Page 7 | Man complained about me re yoghurt brand stopped doing a flavour

DianaTaverner · 04/04/2024 08:27

EvenStillIWantTo · 03/04/2024 13:18

I worked in a call centre and my very first customer calmly read out the building address to me and said 'I'll be waiting outside all day and I'll shoot you in the head when you walk out'.

Because his wifi was going to be delayed by a couple of days. Some people are just off the fucking map.

That sounds horrendous. Did they call the cops? The advantage of call centres is that you've got the threats on tape (and not just an idle threat in this case, clearly intended to provoke genuine fear) and the customer's name and address.

Obviously as a brand new employee, probably in shock, you would be unlikely to be able to say "do you remember at the beginning, when we said we record all calls?"

Original poster

Auburngal · 04/04/2024 08:52

shattereddreams1 · 04/04/2024 08:12

‘Why did you take the job if you can’t handle the public being rude’

Also said by the, ‘you’re on benefits so can’t afford to be fussy about what work you do’ brigade.

Like everyone in retail is in their dream job of choice.

17 years ago people were less rude. Worked in call centres before and very few rude customers - but had the power to terminate the call if the customer was still being rude, not listening to me - after 3 warnings. "I'm terminating the call as you are being rude. Please ring back when you have calmed yourself down. Goodbye" (click).

I miss this as only management and security can make people leave.

OP posts:

Original poster

Auburngal · 04/04/2024 08:54

Customers need to understand that retail staff have more feathers in their caps now. 30 years ago it was tills. Now its lottery, CSD, self scan, Just Eat/Uber Eats/Deliveroo picks, smart shop etc.

OP posts:

suki1964 · 04/04/2024 09:14

Auburngal · 03/04/2024 20:16

The elderly are the rudest imo and they think we are rude. Some people can't see their rudeness.

Show quote history

I work as a server in a very very busy restaurant in a sea side town and our clientele out of season is the elderly - as in older then me and Im 60. Elderly retired people who have lived in the area all their lives and like to come out and have a coffee and a bit of a chat to pass the day. They often have their grandchildren as well who they have picked up from school and are looking after them till the parents come home from work

I have never ever had a elderly customer be rude to me

Easter school holidays, the town is bunged, we have a queue 30/40 deep from opening at 10 till 4pm, we are non stop. Yet we still have to find the time to deal with the gentleman wandering into the kitchens looking for his lost medals, the lady who took a tumble outside the store and has badly bruised her face , get a first aider to her and calm her husband. We have to clear up more then enough mess from high chairs and tables where children have been sat. We still find the time to greet customers, ask if their meal is ok, do they require anything else, run back and forth to get something they do require that they have forgotten to pick up, carry trays for those that cant, help customers on with coats, run after them with their forgotten brollies . Make big fusses of babies, sit and chat to the old fella with Alzheimer's whilst his daughter is still in the queue, clear chairs and move tables to assist wheelchair users, and pass a few words whilst clearing the tables, have a bit of banter as we call it

However, in my place of work the ethos is "Customer Experience " , the customer has to leave us with a smile and feel good about their experience in store.

Our customers know they are going to be looked after so they come back to us again and again, they keep us going through the winter when most places have to shut. They expect good service and they are given good service

And I bloody love it. The chats and fun we have with the customers makes the day fly. They might be in a queue for 30 minutes to be given a table but there's never a bother, there's plenty of other places in town opened during holiday season, but they are more then happy to queue because they know they are going to be looked after and their custom valued

Sure there's days I come out of work so knackered, so sore , head thumping thinking I must be bloody mad , but the following day Im back there, smile on my face and back at it. So I might have had the biggest row with DH before I left for work, so my dog may be at the vets, so I may be worrying about a large bill, but our customers don't need to know all that. We are often short staffed, that's not the customers problem. WW3 could be happening in the kitchen, the dishwasher might have decided they have had enough and gone walkabout - the customer still gets the service

And our customers actually take the time to write / phone or email in and leave thanks. We get glowing online reviews and we get thanked to our faces

Original poster

Auburngal · 04/04/2024 10:13

The thing is with my workplace and other shops, if you talk to a customer longer than needed, you get tuts, "hurry up" muttered. Then one angry man (guessing in his 50s) threw the elderly customer's shopping onto the next till and shouted "you can pack at your own pace now". Needless to say he was asked not to return again.

