Dealing with the public

**wmtire** · 09-13-2012, 01:34 PM

Being a self-employed person in a retail environment, I have to deal with the public. The public can really try your patience at times. I think all high school seniors should have to experience this form of education in order to graduate. It might make them appreciate things more.

Some of the episodes can actually be humorous, which I will list a few. If you have a story please share it.

I walked in and saw a woman standing in the waiting area. I asked her "Can I help you". She said "No. I'm waiting on someone".

I went back into the shop and walked back by a few minutes later, and this same woman, huffingly spouts "Sir, Sir, How much longer is it going to be before someone waits on me?"

I said "I asked you before if I could help you, and you said you were waiting on someone"

She then says, and I quote "I was, I was waiting for someone to wait on me"!

I could feel my eye starting to twitch, from having to even talk to someone that stup........er, confused.

STORY # 2

We had a customer whose battery was bad/or discharged in their vehicle. We had to push them out of the bay and get one of the employees to bring their vehicle over to jumpstart the customers. I hooked up the cables and told the customer to start his. He did............then immediately turned it back off, and got out to thank us.

It took us about 5 minutes to get it started a second time.

Just remember folks....these kind of people are passing you on the streets everyday

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We had this woman who when I asked for her key so I could pull her car into the shop said "They were in the car". I had already checked before I asked her.

I walked out again and the keys weren't in the car. I then went back in told her they weren't in the car, and I needed them. She started talking real slow, like I was dumb and said "They........are.......in......the......igniti on".

I just bit my tongue and went back out for a third time, and the keys weren't there as I already knew. I told her again they weren't there. She checked her pocket, and found them. I said "Thank...........You".

Now what makes this story great......this is the same woman who I opened this thread with, who was waiting for someone.

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This one happened today, and gave me thought to posting this topic:

We had a female customer call us on Monday to price a pair of tires, which we don't stock but could special order. We told her she would have to come prepay for these tires before we would order them. We told her as long as she prepaid by Thursday, we could have them Friday.

She came in awhile ago, and starting writing a check for over $400 for these two tires. Curtis (my manager) told her that we didn't really take checks but would take a debit card.

She looked at him and actually said "I would have to put money in my checking account to use my card".

Needless to say, we didn't order her any tires.

AquaMan · 09-13-2012, 02:41 PM

Those are classic!

I have a tool & die business that has a phone number similar to a local drug store. I can't tell you how many times I've had elderly people call and AFTER I answer the phone, announcing the name of my company, they proceed to tell me about their medial conditions or need for prescriptions. Most, I promptly stop and tell them they have the wrong number, they apologize, and we hang up. One such woman would have nothing of the sort. She called back, I told her she had wrong number and hung up phone. She called back and I told her again, "mam, you have the wrong number, this is NOT the (drug store)", and I hung up. You guess it, she called back. This time she is furious as to why I keep hanging up on her, I repeated myself again. She then asked what I was going to do about her prescription. Having had enough of my time wasted, I told her "they would be waiting for her at the counter". She thanked me and said "there, was that so hard?". I said, "no it wasn't. Have a nice day".

ironj · 09-13-2012, 02:51 PM

i had a internet savvy "price shopper" come in once with an attitude and said he wanted to order and item, but wanted it PRICE MATCHED to some website he found.....I said sure buddy, and ordered his product matched his price....

about a month later he comes in and sees SAME product sitting on my front shelf for 4-5$ CHEAPER than what he made me price match for....he got kinda pissy and asked for store credit on the difference.....I looked straight at him and said "NO, you came in here and DEMANDED a price match....you got EXACTLY what you asked for!! Never once did you even bother to ask me what I would sell you that product for???"....lesson learned...sometimes you get EXACTLY what you want!!

pdchristensen · 09-13-2012, 02:52 PM

I worked in retail several years ago and recall a few incidents.

In particular one that sticks in my mind is the fun we had with the locations of the washrooms in the Beaver Lumber Store I managed.

The washroom was located in the far corner of the building, beside the washroom corridor was the merchandising area for extension ladders that were leaned against the wall. Very often they became a focal point for directing customers.

On one occasion a customer approached me requesting directions to our rest rooms. I politely pointed in the direction of our building corner and commented "do you see those ladders in the building corner". Before I had a chance to finish my directions which would have advised her where the corridor was located...she blurted out "You expect me to climb those ladders !"

**wmtire** · 09-13-2012, 02:55 PM

I kinda feel dirty, even telling this one. The stupidity was more on my part.

