The Demands of Mrs Night. (long)

[WHShit]

This made me very, very, very angry at Mrs. Night and at your manager for allwoing you to do this! You ARE NOT a personal shopper. You are not paid to be. Until you are, you ARE ALLOWED to tell her to come and shop for herself. The bloody nerve!

You have better things to do, I am sure, than telling her flavors of things and I assume, prices. You need to tell your manager that if she calls again with her shopping list, he needs to tell her "no". You really don't have to do it.....seriously. Unless it is a company policy...I would tell the bitch to do her own shopping. Shame on her and her daughter. And double shame on the manager for allowing it!

I would even write a letter to your manager for you, that's how mad I am!

[KillerKittens]

Maybe you could just hang up and say that the phone got disconnected?

I wouldn't tolerate this shit with my crew. I'd tell the customer that we have a store and other customers to take care of and she can come in just like everybody else.

I'd tell her that it isn't fair to the other customers to withhold items either. Nor would I care if I lost her as a customer. One less pain in the ass, and it doesn't affect me as much as it affects the store owners, and they lose and gain customers all the time. I doubt it would be a big notice for them.

[GingerBiscuit]

my trouble is I'm too nice. We all have to deal with her, not just me. Although, when I next have her I'm tempted to inform her we have a website and a maild order number 'if she has problems getting into the shop'.

Or just getting someone to write them on her receipt.

Oh, I do wish I could do what people suggest. But I DO care if I lose this job- me and my boy are £10k in debt, and I actually quite like the job. It's perfect for me and what I want to do later on.

[iradney]

You really should start charging for it. As far as I know, personal shoppers cost extra. It's a service.
Also, I agree with other posters - Manager says it's ok to do her shopping for her, so give HIM the phone. Maybe once he's done it for her for a month, he'll change his mind. It's easy for him to say "Oh yeah, sure, do it for her" coz he knows someone else will almost always do it.

[Bloodsoul]

I say unless you're sitting up in an old hearse with your dead, rotting conjoined twin hidden behind a curtain, you come down here and get your stuff!

That crazy, old Mr. Byrd.

[Emrld]

does the store have a fax machine?
If so then and the Manager has decided that for Mrs. Night that special services will be allowed. . . .
Present a new idea to the Manager. Explain how you understand his loyalty to this customer . . .but could a new system be tried . . . .
Have it where she will have to fax in her order if she wants it filled. With the understanding that if a requested item is not available - she will recieve a fax back with her options of other choices or when that item will be ready.
It will cut down on the phone time and will provide documentation that you are providing her exactly what she wants.
(you mentioned online - but if she is more mature she may not have the skill set to online order)
Also, as far as disabled goes . . . you may not see it, but she may have challanges. It isn't always a visable thing . . .their are breathing issues, phobias, muscular, and nerve challanges that people have to find a way to live with.

[air914]

I'm agreeing now w/ the "charge for it" idea. Maybe you could present it to your manager - he could get on the phone and explain that you appreciate Mrs. Idiot as a customer, but don't have the staff or resources to continue doing her personal shopping for her. However, if she would like to pay for a personal shopper, you'd be glad to "hire" one on. Then you could charge her a monthly fee or something. Or just add it to her bill... and see when she notices... when she calls up to ask what the extra fee is for (although the receipt could say Personal Shopipng), tell her the store has decided to start charging for personal shopping........

Maybe you can just print this thread and give it to your boss?? I don't know how well that would go over - but if you're really nice and/or shy....... but you shouldn't have to put up with this customer. If she was spending $1000 a week on groceries, I'd say just go ahead and do it.... but I have a feeling she isn't spending that much and she isn't worth the trouble.

[mrtauntaun]

Does your corporate office (or owner, if not incorporated) know how much time you guys are spending on one person?

I bet if you gave them a list of how many people it takes to personally shop for this one person, along with how much she spends (she sounds like your average shopper to me, at best), they will tell you to stop doing it. Corporate types hate to see manpower wasted on things like this, which is why the cell phone companies recently gave a lot of problem customers the boot.

[GingerBiscuit]

It's worth a shot: But head office are notoriously bad at doing stuff that's logical and will make the job easier for us and more profitable for them. They (500 stores) haven't even installed CCTV in any stores that weren't set up in the last year, and it takes them months to fix simple problems. But I'll suggest to the manager that he suggest to his managers that we start a 'personal shopper' service for customers.

[Becks]

If your manager is the one saying you can't say "no", then your MANAGER should be the one to run around and gather her groceries for her....... at least that's the way I think it should be

But that would make sense, and (say it with me, if you'd like) that's not allowed.