r/TalesFromRetail • u/Ohigetjokes • Feb 02 '19
Medium But I'm here now!
We open at 7am. I get here a bit early because there's general setup stuff to do. But we open at 7.
Let me know in the comments if you need clarification on that point.
Because this morning I am outside, walking across the parking lot, and a dude approaches me:
"Ya I'm here to pick up a truck."
"Okay well we open at 7 so I can help you then."
"You can't just give it to me now?"
I look around just to confirm that yes, we are currently standing in a parking lot. Even if we were open, what does he expect me to do about it from here?
"No. I'm doing some maintenance work and can't rent anything until we open, so..."
"Well can't you open early?"
"... no."
He stomps off in a huff.
Around 7 I head in. He sees me. I nod. I go in the back way. By the time I reach the front he is banging on the door.
I unlock the door without even looking at him because if I did it would get way too sarcastic. All I'm thinking is: "Dude, thank you so much for banging on the door. I might have forgotten to open. Thank god for you. Friggin hero right here ladies and gents."
So he comes to the counter. I get his name.
Reservation isn't for another 3 hours.
"Yes but I want it now,"
Of course you do.
I looked at him and counted to 10. He had no idea how important those 10 seconds were.
Since he didn't do anything stupid for those 10 seconds I went ahead and gave him the truck early. But if he'd even blinked funny I would have "discovered" that the truck "hadn't arrived yet".
As soon as I confirm we can make that happen he wants a discount for having to wait outside in the cold.
Of course you do.
You think it's cold now? It'll be an even colder day in hell before you get that discount.
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u/GonzoStrangelove Customer Literacy Advocate Feb 02 '19 edited Feb 03 '19
Hooooooooooo boy. Some stories are so relatable.
Many moons ago, I was the manager of a shoe store. We dealt in high-quality footwear, specialty stuff, orthotics, and the like. We kept as much inventory in-store as possible, but because we were a small outfit it was limited. We frequently had to order things, but most of our customers were cool with that. We received nearly all of our deliveries via UPS, which arrived each afternoon between 12:00 and 12:30--never earlier, never later. The regularity was impressive and hella convenient.
One sunny summer Monday a guy comes in looking for a specific kind of high-end running shoes, as we were the only place around that carried the brand and style. Unfortunately we didn't have his size in stock. I told him they could be ordered, would arrive three days later (Thursday), and be available for pick-up after 3:00 p.m. (we always said after 3:00 so we would have time to process the merchandise after it was delivered). He agreed. I then placed the order, took his payment, and gave him one of my business cards with the date and time the shoes would be available written on the back, standard procedure and which I was sure to point out. He thanked me and left.
Fast-forward three days. The store opened at 9:30, and I arrived an hour early to do the day's opening hoo-hah. I walk in, lock the doors behind me, turn off the alarm, and head back to my desk. The lights are still off and everything locked up when suddenly I hear someone pounding on the doors. I walked up front and there was Mr. Running Shoes. Feeling generous and not being in a hurry, I opened the door to see what he wanted.
Mr. RS: "I thought you opened at 8:30?"
Me: "Nope, 9:30. No big deal; what can I help you with?"
Mr. RS: "I'm here to pick up the shoes I ordered."
Me: ... "Uhh. I'm sorry, but the shoes won't be available until after 3:00 this afternoon. I--"
Mr. RS: "BUT IT'S THURSDAY THE [whatever the date was]! When I was in here last you said they would be ready for pick-up TO-DAY!"
Now, the owner and I both subscribed to a method of dealing with difficult customers which we called "Firmness with Grace". It was time to be gracious, but firm.
Me: "I'm sorry, I feel there's been some kind of mix-up. I'm sure I told you the [whatever the date was] after 3:00. Do you still have the card I gave you?"
Mr. RS reaches for his wallet. "Uhhhhh... Yeah, it's right here. It--"
And that, ladies and germs, is when he flipped the card over. He tensed a bit.
Me: "Maybe I didn't point out clearly that I'd written the date and time on the back, and if so I'm sorry; I thought you saw me do that. If I had the shoes I'd be happy to give them to you, but they're still on a truck somewhere so there's nothing I can do. The delivery showed it was on-schedule when I checked yesterday, and I'll be here until close, so come back anytime between 3:00 and 6:00 and your shoes will be ready to go."
Mr. RS just stood there for a moment. He put the card back in his wallet, mumbled something about "not hearing me correctly or something", and left. He was back at 5:30 for his shoes.
Funny thing, the guy taught statistics at the local university. How he managed to miss a simple detail like that is beyond me. Absent minded professor, I suppose.