One evening, Curtis comes in my office and tells me that I need to deal with this customer, as they were giving him a hard time, about their tires being worn out. He tells me that he has told the customer that their car was out of alignment but they didn't want to hear that. I've told him not to argue with customers, but to get me, and I will handle it.

I walk outside, and there is this woman standing beside her vehicle. She is all made up with a lot of jewelry, high heels, and such. I take one look at her tires and she has the wire showing on both outside edges. She is all upset, telling me she hasn't had the tires long and they are bad. I tell her the same thing as Curtis, and inform her that her vehicle is out of alignment, and she needs to get that fixed or she will just keep ruining her tires.

She didn't understand the concept of alignment and I took a long time explaining it to her, and all the things that can be mechanically wrong to cause it. She kept talking, using a lot of street slang...like "do you feel me"......which I knows means, do you understand me. I was just polite and kept saying 'Yes Maam' and 'No Maam'.

Anyhow, I finally got her calmed down and convinced to go see a mechanic about fixing her vehicle ailments. She leaves. I walk back into the shop and tell Curtis and the guys that is how you are supposed to deal with our female customers, kinda bragging in a way.

Curtis, then tells me that she was a guy. WHAT the ...!!!! No Way!!!!!. One of my other employees confirms it, and said she was in awhile back and they could see the adams apple. I argued with them some more, but they stood united, and laughed at me for not knowing. I gave some serious thought to firing both of them on the spot, for doing that to me with no warning.

They then spent the rest of the day, walking by me and making comments like "Do you feel me" and "What did it feel like".

S(he) had to be some kind of violation of law. That's false advertising. I need to file a complaint with the FCC, American Humane Society, Mother Nature, or something.

ironj · 09-13-2012, 02:58 PM

my favorites are these (i own a training facility and get this one on a DAILY basis)......
customer: what yall got to lose weight in here....im getting fat...
.
front counter: well here is our membership pricing, let us know if you have any questions...

customer: nah, i just want some pills....i dont really want to have to work out and all that...

ironj · 09-13-2012, 03:09 PM

on another note, not so much customer service oriented, we once had a client who would come in an have conversations with himself in the mirror, and talk to the weights before he lifted them....and not your general grunting or working out sounds....more like

walk by the mirror and look at himself and say "your so amazing, and rub his chest"

rub the weight stack of a machine before he used it and say " yeah baby its just me and you, and imma show you how i do it, then slap the stack and say come on, come on, come on...."

when this guy came in, everyone would run to my office to watch him on the security cameras....yeah.....sometimes we were bored! LOL

**wmtire** · 09-13-2012, 03:14 PM

We had this female customer a few years back, who when she reached in her pocket to pull out her money, accidently pulled her bag of weed out and dropped it on the floor....unbeknownst to her. She walked out and left

Well, there was a reserve deputy sheriff sitting there, who observed it. He picked up the bag and called in for a uniformed officer to come to the shop. He gave her description and everything to the patrol officer and turned over her bag.

Now, the funny part. About a half hour later, she returns...looking in the parking lot and on the floor. I knew what she was doing but just kept quiet. She finally had to break down and ask me....."Uhhh, you haven't found something I may have dropped earlier?"

I explained to her, that she dropped it in front of a deputy and they were looking for her. It looked like something out of a cartoon episode, as fast as she vanished. I think the word "POOF" was still in the air as she went thru the door.

How off do you have to be in your thinking, to go back and try to find your illegal narcotics.

Rugged Brown · 09-13-2012, 03:19 PM

You think you have it hard. Try dealing with the public when you work as a Public Servant in Health care. I got sores on my tongue from biting it so often.

OldCoot · 09-13-2012, 03:31 PM

Or deal with the gal whose child made a big mess in a store and she tripped on the mess, supposedly got hurt and sued the store for having a mess in the floor and won a large settlement.

**wmtire** · 09-13-2012, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttrost65

Those are classic!

I have a tool & die business that has a phone number similar to a local drug store. I can't tell you how many times I've had elderly people call and AFTER I answer the phone, announcing the name of my company, they proceed to tell me about their medial conditions or need for prescriptions. Most, I promptly stop and tell them they have the wrong number, they apologize, and we hang up. One such woman would have nothing of the sort. She called back, I told her she had wrong number and hung up phone. She called back and I told her again, "mam, you have the wrong number, this is NOT the (drug store)", and I hung up. You guess it, she called back. This time she is furious as to why I keep hanging up on her, I repeated myself again. She then asked what I was going to do about her prescription. Having had enough of my time wasted, I told her "they would be waiting for her at the counter". She thanked me and said "there, was that so hard?". I said, "no it wasn't. Have a nice day".

