Most outdated training materials

[Becks]

The book also had a 5-star rating on Amazon, until some of us came along and threw in our own

I looked it up on Amazon once. Some of the book reviews bash the users of this site. (I assume, since they used a euphemism...

[Worker-Intellectual]

I'd like to see him work as a cashier for one day.

SC: "Why is that coming up $39.99? It's supposed to be $9.99! Are you stupid or something?"
Pickle guy: "Oh, I'm sorry *Overrides price*"

The next day:

Boss: "Pickle guy, why did you give a customer a 75% discount today?"
Pickle guy: "They said it was $9.99 and I was giving them the pickle."
Boss: "You're fired."

[Jester]

It may well be a sign of The Apocalypse, but I am going to attempt to be the Voice of Dissent and (dare I say it?) Reason here.

In fact, I am going to agree with Mr. Farrell. To a point.

See, I have been in restaurants where you ask for a little something extra, and they charge you for Every Little Thing. They basically nickle and dime you to death. Someone wants a little extra salsa? Give it to them. More pickles? Sure. Extra mayo, why not? Giving the customer a little something extra if they ask for it is not only not a bad thing, but good customer relations. You as a business don't seem cheap and stingy and miserly, and the customer has a good impression of your establishment and returns. And tells their friends. THAT I agree with, wholeheartedly. As a server, I have hated when I have had to tell people that we are going to have to charge them a few piddly cents extra for something minor. It is embarrassing, and it looks like what it is: cheap.

Now, that being said, this goes for giving them a little something extra, for not nickling and diming them to death. They want a steak for the price of a burger? Not happening. They want a $40 popular book for the same price as a $10 clearance bin paperback? Not happening. They want to add a caesar salad to their meal and not pay anything extra? Not happening. They want two free beers? Not freakin' happening.

See, there is a major difference between not nickling and diming the customer to death (which was the message I got off that pickle website) and giving them whatever they want no matter how unreasonable. From what I could see, Farrell was advocating the former, not the latter.

I must make the disclaiming statement that I have never seen any of these videos, and prior to a few moments ago, I had never heard of this Farrell character, nor about his pickle philosophy. For all I know, he could be nuttier than Ross Perot on a Halcyon binge. He may actually BE advocating the second part of my above paragraph. If he is, screw him. He is an idiot. Be that as it may, I still believe that the philosophy *I* inferred from his site is a valid one, is good customer relations, and is excellent business sense. It is being able to see the big picture without being blinded by the petty numbers of the bottom line, which is not always correct.

At least, those are my thoughts on the subject. As with everything else in life, I reserve the right to be completely and horribly wrong. If I am, feel free to let me know by writing a note to that effect on a hundred dollar bill, and I will make sure to read that note while I am spending said C note at one of my favorite watering holes. Where they DON'T nickle and dime their valued customers to death!

[Worker-Intellectual]

Oh...my...god

They sell Bob Farrell Bobbleheads for $19.95

I don't want to meet whoever buys a pickle guy bobblehead

[Depot Denizen]

I see what the good man Jester is saying, and I agree. It's good to give customers that little extra, it tends to make them come back and spend more money, and attract more business.

[Sofar]

A lovely piece of wisdom, but not worth eight hundred dollars, and not really worth idealizing someone. Or even remembering his name. Plus, it's not exactly something I've never heard before. We're supposed to charge a quarter for a side of ranch dressing or tartar sauce, (it's a big cup,) but Boss-Man says don't hesitate to give one for free. It's just dressing.

We don't charge anything for pickles though.

[Tuxian]

I must make the disclaiming statement that I have never seen any of these videos, and prior to a few moments ago, I had never heard of this Farrell character, nor about his pickle philosophy. For all I know, he could be nuttier than Ross Perot on a Halcyon binge. He may actually BE advocating the second part of my above paragraph. If he is, screw him. He is an idiot. Be that as it may, I still believe that the philosophy *I* inferred from his site is a valid one, is good customer relations, and is excellent business sense. It is being able to see the big picture without being blinded by the petty numbers of the bottom line, which is not always correct.

