Tweet
A collection of recent suckery:
We've all encountered people who just can't read, or just don't notice signage, stickers, labels, coupons, etc etc. Its one of the major Laws of Suck, is it not, that Sucky Customers will inevitably miss the important signs and things that are there to help them and make our lives easier?
These two incidents took place today, at my checkout, and involved two very different SCs, with different transactions...both held a common theme. It was not a case of missing clearly marked signs or anything like that.
It was utter refusal to read.
Plasterboard Bastard (a.k.a, Potentially Abusive Husband)
The plasterboard we sell does not have barcode stickers that we can scan. However, on one edge, the barcode number is printed. I just type that into my till and its fine. So, on a big pallet thingy, this couple come along with several bits of plasterboard. If you imagine its being propped up by 2 metal bars, with the boards angled away from me and my till, thats pretty much how it was. So anyway, the man I could already tell was probably not very pleasant anyway, and he tells me there's no barcode, and I say that they're printed on the edges. Of course, he's annoyed to find that he's loaded the boards so that all but one have their barcode-edge on the BOTTOM. He starts to angle the boards to lean on the bar opposite me, but due to their height and interference from other the other boards, I still could not see the one barcode.
So I said the unthinkable.
"You're going to have to read the barcode out for me I'm afraid, I still can't see it, I'll type it as you read it out."
This set him off.
"What!? Why should I have to read it out to you!?"
I blinked. "Um, because I can't see it from here."
"Well you CAN'T MOVE, can you!?" (sarcastically).
"I can move, but it wouldn't make any difference, I'd have to come around there to read it, and come back to type it." (I can't remember a number that long!)
"Yeah, right, so you're saying that scanner of yours can't scan this!?"
He's all but shouting during all this. I started to explain "That isn't a scannable barcode, I have to type it-"
But his wife, bless her, has already noticed it isn't a scannable barcode, and has started to read it out to me. We've actually accidentally interrupted each other, so I assume the bastard is actually shouting at me when he snaps;
"OH SHUT UP!"
After this, a colleague stepped in and everything was concluded. I was actually quite shaken and had tears in my eyes, and I said how the shouting had bothered me. That was when my colleague said "I thought he was shouting at his wife actually!"
Which, in hindsight, he could possibly have been! Which probably makes him even more of an arsehole. If Bear ever spoke to me like that, I'd kick him in the nuts (but he wouldn't anyway, so its a moot point
).
"False Advertising" Bastard
A snobby customer comes through, gets some stuff, including a pack of batteries. The total sounds off to him, so I read through whats what, and when we come to the batteries, we find our problem. Its come up at £9.98, and he insists it was £5.something. Fortunately, the battery stand is right next to my checkout, so I come out to check myself. On top of some slightly different but same brand batteries, are about half-a-dozen of the £9.98 packs. The label does say £5.something (I really can't remember what the something was), but our labels also have very clear barcodes printed on them. Now of course, we know SCs have a tendency to miss these...
I compared the barcodes and said "Well, unfortunately, the label isn't for these packs, its for the ones on the bottom, right behind the label. the barcode doesn't match so I can't mark it down for you."
"Well, I'll let it go this time, but this is false advertising you know."
"It's not really," I said politely, but assertively. "The barcodes are printed there so you can compare and be certain of what its actually referring to."
He said; "I'm a CUSTOMER! I don't read BARCODES!"
On both of these occassions, I really wanted to say "Why, is reading too difficult for you?" (In the case of the first one, fear held me back!). I just bit my tongue, let him "chastise" me and carried on.
But jesus, I actually check barcodes to be sure when I'm out shopping, but of course, we're asking far too much of SC's to read anything! But still, there's still quite a difference between just being unobservant or not-noticing the small print, and outright refusing to read something clearly printed in front of you -___-
Bonus Sucks
Poodle needs to poo!
I was briefly at the front of the store, when we saw a lady dragging a little brown poodle on a leash who was walking very awkwardly. Clearly, this puppy need to go, because he was doing that strange bow-legged walk...and pop, out comes a bit of poo! In our store!
You can't blame the dog...a dog that is being dragged along but is still clearly trying to squat is not a dog who can hold it in!
(Ideally, we don't let non-guide dogs walk in the store anyway, they have to be carried or in a trolley, its for their safety as much as anything else).
My colleague managed to flag down the ignorant woman (how did she not notice!?) and made her pick the poo up.
