dealing with customers

Date: Dec 20, 2012

dealing with customers

Date: Dec 20, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
I'm a front end employee. On occasion when I'm assigned to clean the bathrooms, I do run into customers that ask if we have more stock of a particular product in the back room. Is it worth rummaging through all of our stuff looking for whatever they want? I usually tell them that we're out or I refer them to the person who actually stocks the stuff. I just don't think it's worth going through that much trouble looking for something in an area that I'm not familiar with.

Please tell us your store number so we can report you to your manager for lying to customers.

techelite · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a front end employee. On occasion when I'm assigned to clean the bathrooms, I do run into customers that ask if we have more stock of a particular product in the back room. Is it worth rummaging through all of our stuff looking for whatever they want? I usually tell them that we're out or I refer them to the person who actually stocks the stuff. I just don't think it's worth going through that much trouble looking for something in an area that I'm not familiar with.
Please tell us your store number so we can report you to your manager for lying to customers.

Nah, I've done that plenty of times before as well.

Date: Dec 20, 2012

techelite wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a front end employee. On occasion when I'm assigned to clean the bathrooms, I do run into customers that ask if we have more stock of a particular product in the back room. Is it worth rummaging through all of our stuff looking for whatever they want? I usually tell them that we're out or I refer them to the person who actually stocks the stuff. I just don't think it's worth going through that much trouble looking for something in an area that I'm not familiar with.
Please tell us your store number so we can report you to your manager for lying to customers.
Nah, I've done that plenty of times before as well.

You both deserve to be fired.

techelite · Guru

Good job jumping way ahead to a conclusion with little to no supporting information. I bet you have a library full of books you have judged by their covers. Also, I'm probably worth more to the company than you are, so how do you even think YOU have the right to judge whether I should be fired? Hmm? Exactly, I didn't think so.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

techelite wrote:
Good job jumping way ahead to a conclusion with little to no supporting information. I bet you have a library full of books you have judged by their covers. Also, I'm probably worth more to the company than you are, so how do you even think YOU have the right to judge whether I should be fired? Hmm? Exactly, I didn't think so.

It's a no brainer. You just admitted you lie to customers.

You should be fired.

Truth hurts, doesn't it?

techelite · Guru

Doesn't hurt at all coming from someone that naive. If you've never lied to a customer before, you've probably made far more of them mad by telling them the truth than I have by the occasional lie. And the broad judgement that I should be fired for lying to a customer is just like me saying you should go to jail for murder because you admit you occasionally squash a spider on the wall. Congratulations, you're well on your way to being management's stooge.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a front end employee. On occasion when I'm assigned to clean the bathrooms, I do run into customers that ask if we have more stock of a particular product in the back room. Is it worth rummaging through all of our stuff looking for whatever they want? I usually tell them that we're out or I refer them to the person who actually stocks the stuff. I just don't think it's worth going through that much trouble looking for something in an area that I'm not familiar with.
Please tell us your store number so we can report you to your manager for lying to customers.

I've lied to customers before too. Big freaking deal. I'm sure people in every Kroger have at least one person who has lied to a customer.

There's nothing you can do about it. Sucks to be you.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a front end employee. On occasion when I'm assigned to clean the bathrooms, I do run into customers that ask if we have more stock of a particular product in the back room. Is it worth rummaging through all of our stuff looking for whatever they want? I usually tell them that we're out or I refer them to the person who actually stocks the stuff. I just don't think it's worth going through that much trouble looking for something in an area that I'm not familiar with.
Please tell us your store number so we can report you to your manager for lying to customers.

I've lied to customers before too.

You deserve to be fired as well.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a front end employee. On occasion when I'm assigned to clean the bathrooms, I do run into customers that ask if we have more stock of a particular product in the back room. Is it worth rummaging through all of our stuff looking for whatever they want? I usually tell them that we're out or I refer them to the person who actually stocks the stuff. I just don't think it's worth going through that much trouble looking for something in an area that I'm not familiar with.
Please tell us your store number so we can report you to your manager for lying to customers.

