| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 4/20/2009 8:32:20 PM | Some people judge the value of a pastry by the quantity of icing- I do as well, but I pick the one with the least amount. Now, the ones that come pre-packaged in layers of plastic- yes, they're cranked out by a machine and they're all as identical as can be, but if I'm going to a "pastry shop" I expect the things to have been crafted by actual living human hands, thus each one different and unique:
"Yes, please, give me the one with the least icing and the most custard. Thank you. Keep the change." ('')
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 5/10/2009 10:51:30 AM | | If the customer wanted to look at other samples, even if it took an extra minute or two, then that's not a big deal at all. Even if it appears that someone is grumpy.. it's your job to take out the tray, and have your customers look at all of them. Just smile and say "take your pick, take the best one !!" Maybe the next time you receive more of the same pastries, if she's a regular customer, maybe you will save the best one for her. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 5/14/2009 2:29:57 PM | We used to get this customer at our hot deli counter. He must have been suffering with OCD because he would make us weigh each chicken, there might be 20. Then he would still hem and haw and ask when the next batch was coming out and wait for those. Make us weigh all of those too. If another customer came up he would tell them the "good" ones were still in the oven.
I thought it was pretty hilarious. Understood that he really couldn't help himself. Actually if all customers were the very same our jobs would be very boring. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 5/14/2009 4:42:20 PM | From the other side of the counter so to speak..
This last Easter Sonic in town was doing pictures with the Easter bunny. I had to take my 3 year old for an eye exam and made the production if he was good we would go see the bunny. So we go to the appt and he is great. We go to see the bunny and he is shy. Understandable in my eyes. We are the only customers there at the time so we are looking at the drawings and such. I am talking to him and he decides he is gonna take his picture. We walk back over to the bunny and the guy taking pictures is too busy texting on his phone. I ask him if he can take the picture of my son and he replies that he had waited on us we could wait on him. I was livid. How does the OWNER of this store lower himself to a 3 year old standards. So I take my cell phone out and am going to take a picture myself. I am told I am not allowed to do that. They were selling portrait packages. So I take my son by the hand, tell the OWNER to have a great day and we leave. He is yelling at us as we are crossing the parking lot that he would have been done with his message in a minute. He again is the OWNER of this store. Not some punk teenager who didn't want to be at work Saturday morning. My son is sobbing because now he wants his picture taken with the bunny. We ended up going to Wal Mart and getting his picture taken. It turned out very cute and was free. Can't get much better than that. I refuse to support his business because I feel like he doesn't care about customer service.
It really is nice to be able to kill em with kindness. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 5/14/2009 7:27:31 PM | Perhaps the customer might have seemed rude, however your actions also sounded rude as well, and we all know that two wrongs don't make a right...
I'm in an industry that is known for it's rudeness, and I'm not going to say that I don't have bad days myself, however, I do know from experience, that when I go into a store, and I'm T'ed off, and the cashier is very friendly and goes out of their way to make my experience more positive, while it may not affect that specific transaction, it really does make a difference in my day.
In an industry such as a bakery, where repeat business is so important, why not go the extra mile? I know we all have things that are calling our name, and the extra few seconds it might have taken to pull the tray out and fetch her that specific pastry could have made her day!
The lady might have thought "wow, now here's a gal who went the extra mile for me, I'll come back tomorrow and see her..." You never know what would happen then...
As far as the extra icing? I'm also one of those 'choosy' people, and usually the one I want is in the most cumbersome of spots. However, the people who go out of their way to please me, are usually the first ones I call, when I need their product or services.
In my case, it might be a tire shop, truck repair shop, gas station, pickup mechanic, or even the little gal who cuts my hair... As for my truck repair shop, we started out rough, and now I will travel 2000 miles just to have my truck serviced there, because I feel a personal touch from the mechanics and service advisers. While their prices may be higher than most, just the fact that I've built up a good business relationship with the people, they have my trust, and that's what brings me back.
