Dear Customers,

[Thumpalumpacus]

Retail is about clients, though, Kevin. No matter how large your city is, unless you're a gas station on an Interstate, your business is repeat.

[Kernel Sohcahtoa]

I guarantee that those bitching about unreasonable customers are incapable of recognizing the same trait in themselves when they are the customer; the same way everyone is a good driver and excellent in bed.

Excellent point. Self-deception can be a very big problem: we ultimately attribute our faults to circumstances while attributing others' faults to some inherent defect within them.  Hence, self-deception causes people to vilify others while putting themselves on pedestals, which makes them completely oblivious to how they behave when the roles are reversed.

 I hope my post did not come off as bitching about unreasonable customers.  If it did, then I apologize; that was not my intended message.  The main point is to highlight the ineffectiveness of solving large, systemic problems with short term solutions.  IMO, if we ultimately want to make our world more constructive, then it may be helpful  to: acknowledge the source of large, systemic societal problems, rather than ignore the source; own up to our contributions to them; and then brainstorm ways that these problems can be resolved in the long term, so that the same negative cycles do not repeat in the future.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Well, yeah -- "I'm me, therefore I'm right" is a tough thought to fight.

[Joods]

Retail is transaction based. Simple. Clean. You don't have to care beyond money and goods/services exchanging hands.

Clients? Clients are a relationship. Tricky. Messy. Needy. History and personality plays a big part. Home isn't a refuge because things can break, or they had a great new idea, or a bone to pick.

So much this. Being a hairstylist (even a student on the salon floor), I have regular clients. Clients who come to me and me only. If I'm not there, they reschedule. I have about ten or so like this. My relationship with my clients is very personal. Especially my color clients. They expect the same result each visit. I take notes. I have a client book so that when they come in, I can say, for example " Hi Karen I see the red I put in your hair four weeks ago needs refreshing. Are we sticking to the same formula, or did you want to try something new?" 9 times out of ten, she will stay with the formulation I originally made for her which is a 6RR Max with a shot of Red intensifier using 20 Volume developer.

I do this client every four weeks like clockwork. I know she needs to have her hair presoftened with a 7N and 10 volume developer. I know she sits in my chair for three hours because her hair is thick, long and there's a lot of it on her head, per square inch. I know she can't sit for long periods, so with completion of each step, we go outside so she can stretch. I know she's on a limited income, so I use product sparingly. I also know she tips me well.

And that's just one client. I have several I know rather quite well because they are my dedicated clients. These clients are my bread and butter. The ones that don't return, I find a way to get them back in my chair or to sell them retail products. If not - that's okay. I get referrals from my faithful clients.

For those of us in a line of work where we have clients, it's very different.

And then there's the flip side. There are some clients that I have had who treated me horribly and after they have left, I would sit down with my teacher and request not to work on that client again. I'm a student, there to learn. Every client signs a waiver to that effect prior to getting services. Every time. Clients see the sign at the front that clearly states "All work performed by students and checked by licensed instructors." I will not stand for abusive treatment from any client who thinks they can get free services just because we are a school. We have blacklisted clients before for abusive treatment of the students.

[Kernel Sohcahtoa]

Retail is transaction based.  Simple.  Clean.  You don't have to care beyond money and goods/services exchanging hands.

Clients?  Clients are a relationship.  Tricky.  Messy.  Needy.  History and personality plays a big part.  Home isn't a refuge because things can break, or they had a great new idea, or a bone to pick.

So much this. Being a hairstylist (even a student on the salon floor), I have regular clients. Clients who come to me and me only. If I'm not there, they reschedule. I have about ten or so like this. My relationship with my clients is very personal. Especially my color clients. They expect the same result each visit. I take notes. I have a client book so that when they come in, I can say, for example " Hi Karen I see the red I put in your hair four weeks ago needs refreshing. Are we sticking to the same formula, or did you want to try something new?" 9 times out of ten, she will stay with the formulation I originally made for her which is a 6RR Max with a shot of Red intensifier using 20 Volume developer.

I do this client every four weeks like clockwork. I know she needs to have her hair presoftened with a 7N and 10 volume developer. I know she sits in my chair for three hours because her hair is thick, long and there's a lot of it on her head, per square inch. I know she can't sit for long periods, so with completion of each step, we go outside so she can stretch. I know she's on a limited income, so I use product sparingly. I also know she tips me well.

And that's just one client. I have several I know rather quite well because they are my dedicated clients. These clients are my bread and butter. The ones that don't return, I find a way to get them back in my chair or to sell them retail products. If not - that's okay. I get referrals from my faithful clients.

For those of us in a line of work where we have clients, it's very different.

