Can't you make it go faster?

[Reyneth]

Yesterday the front of my store was a little slammed so I was attempting to help a customer (my job is more of behind-the-scenes now). Attempting because.....eh. She wants to drop off disposable cameras - cool. But she also has a memory card and wants to have photos made. No biggie.

I walk her to the digital kiosk not in use and put in her card (very old type, hasn't been used in new cameras for about 4-5 years). It doesn't read. Ok, take it out, blow out the slot, make sure there is no crud on the contacts, assure her that yes, I am putting it in right. Still doesn't read. After trying several times.

So I tell her it is possible/likely the other machine will read it, but if she doesn't want to wait, here is our website to send photos that way, it is possible that if she did that when she got home, they'd be done at the same time as the cameras. No go. But she makes a big production of calling home to tell them she won't be home in time for whatever service person is coming over or whatever. (Even if the machine had read her card the first time, she *still* wouldn't have made it home in time anyway!)

As this is going on, the lady at the other machine is waiting for photos to transfer in our system. Yes, it does take a while. But she was also printing every photo on her ONE GIG card. (I have a 4G card, but I'd never try to print more than 100 photos at once anywhere!) She was complaining. "It's taking too long." "How much longer is it going to be?" (I don't know, as long as it takes!) "XXXX place just lets me drop the card off there and I don't need to deal with this." My response? "I worked at that place, I know they do that, and I also know people forget cards all of the time at the store. Here we do not want to be responsible. (While thinking why didn't you just go there?)

The first customer (remember her?) is fussing that the second one is taking too long, while the second one is fussing that the machine is not not fast enough.

All the while all of the employees are at the end of their ropes and thinking "It's computer systems and we can't do a darn thing about it to hurry it up. You can't bake a cake in 15 min just because you are hungry!"

Everyone, please say it with me "Lack of planning on YOUR part......"
*sigh*

[Meegz]

I had a problem like that while at my job. I had two old ladies (one was a volunteer driver for the other, who was handicapped.) The one lady wanted a table but didn't like the one on the floor because of damage (it was stained to look antique..thats how they ALL are) and she didn't want one ordered since she wanted it NOW.

Our stock pile is jammed full in the back, and we search for the last table of that style that the computer says we have. I come out after 5 minutes to let her know that I (and a few other people) was still looking and that I hadn't forgot about her.

"WELL HURRY IT UP WHY CANT YOU FIND IT I HAVE PLACES TO BE" I tell her we are really trying as hard as we could. So now since we aren't being fast enough, she wants a 30%+ discount on the table which my manager refuses. More yelling ensues and instead of helping me, my manager walks away leaving me with these ladies telling me I'm too slow.

So they end up leaving with a whole bunch of stuff "I came here for PLACEMATS and I have ALL THIS STUFF I AM IN A HURRY!!!" and the number to corporate to report me.



Moral of the story : Don't go FURNITURE SHOPPING when you are in a hurry! And also, remember if you're looking for one item but end up buying many others, its the associates fault for making you want to buy other things

[pbmods]

Slow kiosks are fun. Especially when a customer wants to put a thousand pictures on a CD, so now everybody who just wants a couple of prints has to wait for all those images to transfer over to our production machine before their 1- and 2-print orders will start.

It's always fun trying to explain that to customers, especially when they can't see anything happening.

[Linda]

Hehee tell me about it!

Our machine is so old, it won't read anything over 512Mb, and won't read any of the newer cards - Memorystick Duo, Micro/mini SD etc. Works fine on a floppy disc or a PCI card though!

Thankfully, the powers that be decided to invest in an extra card reader which is directly in the machine at the back. But we still can't do USB or Bluetooth.
How many times a day... "But xxxxxxx used to do it" - yep, but they are closed down. Of the 6 photo labs in a 2 mile radius, we are the only ones who haven't closed down.

And the confused look when the photos don't print from the machine is hilarious. They look all around for the slot the photos come out of. They try to feed their credit card into the PCI slot.