Next time you get a rude customer, smile and go out of your way to be friendly! You never know... The next time they come in, it could be when you aren't having the best day, and they go out of their way to be nice to you and cheer you up...
CowTrucker
Chapman, Kansas | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/12/2009 10:19:28 AM | I would look at it this way... no more worry about another grumpy customer fussing over those two cupcakes. Never join them in their misery. Then I would have accidentally dropped them. he he | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/12/2009 10:36:57 AM | | I wouldn't have said anything. She's the customer, and its not that big of a deal. It required very little "extra" effort on your part. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/12/2009 10:47:39 AM | What your customer requested was really not that bad that all.
When customers have been picky or outright "rude", I tried to remain pleasant ... for many reasons:
-some are trying to spark a reaction, but I won't give them the satisfaction.
-people's moods and attitudes can change ... according to our reactions/response.
-I think to myself -if they are really that miserable, I feel sorry for them.
At the peak of the lunch rush, an old woman used to come in daily ... and be so demanding, picky, downright nasty, and "needy", it almost drove me off the deep end.
Until I thought... that she must be so lonely and miserable - if she had nothing better to do than come in daily to make us miserable. It was so much easier to take after that. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/12/2009 12:39:27 PM | | treat ALL customers the same...like 3 yr olds. Saves a lot of hassle on your part. They get too far gone, boot them out. The customer is NOT always right....anyone in a retail setting can tell you that. Anyone in management who does NOT understand that is in the wrong job. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/12/2009 12:53:44 PM | Christ on a crutch! If your biggest complain/worry is customers who wish to select their pastry like it's a lobster, you have no complaint.
Folks who say "I pay your salary so I'll talk to you any d*** way I please" are the ones who get disconnected from the phone or escorted from the building. I wish I could cuss em smooth out. I wish! 
I did get reprimanded once when a customer called to complain about what she was having to do and without any assistance from the government. Like so many people are prone to do when they actually HEAR themselves and how petty they sound, she threw in the standard "Don't get me wrong! I don't mind doing this for my family..." at which point I responded "I beg to differ, ma'am. It sounds like you do."  (looking behind myself and wondering who said that) | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/12/2009 4:50:42 PM | Am I really in the minority in thinking you were the rude one here?
Does it really matter why she wanted one danish over another? Honestly, I probably would have walked out if I selected a particular item that I found more appetizing than another and the person at the counter gave me a tough time about it. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/13/2009 6:54:18 AM | Argh! I was in customer service for 7 years and i know how frustrating it is when you get nitpicky customers.
I mean wtf? The food only goes in the gob anyways! Her stomach wouldnt have cared what the damn thing looked like! | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/13/2009 7:04:39 PM | Picking her specific pastry? - not a big deal. I'm picky that way too and it's not so tough to pull the tray out.
Rude tone of voice? - not so nice, but considering that you think pulling the tray out to be the height of pickiness I'm inclined to not take your word for her rude tone of voice. I work in customer service and depending on who you talk to, one customer's rude tone is another person's businesslike tone.
Now, if she'd complained and kept changing her mind, making you pull the trays out and put them back as she changed her mind a dozen times .... then I might agree with you. As it is, it sounds like a pretty minor encounter but if you think it's a mountain then maybe customer service oriented careers are not your bailiwick. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/13/2009 9:28:24 PM | I work for a food service right now, and I do a lot of customer interaction and I hate creating awkwardness so it's very hard for me to retort.
The only time I retort is when people get upset about us not having straws or lids. It's for the safety of the animals (The food service is at a zoo) so we don't use anything we can get away without using.
And people actually get mad. Well that's a stupid rule!
Oh I'm sorry. Here have a straw, chuck it in the cage and have a zoo animal gnaw on it, choke and possibly die (Apparently we had that happen a long time ago and thus took them out).
Now what are you looking at? Oh right, an empty cage. It's even worse when people will claim that "oh I won't do it!" Well great. I still don't have any.
Either way you have some people who don't really care that much if the experience isn't perfect, and others who do. My father, when ordering out at a restaurant for example, will talk almost however he wants as his philosophy is that "he is the customer" and he should be able to get what his food the way he wants.
