Bad experience at Chapters Bookshop Parnell Street, Dublin 1.

echo beach

VisionaryP wrote: »

I'd just like to say well done to the staff member in Chapters Bookstore who refused to allow my 7 year old nephew (who was in obvious distress) to use the bathroom yesterday afternoon, even though we had just made a purchase. Absolute stellar customer service there, well done!

Sounds harsh but unless there are toilets provided for customer use the staff member was correct. Customers can't go into the staff area of any shop. Public liability insurance only covers customers in the public area and unfortunately personal belongings and stock have been stolen from shops by people whose child wanted to go to the toilet.

cloudatlas

echo beach wrote: »

Sounds harsh but unless there are toilets provided for customer use the staff member was correct. Customers can't go into the staff area of any shop. Public liability insurance only covers customers in the public area and unfortunately personal belongings and stock have been stolen from shops by people whose child wanted to go to the toilet.

If the person is elderly or a child surely exceptions to the rule should be made.

Bottleopener

Clemenza wrote: »

Really? That's ridiculous. Some people are arseholes

I really wish some people would put themselves in the shoes of the shop assistant before making a statement like this. I work part time in retail and I know for a fact that I'd face disciplinary action if I allowed someone into the staff area without informing a manager, and managers aren't on duty 24/7, often there'll just be a supervisor whos in the same position. It's stupid, I know, and I'm sure the guy who refused toilet access felt pretty bad about it, but in reality theres nothing he could do about it. If something went wrong hes the one who'd be held totally responsible.

5uspect

I'll never understand why people expect a business, with the exception of restaurants et al. to provide you with toilets?

For future reference there are toilets right across the street in the Ilac Center behind McDonald's:
http://www.ilac.ie/?s=toilets

GCU Flexible Demeanour

In fairness, their second hand science fiction section is huge. I've no opinion on staff, because all I've ever done is paid them for whatever I'm getting. Took the money, gave the change. I can't even remember what the till operator looked like, but I think she was a girl.

But, in fairness to them, that second hand section is a place you could easily waste a morning.

Agent J

cloudatlas wrote: »

If the person is elderly or a child surely exceptions to the rule should be made.

Try telling that to the insurance company if said elderly or child takes a fall in the staff toilet.

bumper234

cloudatlas wrote: »

If the person is elderly or a child surely exceptions to the rule should be made.

Who takes the child? Do you insist on going in as well? Now the staff member has 2 members of the public in an area they are not supposed to be and double the risk of something going missing. I know you will say he was obviously in distress but hey he could be a great actor and we all know people are not adverse to using children as a prop for robbery. Or maybe you think staff member should have escorted him? But then who is going to let a young child out of their sight with a stranger right?

hooplah

There are also issues of staff privacy. In my last workplace the only toilets for staff were on the other side of a locker and changing area. People on breaks or changing into work clothes should have some privacy. If staff are storing personal belongings (including wallets, phones etc) behind a secure door they would understandably be unhappy with non staff having access.

I know its rough for customers caught short, and maybe more places should have public toilets, but I don't think its fair to expect to be able to access staff facilities.

bumper234

There was a thread recently about this (i think it's in AH i cant link as am on a temp holiday from there ) if some one wants to link there some guy reckons ALL shops should hav3 public bathroo.s.

cloudatlas

bumper234 wrote: »

Who takes the child? Do you insist on going in as well? Now the staff member has 2 members of the public in an area they are not supposed to be and double the risk of something going missing. I know you will say he was obviously in distress but hey he could be a great actor and we all know people are not adverse to using children as a prop for robbery. Or maybe you think staff member should have escorted him? But then who is going to let a young child out of their sight with a stranger right?

Used to work in retail and I let children with an adult and old people go to the toilet all the time. Why? Well I suppose because it's just down right cruel not to let an older gent who may piss his pants in public go to the bathroom. Of course I see your point, unfortunately when you're in these situations you can't help but bend the rules a little.

bumper234

cloudatlas wrote: »

Used to work in retail and I let children with an adult and old people go to the toilet all the time. Why? Well I suppose because it's just down right cruel not to let an older gent who may piss his pants in public go to the bathroom. Of course I see your point, unfortunately when you're in these situations you can't help but bend the rules a little.

