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Free dvd's with newspapers! Absolute Hell!
Ok, people from America won't know what I am talking about, but anyone from the UK knows exactly what I mean. I will explain.
You see, about a year ago, one newspaper had a brilliant idea to offer a free dvd with every paper. They also switched between our store, WHShit and other stores to exclusively get it from. It DID sell a hell of alot of papers. I even thought that it was a good idea. At first, it was ok. They sent us in enough dvd's for every paper WE had. Thing was, because you could only get the dvd at WHShit, they did not take into consideration that people bought the paper at other stores, ripped the coupon out and came into our store to get the dvd. Because of this, we ran out of dvd's but still had papers instore but no dvd. This was ok at first. People were understanding and calm.
It has gotten WAY out of hand. Every week there is another offer in another paper. And you can only get these dvd's at...you guessed it, WHShit. After numerous complaints to the paper (who send the dvd's into us) from our stores, asking to send more dvd's to deal with the high demand and the fact that people buy papers at other stores, they still only send in just enough for OUR papers.
Since it has been going on for so long, people have become dependant on it. They have come to expect a free dvd with their papers It is to the point that, if for one week the paper does NOT have the free dvd, they ask if there are any from any paper.
There are so many problems with this, I do not know where to begin! So, I will try:
As I said, sometimes other stores have the dvd. This is wonderful and a relief for us! Problem is, people come in to buy the paper or come in with their coupon and ask us for the dvd. When we tell them that we are not doing it that week, they get very angry. Sometimes shouting at us and calling us names. When we point out what store it is, they insist on knowing directions to the store and sometimes even ask us to call the store to "put one aside" for them as they "came out special for the dvd and don't want to travel to another store for nothing"! I do not know how many times I have heard that one. "I came out especially for the dvd". This, to me, is very sad. Do these people have NOTHING better to do then get up at 7am to get a free dvd? They are always crappy old movies from the 50's too.
Another thing is we open at 8:30. At 8 people are lined up at the door to get the dvd. The other day I actually witnessed 2 old men RACING eachother to get the paper first! They were the first 2 people in the store, there were plenty of papers to go around at that point! I mean, PLEASE!
We were told that we are not allowed to hold dvd's for anyone as it is first come, first serve and we have a small amount of dvd's so it is only fair. It says in the paper that you must have a coupon and come on the day of each dvd (there is a different one every day for a week) to get it. If they want, they can send away to the paper to get the whole collection or just the ones they missed sent to them. Since it has been going on for so long, people know that we usually sell out by 3. We even tell them when they get the first dvd.
So, of course we get them coming in at 5 and getting pissed off because we have run out. We try to explain to them that we are only sent enough for the stock WE have and that people buy them at other stores and we have to give them a dvd if they have the coupon. This doesn't matter of course. They say it is a ascam, false advertising all that soert of stuff. We try to explain that WHShit has nothing to do with the dvd deal and it is entirely the papers responsibility. We even give them the number and address to call or write to to complain. This is not good enough. They want head office's number and they WILL complain! EEERRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!
We have people ask for more than one dvd when they have one coupon. We tell them that you must have 2 coupons for 2 dvd's. They beg and plead and give stupid excuses "I have two children/grandkids" "my dad is in the hospital" "my friend want's one but can't get one because she has kids"...real sob stories...for a FREE DVD!!!!!!!!!!
The other day, I had an internal call from Phil, another supervisor. He said that he had a lady on the phone and she wanted him to hold a dvd aside for her. He said he had told her no, but she insisted on speaking to another member of managment. I took the call and this woman says that she would like me to hold a dvd for her. She says that it is her daughters birthday and she is moving house and has no place to stay at the moment and she wants to get it for her daughter but she can't be in until the next day. Now, I know there is no harm in doing this, but what does any of what she told me have to do with anything? Also, if I do it for her I am going against the rules AND will have to do it for everyone who asks. I tell her this over and over again, but still get more sob story, so I pass her to another supervisor. He (after 10 mins) tells her that we will see if we have any left at the end of the day and give her a call if we do, but we can't promise anything. IT IS A FREE DVD!!!!!!!!! My god!!!!
My friend Qurar, a supervisor at my old WHShit store, told me of his adventures with the free dvd. He said a couple came in on a Friday with all the coupons and wanted the entire collection. He told them that they couldn't do it as they needed to come in to get it everyday, as it stated on the coupon and we had none from the rest of the week left. They said that they were going to call the British equilivent to the Better Business Bureau and have him fired. The wife said he was "not allowed to look at her". He suggested that they send the coupons into the paper and get the whole set sent to them. They said they were from New Zealand and it was not possible to do this. They degraded him in fromt of other employees and customers even resorting to racial slurs (he is Pakistani). Unbelievable!
I have had people come in 2 weeks after the set of dvd's were on promotion with all the coupons and expect to get them. When you tell them they can't they get very mad! They are going to get us fired! We are lying to them" We are shit! Our company is shit! Blah blah blah.
I am so sick of it...so sick! I dread getting called to the front till because another customer has a dvd complaint.
Fact is, it is FREE. And it is CRAP! It is NOT the end of the world if you do not get one. They aren't even in plastic cases, they are in squares of cardboard no bigger than the dvd itself. Buy the damn thing if you want it so bad. It will be on sale for £1.99 anyway cause it is so shit! Also, the people who want the dvd are the same people who get all huffy and yell because we do not sell VHS anymore...so I have to wonder if they even watch them or just get them cause they are free and use them as coasters...most likelty the latter.
Sorry this is sooo long, but it gives everyone something to read and I have had this on my shoulders for over a year! I am sick of it and hate to even hear or say the word dvd. I bet after reading this, everyone else is sick of the word dvd too!
