Get your butt out here now!

[Kiwi]

Well in my new job (call centre) I have to say the sucky customer ratio has been suprisingly low, im still getting them but as we have their product they have to be nice to get it back!

Plus most of our callers are receptionists/business people who need to be polite, and if they arent I make a point of reading off every detail of their contact info... that usually quiets them down

however Im on my second day of phones (Im still in training) and this guy calls in

him = H
me = M

M kiwi how can I help you
H yeah why arnt you out the front helping us customers
M im sorry sir im not quite sure what you mean
H yeah well im here in florida (miami) at the depot and theres only one counter person and theres like TEN PEOPLE in front of me and im getting tired of waiting in line
M I apologuise for the inconvience sir but unfortunately theres noth......
H well you can get your butt out here and help us customers!!
M Sir once again I apologuise if you have to wait a few mintues
H TEN MINUTES
M ok ten minutes but that depot is going through a sort and all of the other staff are sorting trucks right now
H so your not coming out to help, this is crappy customer service why cant you come out and help!
M um well I would if I could sir but im not actually located at your facility
H well where the hell are you
M in a call centre, the staff at the facility are working as fast as they can, im sure they will be out to help you quickly

what I wanted to say was (hold your breath until I come out)

H well call the depot and make them get their butts out here NOW *click*

.....

so because he had to wait in line for ten minutes the world was ending, geez dude dont wait until 15 minutes before the cutoff to try and post your package, its not gonna happen you have 23.5 other hours in the day to do it, dont blame us for lack of planning on your part.

[Demonoid Phenomenon]

When someone says they have been waiting 10 minutes, it's always more like 2 minutes. Customers like to embellish (as I'm sure you know).
I've had people second in line look at me and bark, "Can you not open another register?! "
I give them a mental finger, of course.
Sheesh. I don't like waiting in line anymore than anybody else, but get a grip and deal, you SC freaks!

[One-Fang]

On the converse side, I was second in the supermarket checkout this morning when another operator called me over to her. I was temporarily engaged in blowing my nose, but intended to move anyway, when another customer walked up to that operator. She realised what had just happened and backed off and tried to wave me in.

For goodness sake people. By the time this little scenario was fully played out the lady in front of me was getting her change. I'm not in THAT much of a hurry. Really.

[batmoody]

"Can you not open another register?! "

"I can only run one register at a time,sir."

[TonyDonuts]

When someone says they have been waiting 10 minutes, it's always more like 2 minutes. Customers like to embellish (as I'm sure you know).
I've had people second in line look at me and bark, "Can you not open another register?! "
I give them a mental finger, of course.
Sheesh. I don't like waiting in line anymore than anybody else, but get a grip and deal, you SC freaks!

And then you DO open another register and what do they do?

Stand there and stare at you, "Hmm, I wonder what that guy's doing over there by that cash register? Oh well, too much for my half-neuron to process, better get back to waiting in line and whiiiiiiining about how long this is taking. Geez, why don't they open another register?"

[Anakah]

I once had to work in a family dollar. I had to open that morning and it was like five mins after we were supposed to open but we were closed because we were behind. Let's just say the manager was sick and couldn't leave the bathroom...
So I look outside and there are like two or three people waiting to get in. Soon the phone rings and I answer.
Me: Thank you for calling Family dollar this is.... How may I help you?
SC: Why aren't you open yet???
Me: Well, we had a late start.
SC: How much longer do I have to wait???
ME: I'm not quiet sure... Probably another two or three mins.
SC: THis is unacceptable!
ME:I'm sorry.
CLICK.
I look outside and its some woman on her cell phone. Why would you have Family dollar programmed in your phone? LOL And honestly what was SOOO important that it couldn't wait one or two more mins?

[leaping_baby]

Yeah, just the other day, we were short on cashiers. My boss was cashiering, all the supervisors on duty were cashiering, we even had the floor supervisor cashier (who usually doesn't unless it's really busy) AND in addition to that, we had someone cashier that works in a different department. Third lady in line asks if we can get another cashier up to work. All of our lanes were open and being used.

[rant]
Now, me - I'm the best cashier in that store. I'm the fastest, nicest, and you're lucky to be in my lane because even if you're third or fourth in line (which rarely happens), you'll be out in five minutes because I work hard to check customers out as soon as possible. I'm sorry that your items can't be rung up instantly, but it's not going to happen so leave me the hell alone and just be happy that I'm not working as slow as possible. K? Thanks. Bye now.
[/rant]

Sorry for the rant, but your post just reminded me of that...

