Date Posted: Dec/17/2004 10:46 AM
undefined, I applaud you for handling the situation the way
you did, and keeping your cool under the circumstances. In a perfect
retail world where corporate greed is not at the root of business,
the people working in these retail stores would wish there were more
shoppers like you.
I speak as both a customer and as a
husband to a wife who works retail when I say that this isn't just
an isolated problem, nor is it just happening on the retail side of
things.
I agree there are poor retail workers, my wife would
attest to it as well. People often choose these jobs because of
their availability, but too often pay no attention to the type of
work and high level of stress that comes with it. Couple that with
mediocre pay and you have taken away the majority of a retail
workers motivation and thus the high turnover rate that's found in
the retail sector. Under no circumstances is any of this an excuse
for poor and rude behavior, and in no way should it be tolerated
within a retail chain.
Incidents like this should be a wake
up call to retail chains to tighten up their hiring process so that
they hire the motivated individuals and those with the right
attitude to handle situations properly. Truth be told it seems that
the corporate side of retail is more concerned with just getting the
work side of things done so that they can make their profits.
Neglected are the hiring and training process, and what you see on
the sales floor are the results of that.
Not only is the
hiring process neglected, but the process of getting rid of an
employee is not as simple as up and firing an individual. For
instance, in my wife's retail chain, there has to be reason for
firing, sufficient proof, and what we call a "paper trail." This
process can be long and drawn out, especially when other employees
don't make the effort to monitor their peers.
I can only
guess why these things aren't being corrected, and if I were to
guess I would say because of the time and money it would cost to
correct these glaring problems, it is easier and less costly to just
have a high turnover rate of employees.
Now, on
to the other side of things. There is a misconception in America of
the role of workers in a retail chain, and there's also the growing
problem of customers showing less and less respect for the retail
chains they shop in and the people who work in them.
I can
see just from this forum that a majority of shoppers are willing to
raise their voice, to verbally badger a salesperson if it means they
will get a better deal. Shoppers are not afraid to abuse store
policies or price mistakes. While this to me is not the biggest
problem, it is one that contributes to the stress level that's
associated with working retail.
From my wife's recollections
and my own personal experience working in retail, it is not uncommon
for customers to open sealed items in store, and leave them there
like that. I've seen adults let their children pull things off the
shelves and scatter it on the floor, and then just walk away.
Shoppers also try to swap a more expensive item into a lower priced
items box. I've also seen adults break things, and purposely try to
hide it or cover it up. There are the customers who think that a
retail store is their palace and that the workers their slaves to do
their bidding. My wife once had a lady tell her to go get items for
her and to help her carry it to the cash wrap (mind you this lady
had a cart(empty) and was perfectly capable on her own).
I
have lost track of the times my wife has come home in a down trodden
mood due to the verbal abuse she received from customers. There are
times when they have just walked up and started yelling because of a
previous experience in another store in the chain, and then tell her
it's her JOB to make it up to her.
To me, I think this is
just as big of a problem as retail workers being rude. One
contributes to the other and the tension mounts.
There is
also an association being made in stores of those who are thrifty,
and looking for the best possible deals to those who are rude,
steal, manipulate and in general are at the core of a retail chains
problems in store. Best Buy is not the first retail chain to make
this assumption, however they are the first to take action to do
something about.
I believe a majority of the Fat Walleters
share the same good souled nature as undefined, but that distinction
however is not seen nor cared about in stores. Retailers are
connecting the dots and drawing their own conclusions about the
attitude and behavior of the thrifty saver shoppers that walk
through their doors. I just hope, much as the retailers should step
up to raise the bar in hiring/firing and training practices, that
fatwalleters try to raise the bar themselves and distinguish
themselves as not just thrifty deal shoppers, but also respectful
and good natured shoppers.
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