Retail Workers Unite!

[manders]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 4:41am

Anyone else here work in retail? I work at Macy's and would love to quit, but i need to save up for all the trips I must take. So, I would like to take this opportunity to share a few painful moments in retail and welcome many others.

I had some customers who bought a watch in December (this happened very recently) and they wanted to exchange it for another watch because the band split. Well, I am just a lowly sales associate, but I know that the store policy is to NOT return merchandise that's been used. So, I took a look at the watch which had obviously been worn and asked the customer who confirmedd she'd worn it since she got it in December. I politely told them I could not do a return with worn merchandise and her husband responds "Oh yes you can." So, to appease them I call a manager who of course LETS THEM RETURN A DIRTY OLD WATCH just to make them happy. So wrong.

Also, on numerous occasions, someone I've never met before asks to use my employee discount. I love it!

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 11:23am

Actually I disagree -- the custmer was not satisifed and no band should split in such a short time-- I understand how frustrating it is to have customers "rent" pieces from department stores--- but the manager made the right decision...where the manager was "wrong" is not training his/her associates to do the same thing and feel empowered to assist the customer o the spot without the intervention...that customer would only be thinking about how good YOU were and always come back to you in the future

Another word of advice...NEVER give your discount to anyone and get reimbursed...you will be terminated faster than you can blink once LP finds out...often theose "strangers" are "plants" conducting an integrity shop.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 12:15pm

exactly kmf........but many stores do not let first level sales people make any kind of decisions.........Whenever I am told "no". I politely ask for the manager.....
9 times out of 10 they do what is needed.
manders, just dod what you did, call a manager over, and you're off the hook. And frankly Anything that "breaks" whether worn or not is returnable. I have never, EVER had a problem returning anything to Macy's.

[etoile]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 12:20pm

Show of hands of how many have NOT worked retail at some point or another. Simpliest thing to do is to tell someone, "I'm not authorized to do x, y, or z, but I'll call my supervisor for you."

Updated On: 5/15/05 at 12:20 PM

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 12:52pm

exactly etoille......and I did retail long ago. And not just for retail. My partner calls me the King of the 'GET ME YOUR MANAGER"........it works with cell phone companies, restaurants, Dell (as long as you are not calling customer service in Mumbai, India).........the minute I hear no, I get a manager.......sad state of things, but companies won't let first level employees do anything.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 12:54pm

In some cases, manders, it's not all about sticking to policy. Sometimes you have to bend the rules a bit, in order to make people happy. That's why, though, you have people above you to make those decisions.

[CostumeMistress]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 2:27pm

The sad thing is, though, that even with 5 years of glowing retail references, people think that because you're 20, you are not capable of making such decisions. You can even be written up for taking the initiative (has happened to me), even though what I did was EXACTLY what the manager would have done. Frustrating thing, the retail heirarchy is...

[etoile]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 9:18pm

There's a vast difference between being capable of making a decision and being authorized to make a decision. Hierarchies exist for a reason.

[Adoannie925]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 11:28pm

I've got my first job right now and it's in retail. What I hate most is selling products that I know don't work. I feel really bad, but I need the money until I can find another job because I'm trying to save up for some summer programs (RADA and Williamstown perhaps), and to travel. The only nice thing is still being a student and not having to worry about rent yet and I can work as many or few hours as I want.

[BluCat500]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 11:51pm

I must say that I used to work in best buy and although it was unbelievably boring as most retail jobs are...it wasn't too bad, as a cashier they encouraged us to make our own decisions, if a customer was only arguing about a few dollars price difference change it...just always consider whats best for the horrible multi billion dollar money grubbing company lol. My biggest complaint was simply how male dominated the field was especially on the sales floor. Sadly most of the cashiers were women. However, I did triumph and end up on the sales floor selling Ipods and mp3 players, at least i could honestly recommend most of the products.

[Plum]

Posted: 5/16/05 at 12:26am

One of my friends is a kick-ass salesperson for Best Buy, and a girl. She has an advantage, though, because she's a trained photographer, so when she talks cameras she really knows her stuff.

I haven't worked in retail, but I have worked in..."food service." *shudder* Of course, I say "never again," but considering all the job skills I'm learning in college (which is to say, none) I'll probably end up doing something like that when I graduate, at least part time.

[BluCat500]

Posted: 5/16/05 at 1:07am

I don't know could worshipping my ipod and listening obsessively be called an advantage

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 5/16/05 at 8:38am

18 years in retail here... working for a GREAT company... good benefits, good management, good career growth, and lots of trust, even with new sales associates... in all the years i had worked in a customer service capacity, i've rarely had a problem with a customer copmplaint... i remember that a customer called one time and wanted to exchange the toaster she bought from us because her 2 year old had put a video in it and turned it on... of course the plastic melted, and she wanted a new toaster, without paying for it... personally, i was embarrassed for her, as i would be for myself had i even thought about trying something like this... of course, she wanted to speak to a manager, who told her that there was nothing she could do, and that what i had told her was correct... if she wanted a new toaster, she would have to buy one... but we are also good at taking responsibility for our errors... a shipment doesn't get to you when promised? you get your shipping refunded... we sent you a damaged or defectiove piece of merchandise? fine, we'll pick it up and send you a new one, no additional charge... my company goes out of it's way, to a reasonable extent, to make sure the customer is happy...

[KelRel]

Posted: 5/16/05 at 8:41am

Ok this has to be said...working for Best Buy is awful! I worked there a few years ago and they treat their employees like crap. The management will lie and change SOP (even though they are not authorized to do so) to fit their personal needs. They will yell and scream at employees for not making enough sales, not because the store needs it, but because we are "f-ing up their bonus". It is not worth it to work for that store. www.bestbuysux.org check it out.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/16/05 at 9:41am

years ago did retail....and it all depends on the company. One was great, we were a close-knit group.....but the others sucked. It is a stepping stone for other sales jobs. In 1999 I was salesman-of-the-year for my company (non-retail), and frankly had I not worked in retail long before that I'm sure I'd have not learned skills that make me successful now.

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 5/16/05 at 2:24pm

I gave up retail forever (I hope) about three months ago. No more rude customers and condescending managers for me!
One of my favorite stories if from working at the University of Georgia Bookstore. A woman came in and asked if we had any Christmas ornaments that were just a glass ball with UGA printed on them. We didn't, but I directed her to some that had the school seal printed on them. She said she'd seen those, but, and at this point she leaned in like she was going to tell a dirty joke and whispered "they're in SPANISH!" Somehow I kept a straight face while explaining that the school seal included a few words in Latin, not Spanish. She didn't buy one, but for several weeks to come all I had to do was imagine her stage whispering "They're in Spanish" to brighten my day.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/16/05 at 2:41pm

lolol, now that's a stupid customer!