[Octohedral]

(Original post by Ohlavelle)
Nah you were definitely right, I'd have said something as well.
They ARE paid to smile and pack nicely, also we're talking about Marks and Spencers here so you expect a certain level of decency. I'd be appalled at myself if I treated someone like that work.

I want to know how she reacted!

They're really not. Why am I the only person who thinks this poor woman deserves a break?

[Ohlavelle]

(Original post by Octohedral)
Granted she was a bit rude, OP, but you could be a bit more considerate - everyone has bad days, and while good manners might cost nothing, having a smile for every person that goes through your checkout 10 hours a day 300 or so days a year, must be almost impossible.

I disagree. It's not difficult to do your job and smile, the whole point of customer service is that you leave your angst at the door. I've had hellish customer service jobs where I've got home and just wanted to never leave the house again, but you really do have to just take it on the chin - if you can't manage a shift without grumping at customers then goodness knows there are five people who'll have your job that can.

[Ohlavelle]

(Original post by Octohedral)
They're really not. Why am I the only person who thinks this poor woman deserves a break?

Yeah this attitude is not going to get you far in life if you don't think you're paid to put on a decent show for customers.

[x-pixie-lottie-x]

i dont think it was wrong of you at all
i wouldnt have done it myself but id of been ranting in my head. I really really hate it when people start serving the next person before you've collected all your stuff usually in clothes shops they pack your bags for you ... but to not do yours then do the next persons seems rather weird...
x

[plimsolls]

(Original post by buildalegohouse)
Absolutely not. The women that work in my local Asda have faces like flat-packed steel. Realy bugs me sometimes, good manners don't cost anything.

It's probably because the job is the sort that makes you want to kill yourself, and hate all people.

[Riderz]

(Original post by jo d)
lol.. read up on customer service theory/practice. A server doesn't necessarily have that discretion.

I work in a customer facing environment, and yes, a server defiantly does have that discretion. If you are polite to us, then we will do the best we can to help you, if you are rude, arrogant, pompous or just 'expect' things without so much as a thankyou you will get the minimum level of service we can get away with.

You would be amazed how many times waitress, bar staff etc walk into the kitchen and shout '****ing customers'...

[OMGWTFBBQ]

(Original post by Octohedral)
They're really not. Why am I the only person who thinks this poor woman deserves a break?

She deserves a break in her own, unpaid time. Just like everyone else.

Good on you OP. If nobody says anything, customer service would just continue to deteriorate.

[Octohedral]

(Original post by Ohlavelle)
I disagree. It's not difficult to do your job and smile, the whole point of customer service is that you leave your angst at the door. I've had hellish customer service jobs where I've got home and just wanted to never leave the house again, but you really do have to just take it on the chin - if you can't manage a shift without grumping at customers then goodness knows there are five people who'll have your job that can.
---
Yeah this attitude is not going to get you far in life if you don't think you're paid to put on a decent show for customers.

Out of interest, are you talking from the point of view of full-time work? I'll admit I'm only a student who's had lots of weekend supermarket jobs, but I found them hellish, and I was only defending you people

As a customer, I can live without 'customer service' - I can pack my own bags - so I'd cut her some slack. Other people might want it, but I think complaining is very small-minded.

[RandomPeopleDancin]

(Original post by Octohedral)
Have you ever worked in a job like that? Do you have any idea how many pompous, irritable, self-righteous people have probably just passed in front of her eyes in the last few hours, treating her like nothing more than a servant?

"The customer is always right" comes from the management - it's just asking the employees to do more for less. In fact, it got quoted at us so often at my last job that we were officially told that "the customer is not always right", and whilst we should be polite and go out of our way to help them, it's a business and they can't use it to get free stuff.

Granted she was a bit rude, OP, but you could be a bit more considerate - everyone has bad days, and while good manners might cost nothing, having a smile for every person that goes through your checkout 10 hours a day 300 or so days a year, must be almost impossible.

I totally get that the public can be right nasty pieces of work sometimes. Personally I wouldn't have gotten annoyed but OP decided to, which is whithin their rights.
(Didn't try to put it that it was her fault or duty to be nice-just put in a clutzy way to make it sound like that )

[Steevee]

As someone who works on a checkout quite a lot, I can say that it can be very difficult to keep up a top quality level of customer service all the time.

When you're having a bad day, it's busy, you haven't managed to take your breaks and you're at the end of an 8 hour shift that started at 6AM, believe me, it can be trying. Especially when customers act like entitled ass hats. Not that I'm saying OP was, but a lot do.