I've lied to customers before too.
You deserve to be fired as well.

But I won't be. So again, sucks to be you.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a front end employee. On occasion when I'm assigned to clean the bathrooms, I do run into customers that ask if we have more stock of a particular product in the back room. Is it worth rummaging through all of our stuff looking for whatever they want? I usually tell them that we're out or I refer them to the person who actually stocks the stuff. I just don't think it's worth going through that much trouble looking for something in an area that I'm not familiar with.
Please tell us your store number so we can report you to your manager for lying to customers.

I've lied to customers before too.
You deserve to be fired as well.
But I won't be. So again, sucks to be you.

Because you don't work for Kroger.

You can't be fired if you don't work there, durp.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

I lie to customers just so I can get things done. I'll tell them we're out just so I can keep doing what I have to do. I'd much rather have a pissed off customer than pissed off management.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
I lie to customers just so I can get things done. I'll tell them we're out just so I can keep doing what I have to do. I'd much rather have a pissed off customer than pissed off management.

It's suppose to be customer first, not you you you.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

I think everyone here has forgotten the most important point of all.

The ninth commandment.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
I think everyone here has forgotten the most important point of all.
The ninth commandment.

Not religious, sorry.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I think everyone here has forgotten the most important point of all.
The ninth commandment.
Not religious, sorry.

Your loss...and, quite a loss at that.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
I think everyone here has forgotten the most important point of all.
The ninth commandment.

I'm Buddhist. We don't have commandments.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I think everyone here has forgotten the most important point of all.
The ninth commandment.
I'm Buddhist. We don't have commandments.

How about the fourth precept?

SayWhat · Guru

Can we take bets that this is the same person arguing with themselves?

OP...just refer them to whomever is in that department. That's what everyone else in the front end does.

BagBoy · Guru

If you don't know... find someone who does.

4hourrush · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I think everyone here has forgotten the most important point of all.
The ninth commandment.
Not religious, sorry.
Your loss...and, quite a loss at that.

Living in fear of some invisible guy in the sky, yep i'm sure they're missing out.

On topic, if everyone stopped what they were doing to check and see if there's more Kroger value wheat chex in the back room, we'd never get anything done.

AnonymousCutter · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
techelite wrote:
Good job jumping way ahead to a conclusion with little to no supporting information. I bet you have a library full of books you have judged by their covers. Also, I'm probably worth more to the company than you are, so how do you even think YOU have the right to judge whether I should be fired? Hmm? Exactly, I didn't think so.
It's a no brainer. You just admitted you lie to customers.
You should be fired.
Truth hurts, doesn't it?

If you want a piece of truth the fact is we're not always able to help every customers. I'm good to a majority of customers, but there are some that just can't be helped. If for example I am the only one having to close and we're out of some frozen product on the floor and the freezer is compact with the new truck and our stuff is towards the back i'll say "we're out". This may inconvience one customer, but i'll help several customers in the process.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

AnonymousCutter wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
techelite wrote:
Good job jumping way ahead to a conclusion with little to no supporting information. I bet you have a library full of books you have judged by their covers. Also, I'm probably worth more to the company than you are, so how do you even think YOU have the right to judge whether I should be fired? Hmm? Exactly, I didn't think so.
It's a no brainer. You just admitted you lie to customers.
You should be fired.
Truth hurts, doesn't it?
If you want a piece of truth the fact is we're not always able to help every customers. I'm good to a majority of customers, but there are some that just can't be helped. If for example I am the only one having to close and we're out of some frozen product on the floor and the freezer is compact with the new truck and our stuff is towards the back i'll say "we're out". This may inconvience one customer, but i'll help several customers in the process.