Having been subjected to the video tape, I can say that while what he _intends_ is the former, Jester (the origin of the story is a woman who just wanted some more pickles, nothing wrong with that). HOWEVER. The method that he has evolved, and the stories he tells as part of his philosophy, have SC written in bright neon letters all over. He basically tells anyone in customer service that we are there only to cater to the whims of the customer (Oh, I'm sorry, The Boss) and bend over backwards to give them what they want.

Let's look at one of his examples. Those of you who work food service probably have experienced this scenario. It's a time of day where you are either short-staffed, and thus have a certain area of the restaurant closed due to not having any servers able to cover that area.

In through the door walk two well-dressed men, and the host informs them that there is a wait time for a table (as all tables in the areas that are open are full). They are unhappy about this, and begin to question why the rest of the floor isn't open. They then ask to be allowed to sit and wait in the closed section, so they can be right there when a table opens up. Seems reasonable, and so the host shows them to a table, and they sit down to wait.

Only, waiting isn't what is on the one man's mind. He has decided he will be eating now, not when the restaurant is able to open a table for him. He takes out his cell phone, and has a pizza delivered to the store.

This is one of the stories he regales an audience with in the 18 minute video. And the audience, made up of suits from various companies, LAUGH AT THIS.

I find nothing funny about the situation, and think it shows an enormous lack of respect from this man.

So, yes. While the philosophy of "If it's something simple, do it and make the customer happy" is valid, he takes it to the other extreme, of "The Customer should be waited on hand and foot."

[MadMike]

And let's not forget about the part about breaking one of the pens loose from its chain at the bank.

I'm all for giving the customer what they want within reason. But some of the examples clearly cross the line.

[Sofar]

Wait, is that why there's never a Ü?黫¡? pen on the end of those â¶?ç¢ñ chains? As a bank teller it is your responisibilty to guard that pen from theives so I have something with which to endorse my ƒ¥«£¿¡Ç paycheck. I'll give them pickles and I'll give them ranch dressing but I draw the line at the pen.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Let's look at one of his examples. Those of you who work food service probably have experienced this scenario. It's a time of day where you are either short-staffed, and thus have a certain area of the restaurant closed due to not having any servers able to cover that area.

In through the door walk two well-dressed men, and the host informs them that there is a wait time for a table (as all tables in the areas that are open are full). They are unhappy about this, and begin to question why the rest of the floor isn't open. They then ask to be allowed to sit and wait in the closed section, so they can be right there when a table opens up. Seems reasonable, and so the host shows them to a table, and they sit down to wait.

Only, waiting isn't what is on the one man's mind. He has decided he will be eating now, not when the restaurant is able to open a table for him. He takes out his cell phone, and has a pizza delivered to the store.

And the manager of the restaurant didn't toss his keister out into the street because...?

You're in my restaurant, you're going to eat and pay for my food.

a pen from a bank with their logo on it (that he saw, wanted, and then ripped off the chain that attached it to the counter and took)

Alrighty then, let's try an experiment. Let's walk into a store, grab an ipod, stuff it in our pocket and walk briskly out the door. When loss prevention stops us, we start throwing a shitfit:

"I AM THE CUSTOMER AND I WANT THIS IPOD! SO YOU WILL LET ME HAVE IT! I AM THE CUSTOMER AND I AM THE BOSS!"

This Farrell guy is an asshat of the highest order, and certainly not the kind of customer anybody needs. Giving somebody extra condiments is one thing. Ripping off businesses because you are the customer and they owe it to you is quite another.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

$795 a video!!!! Holy crap, this guy is making a killing off morons who shouldn't be running a business and have no idea what a bottom line is!

Kinda calls to mind the saying about a fool and his money.

[MadMike]

Kinda calls to mind the saying about a fool and his money.

My thoughts exacty. But I've often wondered how said fool managed to obtain the money in the first place.

[SuperDan]

My thoughts exacty. But I've often wondered how said fool managed to obtain the money in the first place.

Here's my idea: Go to one of his conferences. You've already paid the entrance fee, therefore you're already a customer. Go to the merch table and say (as loudly as possible and at a time when as many people as possible are around) that you are a customer and it's absolutely horrible that he charges so much for those training tapes, and that you are HIS BOSS and he needs to give you three training tapes for free NOW.

Bonus points if you can get media attention while doing this.