What did you do to the bagger?

[Ree]

I know I'm not a mod, but I wonder if a reminder that we do not condone actions against SCs is a good idea?

Well, I am a mod so I will give that reminder.

It's oh, so tempting to do mean little things like that to our sucky customers. It probably makes us feel pretty darn good knowing that we have had a secret little revenge against them that they will probably never figure out, but is it really worth it in the long run?

...I've got to say that I'm really against the concept of getting revenge on SCs.

If a customer is being an SC, the best thing I think one can do is to take the high road, continue to provide a high level of service and hope that a manager is watching

Thank you, pbmods. That was a mature and intelligent way of putting it.

You crush someone's bread because they are being an ass.
What happens? They will either keep the bread and use it, bitching the whole time to their friends about your store's crappy packers, and possibly, eventually stop shopping there because they are sick of the incompetent packers who always crush the bread (and their friends may also stop going there, or never even go there for the first time because of the negative impression they have).
or
They will return to the store and request replacment bread.

Either way, it's a financial loss to your company and as an employee, you eventually feel the sting of it.
Loss of profits means poor or no raises or bonuses.

Sucky customers do not realize they are being sucky.

Their requests are a pain in the butt, but completing the requests in a sloppy or half-assed, nasty manner only comes back to bite you in your already sore butt.

[Becks]

The only thing that pisses me off enough to sabotoged a grocery order, is when I start bagging up an order, and halfway through the customer decides its a good time to let me know that they want paper bags.

At the store I work at, the cashier usually asks "Paper or plastic?" at the start of the transaction. Makes sense to me.

[JustaCashier]

....I really have no clue if the blood and juices from their meat is absorbing into the bottom of their precious paper bag. And by the time they get home, and they lift it out, it might just fall clean out the bottom!
....oh my!

I like it when that happens to my groceries!

Mike

[KayEm]

Since when, One-Fang....remember the first incarnations of CS ? There was all kinds of vevenge stuff there. Has CS gone all fluffy bunny all of a sudden ?

IMO, if you're an SC, you deserve whatever you get. We have to stand there and smile like a moron while customers abuse us...now you're saying we're not allowed a little harmless retaliation ?

[KayEm]

Well, I am a mod so I will give that reminder.


Sucky customers do not realize they are being sucky.

Ree, I respect your status as a mod and think you're a great person...but please..you need to remove the rose-coloured glasses, girlfriend.

SCs know full WELL how sucky their being !!! They know they have absolute power and abuse it for all it's worth ! I don't understand how you can't see this !

[Ree]

Since when, One-Fang....remember the first incarnations of CS ? There was all kinds of vevenge stuff there. Has CS gone all fluffy bunny all of a sudden ?

This is not the first incarnation of CS, and we are no longer under the same ownership, but as far as I know, in the 5 years that I have been here, CS has never condoned revenge against customers.

you need to remove the rose-coloured glasses, girlfriend.

SCs know full WELL how sucky their being !!!

Actually, KayEm, I don't think they do view it as being sucky.

Yes, the behaviour is sucky, but they feel it's their hard earned money, so they have a right to get exactly the service they want with it.

Do you see the distinction?

We view it as sucky. They view it simply as exercising their rights as customers, and revenge and pissing them off is only going to make it worse for us in the end.

[Kiwi]

I think alot of sucky customer behaviour comes from ignorance, I agree they dont realise they are being sucky. People who havent worked in retail do not understand how things work. They dont realise that breaking policy could get you in trouble/fired. They dont realise that to corporate, the customer isnt always right.

Granted people who are rude and nasty arnt doing it just to you, imagine how their families and friends are treated.... entitlement issues dont start and stop with an employee.

Ive also found alot of the rudeness I used to encounter has fallen away in the small city that im now in. Everyone knows someone who knows you, people treat people with courtesy here. Of course I still get the occasionl nimrod who thinks the world owes them something, but I consider myself a professional at work, I grin and bear it because Im paid to do that (even if I dont think Im paid enough) I may grumble and groan on here but I do it SO that I can continue treating the customer as I hope they will treat me. As if they are important and deserve respect.

However I dont think banging the air out of a milkshake crosses the line (its acually kinda funny), squishing bread however is only going to drive the bottom line of your company down and make head office even MORE stingy with its employees.

I am not in any way condoning the customers rude and frustrating actions, just pointing out that customers (especially sucky customers) dont realise you do this ALL DAY EVERY DAY, to them, they are the only customer.

