Spanner in the works

Gillo

Right, I'm gonna through a spanner in the works and sorry cos I know its a bit long.

I've been working in Retail for the last 8 or 9 years and over the time learnt a number of things; one of these is how to provide a very high level of customer service most of the time another is it's made me a lot more "street wise/savvy". Because of my connection to sales / customer service I find the Rip-off Ireland threads very interesting. I've also come to know that the majority of staff in the majority of shops don't set out to provide bad service or to rip off customers, in the majority of cases if something does happen it is a genuine accident which the store is happy to sort out.

One thing I've noticed on the threads is the often militantly anti-store attitudes posted here, people seem ready to slate stores for the slightest thing. You only have to read the thread "Presume I am entitled to a refund" to see what I mean.

Another thing I've found is that the public in general have absolutley no manners and don't afford the most basic courtisies to staff in shops. Eg, today I was in a phone shop and a lady walked straight up the the counter, stuck of a €5 note and said "Five Euro", for those of you who can't fingure out what she meant, I on the other hand would of said "Hi, hows it going, can I get €5 euro credit please". In my own experience I've generally foung that I'll be a lot more helpful to customers if they are polite to me, as for the rude / ignorant one's, well it's human nature that I'll feel resentment for them, but hey it's my job to help them, but when is customer is nice I'll have no problem bendign over backwards (which I have done many times). Even when you are buying something a smile and quick hello makes a big difference.

What I'm putting to you, the consumer is this. If you actually treated staff is shops nicely, they would treat you alot better and ultimately there would be way fewer posts here complaining because far fewer of the problems would arise.

Whether or not you agree with me try this. The next time you get to the counter in a shop, bank or post office, before you do anything, smile and say hello and as the transaction goes through make idle conversation (comment on the weather or how close it's getting to christams and you still don't know what to get anyone) I promise you this they'll treat you alot better in return.

Mods, if you feel this is not a worthy topic for rip off Ireland then sorry, but I am curious to get peoples opinions.

Xcom2

Agree 100%

G

chump

Nosense gillo... well half nonsense

I'm always polite to till-people and am more often then not rewarded with hrumphhs, silence, or general bad attitudes... it's become so that it's now a joy when people show even a small bit decency...

for example...
buying headfones recently... "ye a pair of those plezee...., uh these ... yea please.. [thrown at me, hand out for money - i pay - given change ... all without anything else said]

and as for the supermarket folk!

uhh

Sarky

gillo wrote:

a lady walked straight up the the counter, stuck of a €5 note and said "Five Euro",

I would have looked at the note for five seconds before saying "Yes, it certainly is."

And that's why I'll never be put in a retail position.

OfflerCrocGod

So Irish people get ripped off because we are rude?

RainyDay

I never cease to be amazed at how untidy & uncaring lady shoppers get when clothes shopping. While waiting for herself to make up her mind (again), I often notice the 'ladies' just dropping on the floor the item they have been examining - just plain bad manners.

otron

RainyDay wrote:

I never cease to be amazed at how untidy & uncaring lady shoppers get when clothes shopping. While waiting for herself to make up her mind (again), I often notice the 'ladies' just dropping on the floor the item they have been examining - just plain bad manners.

Totally agree .. animals!
The best example of this I've seen is Zara on any Saturday afternoon, looks like a bomb hit it.

bonkey

chump wrote:

Nosense gillo... well half nonsense

I'm always polite to till-people and am more often then not rewarded with hrumphhs, silence, or general bad attitudes... it's become so that it's now a joy when people show even a small bit decency...

Funny you should mention that. Every time I come back to Ireland I am literally staggered by the difference in shop-assistant manners. Some are well mannered, most are sullen and as silent as possible. I've even been looked at strangely for being polite as if to say "what are you trying to pull".

Its no excuse for me to not be polite, though....to that I agree.

jc

Gilgamesh

I am probably going to get my head ripped off for this, but I think the Irish just like to compain in general.
They also nearly allways do the complaining, not to the person who can possibly resolve their problem, but to someone completely different, even if it is the stranger standing next to them in the store.
This country evolves on comlpaining, but they have never set standards on what to complain about. they Put something in their head, what a specific thing has to do, and suddenly the reality doesn't match, what they have imagined in their dreamy dreamy land.
It makes no sense.
If you don't put down everything you expect from something, to the sales person in front of you or don't ask about what happens if?, then don't expect that everybody will be wiping your backside for you.

I have been a Store Manager for quite some time of my life in Germany, and I think I do have to give stick to some of the sales people here.
THERE ARE NOT TRAINED PROPERLY TO DO THEIR JOB. At least a majority of them.
The experience what stuck in my head to date, was when I went looking for a car with a mate.
we went to the Opel dealer near the Liffey Valley shopping centre.
After looking at the cars ourselves for about 10 minutes, as salesrep finally decided to talk to us.
I asked him..... more meant to be a joke...... what the difference was between Opel and Vauxhall? he took the question quite serious and after about 3 minutes, he said, and I quote: 'wouldn't you prefer to drive a car which is called Opel instead of one called Vauxhall?' and that was it.
I have had experiences like this in a few electrical shops (dixons, PC World Peats, etc.) so it isn't really a one off phenomenon. I my self am VERY service orientated and this was allway s my priority as a Sales Manager.
If I heard of customers not been provided with the required info, or complaining, I dealt with the problem, not allways by sacking the sales rep (too expensive) but by talking to them and providing training.
Even if that person was not on the floor for a week because of training, 9 out of 10 times, he woudl come back and do a much better job.
So please, someone tell me, why can't they do this type of thing here.
Nearly all major distributors gladly provide training for the sales people to get knowledge of their products.

