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(Was originally going to post this in the Black Friday thread, but it got to be too long so I decided to start a new thread).
My second Black Friday (excuse me, Green Friday, or so says our top brass
) with Staples actually went pretty smoothly for me. I actually spent a significant portion of my shift standing around doing essentially nothing. And despite the fact that I get "the MOST RIDICULOUS SCs" (as said by someone here on the boards a while back), I only had a few noteworthy incidents.
I had originally been slated to run our "Fast Forward" cart, which is a system that let's us "pre-ring" and bag a customer's items while they are still in line. THen they just have to present a card to the cashier when they get to the register, which retrieves their order and they just pay and leave. My GM had tried repeatedly to nix that and get me reassigned to the sales floor prior to Black Friday but was overruled by our District Manager. So since I'm the only one at our store who actually knows how to run that cart, that was my assigned job.
Doors opened at 6AM and people came running in (literally). I was stationed down one aisle to intercept the line once it got so long, which was going to take a few minutes. Then, mere moments before the cart would have become useful, the GM showed up and took it away "This is stupid. I need you doing other stuff" and had me get down three heavy printers from the high overhead. Somehow I ended up doing line control by the customer service desk, which was being used to handle overflow from the Copy Center (where one of two registers shit the bed, causing a HUGE line backup since that's where we staged a number of the door buster items). It was actually kind of fun, since it involved standing there and looking officious while doing no lifting, no selling, and no cashiering.
Anyway, there were of course the standard issues one would expect on a day like this. As I said, one register crapped out. We also had a couple SNAFUs where a couple items from the ad hadn't been pulled out on the floor like they should have been, and the online order Kiosks stopped working because our website became hopelessly overwhelmed with traffic.
And - needless to say - plenty of people asking for rain checks on the Door Buster items despite the fact that those offers are:
-WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!
-Valid only from 6-10AM (and it is now 12:30PM)
-Staples does not issue rain checks, ever.
-Most of those items are Promotional and were ONLY brought in for that one 4 hour time frame, never to be seen again.
Incredibly, I had only ONE person say to me "You're KIDDING, right?" when told we had long ago run out of a door buster item (a $99 digital camera).
Anyway, the noteworthy incidents:
-At some point I ended up in the self-serve area at the Copy Center (not my normal area to be sure, even on Black Friday) and ran into a guy trying to make 3 black and white copies. Yes, that's right. On Black Friday, he fought his way into our store just to make $0.21 worth of copies. And he was complaining because the machines were "off."
Me: They are card-activated. You either need to insert a credit card, or purchase and Express card from the Kiosk over there *points*
Dumbass (DA): I don't understand.
Me (not having the time for a P@SShole): The machine will not run unless you insert a credit card or an Express card from this Kiosk. That's how you pay for the copies.
DA: But I only want to make 3.
Me: 3 or 300, you still need to use a card.
DA: But I only have a $10 on me!
Me: The remaining balance can be used like a gift card here in the store.
DA: I'll go somewhere else!!! *leaves in a huff*
Me:
-The second incident involved one of our regular pain-in-the-ass customers. I'm certain I've posted about his antics before, though for the life of me I can't recall what, specifically, though it likely related to him being dumber than a bag of chicken feed and also suffering from "I'm old and therefore entitled!" syndrome. He's in his 70s, has chronic bad breath, and has a heavy accent. I hate dealing with him.
While I was running line control near the service desk, he approached carrying nothing but a 50-pack of CD-Rs. That was all he came in to buy. As with the Copy Dumbass above, why the hell would you come in on Black Friday just for that? Seriously. Is it really worth saving an extra $2 on the CDs to wait in line? Oh wait, he doesn't think so. Read on.
SC (pissed already): I don't have time to wait in line! Can I jump in here?
Me:
(but only for a moment)
Me (firmly): No sir. That would not be fair to everyone else who has been waiting in line. You're going to have to go to the end of the line. *points towards the aisles, where the end of the line is nowhere in sight*
SC: Well then I'll ask someone else to let me in.
Me (standing my ground): No sir, that's not going to happen. You need to get in line like everyone else.
SC: Someone else will let me!
Me: No, they will not sir.
SC: No, you are not understanding me! I will ask another person in line, and they will let me in.