And if after one of those visits you realised stock or cash was missing would you still be as accepting? I understand why you did it and maybe where you worked had the facilities to allow this but some places only have staff toilets. These are usually located near staff lockers/canteen, managers office or stock rooms These locations hold money, personal belongings and stock and i am sure if any of those items went missing then you wouldn't have a job for much longer.

cloudatlas

bumper234 wrote: »

And if after one of those visits you realised stock or cash was missing would you still be as accepting? I understand why you did it and maybe where you worked had the facilities to allow this but some places only have staff toilets. These are usually located near staff lockers/canteen, managers office or stock rooms These locations hold money, personal belongings and stock and i am sure if any of those items went missing then you wouldn't have a job for much longer.

Yes I agree I knew the 'by the book' action to take. Actually on one occasion my boss reprimanded me for not allowing someone use the staff toilets. Yes they could have climbed four sets of stairs and reached the staff room lockers and taken their chances there if no one in the staff room had seen them. My point is theory is always different to practice, the world or work requires some flexibility.

Anyway back on topic I was in Chapters the other day. Yer man was grumping away on the customer service desk but everyone I came into contact with was courteous. Their collection is not that good. Great history and literature section but the rest was poor. Hodges is far better.

dukedalton

cloudatlas wrote: »

Anyway back on topic I was in Chapters the other day. Yer man was grumping away on the customer service desk but everyone I came into contact with was courteous. Their collection is not that good. Great history and literature section but the rest was poor. Hodges is far better.

Hodges doesn't have a whopper second hand section though.

I was in there on Monday and was surprised by the large number of floor staff they had, not doing a whole lot other than re-arranging stacks of books that didn't need to be re-arranged, etc. I had to wait at the till for about five minutes before I was served, so evidently they aren't till trained.

GCU Flexible Demeanour

dukedalton wrote: »

Hodges doesn't have a whopper second hand section though.

That's the size of it. I'd agree the new books section is nothing special. But the second hand selection is quite remarkable.

teire01

How much roughly are they paying for second hand CDs?

Toby Take a Bow

dukedalton wrote: »

Hodges doesn't have a whopper second hand section though.

I was in there on Monday and was surprised by the large number of floor staff they had, not doing a whole lot other than re-arranging stacks of books that didn't need to be re-arranged, etc. I had to wait at the till for about five minutes before I was served, so evidently they aren't till trained.

There's a lot more than 're-arranging' stacks of books to do in a bookshop. I would say they were probably putting out stock, collecting books for returns, or organising a company sale. But yeah, a bookseller should always be aware of people wanting to purchase. It's only been on the rare occasion that I have waited anything more than a minute for service in Hodges (or most bookshops) so you may have just been unlucky.

dukedalton

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

There's a lot more than 're-arranging' stacks of books to do in a bookshop. I would say they were probably putting out stock, collecting books for returns, or organising a company sale. But yeah, a bookseller should always be aware of people wanting to purchase. It's only been on the rare occasion that I have waited anything more than a minute for service in Hodges (or most bookshops) so you may have just been unlucky.

From what I saw, they were just keeping themselves busy. They weren't stacking shelves or putting new stock out; they were literally walking around touching off books that were already out. They looked foreign to me, perhaps they are students working there for the summer. Anyway, it's not a big deal, I don't mind waiting a minute or two to be served.

Toby Take a Bow

dukedalton wrote: »

From what I saw, they were just keeping themselves busy. They weren't stacking shelves or putting new stock out; they were literally walking around touching off books that were already out. They looked foreign to me, perhaps they are students working there for the summer. Anyway, it's not a big deal, I don't mind waiting a minute or two to be served.

No, they weren't students there for the summer, bookshops wouldn't hire people during the quiet months. They may have been 'touching' off books, I would say they were checking for returns so.

dukedalton

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

No, they weren't students there for the summer, bookshops wouldn't hire people during the quiet months. They may have been 'touching' off books, I would say they were checking for returns so.

Quiet months? Summer? At the height of the tourist season?

Beginning to wish I filmed my visit,

Toby Take a Bow

dukedalton wrote: »

Quiet months? Summer? At the height of the tourist season?

