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The thread 'Seriously, if you're in a hurry' reminded me of this happening a couple months ago...
I was getting fabric at **Ann's **abrics. I had about 1/2 hour before going to see a movie, so I worked fast. It was about 7PM.
I had 3-bolts, and needed a couple yards each (very simple). There were 3-customers in front of me, friends, but all getting seperate orders of about 3-fabrics each. The problem was, the employee cutting was slllloooowwww. (I worked at this store, you are taught how to measure the fabric and how to lay it to cut it so as to work as quickly as possible and it is not that hard) She'd re-adjust the fabric several times before making the cut, hem and haw over which way to lay it, not be able to find the sku, etc. (And she was not new, had a 3-year badge I think)
It took her 20-minutes to finish cutting 9-pieces of fabric. Now if you know the layout of the cutting counters, there are 2-counters with the cutters in the middle, but usually only 1-is used for cutting unless it's exteremely busy, then the other counter might be occupied with items to be sorted, etc. By the time the employee was done with those 3-customers, a few other customers had begun forming a line at the other side of the counter, at a space that was obviously not being used for cutting. What did the employee due when it was my turn and I stepped-up to the counter and laid my fabric down. She turned around, cleared-off the other-side of the counter, and began cutting fabric for the customers who had just stepped-up!
I was steamed. I looked around. The store was very quiet. There were 2-employees at the registers chit-chatting, no line, so the employee at the cutting counter could have called someone to help her cut, or the employees at the registers could have recognized she had a line forming and helped-out themselves.
It took her another 10-minutes to help those 2-customers, then she putters around the counterspace for a few minutes, then comes and gets my fabric. By now I'm about 10-minutes late for the movie. I am mad at her for helping other customers first, mad at myself for not speaking-up, and mad at the other employees for not helping.
I finally got to the register and Lo! No employees! I stand for a minute glaring death at a display of decorative terra-cotta planters when someone finally comes to the register. Oh, good it's a Manager. I put my fabric down and before she could greet me I said "It took 1/2 hour to get this cut, because the employee at the cutting counter was having trouble cutting and nobody helped her. She also chose to serve several customers who formed their own line on the other side of the counter and ignored me. The other employees at this register saw there was a line but didn't help her. I was going to buy this fabric, but I've changed my mind." I said this normal tone of voice, and walked out.
Of course, I sat in the car for another couple of minutes with the BF who is now miffed we're missing the movie when I said I would only 'be a few minutes.' I was mad, but I needed that fabric for a project. I ended-up going back in and getting the fabric. The funny thing was, the manager did not seem concerned, upset, or even that she cared. No appology, no 'we'll speak to the employee', no acknowledgment at all.
If it mattered in the long-run I would go to the store on the other end of town. But the money is going to go to the same place anyway. Hard-core sewers can spend a lot of money in a fabric store; sometimes I get 100$ in fabric a month. The fact that this store shows such a disinterest in it's customers really gets me, especially when part of the training is to engage the customer to talk about their projects and to show interest. I didn't need feigned interest, just courtesy and timely service. I wonder if a letter to corporate would help.
I was getting fabric at **Ann's **abrics. I had about 1/2 hour before going to see a movie, so I worked fast. It was about 7PM.
I had 3-bolts, and needed a couple yards each (very simple). There were 3-customers in front of me, friends, but all getting seperate orders of about 3-fabrics each. The problem was, the employee cutting was slllloooowwww. (I worked at this store, you are taught how to measure the fabric and how to lay it to cut it so as to work as quickly as possible and it is not that hard) She'd re-adjust the fabric several times before making the cut, hem and haw over which way to lay it, not be able to find the sku, etc. (And she was not new, had a 3-year badge I think)
It took her 20-minutes to finish cutting 9-pieces of fabric. Now if you know the layout of the cutting counters, there are 2-counters with the cutters in the middle, but usually only 1-is used for cutting unless it's exteremely busy, then the other counter might be occupied with items to be sorted, etc. By the time the employee was done with those 3-customers, a few other customers had begun forming a line at the other side of the counter, at a space that was obviously not being used for cutting. What did the employee due when it was my turn and I stepped-up to the counter and laid my fabric down. She turned around, cleared-off the other-side of the counter, and began cutting fabric for the customers who had just stepped-up!
I was steamed. I looked around. The store was very quiet. There were 2-employees at the registers chit-chatting, no line, so the employee at the cutting counter could have called someone to help her cut, or the employees at the registers could have recognized she had a line forming and helped-out themselves.
It took her another 10-minutes to help those 2-customers, then she putters around the counterspace for a few minutes, then comes and gets my fabric. By now I'm about 10-minutes late for the movie. I am mad at her for helping other customers first, mad at myself for not speaking-up, and mad at the other employees for not helping.
I finally got to the register and Lo! No employees! I stand for a minute glaring death at a display of decorative terra-cotta planters when someone finally comes to the register. Oh, good it's a Manager. I put my fabric down and before she could greet me I said "It took 1/2 hour to get this cut, because the employee at the cutting counter was having trouble cutting and nobody helped her. She also chose to serve several customers who formed their own line on the other side of the counter and ignored me. The other employees at this register saw there was a line but didn't help her. I was going to buy this fabric, but I've changed my mind." I said this normal tone of voice, and walked out.
Of course, I sat in the car for another couple of minutes with the BF who is now miffed we're missing the movie when I said I would only 'be a few minutes.' I was mad, but I needed that fabric for a project. I ended-up going back in and getting the fabric. The funny thing was, the manager did not seem concerned, upset, or even that she cared. No appology, no 'we'll speak to the employee', no acknowledgment at all.
If it mattered in the long-run I would go to the store on the other end of town. But the money is going to go to the same place anyway. Hard-core sewers can spend a lot of money in a fabric store; sometimes I get 100$ in fabric a month. The fact that this store shows such a disinterest in it's customers really gets me, especially when part of the training is to engage the customer to talk about their projects and to show interest. I didn't need feigned interest, just courtesy and timely service. I wonder if a letter to corporate would help.
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