Truly a problem?

[siamesecat2965]

So the next question in the lady wanting a gift card is do all the customers behind her get one too? After all the associates were all trying to solve her issue making others wait. My thought is she waited her turn and people were called in to help and she had their full attention. I do not warrant a gift card for my wait. Personally, I would have never asked for a gift card because staff was trying hard to fix the problem.  Should the person behind me receive a gift card because they had to wait for an associate to go in the back to get my layaway? Who's time was more valuable? Everyone's time is valuable!

I go to salon to by hair products. Sometimes the stylist tells the person in the chair to wait while they ring me out other times I am told to wait while they finish the person in the chair. Because one of us has to wait shouldn't we get a gift card? Going into any business means you may have a wait of some sort.

As far as training, those who have worked customer service know you learn a lot in the first day of training. The most common transactions are drilled in and you have no issues handling them. You perform them day in and out. Odd issues are brought up in training but if you rarely have to deal with them you do need help.

I agree 100% with this! Life happens and sometimes its takes longer than you expect to get something done. It sounds to me like the associates were trying as hard as they could to fix her issue, rather than just standing around doing nothing, or telling hte customer sorry, we don't know so we can't help you.

I've also had the same experience in my hair salon; sometimes he'll be cutting my hair, and is the ONLY one there, and the phone rings. so he has to stop adn answer it.  no biggie.

I also work in retail, so maybe this colors my opinion, but there are a lot of entitled people out there, who demand compensation for the tiniest inconveniences. Which, if I'm working to solve, sorry, you don't get.  I'm not authorized anyway to give anything to customers.  But if there is a legitimate reason, i will do everything I can for the customers.  For example, i had one customer return something as it was either defective, or the wrong item, or something of that nature.  Normally, if they return an online purchase, we don't refund the shipping. but in this case, and it was unusual, but i dont' recall the detials, i felt since it was OUR error, her shipping should be refunded, and she should not be charged any on her re-order.  CS agreed with me, and the customer was happy.

And on the training issue, yes, i was trained on certain register functions, sales, returns, etc. but every now and then I get something I haven't seen in a while, or at all ever, and I need to ask someone how to do it corerctly. It doesn't mean I don't  know how to do my job, but if its somehting I did once two years ago, chances are, I won't remember how.

[elephantschild]

I think it's truly snowflakey to request a gift card because you had to wait in line while Christmas-shopping in December. You and the rest of the world, lady. You ain't special.

This.

Stuff happens. If we all demanded a gift card when slightly inconvenienced during one of the busiest shopping times of the year ... well, most stores wouldn't last long.

[CluelessBride]

I think it's truly snowflakey to request a gift card because you had to wait in line while Christmas-shopping in December. You and the rest of the world, lady. You ain't special.

But she wasn't asking for a gift card because she had to wait in line. She was asking because the service she received once it was her turn was slow - because the employees weren't properly trained to carry out the service offered by the store. At a restaurant I wouldn't expect compensation/decide not to return because of a long wait to get a table - that just means they are busy/popular. But it would affect my decision to return if it took an excessive time to get water delivered to the table - that is poor service and means they aren't managing their busy-ness appropriately.

According to another poster, WalMart used to (possibly still does) offer a promotion giving gift cards for just this type of delay. So as long as she asked politely and didn't throw a fit if she was declined then I don't think she's snowflakey at all.

[siamesecat2965]

And it could also be that those employees working that particular area normally didn't, but maybe had to that day, due to people calling out, or whatnot.  So it could have been they normally were not in that area of the store, so there wans't any need for them to KNOW how to do what needed to be done.

[Sharnita]

And it could also be that those employees working that particular area normally didn't, but maybe had to that day, due to people calling out, or whatnot.  So it could have been they normally were not in that area of the store, so there wans't any need for them to KNOW how to do what needed to be done.

But then the store should probably be staffing people who know what the department, know what they are doing.  In fact, if they are htat understaffed and people ask for gift cards perhaps that will motivate them to staff adequately which will make things better for customers and staff.