Gillo

I think part of the problem shops is, people expect the same service everywhere. I've ended up makeing a career in retail sales, I take it seriously, in the majority of cases I always try to deliver the highest service possible.
Other people work in shops because it's a handy part-time job, they don't care, it's a case of getting money for college, rent, beer etc for them it's a means to an end. YOU CAN'T EXPECT THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE.

samo

gillo wrote:

I think part of the problem shops is, people expect the same service everywhere. I've ended up makeing a career in retail sales, I take it seriously, in the majority of cases I always try to deliver the highest service possible.
Other people work in shops because it's a handy part-time job, they don't care, it's a case of getting money for college, rent, beer etc for them it's a means to an end. YOU CAN'T EXPECT THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE.

would agree with that comment definitly, have worked in different forms of customer service also for nearly 10 years now and definitly the employer if they crap wages or treat staff badly will attract staff that do not care.

Very counter productive for business in my opinion, also problem is worse in city centre, when i worked there came accross the dregs of society and could teach masterclasses in being ignorant so did put you on the defensive. (sorry for generalising but is my experience of working in Dublin city centre for 2 years)

Likewise the nicer someone is to you, the more you will try and accommodate them and there isnt really culture here of recongnising good service only the bad.


That said never forget the year that dealt with a customer in a travel agents who hadnt been that nice to me and wasnt too nice back and they threw me 50 quid for my trouble in looking after them just before xmas eve!

Slutmonkey57b

I always take the mood of the staff to be a good indicator of the way a place is run, unless it's the case that all the staff are happy except one lazy/moaning ****.

If the staff aren't happy you can be sure there's something wrong, and it's probably long-term wrong because retail staff are used to the day-in-day-out type of cr@p their job exposes them to. A shop owner that regularly rips people off or treats everyone like sh!t or sheep will tend to have depressed staff because they get embarassed being identified with the place.THe exception to this is barmen working in nightclubs that overcharge punters for drink, because people that work in the bar trade know that the 3am punters are all total d!ckheads who deserve to be ripped off anyway.

parsi

The shop at the end of my road has 2 types of staff:
1. Older women who always great you with Hello love, how are you love, is that enough love etc
2. Young ones who spend their day talking to each other and only look at the customer to say "2.50" and that's that, no hello, no please, no thank you.

Even the owner is a surly fella who thinks that he is in some way above having to deal with customers and run a shop.

LFCFan

If staff in shops in America treated you the same way I've been treated in some shops in Ireland, they'd be fired on the spot. The Americans take customer service very serious because there is so much competition. Ireland on the other hand doesn't know the meaning of the word competition so stores couldn't give a toss whether the customer is happy because they know if one boycotts there will be someone else to take their place. Until either 1. Ireland's population decreases to 2 million or 2. more competition is encouraged, we are always going to be faced with crap customer service. Saying all that though, there are some places that are very nice to shop because the staff make you feel welcome and are only too happy to help if you need it.

nutkase

LFCFan wrote:

If staff in shops in America treated you the same way I've been treated in some shops in Ireland, they'd be fired on the spot.

The american consumer is a different kettle of fish there is no such thing as second chance. An american consumer makes the assistant run around like a blue arse fly not out of badness though so not taking personally is something that has to be worked on by both person giving the service & the consumer. The bottom line for the worker: I am being paid to be here. Bottom line for the consumer treat the worker as you would want to be treated, and to make sure that when you do get good service (service that justifies the price or makes you think why is it so cheap) to go to the manager and dish out the compliment or if needs be give constructive critism the art of complaining and getting something done about it is take a deep breath and let the manager know what needs to be done to make you come back again.

LFCFan

nutkase wrote:

LFCFan wrote:

If staff in shops in America treated you the same way I've been treated in some shops in Ireland, they'd be fired on the spot.

The american consumer is a different kettle of fish there is no such thing as second chance. An american consumer makes the assistant run around like a blue arse fly not out of badness though so not taking personally is something that has to be worked on by both person giving the service & the consumer. The bottom line for the worker: I am being paid to be here. Bottom line for the consumer treat the worker as you would want to be treated, and to make sure that when you do get good service (service that justifies the price or makes you think why is it so cheap) to go to the manager and dish out the compliment or if needs be give constructive critism the art of complaining and getting something done about it is take a deep breath and let the manager know what needs to be done to make you come back again.

Well, Irish consumers should take a leaf out of the American book of consumer shopping and start voting with their feet. I'm sick of hearing people complain about a shop/pub/restaraunt and then continue to go there depsite their dissatisfaction.

nutkase

LFC: the yanks have a term for those kind of people "whinners" if somenone continues to come back for bad products/services spending thier money they are too lazy to go somewhere else, I have no pity for those people they might be looking for attention and are talking through the wrong end. So to the person who has to put up with that person just smile and remember they are paying you and you do not have to like them just put up with them.

Tommy Vercetti

I HATE those american shop assistants, you go to pay for something and it's all happy and rosy "Did you find what you were looking for ok sir?". Feck off. And it's even worse when they have people following you around asking that. I agree with the original poster though, nothing wrong with a bit of friendliness.