Me (now understanding that - like a kindergartner - he's going to ask someone for "cuts," but ever firm in my resolve): No sir, YOU are not understanding ME. I WILL NOT allow that! It is NOT FAIR to the other people waiting in line. You MUST go to the END of the line like everyone else here!
*SC storms off towards the back; I do not see him for the rest of the day.*
And last, but certainly not least, who should show up but the BOX ART NAZI!!!!!
The B.A.N. chose to arrive well after the doorbusters were gone, but still wanted a number of them (two different hard drives, a no-name crappy shredder, some RAM, a 4GB flash drive, and a couple other items). As he explained to anyone who would listen, he "does not come in early" for these items because he is above the scum who wait in line (no, he didn't explicitly say that, but he implied it). Instead, he will do the following:
-Ask EVERY employee if we have any of his desired items left. He'd actually cut up and stapled a flyer into a sort of flip-book, where he could just go "this one?" *flip* "this one?" *flip* "this one?" and so on). After asking one associate, who answers no to every item (except the RAM, which we had the first time he asked and sold to him).
-Within 30 seconds of asking one employee, he flags down another and asks THEM.
-After asking EVERYONE at least once, start asking us if anyone has RETURNED the items so he can buy them. Exactly the same as the above approach, just with "Do you have....?" replaced with "Has anyone returned.....?" Again, the answer is "none of the above."
-Again, ask every other employee the same series of "Has anyone returned....?" questions.
-Repeat every ten minutes despite being repeatedly reassured that 1) it is highly unlikely that anyone will return these items TODAY and that 2) the prices will not be valid after today so......(unspoken: you might as well get your arrogant ass out of my store).
-Call one our best and hardest-working employees a "stupid idiot who has no brain" despite the fact that she is doing her very best to help you just because you do not like the answer to you were given.
-Generally act rude and condescending towards everyone.
-Hang around like an evil mist and make us all miserable.
-Stay for at least 3 and a half hours.
Al (assistant manager) - who in the past threatened to throw him out but did not do so - told me that he "needs to be banned from the store" and seemed to mean it. Hopefully the next time he tries something on Al's watch he'll FINALLY get kicked out.
Me: Well, that's good, since appropriately, his nickname abbreviates to BAN.
Al: What's his nickname?
Me: The Box Art Nazi.
Al:
Still, all things considered it was NOT a bad day.
My second Black Friday (excuse me, Green Friday, or so says our top brass
) with Staples actually went pretty smoothly for me. I actually spent a significant portion of my shift standing around doing essentially nothing. And despite the fact that I get "the MOST RIDICULOUS SCs" (as said by someone here on the boards a while back), I only had a few noteworthy incidents.I had originally been slated to run our "Fast Forward" cart, which is a system that let's us "pre-ring" and bag a customer's items while they are still in line. THen they just have to present a card to the cashier when they get to the register, which retrieves their order and they just pay and leave. My GM had tried repeatedly to nix that and get me reassigned to the sales floor prior to Black Friday but was overruled by our District Manager. So since I'm the only one at our store who actually knows how to run that cart, that was my assigned job.
Doors opened at 6AM and people came running in (literally). I was stationed down one aisle to intercept the line once it got so long, which was going to take a few minutes. Then, mere moments before the cart would have become useful, the GM showed up and took it away "This is stupid. I need you doing other stuff" and had me get down three heavy printers from the high overhead. Somehow I ended up doing line control by the customer service desk, which was being used to handle overflow from the Copy Center (where one of two registers shit the bed, causing a HUGE line backup since that's where we staged a number of the door buster items). It was actually kind of fun, since it involved standing there and looking officious while doing no lifting, no selling, and no cashiering.
Anyway, there were of course the standard issues one would expect on a day like this. As I said, one register crapped out. We also had a couple SNAFUs where a couple items from the ad hadn't been pulled out on the floor like they should have been, and the online order Kiosks stopped working because our website became hopelessly overwhelmed with traffic.
And - needless to say - plenty of people asking for rain checks on the Door Buster items despite the fact that those offers are:
-WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!
-Valid only from 6-10AM (and it is now 12:30PM)
-Staples does not issue rain checks, ever.
-Most of those items are Promotional and were ONLY brought in for that one 4 hour time frame, never to be seen again.
Incredibly, I had only ONE person say to me "You're KIDDING, right?" when told we had long ago run out of a door buster item (a $99 digital camera).