Beginning to wish I filmed my visit,

Yup, quiet months. Busy times for bookshops are Christmas and the beginning of the academic term (for places like Hodges).

cloud493

Chapters don't sell text books do they?

Sulla Felix

They sell a limited amount of second hand ones upstairs. Mainly law I think.

listen_lady

I agree with the OP about the attitude problem.

One particular clerk gave me a really hard time because I bought a copy of "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

Something about her being responsible for "a lot of ill feeling in the world"...

You would've sworn I was a skinhead buying "Mein Kampf" or something, the way he spoke to me.

GCU Flexible Demeanour

listen_lady wrote: »

One particular clerk gave me a really hard time because I bought a copy of "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

Just read the book, and you won't give a toss what the clerk said.

Jowlsy

listen_lady wrote: »

I agree with the OP about the attitude problem.

One particular clerk gave me a really hard time because I bought a copy of "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

Something about her being responsible for "a lot of ill feeling in the world"...

You would've sworn I was a skinhead buying "Mein Kampf" or something, the way he spoke to me.

I had a similar experience with a man in there a couple of years ago. Superiority complex and very rude. I was in there the other week to buy a book and he was still the same, incredibly obnoxious. I don't know how he is still allowed deal with people. I decided i'll go to elsewhere or just buy online after that. I like to support local shops but not if the staff treat customers like crap.

ixoy

Jowlsy wrote: »

I had a similar experience with a man in there a couple of years ago. Superiority complex and very rude. I was in there the other week to buy a book and he was still the same, incredibly obnoxious.

It's most likely the same guy that everyone is talking about in the thread. Floor manager and been so for many years. Any others I've dealt with have been nice.

Jimmy Iovine

I'm pretty sure that I bumped into this guy whilst in there last week. I asked him about a book and received three or four sarcastic remarks in the 45 seconds or so I was speaking to him.

They were caustic comments. Totally designed to stamp down on me with a sense of superiority.

I was fuming after it. I was with my girlfriend and I had to walk to the far end of the shop to calm down.

I've never experienced such a nasty put down. Excuse my French, but it was ****ing incredible. The worst customer service I've ever experienced. I simply enquired about a book and I received a pasting. Four days later and it's still bothering me.

I have gone in there every time I've been to Dublin over the last two years and I've recommended them to my Dad as well. I'll be seriously considering giving them my custom ever again.

I am tempted though to go in there and try him one more time but put him back in his box completely. Either that or call him a wanker. I'll probably opt for the latter option. It is true after all.

If anyone from Chapters is reading this, fire that guy immediately and make sure he never works anywhere again. He shouldn't be allowed out into the daylight to speak to people.

Mardy Bum

From reading the posts the "guy" has a startling resemblance to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9cP-1kC3So

dukedalton

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that I bumped into this guy whilst in there last week. I asked him about a book and received three or four sarcastic remarks in the 45 seconds or so I was speaking to him.

They were caustic comments. Totally designed to stamp down on me with a sense of superiority.

I was fuming after it. I was with my girlfriend and I had to walk to the far end of the shop to calm down.

I've never experienced such a nasty put down. Excuse my French, but it was ****ing incredible. The worst customer service I've ever experienced. I simply enquired about a book and I received a pasting. Four days later and it's still bothering me.

I have gone in there every time I've been to Dublin over the last two years and I've recommended them to my Dad as well. I'll be seriously considering giving them my custom ever again.

I am tempted though to go in there and try him one more time but put him back in his box completely. Either that or call him a wanker. I'll probably opt for the latter option. It is true after all.

If anyone from Chapters is reading this, fire that guy immediately and make sure he never works anywhere again. He shouldn't be allowed out into the daylight to speak to people.

Could you go into specifics as to what was said?

ordinary_girl

Anyone have any idea how picky Chapters are about second-hand books? I have unearthed a lot of old (but still in very good condition) teen fiction books that I'd like to get rid of. I haven't sold any books in Chapters in years, the last time I did was when the store was in Abbey Street! Tempted to send them an email with a list of titles to see if they'd be interested in taking them so I don't have to carry them through town just to be refused. Does anyone know if they reply to emails? And where is the nightmarish manager everyone here's talking about, I want to be sure to avoid him if I can!