Does she get comission for that?

[Eric the Grey]

I stop by the same grocery store quite often on my way to work. It'll be even more often now that they've closed the only one that was directly on my way, but I digress.

One of their checkers is a somewhat older woman (compared to myself) who seems to be stuck on the script. She is a bit odd, but not really a bad checker. She's efficient, but says her lines like she doesn't really expect a response, and quite often ignores them when they are given, as will be seen below:

Me: (who else?)
OC: Odd checker
RM: Random Man, the guy who came to stand in line behind me.
AM: Assistant Manager

OC: *Ringing up my order* "Would you like help out with this today?"
Me: *chuckles* "No, I think I can handle it."
OC: "Did you find everything you needed?
Me: "Oh yea."
OC: "Would you like help out with this today"
Me: "Uh, no thanks." *I sign the card pad*
OC: Tears off the recipt. "You've saved .65 with us today Mr Grey. Would you like help out with this today?"
Me: ....
Me: "Yea, sure, why not?"
OC: Calls for a carry-out.
RM: Looks at her and then at me as if we were both crazy
AM: "You called for a carry-out?" *Obviously confused, looking at my bag*
OC: "Yes" *starts ringing up RM's groceries.

AM and Me proceed out the doors and towards my car, saying nothing. I'll note that if the weather had been colder, I probably wouldn't have had her walk with me, but it was fairly nice (compared with two days ago, when we had 1.5 inches of big, fat snowflakes fall in just over 2 hours). In part, I was wording exactly what I wanted to say. I didn't want to sound like I was complaining...

Me: *after getting to the car* *Chuckling* "You know, I don't mind if they ask, it seems to be policy, which is nice, if people need it, but can you please ask her to stop asking after I decline? She asked me three separate times if I wanted help carrying this out."
AM: *hands me my single bag, continuing ONE PACKAGE OF CRACKERS and ONE SMALL CONTAINER OF SOUR CREAM!* "I'll bring it up to her."

I'll note that all the checkers at this store ask, regardless of how big the order is.


Eric the Grey

[marasbaras]

Oh, how I hate scripts. Then again, this woman needs to pay attention.

Once I was at a big-box electronics store buying a fairly high-end DVD/Karaoke player for my wife's birthday. The checker asked me four different times if I wanted the extra service plan thing ... my responses:

1. No, thank you.
2. No, thank you.
3. NO.
4. How many FUCKING TIMES do I have to say "no"?

Some manager drone came over and asked me to refrain from swearing in the store. I told manager drone that I'll refrain from swearing if their moronic employees would stop pushing their upsells after the first or second "no".

The twit manager mumbled something and slunk away.

I know these guys make much of their income from upsells. But, please, show a little respect and take "no" as a legitimate answer.

[marasbaras]

I'll note that all the checkers at this store ask, regardless of how big the order is.

Almost forgot ... they did that at my old local stores, too. I'm 40, have decent muscles (with an unfortunate decent amount of fat to go with them). And get asked if I need help with a gallon of milk.

I just politely decline. Or, in the case where the bagger is female, I'll joke "I should be helping HER, not the other way around." Actually, for me it's not really a joke cause I was taught that it was extremely impolite for a man not to offer to help a woman carry a load of goods. Then, add years as a Boy Scout on top of that ...

[Daisy]

I just wish the stores around here still offered help with carry-out.

Last time anyone offered to carry my groceries to my car was on Christmas Eve, and I only had two little bags, and the sweet little guy just insisted on carrying them to my car in the wind and cold. I would have tipped him if he wouldn't have gotten in trouble for it.

[gunsage]

I think the worst situation I've had similar to this occurred at...ready for this? Yes, I'm giving out the exact location because it's absolutely ridiculous and hasn't gotten any better, really. Ahem...

EB Games
Eastland Mall
Right off of Hamilton Road
Don't go there, please, there's a Gamestop just down the street that has a better staff and aren't quite so pushy as well as often not as busy AND you don't feel like you're crammed into a box

That said, I wanted to pick up a DS. This occurred a couple of years ago and fortunately, while I haven't seen the same goober in there, unfortunately most of the same occurs anyway.

Uber McGoober: *Uber monotone, slow voice the entire conversation* "Hello sir is there something I can help you with today."
Me: "Um, yes, actually. I was wondering if you had any DSs? I'm looking for a used one."
UM: "Okay let me see. Yes we have a few used DSs."
Me: "Great, okay...I'm going to browse for a minute and then I'll be ready."

I proceed to pick up two titles...Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow and Advance Wars: Dual Strike. I then walk up to the counter. Keep in mind that NO ONE else was in there, yet the entire transaction HAD to have taken at least 15 minutes.

UM: "Okay will that be all today."
Me: "Yep, just the DS and these games." *Hands over games*
UM: *Ringing them up very slowly* "Would you like to invest in the extended warranty program it's only-"
Me: "Naaaaaah, that's okay. It's used anyway."
UM: *Not even ringing up anything at this point, yet the sale hasn't ended* "The extended warranty is only-"
Me: "Really...that's okay. I'm not interested."

