Retail Workers Fed Up With Yakking Patrons
from the shut-up dept
Recently, I was at the bank, where there were very clear "no cell phones, please" signs pasted everywhere. The woman in front of me in line took out her phone and proceeded to have a long, loud and... um... detailed conversation about her plans for that evening. What surprised me was that she kept up the conversation even when it was her turn to speak to a teller, completely ignoring the teller, other than to hand her whatever she needed to to complete whatever transaction she was doing. Beyond ignoring the widely posted "no cell phone" signs, this just seemed downright rude. Apparently, many employees at retail establishments feel the same way, to the point that some are refusing to serve customers who are yakking away on mobile phones. While it's not exactly a "customer is always right" philosophy, it still may get applauded by other, non-phone-yakking customers.
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I'm much more aggressive on the sidewalk
when the person coming the opposite way is talking on the phone. YOU better watch where you're going.
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ok but
Yeah sure ok, but I get some retail employee's having their own conversations and ignoring customaries so it seems turn about is fair play, after all you are the customer, bringer of money and enabler of business continuance. I'm always reminded of the venerable quote "This would be a pretty cool job if it wasn't for all the dam customers"
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It's Not Their Call
While I can sympathize with the retail workers, ignoring customers on phones is simply not their call to make. Ignoring customers should be a management decision, not an employee one.
Even if there are signs asking customers not to use cell phones, how many managers would be willing to piss off a customer by simply ignoring them? At worst, the employee should politely ask the customer to turn their phone off in compliance with the sign and say that he'll be happy to serve the customer when the customer is ready.
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Re: ok but
Snooch to the nooch my brother.
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Cellphones users suck
I hate cellphones. I hate ignorant people who yack and yack and yack in public.
I was on a bus once, and this dirtbag was yelling into the phone that he was on the way to courthouse because he was, well, a dirtbag.
The worst though is the stuck up prissy business women who try to dominate, and show how manly they are. Grow some balls, or get off the phone.
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what happened to manners?
Cell phone jerks are just a reflection of the times. People have forgotten how to practice good manners. I blame the 60s and 70s when parents were too busy doing their own thing to pay attention to whether their kids were learning how to say "please" and "thank you." Every time I go to a restaurant I notice that I'm usually the only person to thank the waiter or waitress for refilling my glass or removing empty dishes. Last night at the store I stood behind a couple with a young son. The cashier was waiting for an elderly couple to gather up their purchases when the kid looked up at her and said "hey lady, ring up my damn ball." His parents didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with what he said or did. Probably because to them there wasn't anything wrong.
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The 2000 edition
The cell phone is the update to the 70's 'boom box' which also annoyed people.
There are a number of things one should do in ones own 'space' including listening to music, phone conversations, and discussing 'sensitive' subjects (politics, religion, etc).
I'd love to think that this is simply a gender or generational thing buy I see folks from all walks of life doing it.
And for those who really get upset about cell phone conversations, DO something about it. ACT. My personal favorites are 1) listen to the conversation and be obvious about it 2) start a loud conversation with people around me and 3) discuss the other person's conversation with someone near me.
These usually work though some people seem immune to anything.
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Re: what happened to manners?
Not just the parents...
Add to that the "customer is always right" bull, that sense of supreme entitlement we all seem to suffer from that's been shoved down our throats in every marketting message.
I'm a customer and you know what? I'm not always right. I've worked in retail and 5 out of 10 customers are total MORONS if not downright jerks...and telling them they are always right just makes them worse.
Whatever happened to common sense and manners? Sure, I pay money to shop, they are providing me a service in return for monetary compensation.
This does NOT give a "customer" the right to:
- be rude to an employee (or anyone)
- to demand free stuff above and beyond normal provisions of business.
- to demand special treatment above and beyond OTHER customers
All of which is commonly demanded every day by many of these "I'm a customer and a customer is always right" idiots.
