Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

majordude

macrumors 68020
Apr 28, 2007
2,441
75
Hootersville
To be sure, retail is a tough job.

Yeah, the public (you and I) sure do suck! :rolleyes:

Still, there are millions of jobs in this country. You (not you, the collective "you") don't HAVE to take a job you suck at. Either learn to deal with it or move on. You can always shovel pig manure if you don't like dealing with demanding people.

I guess having free will sucks for some people.
 

CalBoy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2007
7,849
37
Yeah, the public (you and I) sure do suck! :rolleyes:

Still, there are millions of jobs in this country. You (not you, the collective "you") don't HAVE to take a job you suck at. Either learn to deal with it or move on. You can always shovel pig manure if you don't like dealing with demanding people.

I guess having free will sucks for some people.

I don't think you've ever worked in retail. I have. It's not the customers that are the tough part of the job, in fact, I found the customers to be the best part (I am a people person in real life:p). What gets to you when you work retail is the managers. They can make some pretty crazy demands for such a low paying job.

And by the way, it isn't a straight forward economic equation. Retail jobs don't pay less because they require less intelligence or fewer skills; they pay less because employers simply take what they can get. This drives good employees crazy because they make the same amount for a lot more toil. In the end, if you have a good work ethic and some reasonable intelligence, retail is not for you.
 

shikimo

macrumors 6502
Jan 17, 2007
377
0
Lyon, France
I find it interesting that so many people are willing to blame the original poster without any details. Filing a complaint is fine, if the person has a record it of complaints then it might mean something, otherwise it probably wont. And if the person files a complaint and is silly for doing so it will probably be apparent by reading the complaint.

Agreed. Stop dogpiling on the OP already.

For all you folks who have never worked retail. Let me give you some insight!
I worked retail for 7 years selling computers! I can not begin to tell you what a horrible experience it was on a daily bases.
1. I had bench marks to meet per month, such as $10,000 of computer equipment to sell.
2. A percentage of those sales involved extended service plans.
3. We had sales flyers in the Sunday paper every week, with our lose leaders. Brought the customer in and then 'upgraded' them to a more expensive product, with more profit margins.
4. If you did not meet your sales goals as well as your extended service plan goals you were terminated!!

To add to all this above you had to deal with unreasonable customers making demands, etc.

I am not saying the OP did this, but all the above for $7.00 an hour before taxes is very stressful! (Also have an ******* manager and your done real quick before the day starts!)

Yes, retail is a tough gig: many of us have done it. However, like all jobs it is what it is, and successfully dealing with the "unreasonable customers" and "******* managers" is what separates good retail workers from bad ones.

Besides, there's only one person to blame for staying in a job you don't like for seven years...that's more than enough time to move on, move up, or even get a night/weekend education to do something in which you are more interested.
 

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,566
Having set that precedent, I feel customers have the right to go into stores and act as obnoxious as they like, expecting perfect customer service in return.

There is nothing that pleases a sales person more than getting an obnoxious customer who gets told off for his and her behaviour from other customers. :D
 

MacPanda

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2006
115
0
Retail is a headache i do it to pay my way through uni but seriously i get some really nasty, rude customers who throw things at you or think that just because you are working behind a counter they can treat you like you are their urine. Trust me they I do checkout work at the store and it gets rough when trying to close the till at the end of the day- had goods thrown at me and spat on etc ...

On the other side, the Apple Store in regent street is an utter disgrace, i recently tried to return an iPod that i had bought a few days back and had the click of death on the hd and the guy told me to check everything i buy before i take it out of the store and he would sign the reciept for me. :eek: Plus they sold my friend a refurb printer which was used and dirty must have been on display saying it was a new item. They broke my mac mini at the genius bar :(
Not impressed apple.
 

jonnylink

macrumors 6502
Jul 15, 2007
256
0
Does it need to be said? There are nice people and crappy people, all of those people are shoppers at some point and some of those people (from both groups) are retailers at some point.

Retail isn't easy but find me a job that is fun and easy all the time. I worked retail. Wasn't for me, I understand how people can be and I never lost my cool but I didn't care for it. I've also worked in a brewery and that had it's own set of difficulties which were just as bad but totally different (so it also wasn't for me). What I am saying is that unless you are doing something you genuinely like it probably is gonna make you angry a lot, but don't think that it is only your job or your type of job or that no one can possibly understand having a crappy job. The majority of adults have had at least one crappy job and many would probably say their current job is crappy.