I urge fellow CS members to take the higher moral ground, follow the golden rule. Over time you may find people who seak your services out simply because you always bag their goods the best and then you are rewarded with a bigger percentage of friendly happy customers.

Many retail and CSR jobs are stressful, thankless and underpaid. Thats why when I work I try and do the job to the best of my ability, my pride in a job well done replaces whatever thanks or in some cases no thanks that I may get.

[Ree]

Very well said, kiwi.

I agree.
When I refer to revenge, I'm not talking about the milkshake thing, really.

I am referring more to making food inedible, or outright damaging product that they have just paid for.

I know if I have someone who is being an impatient ass, on occasion, I just may slow it down a little more. Usually, though, I go at my normal pace and get them out the door as quickly as possible so I don't have to listen to them or look at them one moment longer than I need to.

Then I come on here and vent about it.

[batmoody]

At the store I work at, the cashier usually asks "Paper or plastic?" at the start of the transaction. Makes sense to me.

Nope, we arent allowed to do that. We have signs that say, "Our baggers will automatiacally bag in plastic unless you request paper" I wasn't even allowed to have a few paper bags out on my checkstand so that they are more handy. I had to keep them under my plastic bags, out of sight of the customer. Out of sight out of mind. Paper is simply much more expensive that plastic, and our stores don't like having to use them. Ive even "heard" a rumor that we might start charging for paper bags. We are already supposed to if a customer just wants a couple for recycling or something.

[batmoody]

Has CS gone all fluffy bunny all of a sudden ?

...now you're saying we're not allowed a little harmless retaliation ?

Its not like were getting their address off their check and egging their house or something. Plus, the meat is going to leak in their bag anyways....why wouldn't you want your meat in a plastic bag?????

[NightAngel]

I thought Ree had stated this quite clearly but let me reiterate.

Revenge and Retaliation are not condoned here.

It's not funny.

Drop it before the thread gets closed.

[Ree]

Its not like were getting their address off their check and egging their house...
...the meat is going to leak in their bag anyways

I think it's the complete lack of care when transferring to the paper bags that concerned me.
Sure, plastic is a better choice for meats that will leak all over, but that doesn't mean that you should help the process along in the way you put the food in.

Allrighty then. You want paper? While bagging their ribeyes into a paper bag, somehow a small hole gets peirced into the corner of the plastic shrink wrap. Ooops! While putting their paper bag into their cart, I really have no clue if the blood and juices from their meat is absorbing into the bottom of their precious paper bag. And by the time they get home, and they lift it out, it might just fall clean out the bottom!
....oh my!

We get enough people coming to this site who feel we are just bitter, lazy, rude and ignorant people who couldn't find better jobs.
Let's not give them any more reasons to think that, or ammo to use against us.

As NightAngel pointed out, there really is no more room for discussion as to whether we condone revenge/retaliation, or what constitutes those two things, so let's move on.

Also, I can honestly see a reason why people would prefer the paper, although, I do agree, they should tell you before you have it all bagged in plastic.
Paper is recyclable and biodegradable, whereas, plastic bags take a long time to break down in a landfill site. Estimates range from 20 to 1000 years. Also, there is the danger to wildlife by the stray bags that blow around in the environment, not to mention the ugliness of the damn things stuck to the base of the treeline, floating in ponds and streams and clogging up drains. Animals have been known to ingest the bags and choke or die because they can't digest them properly.

[dragonflygrrl]

I look at it like this. Sure, it may be satisfying in the short term to mess with or sabatoge a SC's order. But when it is screwed up, guess where they will go to complain? And this time they really will be p*ssed! I have done the "work slowdown," and the "coldly polite," bit on some seriously sucky people, but messing up their stuff just isn't worth having to deal with them twice. Although a coworker at Budget used to volunteer to pull up SC's cars for them, so he could take the opportunity to, er, pass gas in their car before handing them the keys. Now that was funny!

[abbynormal]

Well said, Kiwi and ree! There's a stupid song, from the early 90s "you get what you give" I think it's called. But in the world of CS and beyond it's true. Be kind when others aren't kind to you. Believe me, maybe the SC didn't see what you did to their eggs, but the customer behind him did. How many times have you had a really bad SC only to have the next customer congratulate you on what a fine job you did?

[Broomjockey]

How many times have you had a really bad SC only to have the next customer congratulate you on what a fine job you did?

Me personally? Never. All my customers see themselves as justified in whatever they do because "movie theatre prices are so high"