Tweet
I’ve been reading everyone’s posts, but just haven’t found the time to get online to post my own recently. Background: Now working in the office of a large retail store. Not a lot of customer interaction (thankfully), but I swear every time I go down to the floor I have a SC magnet. These are stories from the past few months.
But They Have it Cheaper…
We sell outdoor equipment – Tents, Sleeping Bags, Packs, Boats etc. Top of the line stuff (The North Face is the cheapest line we carry – for most stores that is the highest end they have) that lasts forever and has lifetime guarantees.
This lady came in and caught me as I was updating the schedule binder on the floor. I smile and lead her to the tents because she wants to compare some. She asks about price matching, which we do…on an identical item. SC goes over to a 4 person Mountaineering Tent. For those who don’t know tents, this is the type of tent you would take with you if you were climbing a mountain in the middle of a serious winter storm. Hardcore tent – windproof, waterproof, and more stable than some houses. It retails for $875, which is a great price and much cheaper than anything else in the same area.
SC: I wanted to see about getting this tent, but Canadian Tire has a similar tent for $95 and I want this one for that price.
ME: Ma’am, Canadian Tire does not sell anything comparable to this tent. The only tents they have there are summer tents which are not even waterproof.
SC: No, it’s a 4 person tent and there is a picture of a mountain on the label. It’s for mountain climbing.
It took 15 minutes, plus a call to Canadian Tire to get this woman to leave. She still thought we were trying to cheat our customers out of hundreds of dollars.
Another Mountain Climbing Wannabe
This woman came in very excited about a trip she was taking with a tour group in a couple of weeks. They were going to be hiking/climbing somewhere in Europe and had a huge list of the required equipment as well as recommended brands. She kept going on and on about how the only climbing she’s ever done was on a wall in her gym and how excited she was. I looked at the first few things on her list:
1. Sleeping bag rated for at least -15 degrees Celsius
2. 1 person tent (minimum 3 season, preferably 4 season)
3. Climbing shoes and helmet
4. Warm (preferably wool) base layers and layering pieces
Easy enough. I show her our bags. But no, she doesn’t want to spend more than $150 on a bag. I look at the list of recommended brands, and prices start at $200 for warm weather ones – forget about cold weather ones. She ends up choosing one recommended for -2 and says she’ll just dress warmly at night. .
On to tents. Again, she doesn’t want to spend more than $200 on her tent. Our cheapest 3 season is $275, cheapest 4 season is $350. Those won’t do. She’ll get this nice cheap 2 season one and just dress really warm. .
She wants to by pass our climbing section altogether. Her running shoes will do, as well as her bike helmet.
Lastly to base layers. We have 2 great lines where everything is Merino wool, different thicknesses. The other items she cheaped out on depend on her having really warm base layers – but alas, she goes for the thinnest ones as the others are much too expensive. Myself and 3 other staff members tried to convince her to step things up a little bit, showing her the recommended brands and explaining that they are recommended for a reason. Her response: “I doubt they would recommend them if they knew how expensive they are”.
Seriously? I know everything in our store is expensive, but some of this equipment is literally life and death type stuff. I wish I could be there to see the expression on the tour leaders face when this bored housewife with no real climbing experience shows up.
More Money Than Brains
Parents come in with their 3 kids (all under 10) to buy shoes. They are heading out Disney for 2 weeks and want new shoes for everyone. Great! I grab someone to help me since there are 5 of them and we get looking at shoes. We have very few kids shoes since they are farkin’ expensive and kids grow out of them so quickly. Most parents would never spend this amount of money for shoes that will get a few months use. Not these people.
Mom: I want both girls to have 2 pairs of sandals in 2 different colours, plus a pair of hiking shoes. My son only needs one of each.
Oooooooooooooook. Not my money. The kids pick out their shoes (8 total), plus mom and dad grab 3 pairs each. Then the youngest daughter realizes something.
Daughter: Mooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I can’t either of these sandals with my pretty purple dress. They won’t look right. (a 4 year old worried about colour coordination)
Dad: Well, honey. Just change the colour of one of the other pairs.
