Kill me.

[iradney]

I'm sooo glad we don't have that problem here. The most they'll do is ask if I have "storecard" and when I say no, they leave it at that. Of course, they do have flyers and posters and whatnot advertising the card, but that I can choose to disregard!

[Bloodsoul]

The store I work for has these "internet coupons" that you can have e-mailed to you, which you print out, clip (though most customers forget that part), and use to save money. Although we're required to tell the customers about this, I've completely stopped; from past experiences such as those mentioned I know for a fact that having to hear this again and again gets annoying after awhile. Just because they don't want the coupons now doesn't mean they'll want the coupons later. That, and whenever I asked people if they would like to save money with the coupons, 90% if the time the answer was "no" or some such thing.

Now, of course, if someone expresses interest on their own, I've no problems with telling them about it. I just don't like the idea of all but forcing it into the customer's face. I mean the sign-up sheet and mini-poster is right infront of them, anyway, next to the little nicknaks we sell, so...

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Speaking from the viewpoint of a sales associate, we'd rather not have to ask customers about signing up for the store credit card, but those in the corporate offices set goals for credit card applications, and we sales associates are the ones who are put under pressure to meet these goals and get blamed if this doesn't happen. We ARE supposed to be asking every customer, but I don't always do so, nor do I ever keep harping on the subject.

I know. And I am not unsympathetic to the fact that often management is a bigger pain than most of the customers. So I try to be polite. But really, it's not my problem and I'm only going to put up with so much disrespect and rudeness. And it's disrespectful and rude to keep harping after I've politely said I'm not interested. That's just taking advantage of my attempt to remain polite. The only way I can stave off the harping and badgering is to be hostile and rude from the get-go, and that's not cool.

It's just this sort of policy that basically GENERATES Sucky Customers. It's makes pissed off customers out of otherwise happy and pleasant ones.

[hawkchick11]

When I worked at Best Buy, they always had really good numbers for people getting approved for the credit card ( I don't know if they just gave them out to anyone or what) but if they didn't have that many applications taken that day, one of the managers would start asking the employees if they had signed up for one yet... Thank god I wasn't the only one who refused to apply.

I was so happy that Aero didn't have a store card, although we would constantly have people asking us if we did... "But Old Navy/Gap/Abercrombie/etc has a credit card!" yeah well we don't. I'm pretty sure they probably will get one eventually.

I'm also fairly certain I didn't get the management job at Old Navy because I didn't sign up for their card... I purchased a few things after my interview and the cashier was really trying to force me to get the card... the funny thing was, I had thought about getting one since I shopped there only about once every couple of months, not for large purchases, so I would have been able to pay the card off in full... but since she was being a bitch about the card, I didn't do it. They never called me back even though they said they would no matter what.

[Boozy]

I stopped shopping at Canada's major department store chain because of this crap. I was nagged every single bloody time I went in there to get a store card, and finally, I caved and got one, thinking I could then shop in peace. Problem solved, right?

No.

Now I could say, "I've already got one" when asked if I wanted to apply for a credit card, but that wasn't the end of it. Now they started nagging me to put the purchase ON the credit card, even though I had cash in hand. So I decided, that's it, they have successfully run off a good customer by getting too greedy. I am never shopping here again. And that's the end of that, right?

No.

Then the calls started. "You need job-loss insurance on your card." No, I don't. I do not and have never used the card and never plan to. "You need [some other useless and overly expensive service]" No, I truly don't.

I can't complain to the cashier. I can't complain to the telemarketers. Its not their fault. Its the fault of those greedy and cowardly corporate assholes who never get confronted because they hide behind young, innocent, underpaid workers.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

[Pezzle]

Heh. I begged once. Shame on me.

"I might lose my job if I don't get one more app today... which means I'm out a place to live. y'sure?"

I was speaking sincerely.
That was not a made up spiel.

I was very depressed.

[MadMike]

Then the calls started. "You need job-loss insurance on your card." No, I don't. I do not and have never used the card and never plan to. "You need [some other useless and overly expensive service]" No, I truly don't.

I used to get the same thing when I had a credit card for a now-defunct company that I mentioned in another thread. I tried not to get nasty with them, as they were just doing their job, but after being woke up early on a few Saturday mornings, having my son woke up when he was still a baby and I had just got him down for a nap, and getting called by them three times in the same week, my patience pretty much wore thin. It was the latter that made me go off on them, and they finally stopped calling after that. However, the damage was already done, and I ended up paying off the card, cancelling it, and never setting foot in the place again.

I think, more than anything, what pissed me off was the presumptuous behavior on their part. They never asked me if I wanted to sign up for the insurance; rather, they told me they were going to send the forms for me to fill out. I told them, in no uncertain terms, that no, they were not. If they did, it was going straight into the trash.

I certainly didn't shed any tears when the whole company went under.

[katie kaboom]

In all the times I have been asked if I would like to open a store card, I've only had one employee get snippy with me. It was an elderly woman at Macy's. She asked me if I wanted to save 10%. Since I knew what was coming, I said I wasn't interested. She rudely replied, "You didn't let me finish."

ugh, i work at Macy's now and they basically tell us if the person says no the first time, keep talking it up. We're supposed to tell people about all the deals/discounts they will get with the card.

No, sorry, not gonna do it. Look, if people want to apply for the freakin card they will. But if they don't want to, you can talk to them till your blue in the face and they STILL won't want it. And then they'll be pissed off at you to boot. And i don't blame them, i really don't. Honestly, there have been stores i'm hesitant to shop at because i know they're just going to badger me into applying for their credit card. It drives me up the wall that corporate is too stupid/stubborn/greedy to care that they are pissing off their customers (and in the long run, probably doing more harm than good.)

