal opinions: I would personally say if I can't get the thingy for some reason, it would be certainly fine be me if you could let me know when copies are available. I don't have nearly the same pressure on my skull that other gamers do. I will not, in fact, implode because I didn't get my thing instantaneously.

You do what you can. I understand that.

 

[Playful Pony]

Moral of the story many customers make assholes of themselves for no real reason.

I guess I could say I feel sorry for them, but honestly I don't! It's even more laughable when they lumber back trough the door, shouting "I'm never shopping here again!", and then I see the SAME damn bloke at the counter only a few weeks later... Classic gamer-syle boycot!

Personal opinions: I would personally say if I can't get the thingy for some reason, it would be certainly fine be me if you could let me know when copies are available. I don't have nearly the same pressure on my skull that other gamers do. I will not, in fact, implode because I didn't get my thing instantaneously.

You do what you can. I understand that.

Yeah we always offer to send an SMS to any customer regarding any product they are waiting for. We don't charge anything for this service, and you don't need to actually pre-order or anything.

What made me make this thread was a guy that came into the store a little while ago, asking for a new release. It was late in the evening that day, and we had sold the last one several hours ago. I said I was sorry we didn't have any left, but told him I'd send him a text or e-mail as soon as we had it back in stock. As I handed him a pen I also mentioned another store in town, that may just have one left. As he wrote, I said it would be 3-5 days before his item would arive, which personally I consider a pretty decent delivery time... Well, he didn't seem to agree.

He wen't COMPLETELY mental. After looking shocked he threw the pen I'd given him behind the counter where I was standing, and he was shaking his head while slowly turning red. My manager saw the pen go flying and came over to see what was wrong, and the guy told him "this store is shit, you people are shit you have no right to treat me this way". In the background a lady grabbed her son and "fled" the store, which made me feel even more uncomfortable!

Luckily my manager is kind of a big guy, and he took the angry ex-customer towards the door, calmy explaining that he was sorry they couldn't satisfy his needs, but he wouldn't have anyone making the other customers feel uncomfortable. Mr Angryface then spit at my manager and kicked over a small shelf on his way out, yelling something incoherent and giving random people the finger...

I will never forget you, manwithseriousangermanagementissues...

 

[FalloutJack]

Ah, of course.

Yes, I quite understand. Your problem is blithering idiots. *Sigh*

 

[Realitycrash]

Snip

Snip

Is it retail in general you have a problem with, or just crazy people?
Because I'm working in construction, and I really want to get out of it and work in a more "people-related" business. So retail seems like a good deal (like a bookshop, or electronics, or such)

 

[Playful Pony]

Snip

Snip

Is it retail in general you have a problem with, or just crazy people?
Because I'm working in construction, and I really want to get out of it and work in a more "people-related" business. So retail seems like a good deal (like a bookshop, or electronics, or such)

I have no problem with retail. I enjoy working with people, and I can't imagine myself in a profession that doesn't allow me much interaction with fellow humans. I just wanted to talk about this particular type of atitude, where a customer not only expects but DEMANDS to find a certain product in your store at all time, regardless of things such as release schedules, demand and restrictions from the publishers side.

I wouldn't work in retail if I didn't enjoy it!

 

[Realitycrash]

Snip

Snip

Is it retail in general you have a problem with, or just crazy people?
Because I'm working in construction, and I really want to get out of it and work in a more "people-related" business. So retail seems like a good deal (like a bookshop, or electronics, or such)

I have no problem with retail. I enjoy working with people, and I can't imagine myself in a profession that doesn't allow me much interaction with fellow humans. I just wanted to talk about this particular type of atitude, where a customer not only expects but DEMANDS to find a certain product in your store at all time, regardless of things such as release schedules, demand and restrictions from the publishers side.

I wouldn't work in retail if I didn't enjoy it!

"I wouldn't work in retail if I didn't enjoy it!"...Heh. Like there's jobs everywhere, and one can just pick and choose which job one wants.
I know you didn't aim at insulting, and I understand what you mean, but trust me, it does come off a bit insulting to those that would take any job they could, but still can't get one.

I've worked in retail before, and as a bartender. I've met some crazies (like the one time the Xbox 360 was launched, and a mother was chewing me out because she had neglected to come pick her pre-order up, so we sold it and informed her that she could get another next week, but no, that would not do..), but most people are nice and sane.

