To walk out of Boots

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Popped into Boots before work this morning. Found the clothing I wanted for DS but they didn't have his size. So I asked for help. "no they are all out" No problem, can I order it? . She then grudgingly said she'd go and look for it in stock but it probably wasn't there. Vanished for 5 minutes, reappeared muttering to another member of staff about the lift being out of order, vanished in another direction for another 5 minutes.

When she returned she walked straight past me, I said Hello and she muttered that she would have to order it. I followed her to the till where she proceeded to look for a book, and complain to the other member of staff that it wasn't where she left it. Still ignoring me.

So I said forget it, in what might have been an irritated way, and left. Only to hear her running after me talking about books and the website. I'm afraid I ignored her and kept on walking, partly because I did need to be at work, mostly because I was fuming. I should have at least explained I had to be at work. So hoping for reassurance you'd have done the same.
She'll think I'm even more of a loon if I go back to apologise won't she?

ooo I walked out of Boots today as I only had 1-0 minutes before my car permit ran out and the q was snaking horribly at the pharmacy counter, I needed to pick up a prescription. I just gave up. So slow...

They're only going to get better and better now that they've been bought out by Walgreen's.

RUDE RUDE RUDE...her not you!

I work for a retailer (not in the shop in HQ) and I deal with the investigation and disciplinary side of things from the employee perspective and we've given warnings for much less.

That said, I have experienced some pretty shocking customer service recently- Asda and Collect Plus.

Now I know why Boots have turned me down for a job twice, I'm obviously not rude enough.

Don't apologise! Are you kidding! I have a very low tolerance for rudeness in shops possibly because I have worked in lots myself and never been rude.

We had a similar thing at Zara yesterday, won't go into the whole long story but the final part was waiting in a queue, one couple with a quite involved query ahead of us. There was another assistant available at an adjacent till but she was studiously folding clothes and ignoring us! Was just about to walk out when first assistant came free. A small thing but so rude!!!

I experienced a lot of bad customer service in John Lewis in High Wycombe about 12 years ago, all the other John Lewis stores that I have been to in the country I had experienced very good customer service, it was just that one store.
Then it seemed that they had all been on a customer service training session and for quite a few years the customer service had been very good in that store , but since they have over extended that store, the customer service has really gone down hill again. My parents received very very bad service in their TV dept and went to find the manager of that dept to complain only to find that the bad service they received was from the actual dept manager himself.

It's funny isn't it LL12? It's almost worse when it's somewhere where you expect really good service because it's such a shock!

One woman working at the checkout at Waitrose was a bit rude to me once; nothing awful, just eye rolling and sighing, but it was so unusual for Waitrose where they are usually so lovely (Or, at the very least, polite and efficient) that I still remember it years later. It spoilt my day a little bit.

The staff in my local Boots are lovely.

How they can be arsed doing advantage card points all day on a bag of maltesers and a packet of handy andies I don't know. They deserve a medal :)

Don't put up with it or walk away -complain!

If you're being ignored while you're being served -interrupt them
If they're rude to you - point it out or ask for the manager
If they treat you so badly you take your custom elsewhere (especially for a big purchase) - let them know and copy to head office.

And conversely, when they're good, tell them that too. I once had exemplary service in a shoe shop and I made a point of telling the manager.

Everyone complains about Tesco, but our local one has the most pleasant and helpful staff. In fact, so do our two nearest Boots!

No, you were right to leave, and I would not apologise, if I were you.
I've had mostly good experiences in Boots, I use different branches, but some staff are not great.
I had to get a replacement loyalty card once, which entailed very little effort on the assistant's part. She behaved, and looked at me, as though I had asked her to perform open heart surgery, on me. The card didn't arrive. I eventually rang their help line, and got it. I think they credited it with some extra points, for the non appearance of the heart surgery one...
For staff who ignore me, in any shop, (I recently experienced it in Debenhams), I hold onto the cash or card, until they actually realise that the pesky automaton the other side of the counter hasn't done what they are supposed to, in order that the transaction can proceed, and they reluctantly break off their conversation, in order to...do their job.
The guy in Debenhams was having a great discussion, mostly with someone behind him, about a girl he fancied, but had to break it off (briefly), when the transaction didn't happen, until he turned his head, and engaged with me. He held out his hand, for the cash. I held the cash but didn't put it into his hand, until he turned to face me. Bloody customers, eh!
I have worked with the public, I know what it's like. I am always polite. I cannot abide people being rude.

