the longest open letter ever.
Aug. 22nd, 2007 12:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
enamouredI would like to talk to the Rude Teenage Girl Shoppers of the world.
Hi, Rude Teenage Girl Shopper! How are you? I see you've got your Abercrombie/Delia's/Hot Topic/D.E.M.O. bags with you. You've certainly hit the stores hard, which makes sense because school's starting soon. Bet it feels nice to have all that loot, huh?
But I would like to talk to you about an important matter: treating people who work retail with some measure of respect.
"Respect?" you say. "Why do I need to treat them with respect? They get paid minimum wage! Clearly, they're too lazy and/or stupid to do anything besides cater to my every whim."
Oh, but that is where you're wrong, Rude Teenage Girl Shopper. You are so very wrong.
With that said, I'd like to present to you
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
supersyncspaz7's Guide to Being a Good Customer
1. Be polite.
You know how, when you desperately want something from either of your parents, you turn on all the stops, do what you're asked, and are actually (gasp!) nice? Do that, please. Ask me in a civil tone if I will help you to find the sneakers you just have to have or where the new Fall Out Boy album is. It helps to set the tone for the rest of the potential sale.
2. Be precise.
Say you saw a really great pair of shoes advertised on the store's website. You look them up and they are Skechers, and the shoe name is the Streaker or something like that, because Skechers has the most obtuse shoe names ever. So you come into the store and you're all, "Oh my God, do you guys have the Streaker in hot pink?!"
Why is this a bad idea? Well, despite the fact that I may spend up to thirty-two hours a week in the store, I don't have the name of every single shoe memorized. More often than not, I see the shoes more than I know their names. If you could describe what this shoe looks like to me, it'd be easier for me to help you than it would be if you just give me a name, or a product number, or a UPC bar code. I don't speak bar code (see 10 for more on this).
3. Be patient.
Sometimes I will get sidetracked when I am helping you. Be it by another coworker, my boss, or another customer. I am not slighting you in the least; I'm just doing my job, and sometimes that requires me to step away from you for a moment. If it takes me a while to help you find what you're looking for, calm down for just a moment. I know that you have other things to do, other stores to run off to, boys to meet,other sales associates to harass other people to see, but the world will not end if you have to wait just a moment.
4. Look.
Look. It's so easy, really. You're wanting a certain thing, and you see it on display. So your common sense (see #7) tells you it's nearby. But woe! You don't quite see the boxes/rack of tank tops/Manolos that you came in for? Well, then you might need to...
5. Read.
At the store I work at, our shoes are set on display shelves. At the front of these displays are pieces of paper listing the facts about the shoe that is on the display. The fact tag (as it's called) lists the following:
--the brand
--the brand's logo
--the style
--the shoe name
--the color
--the available sizes
--the style number (which will appear on the shoe boxes)
--what sizes we have left
--whether or not the shoe is located in top stock (or, on the really high shelves that you probably can't reach)
If you would read the fact tag, you would not need to ask me where the boxes for the Nikes that you are looking for, because you would look at both the shoe name and style number and you'd be able to locate them with ease, even if they are two rows down from the display. You would know that yes, we do have that one pair of Pumas, but it's up in top stock and we are not hiding it in our secret island fortress.
Conversely, if you would read other signs (like the signs that indicate what shoes are on which isles, or the signs for where the bathrooms are, or the signs on the ladders that read Our insurance permits customer use of ladders in both English and Spanish), you would also be making my job and our salesperson/customer relationship a much better one.
6. Pay attention.
It's okay to ask questions. I'll even go with the thing they tell you in school: that there are no stupid questions (even though that sometimes is untrue). But really, pay attention to what I say when I answer you. When I tell you that I don't have any more size sevens of a certain shoe, please don't say, "Are you sure?" three times in a row. Don't ask me if I can check "in back" when I have explained to you that all of our stock is going to be on the shelves. And use #7 and don't ask if you can try on the last size we have left, which just happens to be a size five. Your feet will not miraculously shrink, they will be too small, so please save yourself the trouble. You do not need a pair of shoes so bad that you will squeeze your feet into them.
7. Use common sense.
Really, the whole "let's try on a shirt/pair of jeans/pair of shoes that is too big/too small" happens a lot. Don't do it. You make me inwardly cringe and question your sanity. Plus, it shows a slight measure of insecurity and desperation.
Common sense also dictates that you look for something before chasing me down while I am helping another customer and asking me where it is, and it also dictates that you read the facts before asking me about something that is in front of your face. Common sense is your friend. Use it, and use it wisely.