 

[Playful Pony]

"I wouldn't work in retail if I didn't enjoy it!"...Heh. Like there's jobs everywhere, and one can just pick and choose which job one wants.
I know you didn't aim at insulting, and I understand what you mean, but trust me, it does come off a bit insulting to those that would take any job they could, but still can't get one.

Don't assume I don't know what the situation is out in the world, I'm not ignorant of those things. The only reason I can say that, is because my country started a pretty vast program to ensure the public good in the 1950's, primarily through the government having a hand in things such as mining and the oil business. Because of this there is a reserve being used to stabilize the local echonomy and continue to provide jobs to people here, to the point where someone CAN at times pick and chose. It's not like I can say "noo, I don't want to be a big-shot lawyer, I'll work in a store instead!" The choice for me is between working some store somewhere in town, or take a job doing something like cleaning, factory work or work in a warehouse. I didn't mean to sound entitled or anything X3.

That said I'm a big supporter of allowing imigration and work passes for people in other countries. If you or anyone you know struggle getting work the government sees this like I do, and we actually NEED workers, as oposed to the rest of the world. Of course, it's the issue of having to move to cold, strange Norway...

...

Most people are indeed nice and sane, it's the insane ones you remember though!

 

[Silverbane7]

hm..i remember that type.
was in GAME one day when TBC was debuting and they had one going balistic. ranting, raving and getting high bloodpressure. why?
they had no more copies of the burning crusade expansion for him to buy.
he had not pre ordered it, it was nearly hometime on (i think) a friday night.

i realy hav no idea why he expected a copy when the manager and staff (many times) reminded people that if they wanted to make sure they had a copy, they should pre-order it. it didnt even cost a tenner (like some other pre-orders do now)

after seeing that freak out, i allways tell them now, grab me a pre order of both normal and collectors edition.
if i buy one, they have the other left over to sell to mister rageface.

0.o why, i think the capcha's mocking me...'little sister'

 

[Frission]

All the horror stories. My philosophy is you should work in retail at least one time. You probably won't be so rude to the cashier after that.

I'll put the link here since it's a site full of these stories.
http://notalwaysright.com/

 

[Qwurty2.0]

I have never worked in retail before (although I'm sure I would have some great stories to tell people if I had). My dad, however is a complete asshole to store employees, and I have often cringed at his childishness. He acts as though any inconvenience to himself is the employees fault (I can't recall a time it ever was), and he will just insult them. Not yelling or screaming or throwing adult tantrums, he just assumes this superior, "unbelievable" tone of voice. He'll talk and talk and pretty much makes it impossible for the employee to get a word in, and when they finally do he explodes at them.

And he does this shit over the phone, too! Pisses me off and makes me embarrassed to be related, lol.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I worked in a shoe store for six years.
Every now and then we'd get customers who came in to buy Nike shoes, and for some reason assumed
just because the Nikes we carried were cheaper (and by cheaper I mean $60 instead of $160) and made in China,
they were somehow not official product.

Even though they very much were,
we just didn't carry the more expensive styles.
--------------

I try to be courteous whenever I go into a store, or have to deal with a CS rep.
I won't go into a store 10 minutes before closing time, and I won't be rude.

I've actually ran into a situation where Gamestop didn't have the game I wanted. It was a last minute decision to purchase it, and they really felt bad they didn't have any copies left, they even looked to see if the other stores had any left (which they didn't). I wasn't going to make their job harder by throwing a temper tantrum. I would have just waited until the game came back in stock. Lucky for me, I jumped over to Best Buy in the same mall and they were sold out except for one copy cleverly stashed in the back, the employee was kind enough to find it for me.

 

[Subscriptism]

Ahhh I love these threads so many awesomely funny stories! The funny part is when the customers freak out they are essentially acting like toddlers throwing a tantrum because they didn't get the toy they wanted I have almost laughed in peoples faces over this before.

Anywho I think I shall contribute a story. I used to work at the grocery stores called price choppers. They were discount grocery stores so naturally the products were not as good all the time because it was discount. I would constantly get people complaining about how good the produce was despite the fact the place was a store for the left over produce that didn't get sent to Sobbys and other more expensive stores.

I remember one time a lady slipped on a single blue berry... that is right she slipped not on 2 blue berries but just 1... 1 blue berry. So naturally she fell on her butt so I walked over and asked if she was ok and offered my hand to help her up. When I leaned over to help her up she turned and looked up at me and give me this look like she just wanted to say say why would you make me slip how dare you push me over. Like I intentionally decided to leave just one berry on the floor by her to destroy everything she ever believed in because I am that dastardly of a fellow. I mean it couldn't be customers are ridiculous and rip open the berry packages and drop them all over the place constantly to mix and match them as they please so they get the "freshest" berries. So I help her up and she lets out one tear drop lips quivering so I ask if she is ok again and if she is hurt and the only thing she does is ask for the manager to make a complaint about me in a attempt to get me fired I can only assume.