[Figgie]

We used to order site to store for Walmart and stopped because it would take us a minimum of 30 minutes to pick up the already paid for item.  Then I got a survey from Walmart asking why we had stopped and told them that with the amount of time it took to actually pick up the item at our local Walmart, I would rather order it from another retailer and have it delivered to the house.

They sent me a ten dollar gift card, which I did use, but I still won't order anything to be picked up at our local Walmart.  I really don't have 30 minutes to wait for someone to show up at lay-away, for them to find a person who knows how to locate the item, locate the item, bring it out and then find yet a third employee who knows how to ring up a transaction that was paid for when the item was ordered online.

People value their time differently.  Just because I find 15 or 30 minute waits in these situations unacceptable, doesn't mean that I would ever tell someone for whom a 15 or 30 minute wait is just an inconvenience that they were wrong. 

[CluelessBride]

So? While that might make it not the *employees* fault, it does make it the stores fault for not managing better. If you offer a service, you'd better be able to deliver on the service. And a 15-30 minute wait while they try to find your item (leaving you worrying if they lost your order, sent it to the wrong store, don't actually have the item and now you need to scramble for a replacement) is not convenient as advertised. It's not like she was asking the employees to give her their lunch money because of the long wait, she's seeking compensation from the store for their service not being as advertised.

[ettiquit]

I think it's truly snowflakey to request a gift card because you had to wait in line while Christmas-shopping in December. You and the rest of the world, lady. You ain't special.

This.

Stuff happens. If we all demanded a gift card when slightly inconvenienced during one of the busiest shopping times of the year ... well, most stores wouldn't last long.

POD

Maybe if the employees had been rude to her, or argued with her about the validity of her purchase, she might have a case. 

There have been so many times when I've had to wait longer than I would have expected because of unforeseen issues.  It has never occurred to me to ask for compensation.  Until everyone in the service industry is replaced with perfectly programmed robots, we should probably drop the expectation that every transaction in a brick and mortar store will be swift and without problems.

[Deetee]

I think it's truly snowflakey to request a gift card because you had to wait in line while Christmas-shopping in December. You and the rest of the world, lady. You ain't special.

This.

Stuff happens. If we all demanded a gift card when slightly inconvenienced during one of the busiest shopping times of the year ... well, most stores wouldn't last long.

POD

Maybe if the employees had been rude to her, or argued with her about the validity of her purchase, she might have a case. 

There have been so many times when I've had to wait longer than I would have expected because of unforeseen issues.  It has never occurred to me to ask for compensation.  Until everyone in the service industry is replaced with perfectly programmed robots, we should probably drop the expectation that every transaction in a brick and mortar store will be swift and without problems.

But she didn't need to wait in line because it was busy. She had to wait because the store had staffed three people who were not trained to carry out the one transaction the woman needed. This is completely not the employees fault. This is the stores fault.

And there is the exact problem. If the store wants to compete with Amazon (and I wish I could access that 2 day shipping from Canada) it can't make people wait.

The store doesn't have to give out cards, but if they are competing directly with an extremely efficient competitor, they can't expect to get away with inefficient service.

No-one is saying that anyone whould get a gift card every time they need to wait. But a compnay competing with on-line ordering can't act like that and keep business.

[siamesecat2965]

And it could also be that those employees working that particular area normally didn't, but maybe had to that day, due to people calling out, or whatnot.  So it could have been they normally were not in that area of the store, so there wans't any need for them to KNOW how to do what needed to be done.

But then the store should probably be staffing people who know what the department, know what they are doing.  In fact, if they are htat understaffed and people ask for gift cards perhaps that will motivate them to staff adequately which will make things better for customers and staff.

Great idea, in theory, but in reality, its not always possible.  I know in my store they are given a certain number of payroll hours, and even if they KNOW they need extra bodies, they dont' have the hours to schedule any more.  And this comes from corporate, so it can't be changed. And like I said, things happen, an sometimes you have to shuffle people around where they might not normally work. It stinks, but sometimes just can't be helped. and in other cases, corporate is concerned with the bottom line, and ifa store is understaffed, they are still expeccted to do whatever needs to be done.  Sometimes at store level, management's hands are tied.