8. Clean up your messes.
If you're done trying on shoes, at least try to return them back to the place that you found them. If you don't know where they are, put them back in the box and ask me or one of my coworkers if we know where they go or if we'd put them up. We don't mind most of the time. What we DO mind is when you try on six pairs of shoes, decide that you don't like any of them, and leave shoes and empty boxes scattered all around the lobby, creating a mess. Surely your mothers (or grandmothers or fathers, even) taught you better than to leave a mess somewhere.
Conversely, if you are trying on clothes, return them to the dressing room attendant. Don't leave them scattered all around the dressing room. If you're at a music store, return the CDs to their proper place. Same goes with book stores (put the books back, for God's sake!).
9. Watch your kids.
This is not just for teenage mothers. This is for you Rude Teenage Girl Shoppers who have younger siblings, and it goes out to your parents who have young children. Basically, if your kid is under the age of ten, watch them. This is mostly out of safety (you don't want Billy to end up on one of those flyers for missing kids that are sent in the mail, do you?), but also out of my own reservations. Kids that age tend to wreck havoc on stores. They hide under clothes racks, they chase their siblings around the store, they shove shoeboxes back just because it causes them to experience a perverse kind of glee. The latter are the kind that really irritate me and my coworkers. We spend the times that we aren't helping you or other customers cleaning up and carefully making the displays look good. What could take twenty minutes can be destroyed in two after a hyperactive six year old decides that pushing the shoeboxes back is really, really fun. Please reprimand your kids for doing such things.
Also--kids like to try to eat anything, especially if they're five and under. Make sure that Janie's not eating the silica gel or trying to drink the waterproofing goo.
10. Remember that I am not a robot.
It can seem like it, as I spend hours on end saying "Hi! How are you doing? Need any help?" in the perkiest voice imaginable, sometimes even in a hideous perky monotone. But I'm not. I'm human, just like you. If I whack my shins on a shelf, I will be sore and I will grumble. If you give me the UPC (bar code) number, I won't be able to tell you how much the item you're asking about costs. And if you are rude to me or accuse me of something I have absolutely no control over (like the price of Product X; I'm a lowly sales associate, what the hell gives you the idea that I can control the prices?), I will not be as eager and willing to help you.
I'm sorry, but that's a fact.
Because I am not a robot, I will have bad days. I will probably be cranky and irratible, and my feet will be sore and I might not answer you in the perky voice. I might sound pissed off. I am sorry for this, and I will probably apologize to you for that because I am a nice person. But don't assume that I am going to knife you if I'm less than friendly for a moment. I'd get fired because of that.
11. Don't insult my intelligence.
Yes, I can read the boxes that are in top stock. You don't need to read the product specifications back to me. I know what they say.
Do not assume that because I am only a little older than you and working retail that I am stupid. I am merely a college student who needs the extra money to pay for textbooks and other things. Chances are that at at least one point in your life you will have to work in a service-related industry. Unless you are damn Paris Hilton or one of the Olsen twins, you will probably work retail at least once to help provide you with some extra money. Someone probably will say something to you that could be an attack on your intelligence, so remember that before you say something blatantly stupid to me or think that I intend to sell sneakers in a sporting goods store for the rest of my life.
12. Say "thank you".
A "thank you" can make a sales associate's day. You could deal with crappy customers, have your boss ask you to do a lot of projects during the time when your store/department is getting a lot of traffic, have a coworker or manager yell at you for no good reason, but when you've helped someone and they're truly grateful and say "thank you", that could make the shift seem much better than it originally was. Remember that.
There are other things I should tell you--like that it's impolite to blame the woman who pierced your ears for the keloid that popped up after you got your ears pierced (sometimes it's not their fault; sometimes that's just your body reacting).* That it's not cool to leave your unfinished drinks sitting on shelves because they could spill on the products and damage them, or spill on the floor and make it into a hazard zone. That rolling your eyes at me when I explain that we don't have any more of what you're looking for is also extremely rude. But I won't. I will leave you with one final point:
DON'T STEAL.
It makes you look like a jackass. It will go on your record, even if you are a minor. If you and your equally Rude Teenage Girl friends do it enough, it will drive a store to jack the prices up. If you get caught, your parents or guardians will be notified and you will have to face their wrath. If you get caught, the police will come for you. If you get caught, my coworkers and I will laugh behind your back. Just don't do it. It's not worth it.
Thank you for reading, and please pass this along to your friends.
Signed,
A Disgruntled Sales Associate
*--I witnessed this happening at The Icing yesterday. It, and my own experiences at work, spawned this epic.
Hi, Rude Teenage Girl Shopper! How are you? I see you've got your Abercrombie/Delia's/Hot Topic/D.E.M.O. bags with you. You've certainly hit the stores hard, which makes sense because school's starting soon. Bet it feels nice to have all that loot, huh?