The OP should do whatever seems fair. It is possible they were both having a bad day or are both crappy people are both nice or whatever, but we certainly can't make that call from our computers.
 

majordude

macrumors 68020
Apr 28, 2007
2,441
75
Hootersville
I don't think you've ever worked in retail.

Well, I worked at 7-Eleven a long, long time ago. The customers were great for the most part. I liked carding the 18-27 year old women just so I could learn their names and flatter them at the same time.

Smooooooth operator. :cool:

My manager was okay as long as I didn't interrupt his smoking and drinking in the back room. :eek:
 

CalBoy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2007
7,849
37
Well, I worked at 7-Eleven a long, long time ago. The customers were great for the most part. I liked carding the 18-27 year old women just so I could learn their names and flatter them at the same time.

Smooooooth operator. :cool:

My manager was okay as long as I didn't interrupt his smoking and drinking in the back room. :eek:

Well, seeing as how you didn't have to make sales, I think you may not be appreciating the point DesignerOnMac was trying to advance. In my case, it was credit card applications. Not fun telling people they aren't approved:eek:
 

sgarringer

macrumors regular
Jul 15, 2004
210
0
Cedar Rapids, IA
Retail can be bad, but that doesn't excuse someone who is working in the store from being rude. If you can't handle the bad, you have no right working there. I've worked in computer sales (cow-spotted store) and believe me, we had all sorts of people come through those doors. People would yell things like "bait and switch" when you rang up the machine and the computer added in sales tax.

Managers have a tough spot of being nice to the customer, but also not giving in on what their sales people have said. We had one customer who insisted that we give them a bunch of free stuff. They threw a temper tantrum in the store, with stomping and arms flailing. They wanted a USB cable for their printer! It wasn't fair we didn't give them one! I almost couldn't contain myself when their daughter went over and yelled at the guy and his wife and they left. A bunch of the other customers started clapping.

Then there is the customers who can't hang up the phone for 30 seconds to interact with you. God forbid they have to actually talk to 'the help'.
 

majordude

macrumors 68020
Apr 28, 2007
2,441
75
Hootersville
I've worked in computer sales (cow-spotted store) and believe me, we had all sorts of people come through those doors. People would yell things like "bait and switch" when you rang up the machine and the computer added in sales tax.

Have you ever had a drunk senior throw full beer bottles at you because you couldn't sell beer to a drunk? Your laughing at the old man because he's staggering around cussing like a drunken sailor throwing beer bottles at you and your manager but keeps missing by about twelve feet because he's old and drunk and cussing.

And it would be 11 in the morning. :eek:

Ah, the good ol's days of 7-Eleven
 

CalBoy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2007
7,849
37
Man, I would have lived for that.

You can't even get credit HERE? Geez, that's pretty bad. Need bus fare home?

:cool:

Well, not everyone has good credit. I'm guessing you live in Southern California right? Surely you've seen people with less than "adequate" credit. Anyways, we've gotten off topic; we should refocus on the OP's question.
 

shikimo

macrumors 6502
Jan 17, 2007
377
0
Lyon, France
Well, not everyone has good credit. I'm guessing you live in Southern California right? Surely you've seen people with less than "adequate" credit. Anyways, we've gotten off topic; we should refocus on the OP's question.

Yes, yes, where did the OP go? This is an interesting topic, and I'd love to hear both more details of the incident that provoked the thread and what (if anything) came of it. Don't be put off by the mean posts at you, OP, and tell the rest of us what's up?
 

ethernet76

macrumors 6502a
Jul 15, 2003
501
0
Remember, this is Apple - the company that gives customers who purchased items two months ago $100 credits if they moan and complain loud enough.

Having set that precedent, I feel customers have the right to go into stores and act as obnoxious as they like, expecting perfect customer service in return.

I mean, that's the logic Apple retail seems to be based on, right?

Umm no. If someone a customer is being obnoxious chances are the person store person in charge at the time would know. Employees generally talk about the bad ones and when you call your the ******* customer from yesterday, last week, etc.

