Ultimate Store Policies

[JustADude]

Well, guys, it's been bantered around before, but here's a thread for it. How do you think a shop should be run? To make sure we're comparing apples to apples in our ideas, lets say the place is a gaming/import shop being run out of a strip mall. Feel free to list as many or as few as you want, but remember to consider legality and realism when you're mentioning it:

GOOD Example:
Abusive customers will be given a warning, then ejected and asked not to return.
BAD Example:
Abusive customers will be taken outside and shot.





My own personal items include the GOOD example from above as well as:

* Dress code will be presentable casual. If it's not ratty or trashy, you're fine.
* Staff will be identified through lanyard-badges, since they're so much cooler than name-tags.
* There will always be at least 2 people working for security and boredom reasons.
* Cash or Credit only. Checks are too much of a pain.
* CPS gets called if you dump your kids.

* NO HEELIES!!!!

[Broomjockey]

*Kids caught trashing demo units will first be charged with the price of the unit, then with vandalism.

*No returns without recipt. You can trade in for store credit, but you're getting the value WE place on the game.

*We'll hold an item until the end of business that day if you call in, you don't come in, you takes your chances the next day.

*Closing time does not mean that the doors are locked at that time, it means the last customer is out at that time.

*Hiring practices will include proficiency with the equipment. You must be able to competently play on at least one current-gen system. This helps to ensure that you will be able to adequately assist customers.

*Games ratings will be followed, and explained to parents in great detail when buying games for children. "Resident Evil 4? Awesome game, but you are aware it involves shooting people in the head, people getting killed in extremely bloody fashion with things such as chainsaws, etc. etc."

More if I think of any.

[Jpurple]

* People who request a discount for silly or non-existant reasons will be refused and laughed at. (the staff need a good laugh once in a while)

[JustADude]

* People who request a discount for silly or non-existant reasons will be refused and laughed at. (the staff need a good laugh once in a while)

Especially if they claim to know "the owner" when the owner is standing about 6 feet away giving him a look or, worse yet, pull that card ON the owner.

[Primer]

The customer is NOT always right.

"Corporate Policy" is only a guideline, and individual staff have the power to take care of situations as they arise, as they see fit.

Suspected shoplifters may be detained for the police to deal with, at the discretion of the staff (personal safety first!).

Staff have the right to get back in the cusstomers' faces, and stand up for themselves. (not a typo)

Staffing will be sufficient that everyone will be able to take breaks as scheduled, and/or as necessary.

Management may not foist off any chore that they are unwilling to do themselves, and staff have the right to refuse said chore.

Students' schedules will be respected, especially around exam times.

Incompetent/unwilling staff will not be kept on, regardless of race, creed or any other "special" designation.

Pay will be commensurate with effort, ability, and responsibility.

I'm sure I will think of more later.

[Reyneth]

If the customer insults you, you are permitted to insult them right back.

Phone calls will not be answered until the store is officially open. The answering of the ring will also stop after we are closed.

If customers bypass the menu option for information from a recording about X and instead take the time of a busy employee for the same information about X they will be laughed at and hung up on. And their calls will no longer be answered that day.

Customers may request the time they would like something to be done, but it is only a request. Actual time of completion is solely left to employees doing the work.

[Dreamstalker]

Store policy/employee and owner judgement trumps the customer if there is a dispute.

Answering of the phone stops when the store closes. Just because there's an event going on after closing doesn't mean purchases can still be made. If you're in an event and want to buy something, we'll gladly put it on hold for you.

One employee cannot handle everything, especially when there is an event. At least two people will be working on event nights (for security/boredom/task-completing reasons). The extras can always find something to do. One person doing the job of two (or more) will miss things.

Proof of age is required to even consider going near the shelf of hentai.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Suspected shoplifters may be detained for the police to deal with, at the discretion of the staff (personal safety first!).

Problem with that is, if the suspected shoplifter turns out not to have any merchandise on him/her, they have a slam-dunk false arrest suit against you. You can't apprehend a person based on a suspiscion, you have to have video on them or be following them and you have to keep watching from the point they conceal merchandise to the point they walk out the doors.

Now my policies:

• Raincheck and hold items will be held for 24 hours only. After that, they will be made available to other customers.
• We will spend enough money to ensure sufficient checkout lanes are open for customers. None of this "call other people from the salesfloor to hop on a lane" BS. If we have too many cashiers, they can always help straighten shelves or something.
• We will hire our own people to clean the store every night or morning. We will not contract this job out to companies whose employees do a crappy job.
• If your piece of furniture has a broken part, we will NOT open a new one to get you said part. You will be directed to call the phone number in the instructions to have the part rush-shipped to you.

