Giver her a break, she's new!

[I_Hate_SCs]

Today I was working with a new employee on her first day, and this customer comes up to her. Since she was closer to him, he asked her (not me, further down the aisle) where the lightbulbs were. Since it was her first day, she didn't say anything, she just had a 'uhhhh I dunno' look on her face, and turned to me for help. I immediately stepped in and offered to show the customer where it was, since the lightbulbs weren't too far away. On the way down the 'main aisle' of the store to the lightbulb aisle, the following conversation ensued:

SC: You know, your co-worker was extremely rude to me.
Me: What do you mean?
SC: When I went up to HER and asked HER where the lightbulbs were, she looked at me like I was an idiot and had this screwed-up expression on her face, and I don't appreciate it.
Me: Well to be honest, sir, it's her first day working here, and she didn't know where the item was. Since I was right beside her, I have helped you find the lightbulbs that are (now) right next to us.
SC: That isn't the point. Why would you hire somebody who can't even tell you where the darn lightbulbs are? Its not like I asked for a specific brand of rare thimbles!
Me: Uhh ... well I didn't personally hire her sir, but it takes time to learn where everything is in the store. It took me a while myself.
SC: Yeah right. It isn't hard to know where generic things like lightbulbs are.
Me: (trying to be as polite as possible) I simply don't understand what the problem is.
SC: She should KNOW where her product is!
Me: (getting frustrated now) Don't take this personally, sir, but you didn't know where the lightbulbs were ... and she didn't either ... but I did, and I walked you to the item.
SC: That doesn't change the fact that she probably can't even tell where the exit doors are, she'd probably would get stuck in the store and have to stay here all night. (yes, he actually said that!)
Me: Sir, I understand you are frustrated, but she simply hasn't memorized the layout of the store yet. It is very difficult to do unless you shop here every day and go down every aisle a few times.
SC: I want to speak to HER supervisor.
Me: (oh I LOVED this, this is the first time I was able to do this ever) .....brief pause..... You are speaking to him, sir, how can I help you?
SC: Look here, I love the products you guys sell here, but your store offers PISS POOR customer service ... I'll see what Corporate has to say about that!
Me: (as he walks away) Have a nice day, sir!

I turned around and saw the new girl listening in from the end of the aisle she was working on, with a look on her face since she didn't think I would go as far as I did with this idiot. I can't believe this is all over LIGHTBULBS! By the way, I wasn't her supervisor ... I was the same 'rank' as she was. If complained about to a manager, I could've easily said that since she is new, and I was helping her out on her first day, I am her supervisor up to an extent since I have to make sure she stays on-task, takes breaks on time, etc.

[blas]

That does not surprise me one bit.

I was the trainer at the gas station, and while no one up and quit on the first/second/third day, and no one left the store in tears, I saw regular SCs rip and tear new employees new assholes quite often. The worst was the last couple of months that I worked there, and I trained 3 or 4 new people (they needed 2 to replace me, and 2 more to keep it decently staffed).

It took a lot of getting used to at the gas station, meaning, dealing with people with obnoxious entitlement issues. When you deal with gum under your shoes type people (yes, that sounds rude and stuck up/better-than-you of me to say, but I don't care, nearly all of those people are pure trash). When you are so used to getting what you want, when you want it, how fast you want it (aka, how my manager went wrong and spoiled these people), and then you come across someone new who checks for your ID or has the gall to not know what you're asking for.......................explosions occured. I've never seen people get so angry, and they knew DAMN WELL these people were new.

One guy was kicking and screaming because we were out of cartons of "his" cigarettes. I even checked, we were OUT. He pulled the "I buy them EVERY week, don't you tell me you're out!" (see, they pulled that attitude with me all the time, too). Hey moron, it's not order day (when we get all of our ciggs/chew/merchandise), now stop harassing us and get the hell out.

The girl (who is probably going to take over my old position) I was training one day ran into a real winner. Here comes Trailer Park King, smelling like rotting corpses and eggs, he grabs onto the counter and leans WAYYY over to squint at the cigarette deals. We had two or three extra cartons of buy 2 get 1's on Camel Filters, we hadn't opened them yet. Trailer Park King thought that since it looked like a real carton, there were 10 packs in there. He goes "Gimme dat whole carton!"