Nope, this is not a Kodak picture maker. They don't print from here, they print in the back. No it's not slower. It's a better quality print. It's cheaper. And yet they still say "Oh forget it then. It'll take too long." and head off on the half hour each way journey into town to the nearest lab with a Kodak machine.

[pbmods]

And the confused look when the photos don't print from the machine is hilarious. They look all around for the slot the photos come out of. They try to feed their credit card into the PCI slot.

Oh yeah Forget that each slot is labeled on our machine (and there is a nice, big, friendly, candy-colored animation playing on the screen that shows where each type of media goes). Customers never get it right on the first try.

I've seen customers bringing in their own blank CDs to get their pictures burned (interestingly enough, they've never tried to get a discount for using their own CDs). They try to figure out a way to pay for their pictures at the kiosk (thank goodness they realize why there's no bill slot before trying their change!).

Ooh, and the fun part:

Every now and then, a customer comes in to scan in a picture. She then loudly declares that our prices are too high, and she walks off...

... and she leaves her picture in the scanner.

Oops. Sorry lady, but we kept it for a whole week before we threw it out.

[Sonoma]

I have a 4G card, but I'd never try to print more than 100 photos at once anywhere!) She was complaining. "It's taking too long." "How much longer is it going to be?" (I don't know, as long as it takes!) *sigh*

I have to admit that I have dropped off orders of 100-150 images before. But, I went when I didn't think they'd be busy, apologized to the employees for the large number of photos, and told them as long as they were ready by the next afternoon, it would be fine. I had no expectations that they'd be ready that same day, and was very impressed when they got them done that night

Same thing when I send out 8-10 rolls of film for developing (back in my pre-digital days). If some of the rolls were a day behind, no big deal. I'll just pick them up tomorrow.

[Mango]

They look all around for the slot the photos come out of. They try to feed their credit card into the PCI slot.

Just curious - could you possibly describe the PCI slot?

[Reyneth]

Just curious - could you possibly describe the PCI slot?

The PCI adapters are a good 1/4-1/3" thick. So the slots are a little bigger than that and about as wide as a deck of cards. Actually, about 1/3 a deck of cards is the same size as a slot. Quite obviously NOT a credit card reader.

I forgot - one of those customers made the comment about digital is "supposed to be sooo much easier but no, it's just a hassle." I was thinking 1) it's easier if you know HOW to use it or deal with it and 2) I know your kind, lady. You'd get one good shot out of a roll of film and then complain that you wasted all of that money for one photo.

Today was much better, for the most part. Heck, I even put a photo in our system (for my use in making a custom greeting card) using the *gasp* dreaded kiosk so quickly that the customer didn't realize I had already done it! (she was looking at card designs)

But I did get a call from someone wanting to know our prices on cards. Start at $1/each and go down depending upon how many you buy.
SC: I've seen them MUCH cheaper on the internet.
Me: Well, that does happen
SC: You don't price adjust?
Me: No........
Me: And to do what you would like to do (custom card, with multiple images that I'd set up for her) it will be at least a $15 set up fee
SC: That's waay too much, other places charge much less
Me: But they don't do custom work.
SC: *hangs up*

All the while, I'm thinking "Hey, you get what you pay for! My cousin used an internet site for the cards she had done from photos I took of her baby (and color corrected and PhotoShopped etc) that only cost about $.40/each. The cards came back with a greeenish tint to baby's skin. DUH. And why the H would we match what may be some shady internet company's price when the quality of service is completely different and we have hundreds of customers happy to pay what we charge each year?"

[Mr. Rude]

Everyone, please say it with me "Lack of planning on YOUR part......"
*sigh*

....Results in a big, fat juicy backhand from me?

...Or a pistolwhip?

[Linda]

I have to admit that I have dropped off orders of 100-150 images before. But, I went when I didn't think they'd be busy, apologized to the employees for the large number of photos

To be honest, our machine is pretty good, and will knock out 150 prints in about 40 minutes for a nice customer like yourself. SC's wait a minimum of an hour. We get orders for 800-1000 photos three or four times a week and those are no problem as long as the customer realises our machine is not magic and we get organised. But whe that is going through to the back, no more 1hour or instant photos.

