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Dammit Cohagen you got what you wanted, give these people air!

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  • Dammit Cohagen you got what you wanted, give these people air!

    [Cookies for reference]


    I HAVE A SUCH A HUGE RANT ALL BOTTLED UP INSIDE MEEEEE! I really need to get this off my chest- it probably got to me more than it should have done, but it just...upset me so much! So if you want to hear Retail Rabbit's Rant About People Who Make Life Difficult For You On Purpose, pull up a chair, and put the kettle on; I'll make the tea, you drink while I bitch

    (Yeah, so thats beer, not tea. Whatevers, if I'm buying/making cyber-drinks you can have whatever you like )

    Soo...got your tea/beer/preferred beverage? Comfy? Here I go...

    *deep breath*

    A little background. We offer student discount of 10% off (with a valid Student ID card), throughout the store. It used to be different however. Earlier this year, the company changed it so that student discount was only applicable to full-price items; no sale or promotional items. We, surprisingly, never had any complaints about this at all (and even if we did, we would have merely secretly bitched behind the EW Student's back about how no retailer is obliged to give student discount anyway ), but it has recently gone back to throughout the store again. I didn't know this- apparently I was informed but it clearly slipped my mind (I haven't served many students for a while until today anyway).

    But this is not a big deal anyway because the computer does it all for us- yay! This is how we put on a transaction; after all products are scanned, we press "transaction percentage discount", and key in the percentage. Now back when it was full-price only, we were able to do this because then a little box would pop up on the screen to remind us "some items not eligible for discount" if there was a sale item rung up. We then press the "ok" button, and the computer continues, discounting the appropriate items. In a way, making it so it was out of our hands was kinda handy because then we could have passed the buck onto the system- "Yeah, I'm afraid it comes up automatically"- if someone did complain (which they never did) and we wouldn't have to do it manually, one by one, for each applicable item. When discount is store-wide, the process is identical, just minus the whole "some items not eligible for discount" part; everything gets rung up. Everything gets discounted, customer is happy.

    In theory -_-

    I was serving a woman today, a little older than me, I would say around 26 or 27. She handed me her student ID card, and I checked it the date and photo. I handed it back and said "Thats fine, thank you." I started to process the discount when I saw she had a sale item, so I said (not realising the change) "Ok, just so you know, only full price items come under student discount, so the sale item won't be discounted, ok?"

    I always pause here to make sure its ok with the customer. Not that I can really DO anything about it if its not ok, but I just think its polite to inform them before the transaction is rung up.

    She glares at me and says "Well I spoke to the blonde lady over there and she said the discount is throughout the store."

    The blonde lady is my manager, L. I said "Oh, so you spoke to our manager?"

    "Yeah, and she said its throughout the store."

    So I said brightly, "Oh ok, well, a little while back they made it full-price only, they probably changed it and I didn't know, I must have been wrong. Well, we'll see in just a second."

    I put in the discount. All things are discounted without a hitch. "There you go, you were right, everything was discounted, sorry about that, I was wrong."

    This would be the point where she would say thank you and go on her merry way, right? Well if that were the case, would I be typing this post?

    This all seemed to come of nowhere. She was instantly VERY angry and I was surprised and unable to fathom where her anger came from. I can't even remember everything she said word for word, but I think she said something like: "Well why would you say that when you were wrong!?"

    I replied politely "Well, I made a mistake, thats all, but its ok, you got your discount on all of your items." (In my head I was thinking she was a bitch and she was getting my back up, but the customer service voice and face were still in place!)

    Hmm...I'm just wondering...maybe I accidentally said "Fuck off you student scumbag, go piss on the Cenotaph or trash a bank or something" [/sarcasm]. I'm just wondering here because...

    ...she was still really angry! She was being very rude and aggressive! "Well it just goes to show you obviously don't listen to the radio in here!!!" *waves her arm in the air to indicate the music playing in the store* "It just said that student discount is throughout the store, so you OBVIOUSLY don't pay attention!!!"

    (I really wanted to say that if any of us really paid attention to the CD that is on loop in this shop, we'd all lose our fucking minds!!!). Our CDs- not a radio- do have short voice-over tracks that advertise the store and there is one that tells about how we have student discount. No, we don't listen to it, but would you listen to the same voices and songs all day long? (Keep in mind too- Christmas songs playing on repeat right now!). Not to mention I was trying to listen to her bullshit

    I said, still trying to be polite in the face of rudeness and unjustified anger, "Well, it was just a mistake, you still got your discount on everything."

    In all honesty I can't remember everything I said at this point as I was taking payment for the transaction and giving her change, and I can't remember everything she said either because I was concentrating. But I do remember that she was still really angry about this, and I was just confused as to why she was being rude to me. Was it a false-advertising issue with the voice over? Well no...no, it seemed her issue was definately with me.