OP posts:

suki1964 · 04/04/2024 10:46

@Auburngal All I can say is you must work in a area of severe alcohol or drug abuse because Ive been reading these threads of yours (on another forum ) ever since you started in retail and what you say you witness daily is not something I witness daily in 45 years of customer facing roles and 45 years of shopping

Our Tescos, Sainsburys, Asda - all the same - you want to take 30 minutes to go through a checkout , then you do, most of us are understanding enough that some people need help and time and we wait our turn or find a self serve. And if that customer then needs help to the car, its often the till assistant that says - "wont be a minute" and off they pop

Or perhaps its your de-meaner and attitude that attracts this kind of nastiness?

Im not saying all customers are wee darlings, but meet aggression with aggression and of course things will kick off. I can be thinking in my head " fucking twat, go do one" but my smile on my face wont show it

withlotsoflove · 04/04/2024 11:59

suki1964 · 04/04/2024 09:14

I work as a server in a very very busy restaurant in a sea side town and our clientele out of season is the elderly - as in older then me and Im 60. Elderly retired people who have lived in the area all their lives and like to come out and have a coffee and a bit of a chat to pass the day. They often have their grandchildren as well who they have picked up from school and are looking after them till the parents come home from work

I have never ever had a elderly customer be rude to me

Easter school holidays, the town is bunged, we have a queue 30/40 deep from opening at 10 till 4pm, we are non stop. Yet we still have to find the time to deal with the gentleman wandering into the kitchens looking for his lost medals, the lady who took a tumble outside the store and has badly bruised her face , get a first aider to her and calm her husband. We have to clear up more then enough mess from high chairs and tables where children have been sat. We still find the time to greet customers, ask if their meal is ok, do they require anything else, run back and forth to get something they do require that they have forgotten to pick up, carry trays for those that cant, help customers on with coats, run after them with their forgotten brollies . Make big fusses of babies, sit and chat to the old fella with Alzheimer's whilst his daughter is still in the queue, clear chairs and move tables to assist wheelchair users, and pass a few words whilst clearing the tables, have a bit of banter as we call it

However, in my place of work the ethos is "Customer Experience " , the customer has to leave us with a smile and feel good about their experience in store.

Our customers know they are going to be looked after so they come back to us again and again, they keep us going through the winter when most places have to shut. They expect good service and they are given good service

And I bloody love it. The chats and fun we have with the customers makes the day fly. They might be in a queue for 30 minutes to be given a table but there's never a bother, there's plenty of other places in town opened during holiday season, but they are more then happy to queue because they know they are going to be looked after and their custom valued

Sure there's days I come out of work so knackered, so sore , head thumping thinking I must be bloody mad , but the following day Im back there, smile on my face and back at it. So I might have had the biggest row with DH before I left for work, so my dog may be at the vets, so I may be worrying about a large bill, but our customers don't need to know all that. We are often short staffed, that's not the customers problem. WW3 could be happening in the kitchen, the dishwasher might have decided they have had enough and gone walkabout - the customer still gets the service

And our customers actually take the time to write / phone or email in and leave thanks. We get glowing online reviews and we get thanked to our faces

Show quote history

🤢
🤣

Scrumbleton · 04/04/2024 12:46

Really need to know which yoghurt type it was - I blame Brexit for Tesco Finest lemon curd yoghurt disappearing
from The shelves
Sorry for you tho OP - v rude - prob dementia

Original poster

Auburngal · 04/04/2024 13:05

My store's customers most are stubborn, stuck in their ways and technophobes.

A much larger store (about 5x larger) of my employer, 6 miles away from my work and see customers in their 80s using smart shop and self scan.

