Tweet
Foreign Passports
As if we weren't having enough trouble with passports in the US, I've about given up on foreign passports.
I had one customer who was very nice and polite. He brought in the spec showing exactly the right size that he needed. He let me cut a few, but let's be honest; I couldn't cut a straight line to save my life -- not even with a paper cutter! So after the first two are a little crooked, he asks if I could print out a few more, and he would do the cutting. Thankful for no longer having to do more work for this guy -- plus, he just handed me a customer satisfaction guarantee -- I quickly oblige. He ended up leaving very happy, was extremely polite and understanding to me the whole time, I wonder now if he wasn't a fellow retail worker.
Unfortunately, he represents but one of the hundreds of foreign passport customers I have worked with in the past. And, sadly, he is clearly the exception.
I've had customers who came in, said that they needed a passport photo and expected me to guess what country it was for. Customers have shown me outdated passports with pictures that I would have to guess at for 20 minutes to get our system to print them properly. And they need it in 5 minutes.
I'm boggled by customers who walk into an American drug store and expect Chinese (or Canadian or Bulgarian, etc.) passport photos. Passport photos are quite profitable... except that the equipment to take, cut and measure them costs roughly $500. Now imagine if we had to buy a set for every different specification... not to mention having to have our equipment programmed to show the correct guides depending on the specs.
$7.99 for two pictures? How about $24.99, and you'll be lucky to get *one*!
As if we weren't having enough trouble with passports in the US, I've about given up on foreign passports.
I had one customer who was very nice and polite. He brought in the spec showing exactly the right size that he needed. He let me cut a few, but let's be honest; I couldn't cut a straight line to save my life -- not even with a paper cutter! So after the first two are a little crooked, he asks if I could print out a few more, and he would do the cutting. Thankful for no longer having to do more work for this guy -- plus, he just handed me a customer satisfaction guarantee -- I quickly oblige. He ended up leaving very happy, was extremely polite and understanding to me the whole time, I wonder now if he wasn't a fellow retail worker.
Unfortunately, he represents but one of the hundreds of foreign passport customers I have worked with in the past. And, sadly, he is clearly the exception.
I've had customers who came in, said that they needed a passport photo and expected me to guess what country it was for. Customers have shown me outdated passports with pictures that I would have to guess at for 20 minutes to get our system to print them properly. And they need it in 5 minutes.
I'm boggled by customers who walk into an American drug store and expect Chinese (or Canadian or Bulgarian, etc.) passport photos. Passport photos are quite profitable... except that the equipment to take, cut and measure them costs roughly $500. Now imagine if we had to buy a set for every different specification... not to mention having to have our equipment programmed to show the correct guides depending on the specs.
$7.99 for two pictures? How about $24.99, and you'll be lucky to get *one*!
Comment