I would complain. Boots' are just going down the pan, the staff in the one near me are always so rude and grumpy (though, to be fair, so are most of their customers!).

I went in today and got fantastic service at the pharmacy counter... i had to wait but then they were brilliant

I avoid the pharmacy in my local Boots after being told that I should have gone to a different branch with my prescription.
I didn't realise there were rules about it...

I had a saturday job in boots when i was a teenager. I consequently fume at the non existant service at every single branch in central london. If i see a manager i make sure i tell them.

I took a prescription for an asthma inhaler into Boots and they took it away, scribbled all over it then told me to come back in four days.

When I explained I couldn't wait for days for medication that might stop me dying in the event of an asthma attack they totally cats-bummed me and tried to refuse to return the prescription. FFS.

Speaking of Tesco - there's a lady in my local one who makes you take your own receipt out of the till because she can't be arsed to lean forward and get it for you. She's done it to me on several occasions over several months.

True story.

The shop assistant in my local Tesco wouldn't let me have double points with my voucher for my Gruyere, because "it wasn't cheese". She talked to me as if I were a hard of hearing imbecile, very slowly and loudly - "this voucher gives you double points with cheese. This is not cheese, this is Gruyere - look, it says on the packet, Gruyere, it doesn't say cheese." The man on the next till said, helpfully, "Of course it's cheese. Look, it says in small letters, full fat hard cheese. It's hard and it's yellow - what else would it be?" If looks could kill we would both have died on the spot. She rang it up without a word and virtually threw it at me.

As teen I had Saturday jobs in Boots, Woolworths and a now defunct shoe shop. We were constantly told that the customer was right, should be treated with respect etc.

Judging by this thread, it seems most retail staff view customers as an inconvenience.

Our local Boots has such dreadful customer service that I refuse to go in there any more. As someone on the thread already mentioned, the staff (without exception) treat you as if they are doing you a favour by serving you and as if they have far better things which they could be doing with their time. There is also some weird undercurrent between individual staff members. It is a very small store so only about 4 regular staff plus pharmacists. At least some of them are local so must be recognised by customers but it seems beyond them to crack a smile. I now go next-door to Lloyds, even for prescriptions. It's only a small town (village almost) and there's also a third pharmacy in the centre so they really can't afford to be carrying on like that.

LOVING the gruyere story MrsS

Wasn't there a thread on MN recently where some poor woman got rejected for a position at Boots because of the answers she gave on the automated application questionnaire?

I'm beginning to wonder if it was because she was a polite, friendly person and therefore wouldn't fit in at Boots at all!

This is why I shop online. Boots are SLOW, rude and i dont bother any more. Superdrug are quicker and nice and cheaper re make up. Similar experiences re ordering in Debenhams, M&S, lots of large stores. Tesco Direct are dire if you order instore, they girl couldnt evern work their computer and told me my order wasnt there when i could see it out the back (she left door open). Even just buying not ordering i get sick of stafaf who cant be bothered, are chatting to their mate or texting while the queue grows ever longer (& more pissed off). Or, they spend more time than necessary with a customer who has an insanely mad complaint (& usually no sodding receipt either) when they should be getting them dealt with by a supervisor and attending to again, the ever increasing queue.

My sister did a checkout stint at Tesco as a student, her view was: If you are bottom of the food chain retail wise, give the difficult buggers straight over to your senior managers, you really arent paid enough to deal with insanity on top of ordinary transactions!

I was involved in a Julia Roberts moment a few years ago...My friend got a rather large inheritance so we trundled off to Currys to buy a freezer, large tv, washing machine, and a new hoover. We stood around for ages and I went to look for a sales assistant...saw one and approached her...I was going to say 'when you have a minute we'll be over by the tvs'...she rudely said that she was busy...didn't even let me get a word in...we went to Comet and spent £3,000....

I'm obviously really lucky - I have small Boots down the road and bloody great big Boots in the city centre, and the staff in both have always been great. I was spending a huge amount of money in there once and the check-out girl took my Advantage Card off to some kiosk thing to see if I had any vouchers owing, and I ended up with a lot of money off - she really went out of her way to help.

Where the hell do Boots find their so-called assistants from? I ahve never found them anything but useless.

How very dare you! My ds has a weekend job in Boots and he's outstandingly good at it, in every way!