July 05, 2007

The Customer is Always

Under suspicion.

I was in a certain (JoAnn’s) craft store (JoAnn’s) that shall remain name(JoAnn’s)less and I spotted a set of knitting needles that had been clearanced for $3.47. They were just cheap store brand plastic needles, but my mom is finally taking up knitting and I figured I would grab them for her.

I take it up to the counter to check out and it doesn’t scan. Says “UPC invalid.” Now mind you, there is a red clearance sticker with the price right on there. The cashier looks at the sticker for a moment, then gives me this look. This accusatory look. She might as well have come right out and asked me how I’d smuggled a price gun in to change the prices.

When she was finished giving me the look she tried to scan the item another dozen times, typed in the UPC a few times, then finally called for a price check. The guy who showed up looked at the item and said, flat out, “That’s not from MY department! I’m not doing it.”

Finally he agrees to do the price check and strolls off nice and slowly, muttering. In the mean time does the cashier ring up the other items I was purchasing? Nope. Not until I told her to.

When the guy decided to come back, carrying a huge metal plant basket, he glances over and says “Hold on, I need to take a phone call.” and proceeds to take a 5 minute phone call right there in front of me.

In the mean time, the woman is not so gently hinting that the item never really was on clearance and SOMEHOW the sticker was put on their accidentally by SOMEONE. I snapped. Told them I didn’t want the damn item and to get a manager down there, NOW.

Having worked in retail for longer than I care to remember, I know how badly it sucks for the managers to get screamed at for something they didn’t do. They really get all the crap dumped on them. So I made it a point to not scream at her or make it personal. I told her how the cashier had all but accused me of marking the item myself, how the guy doing the price check had decided a phone call was more important than a customer, how every single time I went into that store I ended up leaving frustrated, between empty shelves and horrible customer service.

She offered to give me the item at half the clearance price. I told her that it would be a cold day in hell before I ever gave that store more of my money, apologized for yelling at her because it wasn’t her directly but if I’d gone off on the cashier I probably would have ended up arrested, grabbed my bag and left.

So if you’re ever in the name(JoAnn’s)less store, don’t expect to see me there. Cause you won’t.

10 comments:

Chris said...

Ugh.

Anonymous said...

Eeeps. Ya, lousy customer service is the pits. Of all the things a store can't redeem itself of, that's the deal breaker for me. I can forgive many things, but your attitude towards customers? Um, yeah, that is one of those little things that they are actually in control of.

McNary & Company Realtors said...

I recently had a bad experience with their website, customer service email AND phone CS. It seems that they are having issues all the way around. (sigh!) Looks like KnitPicks and our LYSs will get even more business!

Diane said...

Which store was it? lol. Don't know why the cashier just didn't give it to you for the price marked. Not like it's coming out of her pocket.

Peevish said...

Humph. Customer service my BUTT.

Dreamy said...

nameless sux. seriously. There are times when I just gnash my teeth and wish I lived closer to yarn stores-- but that is just bad.
at least the manager was nice. at a marie callendar's once I presented my server with my bypass card so I could order off the kids' menu and my server (who had previously been rude, excluding my nephew, putting his placemat on top of my sister's salad... etc) and she flat out glared at me and said, "FINE BUT YOURE NOT GETTING FRIES" like I was trying to get the kid's plate for cheap. When I explained to the manager his excuse was that she's like that with everyone, even her family. When I said she was in the wrong business he flat out said, "well she's been a waitress for almost 20 years... " and left it at that. No offer of ANYTHING. ugh

mrspao said...

That's awful!

Woman who knits said...

I don't frequent a certain craft store either much. not a fan of the customer service!

knittingnurse said...

AACK! Reminds me of my experiences with B(worst)Buy for electronics! Let's make a pact: I won't ever step foot in another Jo-who? Arts/Crap if you'll never walk into a B(worst)Buy - deal?


I abhor absence of customer service!

Anonymous said...

Our local fabric stores that shall remain namelessJoAnns are filled with AssHats too. Except for my son's girlfriend's sister. I try to only shop when she is on duty.