Hey, I think she called me too! Our phone conversation went like this:

Caller: I need 4 used tires, size 195/70/14

Me: I don't have any used tires that size, just new ones.

Caller: How much are they?

I give her a price on the new ones

Caller: How much are the used ones?

Me after a pause: Maam, we don't have any used ones that size, just the new ones I quoted you.

Caller: Oh OK, how much were the new ones again

I give her the price again

Caller: And how much were the used ones?

Me, after a longer pause and deep breaths: Maam, We.....don't......have......any......used......tir es......that.....size.

Caller: Oh, thank you......And hangs up

It has to be all these meds, doctors are putting everybody on.

rjshiflet · 09-13-2012, 04:39 PM

My wife owns a small gift shop with lots of cute items, and people are FOREVER asking her "Where do you get your merchandise?"

Her standard reply has never failed to shut them up...immediately.

She simply says "From the UPS man."

- - - - - - - - - -

This one is pretty unbelievable, and I might not have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it. Imagine - August in North Texas, outdoor temperature about 105, when this man comes into my wife's shop and says, "Could we bring our dog in here - we've got a cage for him, but didn't want to leave him in the heat while we shopped around at some of the neighboring stores."

She declined to "dog-sit" - and later looked outside to see the hatchback of a car wide open...dog in a cage...ALONE. She watched for 5 minutes and just before she called the police, the idiot owner came back and closed up the car...got in and drove off.

- - - - - - - - -

From the "duh...what were you thinking" category - again, she has cute little gift items, home decorative "stuff", etc.

A lady walks in and is handling one thing after another and turns to my wife and says "Did somebody make this?"

When my wife told me, I suggested that if anybody ever asked that stupid question she should reply "no, I hatch them from eggs" or "no, we grow them in a garden."

Oh - the hilarity of humans.

Rugged Brown · 09-14-2012, 10:33 AM

When I worked as a X Ray tech, I gave a pateint a gown. I instructed her to remove all her clothes and and put the gown on. I waited a few minutes and when I entered the room, there she was, start naked with the gown neatly folded "on" her head.

and there's many more.....

TURBS · 09-14-2012, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

When I worked as a X Ray tech, I gave a pateint a gown. I instructed her to remove all her clothes and and put the gown on. I waited a few minutes and when I entered the room, there she was, start naked with the gown neatly folded "on" her head.

and there's many more.....

No pics ?

Rugged Brown · 09-14-2012, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

No pics ?

As a matter of fact,,,, just for you Turbs

TURBS · 09-14-2012, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

As a matter of fact,,,, just for you Turbs

Lmfao !
Um did you take that from your camper door ?

lswartz · 09-14-2012, 11:09 AM

How long did it take for you to notice a gown on her head?

AquaMan · 09-14-2012, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Lmfao !
Um did you take that from your camper door ?

And, we have a winner!!!

cfsoistman · 09-14-2012, 12:00 PM

I'm in the HVAC field and do residential system replacements. We received a job package on a Thursday afternoon at 2:00. Marked No Heat-Elderly-Medical Emergency so we called and no one answered, could not leave a message due to no answering machine. Temps outside were in the mid thirties during the day, lower twenties at night. We tried from 2 until 5:30 to reach this customer, calling about every 10 minutes. Friday we started at 8:00 AM and called until 5:30 PM and still no answer. Our plan was to do the install on Saturday to get her heat back up and running. Monday morning starting again at 8:00 AM we called. Finally at 2:30 she calls in and complains no one has called her. I explained we started calling at 2:00 on Thursday and all day riday and most of the day Monday, couldn't leave a message due to no answering machine. Her reply was "Well I wasn't going to sit around here all day waiting for you to call" ???????

How do we reach you then??
Offered to do the install the next morning, she said no she has a hair appointment she can't cancel.

Then offered Wednesday morning, no have a doctor appointment and needed a ride and her sister could only take her that day. Thursday?, nope playing cards with her girlfriends.

Finally on Friday we did her install. Our company sends out survey cards about the customer's experience with us. She loved her sales rep, he was so nice, as for the install group her comment was " I'm an older lady who had been without heat for a week and it took another week for your peolple to get here" I had to stay at a hotel and I'll be forwarding my bill to you for reimbursement"

I love my job!!!!

**wmtire** · 09-14-2012, 12:24 PM

We have a local print called Justified. What it does is scours the online arrest records from all the surrounding jurisdictions in our area....then puts all of them into a weekly newspaper format. We like reading it to see if we recognize anyone. I had to cut out one from a few weeks ago, that featured one of our customers. (I scanned it and attached it below)

We get blamed for lot's of things......but this one is priceless.

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