|
|
From December
2007
By Susan Reda,
Executive Editor
|
Store associates take their fair share of
lumps for bad customer service, but I’m
willing to cut them some slack after what I
witnessed this weekend. Rude, ill-mannered
shoppers seemed to be out in full force, and
I found myself rooting for the sales
associates to fire back with a nasty comment
– though, to their credit, none of them did.
My story begins in the parking lot, where
finding a space threatens to end the |
|
shopping
trip before I set foot in the mall. I admit it,
I drive like an old lady and I’m perfectly content to pull
into a space at the far end of the lot to avoid aggravation.
Since even those spaces were filled, I pulled to the side
and waited for someone to leave.
In the ten minutes I waited, I witnessed some distressing
sights. There were drivers speeding up and down the lot,
stopping abruptly and turning without looking in an effort
to land a “good” spot. My favorites are those who perform
these maneuvers while talking on a cell phone.
And speaking of cell phones: I’m beginning to wonder if
anyone is capable of shopping without one glued to their
ear. I’m not talking about a quick call to check someone’s
size; I’m talking full-blown conversations taking place in
the aisles, loud enough for all to hear. I watched as a
sales associate offered someone help, unaware that the
customer was mid-chat. The shopper glared at the clerk with
such a look of disgust, it was scary. I couldn’t hold my
tongue: “That was rude,” I blurted out – only to be given
the same icy stare.
The conversation was still ongoing at the register where the
cashier had to “interrupt” to ask about the method of
payment, whether she needed a box and to request a
signature. This shopper couldn’t have been ruder to the
cashier, and I found myself daydreaming about how cool it
would be to give sales associates access to a signal jammer.
The next store I visited had a number of nice items, so I
grabbed my size and headed for the fitting room. Once again,
I was faced with the vestiges of shoppers behaving badly.
Where is it written that, if something doesn’t fit, you just
leave it in a heap on the floor? Are people really this
piggy? Do their bedrooms look like this? No wonder sales
associates are scowling by 7 p.m.: they know they’re not
leaving until the place is cleaned up, and, from the looks
of the fitting rooms, that could be 11 p.m.
Having worked in retail years ago, I’m definitely more
sympathetic to sales associates, especially during the
holiday season. It’s a tough job and they deserve shoppers’
courtesy. Yes, we all know the “customer is always right”
credo. I’d just like to add an asterisk that reads “but that
doesn’t give you a free pass to act like a jerk.”
|
| |