I'm going to report you to the BBB. You should never be allowed to wear the Kroger colors again.

nocturnia · Guru

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

nocturnia · Guru

"A trolling we will go/ a trolling we will go.../ HI-HO THE DAIRY-O, A TROLLING WE WILL GO"

AnonymousCutter · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
AnonymousCutter wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
techelite wrote:
Good job jumping way ahead to a conclusion with little to no supporting information. I bet you have a library full of books you have judged by their covers. Also, I'm probably worth more to the company than you are, so how do you even think YOU have the right to judge whether I should be fired? Hmm? Exactly, I didn't think so.
It's a no brainer. You just admitted you lie to customers.
You should be fired.
Truth hurts, doesn't it?
If you want a piece of truth the fact is we're not always able to help every customers. I'm good to a majority of customers, but there are some that just can't be helped. If for example I am the only one having to close and we're out of some frozen product on the floor and the freezer is compact with the new truck and our stuff is towards the back i'll say "we're out". This may inconvience one customer, but i'll help several customers in the process.
I'm going to report you to the BBB. You should never be allowed to wear the Kroger colors again.

How often do you lie?

Date: Dec 21, 2012

if you don't know, ask someone who might. call the dept. get a manager.

if it's something we had because it had passed through my fingers at a register i tell them we might be out. if it's something i've never seen i'll tell them that and try to get someone with better knowledge of current inventory involved.

sometimes there's nothing you can do because no one is available and you can't look yourself because you're marooned at unscan.

there's nothing i hate more than paging a dept or for a manager to help a customer and no one calls or pops up.

grumpy1 · Guru

get this many times a day. Just grab a hand help and scan it. That will tell me if we have it or it is in the back. If it says 1 or less then I tell them it is out. If it says more then I will usually call some one from that department for help. if there is no one in that department , usually FF then i will try to look myself or page management and let them deal with it.

styles · Guru

this thread is great i love how everyone is feeding the anonymous trolls. well done!

nocturnia · Guru

styles wrote:
this thread is great i love how everyone is feeding the anonymous trolls. well done!

YEPPERS!

techelite · Guru

grumpy1 wrote:
get this many times a day. Just grab a hand help and scan it. That will tell me if we have it or it is in the back. If it says 1 or less then I tell them it is out. If it says more then I will usually call some one from that department for help. if there is no one in that department , usually FF then i will try to look myself or page management and let them deal with it.

Which is a great solution, except for the fact that OP, as well as over half of the employees in any given store, works on the front end. Almost nobody on the front end even knows how to sign into a handheld, even if they were authorized to do so in the system. Then add the trouble of finding a handheld somewhere in the store or walking all the way to the manager's office to sign one out, and it's just easier to pawn them off on another employee to begin with.

Date: Dec 21, 2012

Which is a great solution, except for the fact that OP, as well as over half of the employees in any given store, works on the front end. Almost nobody on the front end even knows how to sign into a handheld, even if they were authorized to do so in the system.

THIS. I had a late customer who wanted me to look up if we had an exotic baking ingredient I was certain we didn't have and told her we didn't carry. I could've called some body else to put on appearances but I already knew we didn't stock it.

She was upset I couldn't "check the computer" for her and left her cart full of items and said she was going to Publix to do her shopping. That was OK with me because I knew Publix had already closed for the night.

4hourrush · Guru

Oh I would scan one with the gun if we had one available. But due to Key Retailing, they have to be kept upstairs if they aren't attached to you (and in the bakery we aren't going to clip them on all day).

And as for the BBB, Mr. Troll, do you even know what the BBB is? lol

SayWhat · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
AnonymousCutter wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
techelite wrote:
Good job jumping way ahead to a conclusion with little to no supporting information. I bet you have a library full of books you have judged by their covers. Also, I'm probably worth more to the company than you are, so how do you even think YOU have the right to judge whether I should be fired? Hmm? Exactly, I didn't think so.
It's a no brainer. You just admitted you lie to customers.
You should be fired.
Truth hurts, doesn't it?
If you want a piece of truth the fact is we're not always able to help every customers. I'm good to a majority of customers, but there are some that just can't be helped. If for example I am the only one having to close and we're out of some frozen product on the floor and the freezer is compact with the new truck and our stuff is towards the back i'll say "we're out". This may inconvience one customer, but i'll help several customers in the process.
I'm going to report you to the BBB. You should never be allowed to wear the Kroger colors again.