Daughter: But daaaaaaaaddddddddddddddddddddyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy I want those other ones. They will go with my other outfits.
Mom: Honey, don’t be silly. We’ll just get her another pair.
This of course led to the other daughter needed to get another pair, as well as the son complaining and getting another pair. 17 pairs of shoes total for 5 people. Total bill – just over $1200
Special Order Hell
We special order some products in for customers since we can’t carry everything in stock. When someone wants something, staff fills out a form and tells the customer that someone from the office (sometimes me) will call them back to let them know if it’s possible to get it, how much it will be and how long it will take, etc. Got a form this morning for a bug net with this chemical on it that is illegal in Canada and the United States. Some European company makes it, but it is not available anywhere in North American – it won’t even be allowed over the border. I give this woman a call this morning:
Me: Good morning. I’m calling from Store Name about your special order for Illegal Bug Net. Unfortunately they are not available in North American and we will not be able to order it for you.
SC: This is unacceptable! I was told you’d be able to order it in.
Me: Ma’am, we can order almost anything in, but this product is illegal in this country.
SC: So? You mean you don’t care enough about your customers to get what they need?
Me: Ma’am, Border Control would not let this item into Canada. The chemical that is used is not considered safe. We will not be able to order it.
SC: Well, I talked to Competitor and they said they could get it for me
Me: Ma’am, there is no way they would be able to get it for you.
SC: Yeah-huh (like a 3 year old) they can!
Me: If you can order it through me, please feel free. We can not help you
SC: You obviously don’t give 2 shits about your customers. See if I ever buy from you again!
I looked her up in our customer database – she’s never brought anything from us. Ever.
Large Orders = Large Headaches
We occasionally help our school groups and scout troops with large orders – binoculars, compasses, packs. If it’s a large order for a group, we’ll give them a great price. Usually they come to us with what they need and we respond with a price breakdown and final quote. Then they either take it or not. Once we have the money in hand, the order is placed – never before. I didn’t have to deal with this, but I was beside my co worker when he was on the phone with them 2 weeks ago.
This group had a budget of $3000. We got them everything for $2300, including shipping)
Scout Leader: Hi there. We got your quote. We love that you’re giving us 40% off (most stuff is marked up 50%, so we’re only making 10% on this sale), but we noticed that you’ll be charging us for the shipping.
CW: Yes, we discussed this. Because this is a supplier that we do no use very often, there will be a small shipping charge ($75 on a $2225 order).
SL: I don’t think it’s fair that we have to take money away from the kids to pay for the shipping.
CW: Well, we could go with another supplier that offers free shipping –
SL: Great!
CW: - but then the total would be $2650 as their products are more expensive.
SL: I don’t like either of those options
CW: Sir, we’ve managed to come in way under your budget. If you would like us to continue the order, we will need the payment made out to Store Name.
SL: - click –
Well, he came in today and asked to talk to CW. I knew this would be good, so I found a reason to be at the counter.
SL: So, you must have dozens of products that you can’t use on your hands now. Willing to let them go for a discount?
CW: No sir, we do not.
SL: But we never paid for the order, so aren’t they just sitting in your warehouse?
CW: We never ordered them sir. You did not agree to the shipping fee, and never paid. We do not process orders until payment is paid in full.
SL: But we need everything for this weekend!
CW: Sir, you did not like the 2 options I gave you so the order was canceled.
SL storms out.
Got a call later that day from his superior who called to bitch CW out for not having the order. Apparently SL had told him that he had completed the order and they were supposed to pay when they picked them up. SL was trying to impress his boss by getting the best deal. He thought that by coming in after he thought we had ordered them, we’d be desperate to get rid of all the extra stock and would waive the shipping fee. CW had everything well documented and sent it to SL’s boss. He called later to apologize for SL’s stupidity and said he’d be in personally tomorrow to pay for the order as they still need the items. Too bad the kids that are camping this weekend will miss out because of that Douchebag.