Besides what company would allow its customers to treat employees like dirt? They have a vested interest in keeping them around.
 

HLdan

macrumors 603
Aug 22, 2007
6,383
0
Remember, this is Apple - the company that gives customers who purchased items two months ago $100 credits if they moan and complain loud enough.

Having set that precedent, I feel customers have the right to go into stores and act as obnoxious as they like, expecting perfect customer service in return.

I mean, that's the logic Apple retail seems to be based on, right?

OMG, dude you are soooo wrong. Where do you get the nerve to feel that as a customer you should get your backside kissed by a retail store while still being a rude and obnoxious customer. Maybe you've forgotten that ANY and ALL public places have a right to refuse service, at least in the U.S.

A customer HAS to show respect for the store just as much as getting respect from the store.
 

shikimo

macrumors 6502
Jan 17, 2007
377
0
Lyon, France
OMG, dude you are soooo wrong. Where do you get the nerve to feel that as a customer you should get your backside kissed by a retail store while still being a rude and obnoxious customer. Maybe you've forgotten that ANY and ALL public places have a right to refuse service, at least in the U.S.

A customer HAS to show respect for the store just as much as getting respect from the store.

I could be wrong, but I got a strong dose of sarcasm from Unspeaked's post...
 

HLdan

macrumors 603
Aug 22, 2007
6,383
0
I could be wrong, but I got a strong dose of sarcasm from Unspeaked's post...

It's possible you read it differently than I did but I have worked in retail for many years and there are customers with that pompous attitude that have treated me with so much disrespect and I have even been trashed due to my race and culture although when that happened the customer was thrown out. That was my point, a customer deserves respect but he must respect the store he visits.
 

winter***white

macrumors newbie
Sep 23, 2008
1
0
apple store sales are extremely rude

I totally understand this. You have no idea how rude they are. This apple store in woodfield mall in Schaumburg, IL have the worst store employees I have ever seen.

Not to mention how geek they look. They don't smile, don't greet you, don't even say thank you when you are buying things from the store. None of the stores employees in the entire mall behave the way they do.

I believe all employees in all other stores are busy, but I have not met any employees from other stores who can be so rude. They should go and take a look at stores like coach, abercrombie, and sony. These stores maintain excellent customer services even when they are very busy. But, apple store employees. NOOO. They are so arrogant, rude, with horrible attitudes and extremely disgusting faces.

I am just sick to see an apple product now. I really hope that the store closes down. It just spoils the entire image of the mall.
 

wako

macrumors 65816
Jun 6, 2005
1,404
1
really? you had to dig into a 9 month, almost 10 month old thread to give your two cents?:confused:


damn noobs :p
 

iGary

Guest
May 26, 2004
19,580
7
Randy's House
I totally understand this. You have no idea how rude they are. This apple store in woodfield mall in Schaumburg, IL have the worst store employees I have ever seen.

Not to mention how geek they look. They don't smile, don't greet you, don't even say thank you when you are buying things from the store. None of the stores employees in the entire mall behave the way they do.

I believe all employees in all other stores are busy, but I have not met any employees from other stores who can be so rude. They should go and take a look at stores like coach, abercrombie, and sony. These stores maintain excellent customer services even when they are very busy. But, apple store employees. NOOO. They are so arrogant, rude, with horrible attitudes and extremely disgusting faces.

I am just sick to see an apple product now. I really hope that the store closes down. It just spoils the entire image of the mall.

The Apple Store I worked at was awesome - we had a great group of people and our customer's loved us. Piercings, tattoos, mohawks, geeky-ness and all. Who wants to go and get served by the robots at Best Buy? Not me.
 

liptonlover

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2008
989
0
lol everyone's still talking even though the OP hasn't made another post the whole time...

Anyways, if Apple wants to have good customer experience they need to take care of that guy. Whether he can't handle the stress or is just plain rude, he shouldn't be there.

Nate
 

TommyLee

macrumors regular
Jan 23, 2004
194
0
New Orleans
"I don't need to check with anyone else. I'm the manager. I know everything"

omfg, HE IS TEH GENIUS!!!1
CatInPool.jpg
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.