    Then she snapped; "Well you obviously don't know how to do your job properly!!!"

    I was totally at a loss here. I mean, ok, I made a mistake, but it was so utterly minor, it didn't affect anything. I'm human...err...rabbit. I had no idea how to defuse this situation- we've all be retrained (company-wide) recently in dealing with customer conflict, and there was nothing I could think of to correct this- I had done everything else right!

    I held out my hands and said, very calmly "Look...you still got what you wanted. I don't see how I've done anything wrong."

    (Later, in hindsight and typical "must be my fault" fashion, I did wonder if maybe what I said was wrong and could have rephrased it. Perhaps it would have been better to say something like "you still got what you wanted, but I don't understand what has upset you and how to make this right." In all honesty though, not only did this come of nowhere and take me by surprise anyway, but I really doubt anything I could have said would have made a difference anyway).

    So I played the "be sad" card. Its a weeny bit tricksy, I admit but face it...I'm a rabbit, and rabbits are cute If I had bunny ears, when I do this, they'd be flopping and drooping all sadly about my face. I don't milk this of course, but there have been a couple of instances where I've faced someone who is being very unreasonable and I've sensed a complaint coming, and me being cheery and polite isn't helping (somehow), so I sometimes act deliberately a bit sad and confused (in actual fact, I'm not really acting O.o, but the solemn part makes you look a bit more sympathetic and sympathise-able). You seem more sympathetic and if they're still mean to you, people sympathise with you more.

    I had already done this with my previous statement^ but she was having none of it. She gave me one last filthy look before snatching her bag away and stomping off. I called after her (still in "sad" mode) "I don't know what I've done wrong?" but she ignored me.

    And she stormed right off to my manager, in full view of me.

    I had a tub of stock to go into the stockroom so I took it out right then, because I could feel I was already getting upset. I mean, right in full view of me, she was making a fucking complaint about the fact she got a fucking discount. Once out there, I was putting things away and feeling myself getting more worked up by the whole thing. L then came out and asked me what had happened. I told her my side of the story, and at first I felt like L was telling me off (which made me feel worse, naturally); she was saying I should have known that the discount had reverted back to throughout-store, and that I had made a mistake (which I knew). She even said she had told everyone and I did start to recall the conversation (although in my defence another colleague later said she didn't know this either). But at any rate, luckily she seemed to view it as a stupid customer just getting their knickers in a twist over something inane, and as I was getting a bit emotional, said I should go and have a cup of tea. Which I did, and boy I needed it.

    I was tearing up at this point, crying a little, and dabbing my eyes with tissue as I drank my tea (which did calm me down), and the aforementioned colleague saw me and gave me a hug. She was very sweet and supportive.

    I know I shouldn't have let her get to me, but it just did. In fact I'm not sure why it got to me so badly, as I've certainly dealt with far bigger blow-outs in the past. Perhaps it was because I had been working very hard and it somehow just pushed me? I'm not sure. But I really do think that student customer was just a cunt! I mean, I've had plenty of customers who've run their mouths and bitched because they didn't get what they wanted and wanted to blame it on us....BUT SHE GOT WHAT SHE WANTED! (Hence the topic title). She got exactly what she wanted, no hassle, yes I made a mistake but in truth, my mistake was irrelevant- it was rectified without a hitch, I admitted my mistake and even said sorry, and it didn't affect her negatively AT ALL but she was still unfathomably furious about it! Its just so petty, she literally complained about nothing. Oh, well, she also said that I had a "bad attitude". *Well I fucking do now!!!!

    * *spoken with a slight Cockney accent*

    It was just mean and stupid. It just seems like she made the complaint JUST to make my life a little more difficult- JUST to be spiteful. Horrible bitch!

    *exhales*
    *drinks tea* Earl Grey anyone?



    (PS I did type ALL of this out before and then for some reason it just wouldn't post, so apologies in case somehow this topic turns up again- isn't that annoying when that happens?)
    Last edited by Little Retail Rabbit; 11-29-2011, 07:58 PM.

  • #2
    I'd be tempted to ask her the next time she comes in, "are you going to make a big scene again, today?", and make everyone look at HER like she's the bad guy.

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    • #3
      I have a theory about this.

      I think what is behind some people is that they are just so damn unhappy that they have to try to make some one else miserable as well. And who better to pick on than some one they know cant fight back. If you do you lose your job.

      Bullies dont pick on people who are in a position to properly defend themselves.

      Comment


      • #4
        Petty people are petty and dumb and like bitching about stuff. I mean, them being wrong doesn't stop them from bitching, so they finally get a chance to complain when it ACTUALLY isn't them in the wrong, they aren't giving that up ever.

