Tweet
For some reason they make the Christmas SCs a heartier breed. They're more determined to get what they want, more spoilt, more whiny and more apt to scream, "I want a manager!"
I just hired xmas staff and staff to replace Jemma and I get a customer of all customers. I've been letting my staff shoot most of the clients to get experience, and while I recognized her self-serving, shiny pout - (She's like in her late 30s and has a full set of braces?!) I didn't do anything, because it didn't click until after the session.
"BUT I WANTED TWO PACKAGES!!!!!!!!!!" She squawks, and my little protege handles it like she's been putting up with my customers for years.
"I'm sorry M'am.... It's one package per family, company policy," Laura replies, standing firm.
I only get into it with the customer when she starts getting overtly dramatic. "BUT WE'VE ALWAYS GOT TWO PACKAGES! WE'VE DONE IT BEFORE!!! I NEED ONE PACKAGE FOR TIMMY'S BIRTHDAY. I NEED ONE OF THE FAMILY TO STICK IN CHRISTMAS CARDS!!! THIS IS RIDICULOUS! NEXT TIME WE'RE GOING TO SEARS!!"
Good Gord...
"WHERE IS YOUR MANAGER!!!?"
I give a little wave in her direction. "Here, m'am... Laura's right. It is one package per family."
"WELL WHO'S YOUR BOSS!? DO YOU REALIZE THAT I CAN GET IT CHEAPER!? DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT!? WHY SHOULD I PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR ALL THOSE OTHER PHOTOS WHEN I CAN JUST DO IT TWICE AND GET TWO PACKAGES AND IT'S CHEAPER THAT WAY!!!" She squawks.
"WHAT'S STOPPING ME FROM GOING TO ANOTHER STUDIO!?" She says getting all red in the face and laying it on thicker than the creamiest peanut butter. "AM I BLACKBALLED FROM ALL THE STUDIOS?!"
"Her name is DM... and I realize that it's cheaper, but company policy is one package per family. And you're not blackballed from all the studios (wow highschool drama class, much?!) I can't stop you from studio hopping. But again, company policy is one package per family." I show her a flyer.
"WELL I'LL BE PHONING HIM ABOUT YOUR BEHAVIOUR!!! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU HAD GIVEN ME WHAT I WANTED, I WOULD HAVE SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS HERE!"
*SNORT* MMMKAY... "Well let's see what I can do. I can't give you two ad packages, but I can this one time switch the birthday pose and the family pose, so you can get the family pose as the package and choose some of the others as additionals like you were planning. We only do this once a month and I don't know what my associates have done in the last few days, so it may not work. The computer only allows me one a month," I said, laying it on nice and thick.
We walked to the computer and I brought up the order, I hit the appropriate keystrokes, and I was never so happy to have a slow dos computer, as it ticked and whirred we waited to see if the computer would 'let us' change the packages. I waved Laura over and told her in front of the customer. "See now that we've done it for Mrs.Smith we can't do it again until November, right?"
Laura nods, trying to keep a straight face.
So after we switch the packages, she ends up spending $130 on photos thinking that she pulled one over on us. When in actuality we pulled one over on her, instead of her spending $10.21 on the ad special, she ended up spending over $100 and still not getting what she wanted.
Yay... it's not even mid-October and we're already getting the self-entitled Xmas SCs... I warned my staff. "You think that's bad? Multiply that by 32 a day... Add screaming babies, screaming kids, kids that won't sit, parents that refuse to pick portraits and waste your film, and you have Christmas. Excited yet?"
*sigh*
I just hired xmas staff and staff to replace Jemma and I get a customer of all customers. I've been letting my staff shoot most of the clients to get experience, and while I recognized her self-serving, shiny pout - (She's like in her late 30s and has a full set of braces?!) I didn't do anything, because it didn't click until after the session.
"BUT I WANTED TWO PACKAGES!!!!!!!!!!" She squawks, and my little protege handles it like she's been putting up with my customers for years.
"I'm sorry M'am.... It's one package per family, company policy," Laura replies, standing firm.
I only get into it with the customer when she starts getting overtly dramatic. "BUT WE'VE ALWAYS GOT TWO PACKAGES! WE'VE DONE IT BEFORE!!! I NEED ONE PACKAGE FOR TIMMY'S BIRTHDAY. I NEED ONE OF THE FAMILY TO STICK IN CHRISTMAS CARDS!!! THIS IS RIDICULOUS! NEXT TIME WE'RE GOING TO SEARS!!"
Good Gord...
"WHERE IS YOUR MANAGER!!!?"
I give a little wave in her direction. "Here, m'am... Laura's right. It is one package per family."
"WELL WHO'S YOUR BOSS!? DO YOU REALIZE THAT I CAN GET IT CHEAPER!? DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT!? WHY SHOULD I PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR ALL THOSE OTHER PHOTOS WHEN I CAN JUST DO IT TWICE AND GET TWO PACKAGES AND IT'S CHEAPER THAT WAY!!!" She squawks.
"WHAT'S STOPPING ME FROM GOING TO ANOTHER STUDIO!?" She says getting all red in the face and laying it on thicker than the creamiest peanut butter. "AM I BLACKBALLED FROM ALL THE STUDIOS?!"
"Her name is DM... and I realize that it's cheaper, but company policy is one package per family. And you're not blackballed from all the studios (wow highschool drama class, much?!) I can't stop you from studio hopping. But again, company policy is one package per family." I show her a flyer.
"WELL I'LL BE PHONING HIM ABOUT YOUR BEHAVIOUR!!! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU HAD GIVEN ME WHAT I WANTED, I WOULD HAVE SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS HERE!"
*SNORT* MMMKAY... "Well let's see what I can do. I can't give you two ad packages, but I can this one time switch the birthday pose and the family pose, so you can get the family pose as the package and choose some of the others as additionals like you were planning. We only do this once a month and I don't know what my associates have done in the last few days, so it may not work. The computer only allows me one a month," I said, laying it on nice and thick.
We walked to the computer and I brought up the order, I hit the appropriate keystrokes, and I was never so happy to have a slow dos computer, as it ticked and whirred we waited to see if the computer would 'let us' change the packages. I waved Laura over and told her in front of the customer. "See now that we've done it for Mrs.Smith we can't do it again until November, right?"
Laura nods, trying to keep a straight face.
So after we switch the packages, she ends up spending $130 on photos thinking that she pulled one over on us. When in actuality we pulled one over on her, instead of her spending $10.21 on the ad special, she ended up spending over $100 and still not getting what she wanted.
Yay... it's not even mid-October and we're already getting the self-entitled Xmas SCs... I warned my staff. "You think that's bad? Multiply that by 32 a day... Add screaming babies, screaming kids, kids that won't sit, parents that refuse to pick portraits and waste your film, and you have Christmas. Excited yet?"
*sigh*
WELCOME 
But really, I do find it so off-putting it has the opposite effect on me.
Comment