[ettiquit]

I think it's truly snowflakey to request a gift card because you had to wait in line while Christmas-shopping in December. You and the rest of the world, lady. You ain't special.

This.

Stuff happens. If we all demanded a gift card when slightly inconvenienced during one of the busiest shopping times of the year ... well, most stores wouldn't last long.

POD

Maybe if the employees had been rude to her, or argued with her about the validity of her purchase, she might have a case. 

There have been so many times when I've had to wait longer than I would have expected because of unforeseen issues.  It has never occurred to me to ask for compensation.  Until everyone in the service industry is replaced with perfectly programmed robots, we should probably drop the expectation that every transaction in a brick and mortar store will be swift and without problems.

But she didn't need to wait in line because it was busy. She had to wait because the store had staffed three people who were not trained to carry out the one transaction the woman needed. This is completely not the employees fault. This is the stores fault.

And there is the exact problem. If the store wants to compete with Amazon (and I wish I could access that 2 day shipping from Canada) it can't make people wait.

The store doesn't have to give out cards, but if they are competing directly with an extremely efficient competitor, they can't expect to get away with inefficient service.

No-one is saying that anyone whould get a gift card every time they need to wait. But a compnay competing with on-line ordering can't act like that and keep business.

I didn't say the wait was due to busyness - I meant just waiting in general, for whatever reason.

[DaDancingPsych]

My problem with this resonates from the fact that Walmart is notorious for handing out gift cards to problem customers. If you complain and whine a lot, eventually the manager will give you a card to quiet you down. I don't like that they reward bad behavior. (And I am a Walmart supporter!) So then every special snowflake that has to wait a bit feels entitled to one. While this customer did not get nasty, I can easily see a manager just doing it to prevent a scene. And when did it become standard that if we wait a bit for something that we deserve to be compensated? Errors happen and sometimes we have to wait while they are fixed. I think the polite thing in this case would have been for the customer to THANK all of the employees for their efforts, patience, and willingness not to give up on the problem. Not to mention the employee who volunteered his/her time to actually fix the problem... trust me, that time is not going to be compensated. The only reason to speak to a manager would be to either politely point out the problem (which if this is a rare or new case, it probably doesn't need pointed out) or to let the manager know how hard working these employees are.

[Audrey Quest]

Thank the employee who "volunteered their time" to fix the problem?!!
 
If a store is going to have procedures then they need to have employees trained to handle those procedures at the proper places in the store.  No employee volunteers their time--they are paid to work there!
 
The only etiquette issue here is how people behaved towards one another and it seems that all behaved well.  no one was rude or nasty.

The customer had a right to ask for compensation and it really isn't anyone else's business that she did it any more than any other part of the transaction is anyone else's business.  The fact that she asked for and received compensation is not rude.

And the idea that a manager is caving into the wishes of a customer to avoid a scene is not as likely as them wanting to keep the customer happy and coming back.

People should realize that our system of commerce with set prices is not exactly standard in the world.  Most places people dicker over prices.  There can still be negotiations even when dealing with a big box store.

And is anyone going to assert that its rude for a customer buying a car to try and get the salesperson to lower the price?  Or, if they don't deliver the car on time, to ask for a maintenance package or something to compensate them for the delay?

These are business transactions and the act of negotiating is not rude.  That's what this customer was doing--negotiating over her future patronage.

[onyonryngs]

The customer sounds like your standard issue gimmie pig as this is WalMart we're discussing, not a hypothetical situation at a car lot.  Just because the person at the counter wasn't able to handle the transaction doesn't mean there wasn't anyone there who could.  I see it as caving to a problem customer to avoid a scene so they can quickly move on to the other customers in line. 

[nuit93]

If I went to a Walmart during the holiday season and was out in less than an hour, I'd be thanking my lucky stars, not asking for a GC.