But They Have it Cheaper…
We sell outdoor equipment – Tents, Sleeping Bags, Packs, Boats etc. Top of the line stuff (The North Face is the cheapest line we carry – for most stores that is the highest end they have) that lasts forever and has lifetime guarantees.
This lady came in and caught me as I was updating the schedule binder on the floor. I smile and lead her to the tents because she wants to compare some. She asks about price matching, which we do…on an identical item. SC goes over to a 4 person Mountaineering Tent. For those who don’t know tents, this is the type of tent you would take with you if you were climbing a mountain in the middle of a serious winter storm. Hardcore tent – windproof, waterproof, and more stable than some houses. It retails for $875, which is a great price and much cheaper than anything else in the same area.
SC: I wanted to see about getting this tent, but Canadian Tire has a similar tent for $95 and I want this one for that price.
ME: Ma’am, Canadian Tire does not sell anything comparable to this tent. The only tents they have there are summer tents which are not even waterproof.
SC: No, it’s a 4 person tent and there is a picture of a mountain on the label. It’s for mountain climbing.
It took 15 minutes, plus a call to Canadian Tire to get this woman to leave. She still thought we were trying to cheat our customers out of hundreds of dollars.
Another Mountain Climbing Wannabe
This woman came in very excited about a trip she was taking with a tour group in a couple of weeks. They were going to be hiking/climbing somewhere in Europe and had a huge list of the required equipment as well as recommended brands. She kept going on and on about how the only climbing she’s ever done was on a wall in her gym and how excited she was. I looked at the first few things on her list:
1. Sleeping bag rated for at least -15 degrees Celsius
2. 1 person tent (minimum 3 season, preferably 4 season)
3. Climbing shoes and helmet
4. Warm (preferably wool) base layers and layering pieces
Easy enough. I show her our bags. But no, she doesn’t want to spend more than $150 on a bag. I look at the list of recommended brands, and prices start at $200 for warm weather ones – forget about cold weather ones. She ends up choosing one recommended for -2 and says she’ll just dress warmly at night. .
On to tents. Again, she doesn’t want to spend more than $200 on her tent. Our cheapest 3 season is $275, cheapest 4 season is $350. Those won’t do. She’ll get this nice cheap 2 season one and just dress really warm. .
She wants to by pass our climbing section altogether. Her running shoes will do, as well as her bike helmet.
Lastly to base layers. We have 2 great lines where everything is Merino wool, different thicknesses. The other items she cheaped out on depend on her having really warm base layers – but alas, she goes for the thinnest ones as the others are much too expensive. Myself and 3 other staff members tried to convince her to step things up a little bit, showing her the recommended brands and explaining that they are recommended for a reason. Her response: “I doubt they would recommend them if they knew how expensive they are”.
Seriously? I know everything in our store is expensive, but some of this equipment is literally life and death type stuff. I wish I could be there to see the expression on the tour leaders face when this bored housewife with no real climbing experience shows up.
More Money Than Brains
Parents come in with their 3 kids (all under 10) to buy shoes. They are heading out Disney for 2 weeks and want new shoes for everyone. Great! I grab someone to help me since there are 5 of them and we get looking at shoes. We have very few kids shoes since they are farkin’ expensive and kids grow out of them so quickly. Most parents would never spend this amount of money for shoes that will get a few months use. Not these people.
Mom: I want both girls to have 2 pairs of sandals in 2 different colours, plus a pair of hiking shoes. My son only needs one of each.
Oooooooooooooook. Not my money. The kids pick out their shoes (8 total), plus mom and dad grab 3 pairs each. Then the youngest daughter realizes something.
Daughter: Mooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I can’t either of these sandals with my pretty purple dress. They won’t look right. (a 4 year old worried about colour coordination)
Dad: Well, honey. Just change the colour of one of the other pairs.
Daughter: But daaaaaaaaddddddddddddddddddddyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy I want those other ones. They will go with my other outfits.