Moral of the story many customers make assholes of themselves for no real reason.

What did your manager say? I've heard that a lot of managers are the spineless types that would push an employee under a bus to satisfy a demanding customer.

 

[DugMachine]

Oh my goodness I love when people get upset infront of me in line. So funny to watch them throw a temper tantrum like a fucking child. Every adult in the room looks at them and when they realize we're all silently mocking him/her they get so embarrassed and leave... usually cursing on the way out but funny to shame em.

I don't understand their anger though. I've gone to gamestop and asked for a game, they were out, yeah I get a little agitated but not at the person just at the situation. Even then it's in my head and I don't make an angry face or start cussing. I just tell them alright thank you, have a nice day and leave.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Hahaaa.

I thought I was out of this when I left Waitrose and moved into the great wide world of International Student Services at university. No one gets angrier than spoilt Saudi rich kids whose dads have paid for them to have a UK education. We actually had to have one guy removed by the police and he ended up being deported, all because his grades weren't very good. This was a student with a 32% attendance rate and Us in every subject.

 

[Rellik San]

I have been both guilty and victim of this.

Firstly my admission of guilt on the subject; attempting to buy Diablo III, I was informed when I picked the game case off the shelf and took it to the counter, that they had sold out, so the following exchange occurred; (R = Me, E = Employee). Now this was about 2 weeks after the game had come out, I was going to purchase a digital copy but £45 for a digital product, they can suck my nuts.

R: "Oh ok, that sucks, why don't you put a sold out sign up?"
E: "Because we're encouraged to then turn those customers onto other products,"
R: "Fair enough, do you know when you'll have more in?"
E: "Possibly on Thursday..."
R: "Is there any way to check for definite?"
E: "Nope,"
R: "So you guys don't order your own stock then?"
E: "Oh yeah, we do."
R: "Well, can you check for me please?"
E: "Well if you wanted it that badly, you should have pre-ordered it, I'm not checking for you."

At that point I left the store and just informed a large group about to enter, not to bother, the staff are a bunch of useless dicks.

Secondly, my being victim of it; (R = Me, C = Customer, M = Manager);

R: Hello sir, what can I get for you?
C: Double Jack and coke.
R: I'm sorry sir what was that?
C: Double Jack and coke... now.
R: Sorry sir, I didn't quite catch that...
C: What are you fucking retarded and deaf, Jack and Coke now.
R: I'm sorry sir, but I don't get paid to serve abusive cum stains who can't even muster up basic manners, if you can't be basically polite, then maybe you should fuck off and go drink elsewhere you shit smear.
C: I want to see your manager.
R: Right away sir,
M: What's the problem.
C: Your staff are abusive towards me.
M: This true?
R: Yes, but he lacked basic manners and called me a "Deaf Retard"
M: Ok sir, heres what I'm going to do, I'm going to ask you to leave.
C: What the... the customer is always right.
M: No sir... the customer is always an arrogant self righteous arsehole who thinks they can get away with anything, no leave or I'll have you escorted away.


In hindsight, I love my job.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

R: Hello sir, what can I get for you?
C: Double Jack and coke.
R: I'm sorry sir what was that?
C: Double Jack and coke... now.
R: Sorry sir, I didn't quite catch that...
C: What are you fucking retarded and deaf, Jack and Coke now.
R: I'm sorry sir, but I don't get paid to serve abusive cum stains who can't even muster up basic manners, if you can't be basically polite, then maybe you should fuck off and go drink elsewhere you shit smear.
C: I want to see your manager.
R: Right away sir,
M: What's the problem.
C: Your staff are abusive towards me.
M: This true?
R: Yes, but he lacked basic manners and called me a "Deaf Retard"
M: Ok sir, heres what I'm going to do, I'm going to ask you to leave.
C: What the... the customer is always right.
M: No sir... the customer is always an arrogant self righteous arsehole who thinks they can get away with anything, no leave or I'll have you escorted away.


In hindsight, I love my job.

That's.... awesome.
The manager usually sided with me because no the customer isn't always right,
but I don't think I would have gotten away with being completely %100 honest in my opinion of the customer as a person.

Actually I'm pretty sure I would have gotten fired.