The reality of serving cu*tomers

Well, here we are...

Before I start this discussion I would like to point out that I am not intending to offend anybody. All I am doing is expressing how I feel, which I cannot not do in the workplace. I admit I may sway towards generalisation in this post, I am not saying all of the general public are like this but, hopefully it will open the eyes of those who are. 

So, as you may have already guessed this weeks topic is: unbearable customers A.K.A cu*tomers. Like many other people out there I have a job in which I must deal with the general public - I, myself in the world of retail. I know that entering the industry of retail doesn't require a lot of "skills" per say but, it does help if you are good with people, which I damn well am. Anyway, I am coming up to my third year of being a shop assistant - Oooh haven't I done well - and it's really beginning to get to me, how rude some people are to us (Sales Assistants).

Just to give you a picture, I work in a "top end" department store, selling "luxury" goods. I work on the accessory floor selling designer sunglasses. My colleagues/friends around me sell: watches, jewellery and shoes.




Here are some of the scenarios that we encounter on a daily basis:

As a sales person the concept of excellent customer service is hammered into our heads. So, the first step of delivering excellent customer service is greeting the customer. Unfortunately this is the usual response...

"I don't have time right now"

Look, if you honestly don't have time then why have you been wandering around the shop floor for the past ten minutes? To those who don't want us to talk to them, we don't really want to talk to you either.



I lock up the sunglasses I sell because they are worth a lot of money and we have had some stolen before...

"Ugh, why are they locked?... it's so we have to talk to them"

I AM IN EAR SHOT. We are assistants. That is our job, to assist you. Just ask and I will unlock them, I'm not going to hassle you. I don't want to have anything to do with you quite frankly, anyway. Following the complaining about the stand being locked they then insist on asking a million questions. Then they claim to know more than you do about the products you sell, even though they were the ones who were clueless just moments before. Then they say...

"These are too expensive anyway."

Why the fuck did you waste so much of my time then?

OR

"They're cheaper at, optitions over the road/costco/duty free"

"I'm just gonna buy them at the airport"

- No, they are not cheaper at the airport, it's the same company at the airport and the prices are the same. 

- Great. If costco is so fucking fantastic why are you wasting my time?





After having  a customer be incredibly vocal about how they didn't like the stand being locked, here's what they say when it's open...

"Ooh, this is silly have them open like this."

Oh, I'm sorry does that make life too easy for you?




When talking to a customer about the prices of our products...

"Surely you can do better than that?"

No, I cannot, you smug prick and you know I can't. 




When we try yet again to offer good customer service by asking if the customer needs any help or whether they were looking for a particular item we get this...

"I'M JUST LOOKING"

Hmm... I wonder what happened to being polite? Which brings me to this...

"Is anyone serving?!"

No. Now fuck off!




Please, please, please to those of you who know you are saying these things please stop! Just because we work in a shop doesn't make you better than us. It is just our job, remember that.

That's it. Rant over.

P.S. Thank you to all the lovely people who appreciate what we do.

Where's the Union Jack?

I am sure that all of you are aware of what the American flag looks like, if you don't here is an image for you...

I was out and about just strolling around town and I noticed that a lot of clothing, especially women's clothing, is advertising the Stars and Stripes. I went into various shops such as Topshop and Republic and the American flag was everywhere.

Here are some Topshop shorts to start us off...

Why would you wear that?

Take a look at Republic's website for instance, after going into their shop and being appalled by how many items of clothing had the American flag on them i decided to have a little search on their website. I typed the word 'flag' into the search bar and this is what came up...

http://www.republic.co.uk/atgsearch/atgSearchResults.jsp?sq=flag&_requestid=909069

Why!?!?!

Why do people want to wear this shit?

The item of clothing which gets on my nervs the most is this one...

Who the fucking hell wants to be a giant flag for America if you are British?! This makes absolutely no sense to me. Why do we want a fashion where we are wearing another country's flag? Why on earth can't we wear our own flag? The Union Jack is a perfectly good flag and it is our flag. Why is the fashion industry pushing people to wear the Stars and Stripes? What's worse is, WHY ARE WE AGREEING?

I'm not saying we should go all patriotic and be seeing the Union Jack plastered everywhere but, I think it would be nice if we weren't brown nosing the United States of America. I am sure they're not wearing our flag.

All I am saying is I think the Hawaiians have the RIGHT IDEA .

WAKE UP AND LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE FUCKING DOING!!!

Post Script: I know that I have been discussing this topic which could be seen as advertising this new fashion and yes i have been posting photo's. My intention is to INFORM. I want to INFORM others of what is happening.

Post Post Script: I did not mean to offend anyone. If I did then that's ridiculously stupid because it is just my opinion...

WATCH THIS SPACE 

Okay so, I am a 19 year old unemployed woman. I do not think I am alone in the fact that every other week I must attend the dreaded Job Centre Plus.

At first I was very embarrassed to be one of those people that couldn't find a job. Every time I walk into that place (Job Centre Plus) I feel sorry for every person that is having to attend their "Signing on" - including myself. Each time I attend I look around me and  I see the same people we all look eligible for a job. So why are we all still unemployed?! We are told we must apply for 6 jobs minimum between appointments. 4 months in and i still haven't had any luck.


I would like to make it absolutely clear that I do not enjoy being on benefit but I am very grateful that they are available. I am very much looking forward to having a job and living off of my own money so please do not start getting aggressive because I am on benefits, I do not want to be but I do not have any other choice at the moment.


Last week I went to London for some auditions and made a rather interesting discovery...


NOTE: I would like to point out that in this next piece of writing I am not trying to be racist or exclude anyone this is just my opinion on the subject of unemployment at the moment.


I was staying in the Swiss Cottage Hotel which is in Swiss Cottage near Central School of Speech and Drama. Everybody in the hotel was foreign from Polish to Indian. There were no English people employed there. I was then in Starbucks In Oxford Street again all people employed were foreign:L African, Spanish and Polish. I was in Waitrose on Finchley Rd, again most people employed there were Indian. None of these People were Anglo - Indians/Polish/Spanish people they were straight from their home country. 


So this is just a taste of the variety of races that are employed in Britain. I know that was a very small scale of places but it gives a sample of how Britain employs a lot of foreign people. I want to state that I do not have a problem with foreign people working in Britain. What I do not understand is, if the people of Britain today are complaining about people being unemployed and claiming benefits why don't companies employ more British people. I know there needs to be variety and fair opportunity and all that but, it seems that the Citizens of this country are losing out. I have been trying for 4 months to get a job in my local town of Banbury and I have failed so far. The problem obviously doesn't exist only in London, since I have been back home I notice that there is  mass of employment of non Brits in my home town. 


The point of me writing this was not to attract racist comments or fight against non Brits or be incredibly patriotic. What I would like help with is...


- Why are there so many unemployed British people right now?
- Why are companies willing to employ foreigners instead of Citizens?
- What can we do to help this problem?
- Has anyone come across the same situation?


I would like to apologise if I have offended anybody in this blog, that was not my intention, I just want to understand what is going on and hear what you have to say...