Since I started working at food service I've become much more lenient on what happens when I order stuff, whether it be food or something from a store. I've been on the receiving side of crap and it's annoying because usually it's not in your control when something bad happens and people still get upset about you. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/14/2009 7:19:04 AM | | do wat i did get a job out in the bush then if they are rude out comes the chainsaw im the sort of person u dont want in a shop lol | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 6/14/2009 5:09:02 PM | | Reading the OPs ruffled feathers post, I'd say her attitude was the problem, so it's hard to tell if the customer really did anything wrong other than want to pick her danishes. Yes, I would pick the ones I wanted and I have yet to buy such things at a bakery where there wasn't a darn good difference between many of them. So the woman wanted a lot of icing, who cares, does she have to be made fun of and really who gets this ticked off by a picky customer, it's not like the woman really caused OP any real trouble. If you don't like your job, quit, many people would love to have it. Yeah, I've worked in places where you can get really annoyed by customers but seriously, OP's posts show someone who can't take criticism and thinks making fun of someone's looks is proper conduct while serving them, in fact plays into how well she serves them. I'm betting if it had been some young guy OP found attracted she would have make sure he got the best danishes and hoped he'd come back. There's nothing worse than a rude employee, not even a rude customer can match that flaw. I don't shop, spend my money, to be treated badly by the person serving me, and how I dress or wear makeup, etc, better damn not play into how well my money & I are treated, there's other places to shop if employees don't know how to do their jobs. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 9/10/2009 9:07:10 PM | rude customers deserve equal service than any other person. Its an unfortunate part of the job. You cannot judge a rude customer there may be a reason why they are acting this way. It could be that there house got broken in or someone died or that they received crappy service by the company you work for. If someone is a bit aggressive I just smooth talk them and explain calmly the reasons why the service and or product may not have met your satisfaction. Just remember to not take anything personal, its just a job that happens to have crappy service and crappy products you have no control over.
However if the customer turns out to be real ***holes I show them the hand as if to show to' talk to the hand' and walk away ....(trying not to slip the finger lol) and ... tell the manager. There is a limit on how people should be treated and if goes well beyond the boundaries of respect then its time walk away. | |
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granz
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Joined: 6/22/2009
Msg: 95 | |
| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 9/10/2009 9:29:45 PM | | This is why I will never work for anyone. I cannot tolerate being talked down to in any measure. If someone can't speak to me like a respectable human being, then I won't waste my time listening. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 9/10/2009 9:36:41 PM | Sometimes it's really hard to be in a job that deals with customers, even if you are a collector.
It seems that no matter what you have to treat them like they are royalty at all times, even if they are rude to you.
Hey I know I have gotten frustrated and maybe a bit pert with someone I doing business with. Usually that is after trying to get the problem or issue solved. I know there have been times that I have asked to be bumped to a manager up or even up twice.
One of the first things i usually will say is " if I sound rude or a bit pert I apologize but you are hearing my frustration in my voice regarding this situation"
Majority of the time we will come to a point where we are communicating as we should...
So just remember it's a job and put yourself in their shoes.
Just maybe they had a really bad day.
Maybe you can make that day better not worse. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 9/10/2009 10:38:09 PM | I used to work at Chili's. Brinker caters to the wel-fare type crowd and I got customers every day trying to sabatoge things or claim things were bad just to get free food. After about 8 months I became passive aggressive and they were either too stupid or too worried about pushing me any further to say anything back.
Perfect instance is when some guy pain-stakingly figured exact change before coming to the resturant so he wouldn't have ANY extra money coming back to him from which a tip could possibly be imposed or given from. He proudly announced "I have exact change". My response was "I knew you would." (he had asked for his ticket total over the phone, to-go order, and you know who will and won't tip 90% of the time after you work at a resturant for a while, at least there anyways).
