Customers expect us to know if other shops in the area sell certain items

[Auburngal]

When at work, when a customer asks where is x or do we sell x. If we know that we don’t sell x either from experience or looking at the shelves where you expect to find the product.

If we don’t sell the item in question, customer asks “do you know if (name of shop in the area) sells it?” When we say we don’t know, a few customers have flipped. We don’t know the inventory of each shop. Unless we buy the product or seen it in that shop, we haven’t got a clue.

So why do customers presume that we know what other shops in the area sell?

The one I had yesterday was something pet related. I don’t have pets so I don’t go down the pet aisle of section

Precisely this. Best customer service training I ever received was in the NHS and its stood me well all these years, never once have I been treated with contempt or rudeness after the first sentence, been trained how to turn it around

Ahh I've realised you're the OP who does a regular thread about the horrors of customers!

I suspect you're projecting your negativity and resentment onto people and that's why you're so unhappy.

You've never explained what these people do when they 'flip'.

Well I guess customer service depends on the shop! We always would ring up another store and ask them to check. Or, if a really big store, they would probably have it on their system where stock is located. I don't think it's an unreasonable request - I doubt they expect you to know off the top of your head, but they would expect you to make a call!

Yes. Though I do see some NHS colleagues speak rudely to each other and even patients sometimes. And I kind of pity them as their working lives must be so much less rewarding that way.

I think you maybe don't come across well OP.

If we don’t sell the item in question, customer asks “do you know if (name of shop in the area) sells it?” When we say we don’t know, a few customers have flipped.

This doesn't really mean anything because 'flipped' means different things to different people.

What does it mean to you? Can you describe what you mean by 'flipped'?

Yep - we also have people who have gotten lost and want me to stay on the phone and guide them in whilst dealing with lots of other things.

I'm a florist and I keep an eye on our competitors stock and availability and adjust what I buy so I usually offer things they don't stock. As a small independent, we can't even buy wholesale things like daffodils at the price shops like M&S sell them at because of purchasing volumes so we don't even bother. I'm more than happy to point customers in the direction of somewhere that can sell them stuff I don't have, but you'd be staggered at the absolute rudeness of people when I tell them I don't have it.

Here's a recent example ...

Cust: "Hi, do you have any daffodils?"
Me: "No, I'm sorry, I don't. But the big M&S on the high street has loads, I saw them this morning. £1 a bunch! I do have some gorgeous tulips though, if you fancy something different?"
Cust: "What's the matter, don't you want my money?"
Me: "I'd love to sell you something, but you say you want daffs and I don't stock them. I have got these scented narcissi which are similar but are £12.50 a bunch, how about those?"
Cust: " You must be bloody joking! I'm not spending that! No wonder you haven't got any customers! ( not true, we're thriving). I wanted to buy some flowers here but now I can see you don't want my money I shall take my business elsewhere! GOOD DAY TO YOU MADAM!" <stalks off>

I have these kinds of pointless conversations a lot. As well as multiple times a day being asked completely unrelated questions about stuff like " "which bus can I get to Pimlico?" "What time does Nandos shut?" "Do you know if the Scope shop sells cushion covers?" And ON and ON and ON... It really is draining with the public.

My favourite request, which happens at least two or three times a week, is people asking if they can leave their dog/ child/ luggage with me for a couple of hours while they go and have lunch/ do some shopping/go to an appointment. I am absolutely not exaggerating. People try and leave their children with complete strangers because ' they won't be any trouble'.

😂

I worked in retail my teens and twenties and it was like this then. Had someone have a meltdown and call us racist because a movie was out of print. The general public are a mixed bag. Some nice and understanding and some are just batshit crazy.

I hate it when customers ask for something we don't sell and we say sorry we don't sell that, and they say well. I got it last week in here and they are so insistent and they argue with you. Working with the public is so hard. People can be so rude and vile. They all want something for nothing.

I was once handed a child while his father browsed the shop. I didn’t even have time to say no. Just plonked a little toddler in my arms and said he’d be back in a minute. It was like the scene in Friends where Ross hands Ben to Rachel.

@Julianne65

It just blows your mind, doesn't it!

I have definitely asked, and I don't consider it unreasonable to ask because I tend to assume (from having worked retail myself) that if you work in an area, you probably have used the other shops nearby and might have a rough idea of what kinds of things they sell.

But it is definitely not on to "flip" at the person or get annoyed if they don't know. I would just say oh right no problem, thank you. One time someone ran off to ask a colleague and I called after her saying no, no, it doesn't matter, don't worry! Because I could probably work it out for myself, it's just being unfamiliar with an area makes it a bit harder to do which is why if I'm already in a conversation with an employee who (I assume, maybe incorrectly) has local knowledge then it makes sense to me logically to ask them in case they do know.

