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Unsolvable problems, how I hate thee!!!
On hand Numero Uno, I only work here. I don't know why Corporate/The Manager/The Big Dude In The Sky changed the entire stores planogram overnight and I/you can't find anything.
I don't always know why they chose certain policies (when I do know I try to explain).
If I can't help you, I'm sorry, but they didn't explain it to me, so I can't explain it to you.
....but on the other hand, I freaking work here!!!!
If you ask me a shop-related question, ie do we stock/where is Product X, I'll direct you to it. I almost always know whether we have any out the back (usually 'cos I was out there 5 minutes ago).
I know the prices of almost half our stock, and sometimes I even know when we're getting more stock in/why we don't have any.
If I answer your question directly, without an "I'm not completely sure" in front of it, for the love of all that's holy, believe me!
I work in a petrol station that has a cafe. Even though I'm wearing a forecourt uniform (cafe uniforms are different) I work on both sides. I work just under 40 hours a week, and this week I worked 49. In other words, I spend a lot of time there, and when the boss wants something done, he tells me because he knows I'll pass the message on.
I had to argue with the damn milkman last night because he would not believe me.
Slight backstory - the cafe side recently stopped ordering <Budget Brand> trim milk and started ordering <More Expensive Brand> trim milk. (Only trim - no idea).
The manager also wanted to return some <Budget Brand> trim milk because the bottles were damaged or marked - doesn't look good from a retail point of view according to him. Fine, explained that to the milkman.
But he didn't want to give us any <Budget Brand> trim milk for the store. See, we're not ordering any for the cafe any more. And the boss is returning some. In the milkmans eyes that meant we weren't selling it anymore.
He also couldn't open said eyes wide enough to find a price tag for the <Budget Brand> trim milk. (I found it in about 5 seconds, but never mind).
It took 5 minutes of reassuring him that we still sold <Budget Brand> trim milk in the store before he would deliver any. Because hey, I only work here, I have no idea what we sell! *sarcasm*
Customers just love latching on to unsolvable problems too. One "lady" I remember came in and made a purchase with a gift card. The first time I swiped said card, the transaction came up on my screen as declined. But according to her, on the EFTPOS machine it said approved. She wasn't happy.
Now, this gift card system is fairly new. In fact, our whole computer system is fairly new. I know said system better than most of the people I work with (amazing what pushing random buttons when you're bored can teach you). But I had never struck this problem before. I explained that to the customer, and also that the manager wasn't there at the time.
I also explained that whilst the petrol needed to be paid for at the time, simply because I had no option for fixing the problem straight away, all she needed to do was come back in, or call, and talk to the manager so that he could sort it out. See, new systems come with glitches.
She wasn't happy. Completely fair enough, I'd be pretty pissed too. IIRC though, she paid for the gas and left. But apparently she never rang to have the problem fixed, 'cos a couple of weeks ago she came in again, and the same thing happened.
Normally, the first flag that would pop up in my head would be "scammer alert!". But the message we were getting on the screen wasn't the standard Insufficient Funds message, it was a Transaction Error. Probably something wrong with the gift card.
The manager came out and spoke to her about it and handled the whole thing, but the whole time she was standing there she was going on about how "The same thing happened last time" and how I couldn't help her (I was standing nearby because I wanted to know what went wrong so I could fix it if it happened again).
Lady, I understand that you're pissed off. Like I said, I would be too. But I only work here! If our computer/gift card system has a glitch in it that even the manager doesn't know how to fix/what went wrong, what in Hades makes you think I can?!
I know, I know. Customers don't think.
/endrant (finally
)
On hand Numero Uno, I only work here. I don't know why Corporate/The Manager/The Big Dude In The Sky changed the entire stores planogram overnight and I/you can't find anything.
I don't always know why they chose certain policies (when I do know I try to explain).
If I can't help you, I'm sorry, but they didn't explain it to me, so I can't explain it to you.
....but on the other hand, I freaking work here!!!!
If you ask me a shop-related question, ie do we stock/where is Product X, I'll direct you to it. I almost always know whether we have any out the back (usually 'cos I was out there 5 minutes ago).
I know the prices of almost half our stock, and sometimes I even know when we're getting more stock in/why we don't have any.
If I answer your question directly, without an "I'm not completely sure" in front of it, for the love of all that's holy, believe me!
I work in a petrol station that has a cafe. Even though I'm wearing a forecourt uniform (cafe uniforms are different) I work on both sides. I work just under 40 hours a week, and this week I worked 49. In other words, I spend a lot of time there, and when the boss wants something done, he tells me because he knows I'll pass the message on.
I had to argue with the damn milkman last night because he would not believe me.
Slight backstory - the cafe side recently stopped ordering <Budget Brand> trim milk and started ordering <More Expensive Brand> trim milk. (Only trim - no idea).
The manager also wanted to return some <Budget Brand> trim milk because the bottles were damaged or marked - doesn't look good from a retail point of view according to him. Fine, explained that to the milkman.
But he didn't want to give us any <Budget Brand> trim milk for the store. See, we're not ordering any for the cafe any more. And the boss is returning some. In the milkmans eyes that meant we weren't selling it anymore.
He also couldn't open said eyes wide enough to find a price tag for the <Budget Brand> trim milk. (I found it in about 5 seconds, but never mind).
It took 5 minutes of reassuring him that we still sold <Budget Brand> trim milk in the store before he would deliver any. Because hey, I only work here, I have no idea what we sell! *sarcasm*
Customers just love latching on to unsolvable problems too. One "lady" I remember came in and made a purchase with a gift card. The first time I swiped said card, the transaction came up on my screen as declined. But according to her, on the EFTPOS machine it said approved. She wasn't happy.
Now, this gift card system is fairly new. In fact, our whole computer system is fairly new. I know said system better than most of the people I work with (amazing what pushing random buttons when you're bored can teach you). But I had never struck this problem before. I explained that to the customer, and also that the manager wasn't there at the time.
I also explained that whilst the petrol needed to be paid for at the time, simply because I had no option for fixing the problem straight away, all she needed to do was come back in, or call, and talk to the manager so that he could sort it out. See, new systems come with glitches.
She wasn't happy. Completely fair enough, I'd be pretty pissed too. IIRC though, she paid for the gas and left. But apparently she never rang to have the problem fixed, 'cos a couple of weeks ago she came in again, and the same thing happened.
Normally, the first flag that would pop up in my head would be "scammer alert!". But the message we were getting on the screen wasn't the standard Insufficient Funds message, it was a Transaction Error. Probably something wrong with the gift card.
The manager came out and spoke to her about it and handled the whole thing, but the whole time she was standing there she was going on about how "The same thing happened last time" and how I couldn't help her (I was standing nearby because I wanted to know what went wrong so I could fix it if it happened again).
Lady, I understand that you're pissed off. Like I said, I would be too. But I only work here! If our computer/gift card system has a glitch in it that even the manager doesn't know how to fix/what went wrong, what in Hades makes you think I can?!
I know, I know. Customers don't think.
/endrant (finally
)