[Dreamstalker]

--Computer hardware will be the newest that the current software is capable of handling. Employees who are computer-knowledgeable will be listened to if they have concerns about the state of the system....after all, if the register decides to take a nap, we can't sell anything.

--New hires will be assisted by another employee until they're completely comfortable with all expected duties. The firehose training method doesn't work well for some people.

[Dave1982]

*No receipt? NO return, NO exchange, NO credit. NO exceptions under ANY and ALL circumstances!

*All returns are subject to verification. Unless defective, the returned item MUST be in resellable condition.

*WE determine what "resellable" is and if the item meets those criteria.

•We reserve the right to refuse ANY return for ANY reason.

*Returns must be made within [x] days of purchase. NO exceptions under ANY and ALL circumstances!

*You open it; you bought it.

•You break it; you bought it.

•NO HAGGLING! All prices are NON-NEGOTIABLE.

•All merchandise is warrented by the MANUFACTURER.

•Children must be properly supervised while in the store. Any type of running around, horseplay, playing with unpaid merchandise, loud screaming/shouting, etc. is UNACCEPTABLE and will result in ejection from the premises if it is not promptly ceased. Throwing any object in any manner will result in immediate ejection from the premises.

(And since this hypothetical example is a video game store)

•Used media of any type will be inspected and tested before sale.

•Used media sales are FINAL SALES. NO exceptions under ANY and ALL circumstances!

[lordlundar]

---We stand by our service, however, we do not make the console or game, if the customer is beyond the exchange date, then they deal with the manufacturer.

---Extended warranties are optional and should only be promoted if you feel it's worth it.

---Employees who behave like used care salesmen are going to be fired immediately. You're hired on your service ability and knowledge, not your ability to give a hard sell.

[JustADude]

*No receipt? NO return, NO exchange, NO credit. NO exceptions under ANY and ALL circumstances!

...

•NO HAGGLING! All prices are NON-NEGOTIABLE.

Gotta disagree with those two points, Dave. This is a game store after all. We'll give 'em credit alright... TRADE CREDIT!

As for the other... the price of used stuff at a collector's shop is based on the high listing of a thing's value in the trade listings, while the price given in trade is the low listing, which leaves a very nice profit margin.If a guy asks me to shave a few bucks off a big purchase, and it nice about it, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

[Naaman]

Monthly draw for the vendor freebies - you gain tickets by good work and hours

You only wear a promo t-shirt if you think the game's good

We will not tell you how to update drivers, we'll only show you where to go. If we're not getting paid to do it we're not going to take responsibility for it.

When the PC guy tells you that your graphics card is a cheap, onboard POS and that's why your games won't run - listen to him, he doesn't care how new your PC is.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Promotions will be given based on experience and job performance. In short they will be given based on how you do, not who you do.

Hires for management will require experience at our stores or comperable retail experience. Fancy pieces of paper with latin words on them are nice, but college degrees without pertinent retail experience will not suffice to land a job in management. We will promote from within wherever possible.

[Will-Mun]

*Since we do inform all customers of the graphic nature of games/media, and do not SELL those to children, anyone coming in to complain about violent video games will be laughed at.

*Most employees love nothing more than talking about video games for hours... And we will, but if you spend more than an hour in the store without even LOOKING at the products, let alone buying something, you WILL be asked to leave.

*The registers will SHUT DOWN at closing, no sales will be permitted after this time unless it is an employee sale, most of the time we only have time to buy games when the store has closed.

*Cash or Credit only. Your checks will be thrown in the trash. (I know it was mentioned before, it bears repeating.)

*Listen to the employees, if they are trying to explain to you a game was not made for a certain consol (or does not exist at all), listen to him. Go back to your kid and make sure you know what he wants first.

*You are not 12 years old (if you are you will have a parent with you...), if you leave something you decided not to buy somewhere OTHER than where you found it, you will be asked to put it back, or your sale will not be processed.

*The employees do not care if you are 16, or if your birthday is "in just a month!" you will not be permitted to purchase an M rated game unless you have a parent with you saying it's okay.

*Managers have an anual check up for spines... Do not ask to speak with the manager when you know you're wrong, they will not bend.

*The door is locked at closing, and our employees need to clean the store. Do not try to convince them to open the door, they are busy, and will ignore you anyway.

*Closing procedure is important, as is store neatness, though employees do have lives to themselves, and will NOT be permitted to stay more than an hour after store closing.

*Guilt tactics are strictly forbidden from use by managment. If you are short staffed, and an employee you contact to cover has other plans or otherwise cannot make it, attempting to GUILT them into coming in is not permited.

*All employees (including managment) will be permitted one unschedualed personal day per month where they may call out. This will be a paid day, but cannot be on any release dates, special events, fridays, or weekends.