To think that when customers are queuing 5 deep at your counters you really ought to try servinga few of them

[WetAugust]

In Boots today, 5 staff are behind the pharmacy counter and one staff memebr is trying to serve a queue of about 12 people. The rest appear to be stock-taking.

Were they definitely boots staff?

I'm a stocktaker and it's very frustrating being given out to for mot serving customers IN A SHOP I DON'T WORK IN!

I don't mind people asking once but some people just won't take 'im sorry I'm a stocktaker, I don't actually work here but a member of staff should be with you shortly' as an acceptable answer!

I used to work in a bank, and I think all the customers assumed if you work there you were a trained cashier. It's not the case.

When I was a cashier I worked at a branch with only three staff and there was still a queue. Customers used to go to the customer services desk and ring the bell repeatedly to instruct us to put more cashiers on. Except all 3 of us were already serving so couldn't go to the desk.

I hate shops in general but this really gets my goat.

I usually exclaim loudly that what is the point of all the marketing and hard work on that side of the till area if nobody is ready to take the customers' money. Bloody idiots.

Most customers are clueless and 'assume'

Who are 'bloody idiots' funky ??

OP:
a) External staff do stock takes. It is not their job to serve customers.
b) Pharmacy staff are serving customers whilst busying themselves in the back of the pharmacy, just probably not customers that are physically present at the time. They will be making up prescriptions, dealing with customers/doctors/wholesalers etc on the phone and bloody numerous other jobs.

As others have said, the stock takers probably do not work in the shop. They are probably external staff who have come in for the day specifically to stock take.

I would imagine not just anyone can dispense drugs either.

I always say if im being served and they answer the phone ''excuse me, can you fifnish with me first, that's very rude to answer the phone''

and yy at the bank its the worst, 5 counters and only 2 being used yet a queue building up and the rest of the staff are just faffing around walking around.

and I hate the self service tills too. self service? you always need assistance,. what a stupid thing to call them SELF service.

Martina as I said upthread not all bank staff are trained cashiers.

Usual agree about the rude customers on their phones , however, I used to work in retail and we were told that whatever we were doing, (stock taking, shelf stacking etc),serving the customer came first.

I had this on Wednesday evening, but at Stansted airport. Was at least 15 minutes waiting in the queue at border control, with those TV screens saying that there would now be a longer wait because of their tougher security controls. The queue was nothing to do with tougher controls, it was because they had about 4 people on the desks out of about 25 desks, when about three flights had all arrived at once

Like others have said, when I worked in a shop, we were always told that serving the customers comes first.

i like self service tills because you dont have to talk to the miserable staff

Spot on WetAugust - going to Boots if there is an alternative is a self-inflicted injury. No idea of customer service.

Yes usualsuspect but machines don't care whether the customer is a dick or not. They just serve you anyway and don't want to chat about the bloody weather.

I haven't shopped in Boots for many years, since the assistant at the till didn't look at me or acknowledge me once while scanning my purchases, during payment and issuing my receipt. She held a conversation with another employee the whole time. They both looked at me when I asked if that was their normal level of customer service, though, but by their mystified expressions I guessed the point was lost on them.

So from this short thread:

You hate self serve
You love self serve
You hate small talk/assistants chatting
You hate assistants who don't chat to you
You hate queuing

What CAN we do right?

You can make sure there are plenty of staffed tills open for people who hate self scans.
You can provide self scans for those who love them.
You can say hello, please, thank you - and don't worry so much about the small talk. That way the queue moves faster, but you're still acknowledging the customer in a friendly manner.
You can provide plenty of staff so that queuing is kept to a minimum, and you can follow the Aldi/Lidl example ie when a small queue builds staff move quickly from stocking the shelves to the tills.

It's really, really not that hard.

Nope.... Can't be done just like that, surely rational people realise those in management are the ones who dictate? Not the shop floor staff.....