1. Tell that person that you don't need their attitude, or ask them what their problem is. Either he/she will be much more pleasant or they'll get the manager.
2. Find another more helpful employee or ask for the manager.
3. Get a hold of /call the owner(s) or corporate HQ. You will find attitudes will be quickly adjusted, or you will find new faces upon your next visit.
4. Find somewhere else to do business with, even if they're well out of your way.
"The customer is always right." This isn't totally true, but the customer need never deal with a jerk, or an overall arrogant place of business either. It is not your privilege as a customer to deal with a business. It is a privilege of the business to have you as a customer. You bring your $$$, some of which pays for what leaves their shelves when you take it home, some goes for overhead, and some that puts dinner on their table or $$ on their stock price. They cease to exist without customers. Many business have forgotten this. Some places have the attitude that you can't go anywere else, or nobody is as good as they are. There's always somewhere else to go, and there are always people who will want your business. Some employees also have the attitude that they can't be replaced. Some of those find out that this is untrue, too.
All employees should have some general knowledge of the products the business handles. Computers are great, but those paper pages don't exist for the sole purpose of holding a binder down on a shelf, either.
Provided the customer has cheked their attitude at the door when they walk in, the employee should be pleasant to deal with. Maybe not all smiles, comedic lines, and chatty, but not crabby, clueless, and P.O.'ed at the world, either. Some people can come off as "sour" and don't always mean it.
We've all seen a (potential, current, or former) customer walk into a place and treat someone at the counter like crap. This is unfortunate, but it's part of the job, and it happens. If the emplyee has had enough, they can always ask their manager to deal with the rude customer. Some people are absolute jerks, but they need never be the people on the business owner's side of the counter.
I was in a NAPA store once when a guy came in who had the attitude that when he walks through the door, the world stops for him, and his problem whas more important than anyone elses. He thought he could cut in line, and got mad at the employee at the counter when the employee wouldn't serve him because he cut in front of half a dozen people. He then started the "Do you know who I am?" routine. He then loudly proclaimed that he would take his business elsewhere. The manager walked over, and politely stated that taking his business elsewhere was the customer's prerogative, but no customers shall receive preferrential treatement, and to either take a number, and that the line started over there, or the door was in the same place it was when he came through it. I felt this was handled very well.
I went about 3 hours away with a neighbor to an auction last spring. He brought along a broken marker part off his JD 7000 planter, and we drove around to some JD dealers afterwards. At the first one, 2 guys were both on the phone. After standing there for 15 minutes, (no "I'll be with you in a minute" or "when I'm done with this call, I'll be able to help you" or anything, it was if nobody but the two of them was in the building), we left. The second dealer spent 20 minutes on the computer, and finally said they didn't have any, and the part number was NLA from JD, no other dealers had any either, and reccomended a salvage yard for "old planters". Finally, we ended up in Monticello, IN. When we walked in the door with the part and before we got to the counter, a parts man told my neighbor what was in his hand, not needing the book or computer, the part number, and told another parts guy that there were about half a dozen in row XX, bin XX and to get him one with the lighter green paint to closer match what was in his hand. We asked him if these were still available, he got on the computer and said he could have 200 of them there tomorrow if we wanted them. In less than 5 minutes, he had his part, we were asked if there was anything else they could do for us, he paid, we were wished a good evening, and were out the door.
I don't expect everyone to be nearly as good as the last guy above. I don't expect anyone ever to act like the first ones, either. The second one was clueless, and I wonder how much money he and the first ones cost their employers' each day above and beyond their paychecks.
How counter people handle those who can't speak english, and throw something on the counter, I haven't a clue.
AG
This post was edited by AG in IN at 15:39:38 05/19/11 2 times.
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