Anyone else experiance this?
You see, about a year ago, one newspaper had a brilliant idea to offer a free dvd with every paper. They also switched between our store, WHShit and other stores to exclusively get it from. It DID sell a hell of alot of papers. I even thought that it was a good idea. At first, it was ok. They sent us in enough dvd's for every paper WE had. Thing was, because you could only get the dvd at WHShit, they did not take into consideration that people bought the paper at other stores, ripped the coupon out and came into our store to get the dvd. Because of this, we ran out of dvd's but still had papers instore but no dvd. This was ok at first. People were understanding and calm.
It has gotten WAY out of hand. Every week there is another offer in another paper. And you can only get these dvd's at...you guessed it, WHShit. After numerous complaints to the paper (who send the dvd's into us) from our stores, asking to send more dvd's to deal with the high demand and the fact that people buy papers at other stores, they still only send in just enough for OUR papers.
Since it has been going on for so long, people have become dependant on it. They have come to expect a free dvd with their papers It is to the point that, if for one week the paper does NOT have the free dvd, they ask if there are any from any paper.
There are so many problems with this, I do not know where to begin! So, I will try:
As I said, sometimes other stores have the dvd. This is wonderful and a relief for us! Problem is, people come in to buy the paper or come in with their coupon and ask us for the dvd. When we tell them that we are not doing it that week, they get very angry. Sometimes shouting at us and calling us names. When we point out what store it is, they insist on knowing directions to the store and sometimes even ask us to call the store to "put one aside" for them as they "came out special for the dvd and don't want to travel to another store for nothing"! I do not know how many times I have heard that one. "I came out especially for the dvd". This, to me, is very sad. Do these people have NOTHING better to do then get up at 7am to get a free dvd? They are always crappy old movies from the 50's too.
Another thing is we open at 8:30. At 8 people are lined up at the door to get the dvd. The other day I actually witnessed 2 old men RACING eachother to get the paper first! They were the first 2 people in the store, there were plenty of papers to go around at that point! I mean, PLEASE!
We were told that we are not allowed to hold dvd's for anyone as it is first come, first serve and we have a small amount of dvd's so it is only fair. It says in the paper that you must have a coupon and come on the day of each dvd (there is a different one every day for a week) to get it. If they want, they can send away to the paper to get the whole collection or just the ones they missed sent to them. Since it has been going on for so long, people know that we usually sell out by 3. We even tell them when they get the first dvd.
So, of course we get them coming in at 5 and getting pissed off because we have run out. We try to explain to them that we are only sent enough for the stock WE have and that people buy them at other stores and we have to give them a dvd if they have the coupon. This doesn't matter of course. They say it is a ascam, false advertising all that soert of stuff. We try to explain that WHShit has nothing to do with the dvd deal and it is entirely the papers responsibility. We even give them the number and address to call or write to to complain. This is not good enough. They want head office's number and they WILL complain! EEERRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!
We have people ask for more than one dvd when they have one coupon. We tell them that you must have 2 coupons for 2 dvd's. They beg and plead and give stupid excuses "I have two children/grandkids" "my dad is in the hospital" "my friend want's one but can't get one because she has kids"...real sob stories...for a FREE DVD!!!!!!!!!!
The other day, I had an internal call from Phil, another supervisor. He said that he had a lady on the phone and she wanted him to hold a dvd aside for her. He said he had told her no, but she insisted on speaking to another member of managment. I took the call and this woman says that she would like me to hold a dvd for her. She says that it is her daughters birthday and she is moving house and has no place to stay at the moment and she wants to get it for her daughter but she can't be in until the next day. Now, I know there is no harm in doing this, but what does any of what she told me have to do with anything? Also, if I do it for her I am going against the rules AND will have to do it for everyone who asks. I tell her this over and over again, but still get more sob story, so I pass her to another supervisor. He (after 10 mins) tells her that we will see if we have any left at the end of the day and give her a call if we do, but we can't promise anything. IT IS A FREE DVD!!!!!!!!! My god!!!!
My friend Qurar, a supervisor at my old WHShit store, told me of his adventures with the free dvd. He said a couple came in on a Friday with all the coupons and wanted the entire collection. He told them that they couldn't do it as they needed to come in to get it everyday, as it stated on the coupon and we had none from the rest of the week left. They said that they were going to call the British equilivent to the Better Business Bureau and have him fired. The wife said he was "not allowed to look at her". He suggested that they send the coupons into the paper and get the whole set sent to them. They said they were from New Zealand and it was not possible to do this. They degraded him in fromt of other employees and customers even resorting to racial slurs (he is Pakistani). Unbelievable!
I have had people come in 2 weeks after the set of dvd's were on promotion with all the coupons and expect to get them. When you tell them they can't they get very mad! They are going to get us fired! We are lying to them" We are shit! Our company is shit! Blah blah blah.
I am so sick of it...so sick! I dread getting called to the front till because another customer has a dvd complaint.
Fact is, it is FREE. And it is CRAP! It is NOT the end of the world if you do not get one. They aren't even in plastic cases, they are in squares of cardboard no bigger than the dvd itself. Buy the damn thing if you want it so bad. It will be on sale for £1.99 anyway cause it is so shit! Also, the people who want the dvd are the same people who get all huffy and yell because we do not sell VHS anymore...so I have to wonder if they even watch them or just get them cause they are free and use them as coasters...most likelty the latter.
Sorry this is sooo long, but it gives everyone something to read and I have had this on my shoulders for over a year! I am sick of it and hate to even hear or say the word dvd. I bet after reading this, everyone else is sick of the word dvd too!
Anyone else experiance this?
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