Fact is, sometimes they ARE right and sometimes they are wrong. Good service doesn't mean kissing butts, it means good service.
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No Subject Given
I applaud all retail workers who ignore public cellphone users. From what I've seen, working retail is bad enough without being treated like crap by your customers.
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Re: what happened to manners?
On the flipside of being a customer vs. a retail employee, I can tell you that a lot of become rude or demand stuff is because the store didn't do it's job the first time correctly.
Not all of us who demand these things are morons, a lot of retail employees from personal experience aren't so much morons as they just don't care, thus costing the business more money.
If frontline employees cared more, maybe customers wouldn't be so agitated.
Just another thought...
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Re: what happened to manners?
hence my opinion that "NO ONE is ALWAYS right"
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Re: I'm much more aggressive on the sidewalk
if your aggressive includes touching me, wear groin and body armour. your right does not include touching me, or assulting me, and I will call the cops and have you arrested.
just chill and go somewhere else when anything annoys you. you are creating your own problem by letting something as small as someone talking to a 4oz box annoy you. what do you idiots do when it is a group of people, maybe not of your persuasion or ethnicity comes down the same sidewalk at the same db level (only using human speach here, not boom boxes of technology)? same reaction or different?
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Re: The 2000 edition
I have to try that trick the next time although #1 is a bit creepy and #3 can be annoying to other people around you if the loud conversation is already bothering you.
Next time I think I'll pick up my cell, pretend like I'm talking to someone and loudly complain that there is someone on a cell phone that was being too loud and we can't carry on OUR conversation.
SL
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Re: I'm much more aggressive on the sidewalk
You've got it backwards. I won't touch you. Never will. Because, you see, I'm paying attention, not yakking.
But if your cell phone distracts you the point you RUN INTO ME, then it's you who will need the armor, laywer, etc.
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Retail Workers Fed Up With Yakking Patrons
How hard would it be for banks, libraries, stores, or any other place that does not want cell phone usage to shield their public areas to prevent the signal from getting through? As long is they do not actively "jam" the signal, I would think that it would be legal.
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Re: The 2000 edition
Hmm, good time to carry a small non-working tape recorder with you. Very visibly take it out, catch the cell phone user's eye, and push the RECORD button.
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Re: Cellphones users suck (look in the mirror)
again, why is this any different than two people in your presence having an argument? are you jealous you can only hear half of the conversation? wouldn't two people be able to talk in your royal presence without leave from you?
If someone is distracted from what they are supposed to be doing, like operating machinery, or working, or driving a car, then gripe.
otherwise put a sock in it.
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Re: what happened to manners?
Chomper says: "If frontline employees cared more, maybe customers wouldn't be so agitated."
My response to this is why would they care? What are there benefits to doing anything above what it takes to not get fired. Big businesses (i.e. Wal-mart, K-mart, grocery stores etc... )need to take into account that people who work for them usually hate working there, and try to put out benifits to give the employee some incentive to at least act like they care. Though customers do still need to stop being pieces of poop to the employee.
I think it still lies on the parents who think that it is better to go protest for the "good of everyone" rather than to realize their 15 year old kid just failed 8th grade for the third are to blame. As a 16 year old, when I go to eat, I hear "give me..." way to often, and seem to be the only person who ever says "May I please have..." thanks to my parents who cared.
Blame the parents, big business, or communism, either way you got a winner.
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Uh... isn't that backwards?
I find this article hillarious! I'm not sure which planet these "fed up retail workers" come from, but here on MY planet it's still easily 5:1 in favor of retail cashiers who are too busy yakking on land lines to properly service their customers...
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Re: what happened to manners?
i know exactly what you're talking about, i think it's very rude when people don't respect others by following the rules, if you can't follow the rules then leave the establishment rules are not made to be broken as a retail worker myself there is nothing more annoying then someone on a cell phone asking me for help, then walking off and i turn around and their gone, do i continue helping them? NO i don't...if you can't sit there and wait politely for me to help you then get out.
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