Now, I don't remember the entire conversation. This is primarily because the parts where it looks like I cut him off? Yeah, I didn't, but I'm not going to bother putting in ALL of what he said because you'll probably fall asleep at the monitor. Further, he asked me at least THREE TIMES if I wanted the warranty! I get it. It's part of your spiel and you might even make commission on it...maybe.

Let's take this from my angle, though.

- I'm in a mall. Where a restaurant is compared to a fast food joint, a specialty store is compared to a mall. While mall rats still exist, I'm sure, I really don't want to spend all my time talking to you about something I don't want and have expressed stated so MULTIPLE TIMES. If I was browsing, sure, but I'm not. It's time for the good ol' PoS to come into play and I'm thinking a machine would be much more efficient and possibly much more intelligent than you at this point. Balls to you, sir!
- Again, I'm in a mall. Therefore, your store is a BOX. When there are multiple people in your store, it's hard to breathe and would very easily cause a person to have a panic attack if they were claustrophobic, certainly. I'm not and it wasn't, but that's besides the point. I WANT OUT.
- You're already making a sale. A good one, at that. No, it's not a brand new DS, but it's still a DS. There really wasn't a whole lot chopped off the price. AND I'm buying two brand new games for it. CAN IT.
- You're not a robot. I'm not an idiot. There's a Gamestop down the street. You obviously don't care about your job or you're so jaded from it that you really ought to get a new one.

Fortunately I had plenty of patience that day. I love my DS. I most likely would've gone down the street and gotten one there instead, but then I would've had to justify getting the guy's name, getting the manager's name, the store number, the store's telephone number, etc. and report him later. I really didn't care THAT much. On a related note, though, my wife and I were in there at a later time to pick up ONE GAME and this idiot was doing stupid crap such as letting people cut in line, answering customer's questions while ringing up our order (which wouldn't have been a big deal but he STOPPED DOING OUR ORDER multiple times to the point that a 5 minute sale turn into 15+), and in general was a complete douche.

My wife got PISSED. Again, I don't think he works there anymore, hopefully, but seriously now, that's messed up.

[TheSnakeLady]

I -HATE- pushy people with extended warranties. Last January (errr, make that last-last January, aka Jan 2007), I managed to get my hands on a Wii by pre-ordering it through whatever Hollywood Video's associated video game store is. Well, they finally got more in, and I went in to buy it. Now, at the time, my parents were still in town, and whenever my sister and I went over there for a family dinner, we'd often wind up playing videogames as a family (Mario Party is a fave), so I was ready to plop down the money for not just the system, but the accessories to make it a 4-player machine, as well as one or two 4-player games.

The guy gets the Wii up to the counter, and then starts trying to upsell me on the warranty. (This conversation is approximate.)

Me = TheSnakeLady
GG = Game guy behind the counter
GGM = Game guy's manager

GG = "You should really consider getting the extended warranty."
Me = "No thanks, I don't need one."
GG = "Game systems break all the time, though."
Me = "I've only heard that about Microsoft and Sony's products. Haven't heard anything bad about Wiis."
GG = "But ya never know, better to be careful."
Me = "I don't think I need it. I mean, Nintendo makes great stuff. I bought a Gamecube when it first came out, and mine's still working perfectly."
GG = "But you see this part?" *points to a display model* "The little cord on the sensor is fragile, you could easily break it."
Me = "Yeah, but Nintendo already HAS a 1-year warranty."
GG = "Let me get my manager. Hey Joe*!" *name changed
GGM comes over and proceeds to try and sell me on the extended warranty as well.
I say no a few dozen more times.

FINALLY the two give up, and GG finishes the transaction and lets me buy my Wii. (If he hadn't been holding it hostage, I would've walked out long before!)

Needless to say, I don't ever go in that store (or Hollywood Video), and I bought my games and accessories elsewhere.

[marasbaras]

FINALLY the two give up, and GG finishes the transaction and lets me buy my Wii. (If he hadn't been holding it hostage, I would've walked out long before!)

Wow, you're patient. Then again, he had your Wii.

After the sale, I would've torn into the little creep. After a few times of saying no .. SHUT UP AND SELL ME THE ITEM YOU STUPID LOSER.

[Mighty Girl]

Ugh, I get annoyed with the people at Blockbuster and their little program (can't remember what it's called). I have to say no a minimum of 4 times before the STFU already.

"Would you like to sign up for our.....?"
"If you shop here ___ times per year you've already made your money back"
"We're having a limited special.........."
"Are you sure you don't want to take advantage of this very special opportunity?"

I hardly ever go there, it would be of no use to me at all. We have video-on-demand on our TV and we're busy parents. Occasionally I'll get an urge to see some movie or something that ISN'T available on TV or at the library (where I'm often at anyway due to the whole parenthood thing), and I'll trudge over to Blockbuster. So don't tell me how I should sign up for this thing! We cancelled Netflix because we just never got around to watching the movies...