And then there's the flip side. There are some clients that I have had who treated me horribly and after they have left, I would sit down with my teacher and request not to work on that client again. I'm a student, there to learn. Every client signs a waiver to that effect prior to getting services. Every time. Clients see the sign at the front that clearly states "All work performed by students and checked by licensed instructors." I will not stand for abusive treatment from any client who thinks they can get free services just because we are a school. We have blacklisted clients before for abusive treatment of the students.

And I thought math was challenging.  You deserve to take a bow, Nymphadora.  For me at least, cosmetology is beyond me.  Based on your post, there are so many cool facts, terms, skills, and techniques that one must master in order to be a successful cosmetologist.  Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

[Faith No More]

Dear Customer,

No, we won't rewind the movie. Not only is it impossible, we're not going to inconvenience a theater full of people just because you couldn't be arsed to show up on time. You don't want to miss the first fifteen minutes? Get there before the show starts like everyone else.

P.S. Pick up your shit. Just because someone is paid to clean up the theater afterwards, that doesn't man you can just leave whatever disgusting thing you can conjure up.

[Joods]

And I thought math was challenging.  You deserve to take a bow, Nymphadora.  For me at least, cosmetology is beyond me.  Based on your post, there are so many cool facts, terms, skills, and techniques that one must master in order to be a successful cosmetologist.  Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

I could have you understanding that in fifteen minutes just by using a color wheel and a color level chart. But thank you

Clients that come to our school fully get the idea that learning cosmetology is more than putting shears in someone's hands. It's color, it's chemistry, it's myology, it's trichology, it's having to know that we absolutely cannot service a client with certain diseases. It's also knowing nerves, veins, bones etc. It's (for my state) putting in 1250 hours of instruction, taking state boards to become licensed and then not doing something stupid (such as getting a DUI) that could absolutely put our license in jeopardy.

And then clients want to throw a fit when they neglect to tell us they used boxed color (the crap you see in stores to dye hair)on their hair and their hair turns to mush when professional color is applied. As if it is our fault they didn't give full disclosure.

[Faith No More]

I guarantee that those bitching about unreasonable customers are incapable of recognizing the same trait in themselves when they are the customer; the same way everyone is a good driver and excellent in bed.

Ha, ha, only someone with insufficient experience working with customers would say this. Sure, I recognize that I do dumb shit that most likely pisses off the employees at the establishments, but to say that means no employee has any legitimate complaints about customers' actions just ludicrous. I've dealt with customers that have done things I would never, ever dream of doing, and I have a 100% legitmate right to bitch about those actions.

[Regina]

Lmao I needed this thread when I worked in retail

Ok here goes.

- This is not some rag market in Lagos where you can barter, this is a clothing store in the inner city in the UK. You will pay the price stated on the label unless it is in the sale. If you want the item head over to the till, if not then head to the exit.
- Having an attitude with the staff isn't going to make the item you want magically appear in the stock room.
- That's an interesting choice of shirt I've just caught you slipping into your bag, would you like to look at some jeans to go with it or should I call security?
- Shut that damn screaming baby up or have your partner take them out the store while you queue, and I thank you.

*deep breath* keep it cute and professional...

Also I don't know what was up with some of the families (almost always of a particular national background) when I worked in that school uniform shop.

It's a school uniform shop right, you only need a parent, and le child, that you are buying uniform for. Why are you also bringing the older adult siblings, the aunts, the uncles, grandma, a coffin, and the ghost of Ramadan past with you? I know you're from a very highly family-oriented culture, but this store is already a tiny shoebox without you bringing half of Lahore through the door with you.

Ġesù qaddis...

[vorlon13]

I'll admit to being really POd at an eyeglass place many years ago.

Special custom tint Rx lenses, so I had already paid for them when ordered. When I went to pick them up the glasses they were completely wrong. I think they gave me someone elses, but they claimed they were mine but they had messed up the order.

Anyhow, lost my temper, and the store staff, not knowing what else to do, called the manager (it was after her shift, so they called her at home). She told me I could wait for 2 weeks while the glasses were redone, or wait for maybe a month for the home office (it was a chain place) to send me a refund.

Oh, boy! That was not the right answer. I started off with a "Look, honey, I'm not putting up with this crap, your org screwed up the order, and I want my $$$ so I can go somewhere else to get my damn glasses!"


Things went down hill from there. I left the store in a huff after hanging up on her. Got a refund check in 2 weeks. No apology note or anything.

Got new glasses somewhere else, and they were fine on the first try.


And then a few weeks after that, got a customer satisfaction survey from the first outfit.


Oh my GAWD!!! I was certainly a potty mouth on that !!!!



Anyhow, I rarely if ever get annoyed at retail anymore. I just no longer patronize the store.

I had a sign made a few years ago at a place called "Signs By Tomorrow". The sign took 2 weeks. And it was wrong. And then it took another week.


When I picked it up, the manager had the balls to ask for more money since it had been such a difficult order for them.


I gave her the stink eye, but was otherwise docile. I'll admit, 25 years earlier, I would have been a total bastard over it.