Macy's acts like they're going to go out of business if we don't get every single person that walks through the door to apply for the credit card. And that's just not true and we all know it. They shove it down our throats CONSTANTLY. All we ever hear about is "gotta get credit, gotta get it, we need everyone to get 2 apps today." Now most times i don't get 2 apps in two weeks, so to expect it every day? Forget it. For the love of god just forget it!

I want to tell these idiots that the more they push us to get credit, the less most people want to bother. I would bet money if they eased up on the whole credit issue, they'd actually end up getting MORE apps, because the employees wouldn't feel so pressured to get the damn things. But nooooooooooo, that might actually make sense, and we all know the rule about something that makes sense.
*rant over....for now anyway*

[CrazedClerk]

I can't complain to the cashier. I can't complain to the telemarketers. Its not their fault. Its the fault of those greedy and cowardly corporate assholes who never get confronted because they hide behind young, innocent, underpaid workers.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

I'm glad some people understand.

I had to sell Loyalty cards at my old job, we had to sell two a week at minimum and we got ZERO commission on them, yet we were constantly badgered to make our goals.

But I NEVER bother with store credit cards.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

At this point, because they are all so persistent, they are much like telemarketers: I don't care if I think it sounds like a good deal on something I want...I will never, ever respond positively. Ever. A guy trying to get me to sign up for a credit card has exactly 0% chance of succeeding. 0%. That's less chance of me being struck by lightning. That's less chance of me AND the clerk being struck at the same time by the same bolt.

0% chance of success. All because they have decided to browbeat me. I've had them in the past, back before clerks were pressured to pressure me. No more now.

[MoonChild2007]

I hope one of these days that customers will complain to management about this.
I can't blame them if they do. Its not fair to them cause see, these are human beings NOT mindless robots ( well, some of them are) will say, "Yes, sure, why not!". Its also very rude. If a person asked me to do something that i didn't want, I would say NO! If they keep bagdering me, I will kick their ass.

In matter of fact, my manager tells me if I get a card rejection, I have to call somebody over to CONVINCE them to get it. Come on, if they say no to me, what the hell makes her think they will yes to them?

Its not my damn fault that a person doesn't want something!

[Killer Bees]

I hate it when they sales people ask for postcodes (zipcodes) at the check out.

I understand they have to do it, but it's still annoying and I say so on the customer satisfaction survey.

I know they won't be putting up a store in my neck of the suburbian woods, so I just give them the main city's code. A lot of people live in the apartments in the city, so they never look at me funny.

When I lived in Canada for a few years, at Zellers they'd ask me if I wanted one of their store cards. Because of my Aussie accent they wouldn't push me when I said no. I guess they just assumed I was a tourist.

[Titi]

I know. And I am not unsympathetic to the fact that often management is a bigger pain than most of the customers. So I try to be polite. But really, it's not my problem and I'm only going to put up with so much disrespect and rudeness. And it's disrespectful and rude to keep harping after I've politely said I'm not interested. That's just taking advantage of my attempt to remain polite. The only way I can stave off the harping and badgering is to be hostile and rude from the get-go, and that's not cool.

It's just this sort of policy that basically GENERATES Sucky Customers. It's makes pissed off customers out of otherwise happy and pleasant ones.

I understand this too, but at the same time gripe to the people in charge, not too the associates whom are just doing their job. If that is the only way you can deal with it then IMHO you are becoming an SC.

I used to be the same way, (even though I had worked in retail) until a situation happened with my mother and I at a Target. While at the counter to pay the before the cashier started in on her spiel my mother showed her Target Visa card and the cashier started to ring her up. Then the nasty manager came up and started berating the cashier (right in front of us) about not asking about the card and how if she FORGOT (his emphasize) one more time she would be fired. (and this was her first day on the job!!!! And that he didn't care. He mentioned this as well.)

My mother went off, "why should she try to get me to sign up for something when I have already shown her that I have the higher card from this company!!! And maybe the other person did as well so that they didn't have say everything that is supposed to be said and move on?"

After that he sputtered a bit and then said that when she saw that my mother had a card, she should have talked me into having one. (might explain why she talked to your sister about it. Probably the same type of asshole manager.) and that she had forgot once before.

After seeing that I have alot more simpathy for the telemarketers, and other workers whom are forced to upsale anything, where I worked it was encourage to upsale but due to what the customer had bought, and was not mandatory.

[draftermatt]

The thing that gets me about store credit cards is "It will save you 10% on your 1st purchase" And? What after that? I still have this goddamn credit card that I can only use here.

I have three. One for Lowes because I'm always there, and two for department stores. The one is because it was where I started my credit history, and I shop there anyway for clothes. (When I don't go to Wal-Mart).

Though I promise if I ever get constantly badgered about a store card I will request a manager and complain about the practice. I've never been asked more than twice. Normally it's

"Will that be on your ... card?"
No
"Do you have a ... card?"
No
"You can save xx% on your 1st purchase"
I'm quite alright, thank-you.

Now once I was walking into a Kohls with my GF (now wife) and this woman hollered at us "Hey you two, get over here and sign up for a card"
"Ma'am both of us are 17"
"oh"

That seems to be the worst. New stores. When they put 10+ people in front of the store and you have to fight your way through them. Normally I just tell them I already have a card for their store so they leave me alone. Either that or I just breeze by and don't say a word.

Maybe next time that happens I'll complain too.

[MadMike]

One for Lowes because I'm always there

Looking back now, it probably would have actually made sense to have gotten one of their cards back when I was finishing the basement. Like you, I was always there. Hell, I was probably one or two steps away from having my mail forwarded there.

And unlike some of the other stores I've been in, they never tried to push their cards on me.