Later, when I was back on checkout, the same lady and poodle came through. Her poodle was in her arms, whining and whimpering, clearly very scared. I put on a baby voice and said "Aww whassamatter little guy? You alright? You scared?" He did the sad wiffle-nose and sniffed my finger...friendly but frightened. The owner just says dismissively "yeah he doesn't like it in here, he's scared!"
No wonder the poor guy pooped himself! I can't help but think bringing him into the store was a bad idea all round, he's clearly a shy, nervous pup! I would say she should have left him in the car, but she's probably stupid enough to leave all the windows up and park in direct sunlight -_____-
Unintentional Suck, but you shouldn't grab strangers!
This guy apologised, but to be honest he should have known better anyway.
Some of you who saw my Sightings post may know that I was recently the victim of a minor sexual assault...I was grabbed by the breast in public by a man who made sure I didn't see his face properly. I have been a little bit jumpy and nervous since then. I have been very careful about drinking (with the exception of my close friends' party, I got quite drunk but only because I felt so safe
) and the other day I was approached by a very scummy looking man who was eyeing me up and down and telling me I looked sexy. I was so perturbed I hid in my mum's store until he was gone (the staff know me, and said it was ok).
I was serving an old couple, and one of the plants they bought was this very unusual fluffy cactus! It was spiky, but also covered in pale fluff, like cat fur! I joked how maybe there was a very sore, bald cat out there somewhere, which produced a few friendly chuckles. I scanned the cactus and put it down.
The old man picked up the cactus, then (jokingly), grabbed me quite forcefully by the shoulder and held the cactus up, enough of a distance away from my face that I knew after a split second he meant no harm, but made a fast motion that startled me, and joked "Gimme all the money!"
I jumped quite badly, which made him laugh, and I felt very embarrassed. I mean, he was clearly not going to shove the cactus in the my face, but the abrupt grab on the shoulder had scared me, and his movement was very quick.
So I decided to explain why I was so jumpy, to which he seemed to feel very bad, and apologised, and said he hoped I'd be able to overcome it soon.
Bless him for apologising, but it was minorly sucky to grab a stranger quite so firmly in the first place.*
(*Unless, you know, you're saving them from getting hit by a car or something!).
We've all encountered people who just can't read, or just don't notice signage, stickers, labels, coupons, etc etc. Its one of the major Laws of Suck, is it not, that Sucky Customers will inevitably miss the important signs and things that are there to help them and make our lives easier?
These two incidents took place today, at my checkout, and involved two very different SCs, with different transactions...both held a common theme. It was not a case of missing clearly marked signs or anything like that.
It was utter refusal to read.
Plasterboard Bastard (a.k.a, Potentially Abusive Husband)
The plasterboard we sell does not have barcode stickers that we can scan. However, on one edge, the barcode number is printed. I just type that into my till and its fine. So, on a big pallet thingy, this couple come along with several bits of plasterboard. If you imagine its being propped up by 2 metal bars, with the boards angled away from me and my till, thats pretty much how it was. So anyway, the man I could already tell was probably not very pleasant anyway, and he tells me there's no barcode, and I say that they're printed on the edges. Of course, he's annoyed to find that he's loaded the boards so that all but one have their barcode-edge on the BOTTOM. He starts to angle the boards to lean on the bar opposite me, but due to their height and interference from other the other boards, I still could not see the one barcode.
So I said the unthinkable.
"You're going to have to read the barcode out for me I'm afraid, I still can't see it, I'll type it as you read it out."
This set him off.
"What!? Why should I have to read it out to you!?"
I blinked. "Um, because I can't see it from here."
"Well you CAN'T MOVE, can you!?" (sarcastically).
"I can move, but it wouldn't make any difference, I'd have to come around there to read it, and come back to type it." (I can't remember a number that long!)
"Yeah, right, so you're saying that scanner of yours can't scan this!?"
He's all but shouting during all this. I started to explain "That isn't a scannable barcode, I have to type it-"
But his wife, bless her, has already noticed it isn't a scannable barcode, and has started to read it out to me. We've actually accidentally interrupted each other, so I assume the bastard is actually shouting at me when he snaps;
"OH SHUT UP!"
After this, a colleague stepped in and everything was concluded. I was actually quite shaken and had tears in my eyes, and I said how the shouting had bothered me. That was when my colleague said "I thought he was shouting at his wife actually!"