It's not a gang, for crying out loud.

Date: Dec 22, 2012

Baggers have to lie to customers tho. Half the time when I'm asked a question there's no one stocking within 50 feet of me. I'm the guy that started the topic, yes I am a bagger. No, I haven't been arguing with myself like someone else earlier said. It's just that I hate getting bitched at by grocery managers/stockers if I'm spending too much time in their way trying to look for stuff. If there's help nearby, I'll refer the customer to them. Half the time it's someone in another department though so they wouldn't know. Also management doesn't bother training their baggers on how to use the phones so I can't page for help. I'm basically put in the position to lie. Management's fault, not mine.

SayWhat · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
Baggers have to lie to customers tho. Half the time when I'm asked a question there's no one stocking within 50 feet of me. I'm the guy that started the topic, yes I am a bagger. No, I haven't been arguing with myself like someone else earlier said. It's just that I hate getting bitched at by grocery managers/stockers if I'm spending too much time in their way trying to look for stuff. If there's help nearby, I'll refer the customer to them. Half the time it's someone in another department though so they wouldn't know. Also management doesn't bother training their baggers on how to use the phones so I can't page for help. I'm basically put in the position to lie. Management's fault, not mine.

Nah, not you arguing with yourself, you had a legit question. There were a couple others that I'm pretty convinced that are the same person arguing with themselves.

Do the best you can. That's all you can do. Ask the cashier or red vest to page someone if they're close by. Do your best to help them. That's all. Good luck, you have one of the toughest and most thankless jobs in the store.

Date: Dec 22, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Baggers have to lie to customers tho.

This is a lie.

Example of what you could say:

"I don't know sir, I'm sorry."

No one's forcing you to put yourself before the customer and be a bad person. That's your decision. Don't place blame on management either for you doing the wrong thing. They don't force you to lie.

techelite · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Baggers have to lie to customers tho.
This is a lie.
Example of what you could say:
"I don't know sir, I'm sorry."
No one's forcing you to put yourself before the customer and be a bad person. That's your decision. Don't place blame on management either for you doing the wrong thing. They don't force you to lie.

I wish I lived in the world you seem to think you live in, where what's right takes precedence over what's practical. But I don't. And neither do you. My job description does not include "item lookup and/or retrieval" so I'm not going to go out of my way when I'm not even on the clock, to try to find something we're probably out of anyways. You go ahead and spend hours every week trying in vain to find every packet of kool-aid and grain of rice, or even better, pawn off that time on other departments who already have far fewer excess hours to waste than the front end, and end up giving the customer the same answer one of us would have in the first place, and without wasting, yes wasting, our time or someone else's.

Date: Dec 22, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Baggers have to lie to customers tho.
This is a lie.
Example of what you could say:
"I don't know sir, I'm sorry."
No one's forcing you to put yourself before the customer and be a bad person. That's your decision. Don't place blame on management either for you doing the wrong thing. They don't force you to lie.

I've tried that before. It usually ends up with a cranky customer whining "well can't you FIND OUT?" And they get pissed when the answer says "no." Too much hassle.

Date: Dec 22, 2012

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Baggers have to lie to customers tho.
This is a lie.
Example of what you could say:
"I don't know sir, I'm sorry."
No one's forcing you to put yourself before the customer and be a bad person. That's your decision. Don't place blame on management either for you doing the wrong thing. They don't force you to lie.
I've tried that before. It usually ends up with a cranky customer whining "well can't you FIND OUT?" And they get pissed when the answer says "no." Too much hassle.

Ah, I see. It's only customer first when it's convenient for you. "Too much hassle?" All I'm hearing is excuses for being lazy. You should be fired.