Sorry, got off on a bit of a rant there!

[coldcupofjoe]

Hey Joe!

howdy!

sorry I just couldn't resist I feel goofy tonight.

[tropicsgoddess]

I just wish the stores around here still offered help with carry-out.

The only one that does is Publix (I Live in FL and they are HUGE there...and a few here or there in Alabama and Georgia)

[Misanthropical]

The one store I shop at does offer help with carry out. I have only used it once and I gave the guy a couple of bucks and made it look like I was just shaking his hand to pass it to him.

[Kaylyn]

When I worked at RadioShack we had our little pitches we had to do. Help the customer find the product they came in for if they came in looking for something specific. THEN we had to start with the suggestive selling/warranties/credit card stuff. With EVERY sale we had to suggest a related item/accessory, then push one of our specials (satellite system or cell service, usually whatever they were emphasizing that week), then try to get it on a RadioShack credit card (which was damned hard to get approved for, usually only people that didn't need the thing anyway got it), THEN get their name and address for our sale paper just to pour salt on the wound (contrary to popular belief, the name and address was never actually required except for certain sales and everyone was always free to say no thanks). We did get a small amount of commission on top of our hourly wage for some of the extras. I tried to be casual and polite about the whole thing and only suggest things that related to the original purchase, and I personally shut my mouth as soon as I was told "no" or detected annoyance from the customer. But I theoretically could have gotten in trouble with corporate if I had let things go at the first "no" with a secret shopper. They wanted us to try each offer THREE times. When you have three things to suggest, that adds up and annoys the customer very quickly.

About the Gamestop/EB Games thing, several of my friends work there, so I know a lot about the grind there. They don't get any commission for their reserves or their warranties or their Game Informer subscription sales. Know what they get? To keep their job. That sucks...if the customers you help just aren't buying no matter how hard you try to sell, you'll get canned for that. Seems to me they should pay attention to whether or not you're doing the job and offering, not only on what percentage of customers say yes. I mean, I can only subscribe to Game Informer once a year...is some poor slave going to lose his or her job because it's only February and my subscription is good till July?

That reminds me of an experience I had at Gamestop a few years back. Bought a used Gamecube on a whim and a couple of games and strategy guides. Because one of the games was Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, he tried to force me to reserve Twilight Princess. "It's going to be IMPOSSIBLE to find once it comes out, and you may NEVER get a copy if you don't reserve!" Problem was, I was buying at a store I never shop at (over an hour away from my house because I was stuck there due to my job) and I said repeatedly that if I wanted to reserve it, I'd do it in my hometown because I'd actually be able to pick it up there. Guy was practically insisting I reserve it there. He finally backed down when I said, "Do you want this sale or not, because I'm about to leave if you ask one more time." That was one of the more annoying retail shopping experiences I've had. I can understand maybe offering twice, trying to create an impulse buy out of it, but four or five times, you'd think they'd realize that the customer actually MEANS no...

[Cyphr]

twice is plenty but bring it up far enough apart the customer might have forgotten by then <speil> sales related stuuf and chat> spiel> ok your total is xx.xx

[gunsage]

Yeh, I remember people being pushy about upcoming titles, but now I'm absolutely dumbstruck that they don't earn commish. That's sad. Here's what I've had attempted to be pushed on me in the past...

- Persona 3. Now, one can insinuate it's hard to find as the price has skyrocketed on Amazon. The really funny part, though, is that you can still pick it up brand new at Game Crazy, Gamestop, or pretty much anywhere else. I've thought about grabbing 5 new copies, then selling them online...but nah.
- Maximo. I kid you not, Maximo. Look, the game was okay...overly hard, but still okay. Yeah, I just picked up Maximo a few weeks ago for $3. Way to go.
- Just about every Final Fantasy game and Dragonquest 8. Need I say more?

About the only game that was "pushed" on me that would've been a good idea is Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Yeah...not finding that ever again. Good thing I still have a copy. And yes, I understand it's part of their spiel, but especially now that I know they don't operate on commish, that's just plain bastardy.

[Kaylyn]

I do feel sorry for the guys (and girls!) at Gamestop/EB. I remember being under a lot of pressure to keep up the numbers for satellite/cell sales, etc, but at least I had the extra commission as an incentive (and yes, we would get fired if our numbers were too low as well). These poor peons have no incentive other than, "Hey, you get to keep your sucky minimum wage for another week if you do this!" My fiance (a third key manager) gets so stressed out when no one's buying, but at least he's not one of the pushy ones. I try to be patient and polite because gods know they get enough rudeness from customers just for doing what corporate requires of them, but I also expect them to understand and back off when I'm truly not interested.

I want to see the corporate suits spend a week working in the stores by their own rules with all this offering crap. If it ever actually happens, though, I'd probably just die of shock...