My coworker said "There's only 7 packs in there," (two of the buy 2 get 1, so thats 6, plus an extra pack of Camel filter, so that's 7).

Trailer Park King didn't believe her and I butted in, ripped open the carton, and showed him the 7 packs it came in. He stomped out of the store like a spoiled rotten baby.

Eventually, everyone grows a strong backbone there, and they learn to ignore the customers' tantrums and just make fun of them later. It was like we all had a private CS, some of my coworkers and I would get together and make fun of our horrible regular SCs. I do it on here as well. I realize not all poverty level people are that rude and terrible, it's just my experience.

That job made me very anti customer. I was getting terrible towards the end.

[purplecat41877]

Where I work, I tend to go easier on the new employees. Probably because I want them to be comfortable in their work environment especially if this happens to be their first job.

[Dark Psion]

I didn't find out where the bathroom was till my third day.

[Becks]

I've been working at my store for almost three years, and I STILL can't tell people what aisle some items are in. Of course, they like moving stuff around sometimes, but still. I take great pleasure in trying my best, then explaining, "It's not my department."

[protege]

Somewhat along these lines... What about when management suddenly moves things around without telling anyone? Hechinger's used to pull that crap all the time.

[Bugg]

I honestly couldn't tell a customer where anything out of my line of sight is in my store, and I've been there for 10 yrs. I stand at the door all day, unless I'm doing a floor walk, during which I skirt around the aisles, but don't go down them..that and the fact that things could be in radically different places each day, not just single items, but whole aisles, like auto going from aisle 120 to 125 or office supplies going from the center of the store to the back right corner. I can understand not finding anyone in the section to help you, but wouldn't it make sense to go to the desk with all the supervisors at computer terminals (even though the system doesn't tell you item locations) why ask the guy at the door?

[theredbaron47]

why ask the guy at the door?

Simply because finding someone who would know what they are talking about takes effort that they don't want to put forth.

According to Mr. and Ms. Entitlement.

[CherryCokeKissez]

I had something similar happen when I was training one of our new hostesses. It was her first or second day when this party of 5 walks in (two adults, three kids). I tell them that it would be just a couple of minutes while we got a booth bussed off for them (we have big ones that will seat six and it just so happened one was dirty). They say that's fine and they sit down to wait (not very busy, I don't get a name or give them a pager), meanwhile, a guy comes in by himself and the busser had just cleaned off a smaller table and gone in the back to empty his full bus-pan. So I tell my trainee to take the guy to [smaller table number] while I bus off [big table number].

While I'm bussing the big table, I see the couple from the party of 5 say something to my trainee. I get done with their table and come over to get their menus and sit them down. I heard them mumble something to each other.

Me: I'm sorry?
Couple: She gave our table away!
Me: Oh no, She gave the gentleman a smaller table. I just finished cleaning a big booth for you, you can follow me now.

I've never had anyone complain before about "giving their table away" (shockingly), I think SCs can smell trainees/newbies from a mile away.

[Bugg]

they smell the intact soul!!

[Lace Neil Singer]

I never know where anything is in the store where I work, cuz a) everything gets moved around a lot and b) I only work on checkouts. So, if someone asks me I have to ask a supervisor... and some people look really insulted.

[Brighid45]

They smell the intact soul!!

Bugg, that gave me the best laugh of the day. Thanks, I needed it!

Any time I ever had to train newbies, my suggestion was to think of SCs as the equivalent of pop quizzes. You know how well you're doing by the way you handle the customer. If you can stay calm, pleasant and low-key--AND throw in a subtle little zinger or two that will go right over Mr/Ms Entitlement's pointy head--you're doing just fine. Double brownie points if you can do it on a really bad day.

[Crow The Robot]

What an ass! I applaud you I Hate SCS Defending another employee against these asshats, gives yiu major props in my book, have a cookie. Why would someone ask where the exit was? Near where you came in, you dipstick!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I was always amazed at the number of SCs who wanted to gossip with me about how rude/stupid/whatever my coworkers were. "That (co-workers) name is a lousy employee! It must suck to work with them." Man, that used to piss me off. I would look at them with my best "you are and insect" glare, and say, as icily as I could manage, "Actually, she is great to work with and I like and respect her very much." And then be only as nice to the SC as I had to be from that point on. I think I got my message across.

What, do they think we all hate each other and can't wait to tear into one another?