The way I see it, put your self in their shoes, honestly try to see things from their side of the counter, consider the stresses they may be under, and then if you still feel what they did was an unforgivable breech of conduct, you have a right to complain. But to be honest, if you've never worked such a role you really have no idea. I serve with a polite manner, engage in conversation and offer all the help I can 95% of the time, but that other 5% of the time, well, it can be trying.

[Octohedral]

(Original post by RandomPeopleDancin)
I totally get that the public can be right nasty pieces of work sometimes. Personally I wouldn't have gotten annoyed but OP decided to, which is whithin their rights.
(Didn't try to put it that it was her fault or duty to be nice-just put in a clutzy way to make it sound like that )

Sorry, it reminded me of work. I didn't mean to take it out on you

[RandomPeopleDancin]

(Original post by Octohedral)
Sorry, it reminded me of work. I didn't mean to take it out on you

Its ok. As my Mum works as a Dental Hygeinist within the NHS it is awful; patients who don't turn up for 5 or 6 years expect brilliant teeth with a 15 minute appointment, half of them turm up late and on top of all that is the arrogance etc. I feel sorry for people who work with the public. If only they were all nice...*day-dreams*.

[Ohlavelle]

(Original post by Octohedral)
Out of interest, are you talking from the point of view of full-time work? I'll admit I'm only a student who's had lots of weekend supermarket jobs, but I found them hellish, and I was only defending you people

Haha, I've done part-time as a student, full time as a student (that was fun) and full time in a year that I've taken before university so I've seen all sides of it really. It doesn't get any easier the more you're there :P

[Jallenbah]

To be honest I don't like when they pack my stuff into bags. I always feel a bit sheepish when I'm stood there doing nothing while they are doing it.

[Mr Dangermouse]

(Original post by Steevee)
As someone who works on a checkout quite a lot, I can say that it can be very difficult to keep up a top quality level of customer service all the time.

When you're having a bad day, it's busy, you haven't managed to take your breaks and you're at the end of an 8 hour shift that started at 6AM, believe me, it can be trying. Especially when customers act like entitled ass hats. Not that I'm saying OP was, but a lot do.

The way I see it, put your self in their shoes, honestly try to see things from their side of the counter, consider the stresses they may be under, and then if you still feel what they did was an unforgivable breech of conduct, you have a right to complain. But to be honest, if you've never worked such a role you really have no idea. I serve with a polite manner, engage in conversation and offer all the help I can 95% of the time, but that other 5% of the time, well, it can be trying.

I agree.


Being a sales assistant is a lot harder than it looks.

[Playa10]

(Original post by jo d)
lol.. read up on customer service theory/practice. A server doesn't necessarily have that discretion.

calm down you pompous ****

[oneperson]

(Original post by jo d)
I was buying some items and the cashier after scanning them just dumped my stuff next to the bags and moved on to the next customer. She even started placing her items in bags. I said "excuse me, but is that customer service?"

Was this wrong?

As in the cashier starting packing the next person's bags but didn't pack yours? If so I could see why it might be annoying but I feel we are missing some context here. Also surely after finishing scanning your items the cashier then asked you to pay and only after that moved onto the next person. If there is a long queue or they are short staffed then moving on afterwards makes sense tbh, and you could always pack your bags before paying if you want to make sure you can walk away straight after. I really don't see what the problem is.

[marky--mark]

(Original post by Riderz)
I work in a customer facing environment, and yes, a server defiantly does have that discretion. If you are polite to us, then we will do the best we can to help you, if you are rude, arrogant, pompous or just 'expect' things without so much as a thankyou you will get the minimum level of service we can get away with.

You would be amazed how many times waitress, bar staff etc walk into the kitchen and shout '****ing customers'...

Indeed. I am one of those bar staff. People expect so much stuff for free and we have to give it to them, within reason, because our profit margins are so high that the company would rather lose stock and gain repeat custom. It makes for quite a few people complaining just to see what they can screw out of us.

To be honest, OP, if she'd actually said something rude, I could just about understand the point of this thread. Moving on to the next guy before you were done may have been slightly unprofessional, but it's really not much of a thing to get annoyed about and if someone did something like that to me at work I'd be thinking of them as pretty arrogant.

[taamuuu]

Oh dear. Which Marks & Spencers was this at?

[EonBlueApocalypse]

I don't see what the problem is. Did you get annoyed because you didn't get your bags packed for you or is it the fact that you didn't get a complimentary blow-job after you'd paid?