        /me passes the rabbit some earl grey icecream

        enjoy

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        • #5
          Too bad you couldn't refuse to serve her from now on.

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          • #6
            Ah, a cup of tea, the British answer to everything from SC experiences to atom bombs I once fell and hurt my knee to the point of having to be taken from the amusement park to my car in a wheel chair so I could go to casualty for x-rays, and the absolute first thing anyone did at the park was to find me a place to sit, and hand me a cup of hot sweet tea.

            Seriously, don't beat yourself up, try not to let her upset you. Some people simply live to find anything they think is a valid excuse to bitch. For the sake of bitching. Once you've made a mistake, apologized for it, and made it right, there's really nothing else you can do that doesn't involve time travel, replicators or self-imposed exile. If they continue to bitch, they've gone beyond logic, and all you can do is wait for them to get tired and leave.

            Just the other day, I had a cashier hit the wrong button to give the wrong discount, and she had to undo everything, re-ring it all, and go thru hoops to get it to come up right. And I was in a bit of a hurry. What did I do? I smiled and accepted her apology, said something about we all have those days, and waited patiently for her to sort it out. Cause A, yes, we do all have those days and B, I've hit wrong buttons (or the equivelent) and had to do something over, and I wouldn't like being yelled at over it, and C. yelling isn't gonna make magic sparkles come out of the cash register to pause time & space in order to correct it faster cause I yelled.
            Last edited by Merriweather; 11-29-2011, 08:53 PM. Reason: oops

            Madness takes it's toll....
            Please have exact change ready.

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            • #7
              Quoth Little Retail Rabbit View Post
              *exhales*
              *drinks tea* Earl Grey anyone?

              Here, you need this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTDcW...eature=related
              "Eventually, everything that you have said becomes everything you will ever say." Eireann

              My pony dolls: http://equestriarags.tumblr.com

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              • #8
                I have a different theory to offer; sounds like she expected there to be a problem, and when there wasn't one... She made one (SC logic). You didn't do anything wrong; she got what she wanted, you apologized multiple times & admitted to saying the wrong thing. *passes plate of cookies & hot sweet tea*
                Ne auderis delere orbem rigidum meum! - Don't you dare erase my hard disk!

                This is Tech Support, not Customer Service.
                What's the difference?
                We're allowed to tell you "no".

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth Little Retail Rabbit View Post

                  [Cookies for reference]
                  Total Recall Love that film!!!

                  She sounds like a nut bag. As others have said, she was obviously looking for something to pick at you for. If it hadnt been that, she would have found something else
                  "When did you get a gold plated toilet?"
                  "We don't have a gold plated toilet"
                  "Oh dear, I think I just peed in your Tuba"

                  -Jasper Fforde

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                  • #10
                    All of the previous theories are quite valid. It all boils down to: she's a grade-A bully bitch, looking for someone to pick on. Screw her sideways with a barrel cactus and send her to meet Mr. Chipper.

                    : passes Little Retail Rabbit some freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies to go with her tea:

                    Many of us have had utterly evil customers from the bowels of Hell drive us to tears or punching holes in the wall. Unfortunately, human cruelty is not in short supply. You have vented, the best thing to do is get her out of your mind, vanquish her back to the pit where she belongs. Don't give that hag another thought.
                    Last edited by XCashier; 11-30-2011, 04:28 PM.
                    I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.
                    My LiveJournal
                    A page we can all agree with!

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                    • #11
                      God, I HATE when they go from fine to complete asshole/bitch/what have you in 2 seconds, and on top of that when it's such a simple mistake and it's corrected immediately. I'm not going to ask why they do it, it's a question with no answer, but it pisses me off to no end. You didn't do anything wrong, LRR, so have lots more yummy tea
                      "I was only LOOKING, I didn't mean to enter my card's CVV and actually ORDER! REFUND ME RIGHT NOW!!"

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                      • #12
                        HOLY CRAP! You need booze!

                        I certainly would after dealing with a flaming See You Next Tuesday like that Sucktomer.
                        PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

                        There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

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                        • #13
                          Quoth emax4 View Post
                          I'd be tempted to ask her the next time she comes in, "are you going to make a big scene again, today?", and make everyone look at HER like she's the bad guy.
                          that's because she IS the bad guy.

                          some people ... they get what they want and they're so prepared to FIGHT they chose to keep on fighting anyway

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                          • #14
                            My theory is that you weren't apologetic ENOUGH---she saw it as "cashier makes fucking huge horrible mistake that almost ruined my total existence and then, to make it worse, she doesn't fawn all over me, begging me to accept her humble apology and also giving me everything for free to make up for my pain & suffering!"

                            In other words, with people like her, just making a mistake AT ALL pisses her off no end, and she has to make a big deal out of it. Gets her jollies that way, probably.

                            She was a bitch.
                            When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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