Which, in hindsight, he could possibly have been! Which probably makes him even more of an arsehole. If Bear ever spoke to me like that, I'd kick him in the nuts (but he wouldn't anyway, so its a moot point
)."False Advertising" Bastard
A snobby customer comes through, gets some stuff, including a pack of batteries. The total sounds off to him, so I read through whats what, and when we come to the batteries, we find our problem. Its come up at £9.98, and he insists it was £5.something. Fortunately, the battery stand is right next to my checkout, so I come out to check myself. On top of some slightly different but same brand batteries, are about half-a-dozen of the £9.98 packs. The label does say £5.something (I really can't remember what the something was), but our labels also have very clear barcodes printed on them. Now of course, we know SCs have a tendency to miss these...
I compared the barcodes and said "Well, unfortunately, the label isn't for these packs, its for the ones on the bottom, right behind the label. the barcode doesn't match so I can't mark it down for you."
"Well, I'll let it go this time, but this is false advertising you know."
"It's not really," I said politely, but assertively. "The barcodes are printed there so you can compare and be certain of what its actually referring to."
He said; "I'm a CUSTOMER! I don't read BARCODES!"
On both of these occassions, I really wanted to say "Why, is reading too difficult for you?" (In the case of the first one, fear held me back!). I just bit my tongue, let him "chastise" me and carried on.
But jesus, I actually check barcodes to be sure when I'm out shopping, but of course, we're asking far too much of SC's to read anything! But still, there's still quite a difference between just being unobservant or not-noticing the small print, and outright refusing to read something clearly printed in front of you -___-
Bonus Sucks
Poodle needs to poo!
I was briefly at the front of the store, when we saw a lady dragging a little brown poodle on a leash who was walking very awkwardly. Clearly, this puppy need to go, because he was doing that strange bow-legged walk...and pop, out comes a bit of poo! In our store!
You can't blame the dog...a dog that is being dragged along but is still clearly trying to squat is not a dog who can hold it in!
(Ideally, we don't let non-guide dogs walk in the store anyway, they have to be carried or in a trolley, its for their safety as much as anything else).
My colleague managed to flag down the ignorant woman (how did she not notice!?) and made her pick the poo up.
Later, when I was back on checkout, the same lady and poodle came through. Her poodle was in her arms, whining and whimpering, clearly very scared. I put on a baby voice and said "Aww whassamatter little guy? You alright? You scared?" He did the sad wiffle-nose and sniffed my finger...friendly but frightened. The owner just says dismissively "yeah he doesn't like it in here, he's scared!"
No wonder the poor guy pooped himself! I can't help but think bringing him into the store was a bad idea all round, he's clearly a shy, nervous pup! I would say she should have left him in the car, but she's probably stupid enough to leave all the windows up and park in direct sunlight -_____-
Unintentional Suck, but you shouldn't grab strangers!
This guy apologised, but to be honest he should have known better anyway.
Some of you who saw my Sightings post may know that I was recently the victim of a minor sexual assault...I was grabbed by the breast in public by a man who made sure I didn't see his face properly. I have been a little bit jumpy and nervous since then. I have been very careful about drinking (with the exception of my close friends' party, I got quite drunk but only because I felt so safe
) and the other day I was approached by a very scummy looking man who was eyeing me up and down and telling me I looked sexy. I was so perturbed I hid in my mum's store until he was gone (the staff know me, and said it was ok).I was serving an old couple, and one of the plants they bought was this very unusual fluffy cactus! It was spiky, but also covered in pale fluff, like cat fur! I joked how maybe there was a very sore, bald cat out there somewhere, which produced a few friendly chuckles. I scanned the cactus and put it down.
The old man picked up the cactus, then (jokingly), grabbed me quite forcefully by the shoulder and held the cactus up, enough of a distance away from my face that I knew after a split second he meant no harm, but made a fast motion that startled me, and joked "Gimme all the money!"
I jumped quite badly, which made him laugh, and I felt very embarrassed. I mean, he was clearly not going to shove the cactus in the my face, but the abrupt grab on the shoulder had scared me, and his movement was very quick.
So I decided to explain why I was so jumpy, to which he seemed to feel very bad, and apologised, and said he hoped I'd be able to overcome it soon.
Bless him for apologising, but it was minorly sucky to grab a stranger quite so firmly in the first place.*
(*Unless, you know, you're saving them from getting hit by a car or something!).
Comment