Did I like it? No. Do I think my response was good? No. However, you deal with the same kind of people pulling the same crap long enough, and you start to pick a few fights. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 9/11/2009 12:14:27 AM | In this case - a bakery with hand-made goods - I believe she has every right to choose which one she wants to buy. The amount that they cost doesn't matter either.
It's like going to a deli and letting the clerk pick out pieces of chicken etc. at random. All the same price, but some are twice as big as others. And certain clerks will ALWAYS start by giving the teeniest one there - or the most dried out piece that was made at first light just to get rid of it.
I'm curious - you (OP) said you didn't like the tone of her voice. So - did that tone come before, or after your remark that they're all the same? When some person gives me a remark like that when they obviously aren't, I begin to question if they really do believe one thing is the same as another, and maybe if they're tired of their job - because they probably think the customers are "all the same" as well: "pains in the ass"?
This reminds me of a clerk at the Safeway deli down the street. I try my best to avoid going there when she's behind the counter. You'd think SHE was doing YOU a favor by taking your order... She acts like you owe her money. She has never smiled, regardless of who she's serving, in the 4-5 years since she's worked there. I've been going for 13 years. I keep waiting for her to smart mouth me.
The thing to remember is that people like your "old lady" are who pay your wages. Chances are the lady's been coming to the shop long before you ever thought of applying there. If customers perceive you as being a smart ass yourself (regardless of your actual intent), they may decide to take their business elsewhere. You are in a customer service business whether you realize it or not, but it sounds like maybe that isn't the best type of job for you. Sure - you may be sick of looking at the thing so to you they're all the same, but folks usually go to fresh bakeries for special things and occasions.
Whose side would your boss be on if you start to alienate customers? If I were the manager and learned that you talked back to a customer under those conditions - you'd be history. It sounds like just a matter of time. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 9/11/2009 10:05:08 AM | Wantasmart1, have you ever worked in the resturant business? I am guessing you have not, or spent very little time in it. After a while, you get a "feel" for a type, and you know who is just going to be a dumbass and who isn't. I had one old lady come in every sunday and clog the line for 10 minutes while she literally took every item out of her to-go order, layed it on the counter, and unwrapped it, and took the burger/whatever APART to make sure it was as she ordered. Oh, no tip or apology for being a pain in the ass to the people behind her or myself when her order always turned out perfect either. The first time she pulled this, I was polite and indulged it, when she offered no tip, I made a note of it. The next time I did not indulge her behavior at the expense of those behind her and requested that if she was going to make a mess, she do it while others were not forced to wait and directed her to a table. My tone probably wasn't the nicest either.
I gave back to my customers the vibe they gave to me. The polite ones that didn't tip still got good service and a smile, the polite ones that did tip, got their order inspected VERY well by me, and swift service, and if there WAS a problem, I advocated for them with the manager and got them free stuff. If someone was rude when I did my part, I would turn them over to the meanest manager on the floor and tell the manager that the customer was being an ass and I did not want to speak with them. I never had a manager disagree with my assessment or refuse to dissapoint except that they were comp-card happy like you wouldn't believe. After I worked there half a year or so though, they would refuse to comp about half the time if I asked them not to. I never had them refuse to comp when one of my good customers had an issue though.
Moral here? Tip your service provider, and be polite. If you are in a bad mood, let them know "Hey, boss chewed me out today, sorry to be short with you." We understand and take that into account. But don't treat us like dogs (had someone actually whistle at an employee to get their attention once). We don't respond well to it, and some of us will get in your face about it and tend to the situation in ways you won't be happy with because we are so fed up with our jobs that we are looking for reasons to leave and you might just give us that.
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granz
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Joined: 6/22/2009
Msg: 100 | |
| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 9/11/2009 12:06:49 PM | Self-employment is the answer. It's usually difficult to build a loyal customer base -- and that can mostly depend on the services you offer -- but it's worth the freedom. Just don't bother if you absolutely need to live a lavish lifestyle, as you likely won't be able to afford one.
If a client wants to be an ***hole, you're at liberty to say whatever you like and promptly give them the boot; although, it may not be good for your reputation if they decide to defame you by telling others about the incident. | |
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