[leaping_baby]

And then you DO open another register and what do they do?

Stand there and stare at you, "Hmm, I wonder what that guy's doing over there by that cash register? Oh well, too much for my half-neuron to process, better get back to waiting in line and whiiiiiiining about how long this is taking. Geez, why don't they open another register?"

I know!

What's worse though is when they go over to you and ask you if you're open. Duh.

Or when they ask you when you're open and you have a CLOSED sign up, with the light off, and you're obviously busy doing something else.

Or when they come up to you and start throwing items on the belt when you're obviously, um, CLOSED!

Gosh, annoying stupid people.

*exhale* Ok, I'm done ranting...

[debtcollector]

When someone says they have been waiting 10 minutes, it's always more like 2 minutes. Customers like to embellish (as I'm sure you know).

In my call centre my staff can actually see on the system how long a customer has been waiting in the queue before they get to the staff so whenever a cust complains about the long wait and says 10 mins when it's much less my staff just say to them that they actually only wait ... mins. Customers hate it but it's so much fun

[Becks]

"I can only run one register at a time,sir."

Oh, I wish I'd thought of that when I cashiered at Goodwill!!!!!!!!!!

[dragonflygrrl]

At Budget, our buses were on a ten-minute rotation. So every ten minutes, at any given point between the airport and our store, there would be a bus. I remember that after almost two years, and will likely remember that until the day I die. The reason for that is that every five to ten minutes or so for the entire eight hours of my shift, asshats would call and complain that they had been waiting for half an hour. I would instruct them to go back out to the median, find a shelter marked shuttle, and that a bus would be there within ten minutes, because, say it with me, the buses are on a ten minute rotation. All this time, buses would be stopping at base, going to the airport, picking up customers, dropping off customers, calling in on the radio with customers' names, and doing all this EVERY TEN MINUTES. We noticed an inverse proportion between the temperature and the wait time, i.e. a five minute wait in nice weather equated to about a twenty minute wait for asshats, but if the weather went below forty or so suddenly the exact same wait time jumped to at least half an hour.

[phillippbo]

This reminded me of my days working at Wally World as a cashier. In the particular Supercenter I worked in, there were something like 40 registers that took up the entire front end. Believe it or not, on the busier days, management would schedule enough cashiers to have at least three-quarters of those registers open. At the beginning of the day, fights would ensue for the rights to registers 14-25. Why, do you ask? Well, I'll explain.

Those registers were in the middle of the front end, equal distance from the Grocery entrance by register 1 and the General Merchandise entrance by register 40-something. This means that customers have to move away from the exits to get to them (not far, mind you, but away nonetheless). So, as those of us in the middle stood at the end of our registers trying to attract customers' attention, lines formed at the first 6 registers on each end. Being the good employee that I was, I would announce something like "Registers 14, 15, 17, 19, 20 ... are now open with no waiting". You would think there would be a mad rush to a register with nobody in line, but you would be wrong my friend. Not a single customer would budge, not even when the same announcement was repeated constantly every few minutes. So, since we were not allowed to leave our registers other than bathroom breaks, actual breaks, and lunches, we'd have to ask a CSM (Customer Service Manager) to go run down customers so we'd have something to do, which would only sporatically happen.

I'm sure everybody's thinking it, and it was true. While at least 10 registers were open and had no customers in line, the customers at each end waiting in line were whining about having to wait in line and how more registers needed to be opened. I guess the t-shirt was right "Some days it's just not worth knawing through the straps".

[dragonflygrrl]

Another true statement taken from a t-shirt is, "Never underestimate the stupidity of people in large groups." Me personally, I run like heck to get to a register with no waiting! I don't like to wait any more than anyone else, and it's totally worth pushing my cart the whole first down's worth of extra distance to get out of the store in a timely manner. Some people. Or, to be more precise, most people.

Edit: The saying I was going for was, "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups." I knew that looked weird...

[Kiwi]

Not a single customer would budge, not even when the same announcement was repeated constantly every few minutes.

at our local walmart the express lanes at 19 and 20 and at the furthest end of the store to the entrance. There can be a 9 person line up at lane 1 and no one on checkouts 10 and up.... I havent had to wait in a line yet at our local walmart because they always have lane 20 open and there is never anyone in it.

it seems walking 10 metres is just too much for some people

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Oh, I wish I'd thought of that when I cashiered at Goodwill!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, I originated that answer years ago. . .and I was considered to be one of the top cashiers at the WD I was at many moons ago.

"I can only one run register at a time. I'm good, but I'm not THAT good."

Usually would result in a snicker or two.