At my store, I gave a customer a phone number for Kelloggs as she bought Fruit n Fibre and had no fruit in it. We can't do refunds on branded items without the receipt, unless its a recall item. She said she doesn't have a phone. When talking about not having a phone these days, we are talking about not having a mobile. No she doesn't have a landline either. How in today's world can people not survive without any phone? You can only phone my doctors' to get an appointment. The last time I heard of someone without a phone - mobile or landline was about 35 years ago when my friend's neighbour who was in her late 80s/early 90s didn't have one and used my friend's. Gave her mum 10-20p depending on length of call.

OP posts:

BobbyBiscuits · 04/04/2024 13:28

The poor man. Maybe that's the only one he likes and he's been eating it all his life, haha. No seriously, bang out of order to rant at you about it.
We can't sell it anymore because they've stopped making it. Sad isn't it. Yud think that would suffice...I have a lot of respect for retail staff. Apparently it's the most popular job in the UK (by numbers of people doing it) and being rude is never the answer!

Blackcats7 · 04/04/2024 13:36

I get rather sick of hearing about the woes of retail staff and also of doctor’s receptionists.
I have met numerous really rude and unhelpful staff in both categories. I have never been rude to either but have had reception staff try to tell me that in politely questioning something I am then being abusive. I have also experienced sales staff far more interested in chatting between themselves than serving a customer.

Justmuddlingalong · 04/04/2024 14:19

Yes. Became dealing with 1 grumpy receptionist is equal to spending a whole shift dealing with numerous grumps an hour.

iLovee · 04/04/2024 14:33

suki1964 · 04/04/2024 09:14

I work as a server in a very very busy restaurant in a sea side town and our clientele out of season is the elderly - as in older then me and Im 60. Elderly retired people who have lived in the area all their lives and like to come out and have a coffee and a bit of a chat to pass the day. They often have their grandchildren as well who they have picked up from school and are looking after them till the parents come home from work

I have never ever had a elderly customer be rude to me

Easter school holidays, the town is bunged, we have a queue 30/40 deep from opening at 10 till 4pm, we are non stop. Yet we still have to find the time to deal with the gentleman wandering into the kitchens looking for his lost medals, the lady who took a tumble outside the store and has badly bruised her face , get a first aider to her and calm her husband. We have to clear up more then enough mess from high chairs and tables where children have been sat. We still find the time to greet customers, ask if their meal is ok, do they require anything else, run back and forth to get something they do require that they have forgotten to pick up, carry trays for those that cant, help customers on with coats, run after them with their forgotten brollies . Make big fusses of babies, sit and chat to the old fella with Alzheimer's whilst his daughter is still in the queue, clear chairs and move tables to assist wheelchair users, and pass a few words whilst clearing the tables, have a bit of banter as we call it

However, in my place of work the ethos is "Customer Experience " , the customer has to leave us with a smile and feel good about their experience in store.

Our customers know they are going to be looked after so they come back to us again and again, they keep us going through the winter when most places have to shut. They expect good service and they are given good service

And I bloody love it. The chats and fun we have with the customers makes the day fly. They might be in a queue for 30 minutes to be given a table but there's never a bother, there's plenty of other places in town opened during holiday season, but they are more then happy to queue because they know they are going to be looked after and their custom valued

Sure there's days I come out of work so knackered, so sore , head thumping thinking I must be bloody mad , but the following day Im back there, smile on my face and back at it. So I might have had the biggest row with DH before I left for work, so my dog may be at the vets, so I may be worrying about a large bill, but our customers don't need to know all that. We are often short staffed, that's not the customers problem. WW3 could be happening in the kitchen, the dishwasher might have decided they have had enough and gone walkabout - the customer still gets the service

And our customers actually take the time to write / phone or email in and leave thanks. We get glowing online reviews and we get thanked to our faces

Show quote history

@suki1964 what's your point?

CloudywMeatballs · 04/04/2024 14:52

@Auburngal

I'm going to type louder, because obviously you can't hear me.

WHAT EXACTLY DID HE DO? WHEN YOU SAY HE FLIPPED, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

We can't possibly comment on the situation (although enough people are doing so anyway) without knowing what his behavior was.