What doesn't help is that head office have decided to make our 1 hour digi price cheaper than the 2 day digi price. Thanks a lot geniuses!

[AFpheonix]

I sent a buttload of my wedding pics to my store over the chain's website, but I had the good sense to put in a pickup time of the next day. As it was, the photo guy gave me stinky-poop eye look

They did a nice job though, and it was really easy too.

[Reyneth]

What doesn't help is that head office have decided to make our 1 hour digi price cheaper than the 2 day digi price. Thanks a lot geniuses!

You are kidding. You are KIDDING. I would have looked at them when they told me, and asked them what the real prices were.

I used to work at a One Hour place - and we were one hour 90% of the time if requested. The other 10% was busy times that we told the customer in advance it would be longer. Oh, the complaints! "But I didn't know Prom was yesterday, I shouldn't have to wait......" (And then they have photos of their kid getting ready for Prom on the film.....)

But now at the place where I work, because we also have a portrait studio that we have to print photos for, we do photos for events like school photos, and we deal with several pro photographers in the area, it's about three hours for people dropping off stuff. Don't like it? Go down the road to the onehour place (there's a good one about 20 min away). Nobody ever takes me up on that one.

[Linda]

You are kidding. You are KIDDING. I would have looked at them when they told me, and asked them what the real prices were.

Oh no, not kidding
And even better, our bigger prints, 7x5, is cheaper than the smaller ones, 6x4, when you use the 1 hour. Oh, and as of today a cd is £1 in an hour or £2 in 2 days. Try explaining that to a customer! Well, actually I have it down now.
"Don't ask me how or why, just trust me. Your cheapest option is..."
Followed by a from the customer, and usually a shoulder shrug.

Not a braincell between the whole of marketing I tell ya!

[DesignFox]

But I did get a call from someone wanting to know our prices on cards. Start at $1/each and go down depending upon how many you buy.
SC: I've seen them MUCH cheaper on the internet.
Me: Well, that does happen
SC: You don't price adjust?
Me: No........
Me: And to do what you would like to do (custom card, with multiple images that I'd set up for her) it will be at least a $15 set up fee
SC: That's waay too much, other places charge much less
Me: But they don't do custom work.
SC: *hangs up*

All the while, I'm thinking "Hey, you get what you pay for! My cousin used an internet site for the cards she had done from photos I took of her baby (and color corrected and PhotoShopped etc) that only cost about $.40/each. The cards came back with a greeenish tint to baby's skin. DUH. And why the H would we match what may be some shady internet company's price when the quality of service is completely different and we have hundreds of customers happy to pay what we charge each year?"

$15 to custom design the card, and then less than a buck per actual card??? That's amazing prices! WTF? does this woman have to complain about! If she ever hired a graphic designer to do ANY kind of custom design work, she'd go into an apoplectic fit at how much it would cost. Or, god forbid, if she went to a photo studio...those cards aren't super expensive, but they certainly cost more than what you have quoted! And if you got them done by a private professional photographer...whoooo! What do people THINK sometimes???? That we all work for FREE?

[pbmods]

But I did get a call from someone wanting to know our prices on cards. Start at $1/each and go down depending upon how many you buy.
SC: I've seen them MUCH cheaper on the internet.
Me: Well, that does happen
SC: You don't price adjust?
Me: No........
Me: And to do what you would like to do (custom card, with multiple images that I'd set up for her) it will be at least a $15 set up fee
SC: That's waay too much, other places charge much less
Me: But they don't do custom work.
SC: *hangs up*

On the customer side of this, I remember I was once getting quotes on DVD copy services. I remember this one guy gave me a price that I really liked, and I said something to the effect of, "Wow. That's really low!"

And the guy on the phone must have been in anti-SC mode because he immediately launched into a big lecture about how his prices are already the lowest in the area, and he won't put up with me trying to talk him down.

Ohkay then.