But I would like to talk to you about an important matter: treating people who work retail with some measure of respect.
"Respect?" you say. "Why do I need to treat them with respect? They get paid minimum wage! Clearly, they're too lazy and/or stupid to do anything besides cater to my every whim."
Oh, but that is where you're wrong, Rude Teenage Girl Shopper. You are so very wrong.
With that said, I'd like to present to you
supersyncspaz7's Guide to Being a Good Customer1. Be polite.
You know how, when you desperately want something from either of your parents, you turn on all the stops, do what you're asked, and are actually (gasp!) nice? Do that, please. Ask me in a civil tone if I will help you to find the sneakers you just have to have or where the new Fall Out Boy album is. It helps to set the tone for the rest of the potential sale.
2. Be precise.
Say you saw a really great pair of shoes advertised on the store's website. You look them up and they are Skechers, and the shoe name is the Streaker or something like that, because Skechers has the most obtuse shoe names ever. So you come into the store and you're all, "Oh my God, do you guys have the Streaker in hot pink?!"
Why is this a bad idea? Well, despite the fact that I may spend up to thirty-two hours a week in the store, I don't have the name of every single shoe memorized. More often than not, I see the shoes more than I know their names. If you could describe what this shoe looks like to me, it'd be easier for me to help you than it would be if you just give me a name, or a product number, or a UPC bar code. I don't speak bar code (see 10 for more on this).
3. Be patient.
Sometimes I will get sidetracked when I am helping you. Be it by another coworker, my boss, or another customer. I am not slighting you in the least; I'm just doing my job, and sometimes that requires me to step away from you for a moment. If it takes me a while to help you find what you're looking for, calm down for just a moment. I know that you have other things to do, other stores to run off to, boys to meet,
4. Look.
Look. It's so easy, really. You're wanting a certain thing, and you see it on display. So your common sense (see #7) tells you it's nearby. But woe! You don't quite see the boxes/rack of tank tops/Manolos that you came in for? Well, then you might need to...
5. Read.
At the store I work at, our shoes are set on display shelves. At the front of these displays are pieces of paper listing the facts about the shoe that is on the display. The fact tag (as it's called) lists the following:
--the brand
--the brand's logo
--the style
--the shoe name
--the color
--the available sizes
--the style number (which will appear on the shoe boxes)
--what sizes we have left
--whether or not the shoe is located in top stock (or, on the really high shelves that you probably can't reach)
If you would read the fact tag, you would not need to ask me where the boxes for the Nikes that you are looking for, because you would look at both the shoe name and style number and you'd be able to locate them with ease, even if they are two rows down from the display. You would know that yes, we do have that one pair of Pumas, but it's up in top stock and we are not hiding it in our secret island fortress.
Conversely, if you would read other signs (like the signs that indicate what shoes are on which isles, or the signs for where the bathrooms are, or the signs on the ladders that read Our insurance permits customer use of ladders in both English and Spanish), you would also be making my job and our salesperson/customer relationship a much better one.
6. Pay attention.
It's okay to ask questions. I'll even go with the thing they tell you in school: that there are no stupid questions (even though that sometimes is untrue). But really, pay attention to what I say when I answer you. When I tell you that I don't have any more size sevens of a certain shoe, please don't say, "Are you sure?" three times in a row. Don't ask me if I can check "in back" when I have explained to you that all of our stock is going to be on the shelves. And use #7 and don't ask if you can try on the last size we have left, which just happens to be a size five. Your feet will not miraculously shrink, they will be too small, so please save yourself the trouble. You do not need a pair of shoes so bad that you will squeeze your feet into them.
7. Use common sense.
Really, the whole "let's try on a shirt/pair of jeans/pair of shoes that is too big/too small" happens a lot. Don't do it. You make me inwardly cringe and question your sanity. Plus, it shows a slight measure of insecurity and desperation.
Common sense also dictates that you look for something before chasing me down while I am helping another customer and asking me where it is, and it also dictates that you read the facts before asking me about something that is in front of your face. Common sense is your friend. Use it, and use it wisely.
8. Clean up your messes.
If you're done trying on shoes, at least try to return them back to the place that you found them. If you don't know where they are, put them back in the box and ask me or one of my coworkers if we know where they go or if we'd put them up. We don't mind most of the time. What we DO mind is when you try on six pairs of shoes, decide that you don't like any of them, and leave shoes and empty boxes scattered all around the lobby, creating a mess. Surely your mothers (or grandmothers or fathers, even) taught you better than to leave a mess somewhere.