Balloonhearts · 04/04/2024 14:56

I tell them straight, it's not my fault so don't you bloody dare talk to me like that. I've been polite to you so be civil or get out.

I don't care what's wrong with them, I'm not their verbal punchbag.

EasterFunnyBunny · 04/04/2024 14:57

@suki1964

Come and swap jobs with me… we also have fixed smiles on our faces - but it still doesn’t stop customers from piddling on our soft furnishings, standing over customers and glaring at them while they’re eating (cos the customer is sat at our table”) grabbing at us as we go past with dirty crockery, sitting in reserved (for others) seats and refusing to move, poking us with walking sticks and shouting at us.

EasterFunnyBunny · 04/04/2024 15:02

@Balloonhearts

Sounds like your managers have your backs, and that’s really good…
Ours do not.
Complainants are always believed however ridiculous the situation, and are sent gift vouchers, given free food etc…
I have cut my hours right back but even part-time is often
too-much-time for me.

PutASpellOnYou · 04/04/2024 15:02

I cannot wait until our store shuts up shop and online only, until then l have 101 coping mechanisms in place, main one being my ear pod so landing have to hear about prices going up, items being moved, and the online pickers are in the way. Happy days.

PutASpellOnYou · 04/04/2024 15:03

Spelling error, I dont, not landing.

Whycantiwinmillionsandsquillions · 04/04/2024 17:53

That behaviour is cuntish.
No other description.
I don’t know how anyone can stand working in retail.

Wtf does it have to do with the op.
Seriously when idiots moan at me when IT goes down, I don’t work on retail btw, I get straight in with ‘I can’t fix it, if I could I wouldn’t be working here would I?’
Head tilt and tinkly laugh.
Stops them in their tracks.

Jobie31 · 04/04/2024 17:54

Auburngal · 03/04/2024 12:05

I was at work. Man (early 80s) asked me why we stopped doing a certain flavour yoghurt and the other two supermarkets stopped selling too.

Had my work’s handset on me and went onto the brand’s website and there wasn’t the flavour listed. Brand have dropped the flavour. On hearing the news - he flipped

He then went to the CSD asking for a manager. Manager said the same thing as me.

Do people realise that behaving like this is making staff leave retail?

I think old people these days can be far ruder than our younger ones.. and they should know better.. given they were raised in an era that had morals

Mummadeze · 04/04/2024 18:01

I really wanted to lose it in Tescos when they stopped doing my favourite yoghurt that I used to have every morning. And in Iceland when they stopped doing the salmon I had for lunch every single day. I know I am a weirdo but I get into patterns and it felt like the end of the world each time. In fact it is upsetting me writing it now! I did make a small fuss but contained my true feelings. He shouldn’t have been rude to you but I kind of get it because he is old and these things become part of a set routine that is hard to have taken away.

shouldisay · 04/04/2024 18:13

Dinoswearunderpants · 03/04/2024 16:20

I'm sorry but most people in retail don't have many other job prospects so doubtful they'll leave the industry.

However, I agree it's unnecessary to behave that way.

What an absolutely disgusting comment. I have worked in retail all my life and I most certainly do have other job prospects. I choose to work in retail because weirdly I like working in that sector despite the entitlement and quite frankly awful behaviour of some people. With a comment like that I suspect you are one of them.

SevenSeasOfRhye · 04/04/2024 18:20

Jobie31 · 04/04/2024 17:54

I think old people these days can be far ruder than our younger ones.. and they should know better.. given they were raised in an era that had morals

Show quote history

Eh, what? Firstly, I disagree that older people are ruder.

Secondly, one era didn't have more morals than another, it's the moral compass that has changed. E.g. in the 1970s you couldn't say 'fuck' on telly but people in blackface were considered wholesome family viewing.

CammyChameleon · 04/04/2024 18:20

You end up with some oddballs working retail - nothing will top the alchie old enough to be my dad snogging me - but this kind of shit you just nod along. No you're not paid enough, probably no one is for the insanity that the public unleash on you because your uniform and badge puts you as "lesser" so they can do as they please.