Mom: Honey, don’t be silly. We’ll just get her another pair.
This of course led to the other daughter needed to get another pair, as well as the son complaining and getting another pair. 17 pairs of shoes total for 5 people. Total bill – just over $1200
Special Order Hell
We special order some products in for customers since we can’t carry everything in stock. When someone wants something, staff fills out a form and tells the customer that someone from the office (sometimes me) will call them back to let them know if it’s possible to get it, how much it will be and how long it will take, etc. Got a form this morning for a bug net with this chemical on it that is illegal in Canada and the United States. Some European company makes it, but it is not available anywhere in North American – it won’t even be allowed over the border. I give this woman a call this morning:
Me: Good morning. I’m calling from Store Name about your special order for Illegal Bug Net. Unfortunately they are not available in North American and we will not be able to order it for you.
SC: This is unacceptable! I was told you’d be able to order it in.
Me: Ma’am, we can order almost anything in, but this product is illegal in this country.
SC: So? You mean you don’t care enough about your customers to get what they need?
Me: Ma’am, Border Control would not let this item into Canada. The chemical that is used is not considered safe. We will not be able to order it.
SC: Well, I talked to Competitor and they said they could get it for me
Me: Ma’am, there is no way they would be able to get it for you.
SC: Yeah-huh (like a 3 year old) they can!
Me: If you can order it through me, please feel free. We can not help you
SC: You obviously don’t give 2 shits about your customers. See if I ever buy from you again!
I looked her up in our customer database – she’s never brought anything from us. Ever.
Large Orders = Large Headaches
We occasionally help our school groups and scout troops with large orders – binoculars, compasses, packs. If it’s a large order for a group, we’ll give them a great price. Usually they come to us with what they need and we respond with a price breakdown and final quote. Then they either take it or not. Once we have the money in hand, the order is placed – never before. I didn’t have to deal with this, but I was beside my co worker when he was on the phone with them 2 weeks ago.
This group had a budget of $3000. We got them everything for $2300, including shipping)
Scout Leader: Hi there. We got your quote. We love that you’re giving us 40% off (most stuff is marked up 50%, so we’re only making 10% on this sale), but we noticed that you’ll be charging us for the shipping.
CW: Yes, we discussed this. Because this is a supplier that we do no use very often, there will be a small shipping charge ($75 on a $2225 order).
SL: I don’t think it’s fair that we have to take money away from the kids to pay for the shipping.
CW: Well, we could go with another supplier that offers free shipping –
SL: Great!
CW: - but then the total would be $2650 as their products are more expensive.
SL: I don’t like either of those options
CW: Sir, we’ve managed to come in way under your budget. If you would like us to continue the order, we will need the payment made out to Store Name.
SL: - click –
Well, he came in today and asked to talk to CW. I knew this would be good, so I found a reason to be at the counter.
SL: So, you must have dozens of products that you can’t use on your hands now. Willing to let them go for a discount?
CW: No sir, we do not.
SL: But we never paid for the order, so aren’t they just sitting in your warehouse?
CW: We never ordered them sir. You did not agree to the shipping fee, and never paid. We do not process orders until payment is paid in full.
SL: But we need everything for this weekend!
CW: Sir, you did not like the 2 options I gave you so the order was canceled.
SL storms out.
Got a call later that day from his superior who called to bitch CW out for not having the order. Apparently SL had told him that he had completed the order and they were supposed to pay when they picked them up. SL was trying to impress his boss by getting the best deal. He thought that by coming in after he thought we had ordered them, we’d be desperate to get rid of all the extra stock and would waive the shipping fee. CW had everything well documented and sent it to SL’s boss. He called later to apologize for SL’s stupidity and said he’d be in personally tomorrow to pay for the order as they still need the items. Too bad the kids that are camping this weekend will miss out because of that Douchebag.
, but even I know there is a differnce between the stuff you can get any old misc. retailer and the specialty stores. Not that I would ever have a need for any of it, but if I did, I'd be sure to factor the cost for the good stuff into my vacation.
Comment