Anyway, the noteworthy incidents:
-At some point I ended up in the self-serve area at the Copy Center (not my normal area to be sure, even on Black Friday) and ran into a guy trying to make 3 black and white copies. Yes, that's right. On Black Friday, he fought his way into our store just to make $0.21 worth of copies. And he was complaining because the machines were "off."
Me: They are card-activated. You either need to insert a credit card, or purchase and Express card from the Kiosk over there *points*
Dumbass (DA): I don't understand.
Me (not having the time for a P@SShole): The machine will not run unless you insert a credit card or an Express card from this Kiosk. That's how you pay for the copies.
DA: But I only want to make 3.
Me: 3 or 300, you still need to use a card.
DA: But I only have a $10 on me!
Me: The remaining balance can be used like a gift card here in the store.
DA: I'll go somewhere else!!! *leaves in a huff*
Me:
-The second incident involved one of our regular pain-in-the-ass customers. I'm certain I've posted about his antics before, though for the life of me I can't recall what, specifically, though it likely related to him being dumber than a bag of chicken feed and also suffering from "I'm old and therefore entitled!" syndrome. He's in his 70s, has chronic bad breath, and has a heavy accent. I hate dealing with him.
While I was running line control near the service desk, he approached carrying nothing but a 50-pack of CD-Rs. That was all he came in to buy. As with the Copy Dumbass above, why the hell would you come in on Black Friday just for that? Seriously. Is it really worth saving an extra $2 on the CDs to wait in line? Oh wait, he doesn't think so. Read on.
SC (pissed already): I don't have time to wait in line! Can I jump in here?
Me:
(but only for a moment)Me (firmly): No sir. That would not be fair to everyone else who has been waiting in line. You're going to have to go to the end of the line. *points towards the aisles, where the end of the line is nowhere in sight*
SC: Well then I'll ask someone else to let me in.
Me (standing my ground): No sir, that's not going to happen. You need to get in line like everyone else.
SC: Someone else will let me!
Me: No, they will not sir.
SC: No, you are not understanding me! I will ask another person in line, and they will let me in.
Me (now understanding that - like a kindergartner - he's going to ask someone for "cuts," but ever firm in my resolve): No sir, YOU are not understanding ME. I WILL NOT allow that! It is NOT FAIR to the other people waiting in line. You MUST go to the END of the line like everyone else here!
*SC storms off towards the back; I do not see him for the rest of the day.*
And last, but certainly not least, who should show up but the BOX ART NAZI!!!!!
The B.A.N. chose to arrive well after the doorbusters were gone, but still wanted a number of them (two different hard drives, a no-name crappy shredder, some RAM, a 4GB flash drive, and a couple other items). As he explained to anyone who would listen, he "does not come in early" for these items because he is above the scum who wait in line (no, he didn't explicitly say that, but he implied it). Instead, he will do the following:
-Ask EVERY employee if we have any of his desired items left. He'd actually cut up and stapled a flyer into a sort of flip-book, where he could just go "this one?" *flip* "this one?" *flip* "this one?" and so on). After asking one associate, who answers no to every item (except the RAM, which we had the first time he asked and sold to him).
-Within 30 seconds of asking one employee, he flags down another and asks THEM.
-After asking EVERYONE at least once, start asking us if anyone has RETURNED the items so he can buy them. Exactly the same as the above approach, just with "Do you have....?" replaced with "Has anyone returned.....?" Again, the answer is "none of the above."
-Again, ask every other employee the same series of "Has anyone returned....?" questions.
-Repeat every ten minutes despite being repeatedly reassured that 1) it is highly unlikely that anyone will return these items TODAY and that 2) the prices will not be valid after today so......(unspoken: you might as well get your arrogant ass out of my store).
-Call one our best and hardest-working employees a "stupid idiot who has no brain" despite the fact that she is doing her very best to help you just because you do not like the answer to you were given.
-Generally act rude and condescending towards everyone.
-Hang around like an evil mist and make us all miserable.
-Stay for at least 3 and a half hours.
Al (assistant manager) - who in the past threatened to throw him out but did not do so - told me that he "needs to be banned from the store" and seemed to mean it. Hopefully the next time he tries something on Al's watch he'll FINALLY get kicked out.
Me: Well, that's good, since appropriately, his nickname abbreviates to BAN.
Al: What's his nickname?
Me: The Box Art Nazi.
Al:
Still, all things considered it was NOT a bad day.
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