Conversely, if you are trying on clothes, return them to the dressing room attendant. Don't leave them scattered all around the dressing room. If you're at a music store, return the CDs to their proper place. Same goes with book stores (put the books back, for God's sake!).
9. Watch your kids.
This is not just for teenage mothers. This is for you Rude Teenage Girl Shoppers who have younger siblings, and it goes out to your parents who have young children. Basically, if your kid is under the age of ten, watch them. This is mostly out of safety (you don't want Billy to end up on one of those flyers for missing kids that are sent in the mail, do you?), but also out of my own reservations. Kids that age tend to wreck havoc on stores. They hide under clothes racks, they chase their siblings around the store, they shove shoeboxes back just because it causes them to experience a perverse kind of glee. The latter are the kind that really irritate me and my coworkers. We spend the times that we aren't helping you or other customers cleaning up and carefully making the displays look good. What could take twenty minutes can be destroyed in two after a hyperactive six year old decides that pushing the shoeboxes back is really, really fun. Please reprimand your kids for doing such things.
Also--kids like to try to eat anything, especially if they're five and under. Make sure that Janie's not eating the silica gel or trying to drink the waterproofing goo.
10. Remember that I am not a robot.
It can seem like it, as I spend hours on end saying "Hi! How are you doing? Need any help?" in the perkiest voice imaginable, sometimes even in a hideous perky monotone. But I'm not. I'm human, just like you. If I whack my shins on a shelf, I will be sore and I will grumble. If you give me the UPC (bar code) number, I won't be able to tell you how much the item you're asking about costs. And if you are rude to me or accuse me of something I have absolutely no control over (like the price of Product X; I'm a lowly sales associate, what the hell gives you the idea that I can control the prices?), I will not be as eager and willing to help you.
I'm sorry, but that's a fact.
Because I am not a robot, I will have bad days. I will probably be cranky and irratible, and my feet will be sore and I might not answer you in the perky voice. I might sound pissed off. I am sorry for this, and I will probably apologize to you for that because I am a nice person. But don't assume that I am going to knife you if I'm less than friendly for a moment. I'd get fired because of that.
11. Don't insult my intelligence.
Yes, I can read the boxes that are in top stock. You don't need to read the product specifications back to me. I know what they say.
Do not assume that because I am only a little older than you and working retail that I am stupid. I am merely a college student who needs the extra money to pay for textbooks and other things. Chances are that at at least one point in your life you will have to work in a service-related industry. Unless you are damn Paris Hilton or one of the Olsen twins, you will probably work retail at least once to help provide you with some extra money. Someone probably will say something to you that could be an attack on your intelligence, so remember that before you say something blatantly stupid to me or think that I intend to sell sneakers in a sporting goods store for the rest of my life.
12. Say "thank you".
A "thank you" can make a sales associate's day. You could deal with crappy customers, have your boss ask you to do a lot of projects during the time when your store/department is getting a lot of traffic, have a coworker or manager yell at you for no good reason, but when you've helped someone and they're truly grateful and say "thank you", that could make the shift seem much better than it originally was. Remember that.
There are other things I should tell you--like that it's impolite to blame the woman who pierced your ears for the keloid that popped up after you got your ears pierced (sometimes it's not their fault; sometimes that's just your body reacting).* That it's not cool to leave your unfinished drinks sitting on shelves because they could spill on the products and damage them, or spill on the floor and make it into a hazard zone. That rolling your eyes at me when I explain that we don't have any more of what you're looking for is also extremely rude. But I won't. I will leave you with one final point:
It makes you look like a jackass. It will go on your record, even if you are a minor. If you and your equally Rude Teenage Girl friends do it enough, it will drive a store to jack the prices up. If you get caught, your parents or guardians will be notified and you will have to face their wrath. If you get caught, the police will come for you. If you get caught, my coworkers and I will laugh behind your back. Just don't do it. It's not worth it.
Thank you for reading, and please pass this along to your friends.
Signed,
A Disgruntled Sales Associate
*--I witnessed this happening at The Icing yesterday. It, and my own experiences at work, spawned this epic.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 07:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 08:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 08:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 08:37 pm (UTC)This all also applies to men over the age of 30 shopping in a home improvement store.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 10:13 pm (UTC)The annoying thing is, all of what you wrote is COMMON SENSE, so why can't people figure it out on their own D:
no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 03:40 am (UTC)I hated retail. Working in the Discovery Channel Store back in my hometown wasn't too bad, but working at the one here in Toledo kinda sucked with all the stupid customers. The worst part is that I have to go back into retail, because I need a job, and don't qualify for work study. So yeah. Your open letter should be posted around malls and other retail stores nationwide, because sadly, very few people have common sense. ;)
no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-25 12:25 am (UTC)