Sucky Cashier

[SourRobot]

I went to the store the other day after work to get a new sketchbook.

I got what I wanted, then made my way to the wrap stand, with the sketchbook and my card in hand. There were two cashiers, and one light was on. Just as I was coming up, the girl at the lit stand just walked off, leaving the guy standing at the unlit one, doing who knows what. I stood around for a moment, thinking he would move over to the lit one. He didn't, so I just moved over there anyway.

It took a moment for the guy to even acknowledge me. He mumbled a "How are you," and before I could even respond, the phone started ringing. He immediately turned to answer the phone, and talked on it while I was still standing there. Then he got off the phone and paged someone to ask a question. Finally, he scanned my book, and I paid. He bagged it up and muttered something as he handed the bag to me.

Are you freaking kidding me?! These are the people getting hired over me?! Just so you guys know, I'd been trying to get a job at this place for two years now, and I have enough product knowledge and interpersonal skills to have happy customers leaving the store, but that guy was just awful. I wanted to complain, but since I was the only customer there at the time, they'd know it was me. I'll just shop for art stuff online and at the other art shop.

I'm not a complicated customer, I'm fine on my own, and when I go to pay for my things, I've already got my method of payment out. All I want is a "Hello" at the beginning of the transaction and a "There you go" at the end. That's it! So believe me when I say that it was an awful customer service experience.

[bhskittykatt]

Sounds like the employees transferred from a sports store we had open here in town a few years ago. I went there once. No one was at the checkouts, and it was me and about three other customers standing around waiting. A bunch of associates were nearby chatting and laughing it up, while we just stood there waiting and waiting until they finally broke up and one of them moved to check us out. I was waiting for at least a good five minutes before they finished their social time, and I wasn't the first customer there waiting.

That store closed less than a year after it opened. I wonder why.

Perhaps a politely worded letter to management is in order in your case?

[Bright_Star]

They keep the employees who are problematic & get rid of the good ones. Why? Damned if I know but I've seen it too many times for me to be convinced it's NOT a random thing.

[greek_jester]

They keep the employees who are problematic & get rid of the good ones. Why? Damned if I know but I've seen it too many times for me to be convinced it's NOT a random thing.

Because then they can justify not paying a higher wage, as they have dings on their service record. A decent employee would have reason to expect a pay rise if the business is rubbing by ok (which is easy to see if you pay attention to the annual accounts and the net profit) & would go elsewhere if they repeatedly got passed over. A bad employee can be fobbed off with a note on the appraisal to work harder on their customer service skills.

Or is that too cynical?

[Sparky]

My guess would be that this clerk possesses skills you don't have. Like being able to claim the owner as his uncle or something.

[MoonCat]

Because then they can justify not paying a higher wage, as they have dings on their service record. A decent employee would have reason to expect a pay rise if the business is rubbing by ok (which is easy to see if you pay attention to the annual accounts and the net profit) & would go elsewhere if they repeatedly got passed over. A bad employee can be fobbed off with a note on the appraisal to work harder on their customer service skills.

Or is that too cynical?

Sure it's cynical, but I think it's true. I've seen bad employees slide by for years, while management complains that they "can't do anything" because of the union. In reality, they have the right to do plenty; they just choose not to. Some managers can't be bothered, others have their favorites who can get away with anything.

There may be a couple of other reasons which I won't mention, but with a little imagination I'm sure everybody can figure it out.

[bainsidhe]

I'd be pretty frustrated too, but I wonder if his answer-the-phone-first actions are dictated by corporate? I've worked in stores where you drop everything to answer the phone in 3 rings, even if it means ignoring the customer staring you in the face. And yes, you're expected to somehow page a department or look something up to take care of the phone customer while somehow magically taking care of the customers in front of you actually buying something. Oh and also sell the rewards card and get an email address.

[SourRobot]

Sounds like the employees transferred from a sports store we had open here in town a few years ago. I went there once. No one was at the checkouts, and it was me and about three other customers standing around waiting. A bunch of associates were nearby chatting and laughing it up, while we just stood there waiting and waiting until they finally broke up and one of them moved to check us out. I was waiting for at least a good five minutes before they finished their social time, and I wasn't the first customer there waiting.

That store closed less than a year after it opened. I wonder why.

Perhaps a politely worded letter to management is in order in your case?

I wanted to do it, but I know they'd know it was me. I know it doesn't matter since they don't really know me, but I'm weird like that.

They keep the employees who are problematic & get rid of the good ones. Why? Damned if I know but I've seen it too many times for me to be convinced it's NOT a random thing.

Yeah. There used to be two girls who worked at my place who stood around at the registers and talked. If one of my coworkers comes over to me to tell me something important that I missed at the morning meeting, a manager pops out of nowhere and tells us to move along. They pick on my coworker more than anyone else in the store, and everybody notices it. I think they're trying to make her quit, and it seems like she's playing around with the idea more.

Because then they can justify not paying a higher wage, as they have dings on their service record. A decent employee would have reason to expect a pay rise if the business is rubbing by ok (which is easy to see if you pay attention to the annual accounts and the net profit) & would go elsewhere if they repeatedly got passed over. A bad employee can be fobbed off with a note on the appraisal to work harder on their customer service skills.

Or is that too cynical?

Anything to get out of giving out raises. I started out part time, exceeded my goals, then missed that opportunity because I hadn't been there for a year yet. The next year I was full time, and I was still doing a pretty decent job, then the scores switched over to a new system, so I still didn't get a raise. I really needed them, too.

I'd be pretty frustrated too, but I wonder if his answer-the-phone-first actions are dictated by corporate? I've worked in stores where you drop everything to answer the phone in 3 rings, even if it means ignoring the customer staring you in the face. And yes, you're expected to somehow page a department or look something up to take care of the phone customer while somehow magically taking care of the customers in front of you actually buying something. Oh and also sell the rewards card and get an email address.

Do you work where I work? It sounds familiar. I know they are dictated, because my place does the same thing. I wasn't mad about him answering the phone, I was mad that he didn't ring me out as he was on the phone. He just turned his back on me and tended 100% to that call while I was standing there waiting for him. I usually don't answer the phone if I am with a customer, even though I'm supposed to, but if I do get on the phone I still acknowledge the customer and am able to ring them up while I'm talking to the person on the other end.