If I owned or managed an office supply store in one of Northeast Nebraskas larger towns. And if I had 3 aisles of high end office machines selling for between $100 and $500 each.
And if there were say six people all about 40 to 60 year old and standing and reading tags in those aisles and more or less looking lost. I would assume that because of their age they probably could afford any machine they were looking at and that they couldn't get all of the info they need from a little tag that has 4 lines of writing on it and a sticky note on the front that proclaimed 'Out of Stock!' Therefore I would assume people browsing in the pencil aisle could wait and I'd have someone trained to "LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT EACH OF THOSE MACHINES AND IF YOU SEE ANYONE OVER THERE GO SEE IF YOU CAN SELL THEM A MACHINE."
I'd also go to the two young men leaning on the counter and talking to the pretty customer service girl and say something like, "Here, let me lean on this counter and stare at this lovely thing, that should free you two guys up to go help customers." (said thru clenched teeth)
And if I were the manager I'd be in the store to see that it was accomplished.
Now excuse me, I need to get busy online to buy a new printer.
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About being a Farmer, County Supervisor, Husband, Father, Grandfather, and pretty darned average Blog Author. If blogging was easy, everyone would be doing it. And we are.
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- Cliff
- I live on the farm I grew up on here in Nebraska. My wife runs a Boarding and Grooming Kennel. We have 3 kids and 9 Grandchildren.
20 comments:
Ain't that the truth!!
Had the same problem in Indiana, went on line bouthg a new HP and it was here in two days. Love it!!!
Ewwww .... 40 to 60 year olds! You're creeping me out.
No kidding!!! I am so irritated by our local Orange Hardware store that I want to go in and give them a customer service inservice day!
Butcha know, everybody knows jobs exist just so you can hook up with the nice babes.
Ron actually says things like that out loud and I just can't take him anywhere. We bought our new HP printer online for $78 and that included a scanner and I love it. No hassle. And some local businesses wonder why we shop online.
I find it very funny that my 9 year old understands more about the machines then the office supply store employees that are 7 to 10 years older than him.
This must be a nationwide thing for office supply stores, and they wonder why we shop on-line.
GOOD LUCK !
Right on the mark Cliff. Went into a store the other and there were six people, five of them worked there. I was the sixth.
I had to interrupt their conversation to get some help. But by that time it was to late, I was to mad. Got the the information I needed, left the store, and bought it somewhere else. They don't deserve my money.
Ralph
Cliff,
You may want to try Tiger Direct. I bought my GPS off of them. They have lots of refurbished equipment for a fraction of the price.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/
IF you accomlished all that, you would definitely have THE MOST successful office supply store in Nebraska. And I would buy an office machine from you in a heartbeat, even if I didn't need one!
You're preaching to the choir, Cliff. Mom and Pop were so busy making a living for their kids, they didn't have time to teach their kids how to work.
One of our grandsons is having a hard time right now. His money tree has apparently dried up and now he'll have to (gasp!) get a job. Whatever that is.
So funny Cliff, but true. I also agree with the person above about my 10 year old being able to help me out more in the stores. Now......what do you know about Algebra 1 inequalities, I need some homework help over here.
P.S. You just reminded me of something that happened in a restaurant the other week, I feel a blog coming on.
I have had that happen, but normally I don't. I am 62 fat and going bald so you maybe just hit the jackpot. Most of the time the clerks are pretty helpful. We tend to remember the bad experiences though don't we. I am guilty too.
Open a branch of your store here Cliff, it will make a fortune.
Oh Cliff! I hope you got you a nice printer even if there was all that hassle. I bought my first printer on-line for a discount and to save paying the sales tax.
Now I just read about what I want before I go to the store. There I get my discount, a senior one, or else I go down the street.
Texans are naturally polite so our sales people would have been swarming all over you. They are trained customer first, girls (or boys if girls or well, ...) later. No wonder Texas will be the first state to recover from our slump.
..
I have heard it is cold up there but your therm-o-meter says 10°F.
Do you still have some snow? It seems you aren't snowbound and do have power back to be able to shop and print. :-)
..
Please email a copy of this post to the corporate contact website for the hypothetical office supply store. You rock.
hahaha-
LOVE this post, Cliff!!
PS-The above comment from Gette is good advice!
Junie
I continually wonder how people get paid to do jobs that they have no business doing. If you don't know the products, don't stock them. If you can't help a customer, go find another job. If you value your employment, as many do these days...then be nice to the customers, talk to the pretty customer service lady on your own time. I worked in a small retail store, a ladies clothing and "corset" shop. We had to know what the size ranges were, where mdse was located and how to explain it to the customer. We had to be nice, even wehn we wanted to scratch the lady's mean eyeballs out. We dressed nicely, no jeans or sneakers, slacks yes, shoes and hosiery. (socks were ok, no sandals, not shorts) We provided a nice atmosphere to shop in and actually helped customers...I was "only" a cashier but I knew where outfits could be put together and how to do it, how to get stock on the floor, and If I didn't I knew who did and got them to help a customer.
I get upset when I walk into a store and stand around with out a person who works there to acknowledge me. I walk out, proclaiming that I won't shop in a store where I am not acknowledged. Especially downtown retail operations where there is a need to stay alive! Thanks for this post Cliff, it is a generational thing, not a regional thing! Hope you are having a great day!
Cliff, I should have taken your advise. I had the same experiece today but I was the only one in the printer aisle. Finally had someone ask if I needed help and it turned out she knew less that I did and all I knew was what features I wanted. The person who knew was busy at the check stand with no customers to check out. I too left with no purchase.
Mrs. Blue
I would fire those two clerks in a flash....
So true of ours here as well. One of them anyway. I have found good help there but not always. I guess that one good knowledgeable clerk can't work ALL the time, but the others could sure take after her and learn a few things.
It is downright annoying!!
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