Dunno. Depends if you're looking to the longer term. Perhaps a customer saying to a friend "Try the Handyman Store in Church Lane - he'll probably have it, but even if he doesn't, he'll always know somewhere that does" is more valuable than a couple of minutes listening to and answering a question.

Do you work in retail? I would guess not.

You can be as civil and helpful as possible and still you will get rude, ignorant customers far too frequently.

I worked in an office for 30 years and in all that time had 1 rude client. When I wanted to go part time I went into retail and just could not believe how rude customers were. This was over 10 years ago so pretty sure lots of them are even ruder now.

They treat like shit on their shoe. They think you are thick because you work in a shop. You are always in the wrong whether that's because an item is out of stock, the card machines are not working or any other number of things they are not happy about.

They moan because you don't open until 10am on a Sunday, because you close at 5.30, because you are not open on Boxing Day!! They run into the shop as you are closing demanding to be able to buy a book (yes I worked in Waterstones so hardly selling essential items) and then saunter round like they had all the time in the world. At least once a week we would be late closing because customers would not leave.

I worked for a while shelf filling in Wilkinsons. It was a large store and I filled the toiletries shelves right by the door. Two evenings a week the store was open until late so I would be working while it was still open. So many customers would walk through the door and immediately ask "where are the saucepans/tights/aspiring/dog food et etc etc. I would take them to the relevant aisle, often with no thanks for doing so, and then quite often be expected to help them look for a specific item or choose between items.

That all took time and then at the end of the evening I would be told off for not getting all my stock out!!!

I honestly don't know how any works in retail now.

I don’t think it’s all that unreasonable in some situations. I used to work in a jewellers and we didn’t sell watches or batteries but we’d get asked all the time. Knowing what other shops did sell batteries meant the customer thought of us as being friendly and helpful even though we didn’t have what they want. Directing people to another small independent business increases the chance of them doing the same for us.
I can see how it’s impossible to know what random things other shops are selling if you work somewhere like a department store or supermarket, but if the person is polite I don’t think there’s harm in asking on the off chance you do know. They are always unreasonable for being rude though

@Hugosmaid seems strangely proud of having poor customer service skills, and of the lack of decent training she provides to her staff too 🤔

My friend used to work in a big supermarket years ago. She used to work in the dairy section. She knew what was in stock and what wasn't. She was in charge of restocking. So many times people would ask if they had X cheese in stock as there was none on the shelf. My friend would reply nicely no it was out of stock but should be getting some in on x day. So many times the customer would say can you not just go and check out the back. My friend would nicely say there is none out the back it is totally out of stock until the next delivery. But the person would insist she goes and checks. So my friend would go out the back, have a chat with other staff, then go back and give the same answer.

Another moaning-about-customer thread from @Auburngal for whom retail is life 😂😂😂 have we had her casual ageism yet?

A good shop assistant tries to be helpful. If you don't stock a certain product and they ask if you know anywhere that does then its basic politeness to spend 10 seconds thinking and make a suggestion of somewhere that might

Or the customer could engage their own brain for 10 seconds and think of somewhere else that might.

I’m sorry that you’ve had some dickish customers.

I worked at a supermarket and had people like that who tutted when I used a handheld scanner to find out which aisle had their product. I knew where products in my section were but I don’t know if the item they want is amongst the tens of thousands of others.

I’d love it if you could give me one example of my poor customer service skills. Please scroll through my posts and see what applies to me personally.

Also I work in a medical clinic so the training my staff have is governed by a regulatory body. This ranges from GDPR - infection control - to delivery of bad news.

Believe it or not my customer satisfaction is brilliant as reflected in our 5 star Google reviews and our client retention is impressive - once we have them 9/10 they wont go anywhere else. We have very good game faces ( but also genuinely care about the service users)

My team work incredibly hard to keep our service users safe. We really do climb through hoops behind the scenes - not that anyone of our clients would tell.

But it’s understandable for us to get fed up sometimes when clients expect more than what is being offered within our services or what we are able to mentally do.

No I don’t want to stay on the phone and guide you in if you’re lost. I’m busy dealing with other clients

No I don’t want to direct you to another clinic for different services because you can’t be arsed googling ( but I do on some occasions)

No I don’t think you are the most important person to come in my clinic today - but I’ll pretend you are if that keeps you and your little ego happy!

My view is possibly coloured by the experience of 19 year old me trying to be helpful and make a suggestion of where a customer could get something, only to have a middle aged man come back into our store, find me and berate me (puce faced, finger jabs, spittle flying) because the other place I'd suggested was out of stock of what he wanted and I was 'a little bitch that was just wasting his time'

The other day I was in a newsagent and someone asked what time semi- chem in the town opened . After the customer left I had a laugh with the shop worker about it and she said it’s so common people seem to think I’m Google !