Disgusting!!!!

Today, I went into our ladies' room to change the light bulb. I happened to look at the top of the little closet that we have in there. We keep all our bathroom supplies in there. It doesn't go all the way to the ceiling, so there was a little air freshener and toilet paper roll on top of it. I happened to look up and notice something in the corner...

Can you say EWWWW!!!!!!???? I don't even want to know who it belonged to or how long that had been up there.

Catalogs vs. Store

Right before I left work tonight, an elderly lady came in (we'll call her Jane for the sake of the post). I don't know how old Jane is, but she used a walker. She wanted to see one of our catalogs because she wanted to know if we had something that was in it. She got frustrated with me because I told her we didn't have any extra catalogs but I would check the back. I told her we had the current ones in folders. She said she just wanted to see a catalog and would give it back. I was going to the back and get her one, but my AManager found some behind the cashwrap. Neither of them were what Jane was looking for. So, AManager went to get the ones we had in folders, which somehow frustated Jane. I explained to Jane that AManager was going to get the catalog so she could see.

Here's where it gets fun. Jane says she was looking for a scarf that we had on display. It was blue. I pointed to the only blue scarf we had on display, and she said that wasn't the scarf she was looking for. She finds it in the catalog, and tell her we didn't carry it in our store. It may be catalog only. She gets upset at the word "catalog". She believes firmly that if it's in the "catalog" then it should be in the store. Which, as AManager said, it is physically impossible for our store to carry everything that is in the catalog. Yet, Jane was adamant about this. If it's in the catalog, it must be in the store. Well, I found a nearby store that carries the scarf she wanted. She didn't want to pick it up over there. No, she wanted them to send it to her. And of course, she found it infuriating that they would charge her to send it to her. Why should they charge her for something that our store did not carry? She said that they wouldn't charge her. They couldn't charge her.

Repeat that a few times with each item she selects out of the catalog. Naturally, we didn't carry any of it in our store. It was "catalog" only, which is "ridiculous" (her words!) . She was very adamant about "they won't charge me to send it. They can't charge me. It's ridiculous". She was quite adamant and irritated over it all. Mind you, we can't physically carry the stuff they send us anyway. How are we supposed to carry everything in the catalog? And not everything in the catalog will sell! Seriously now. It's not that big of a deal. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if she didn't act like such a ... snob the whole time. I can't think of the right word to describe how she was behaving ... but that'll have to be it for now.

"I cannot open? I cannot open??"

Last winter, I was folding these V-neck sweaters in our store. This customer (for the sake of the post, we'll call her Nena) comes up to me and asked me what style they were. I said, just a V-neck. She gets mad at me, really mad too, and says "JUST A V-NECK? I CANNOT OPEN? I CANNOT OPEN??" and then storms out of the store. I am not kidding. She got all upset and offended. Where in my answer did I tell her that she couldn't open one? Where in her question did she ask me if she could? Did I not answer her question? After all, she just asked me what style they were. She didn't ask me anything about opening one or anything else. I answered her question. She asked me what the style was, I told her. If she hadn't been such a drama queen, I would've told her all the colors that we carried and asked her if she would like to see a size. Because that's what I do. I tell them all the available colors and pull out the right size for them so they don't have to search for it. Of course, she had to throw a hissy fit and storm out of the store before I could.

Why you gotta bother the lady with a ladder?

Honest to goodness. No matter what I'm doing, I always get stopped. Sure, I know I'm supposed to be helping customers. But there are other associates in the store who can help you too. Why do you got to stop the lady who's carrying a ten-foot ladder? Why do you got to stop the lady carry two or three mannequins? Why do you got to stop the lady surrounded with mannequins, steamer, and clothes that need to go on the mannequins? I can't tell you how annoying it is when I am dressing the windows on the floor. I have all the outfits steamed and lined up on the rolling rack... and then someone comes and pulls one of the items out! When that same item is available on the floor. No, they have to take the one that is part of an outfit I pulled to put in the windows.

Tell me, when you go shopping, if you see a little 5'4" sales associate carrying a ladder that is twice her size, do you stop her to ask her where the bathroom is? Do you stop her to ask her where the fitting room is? Come on now. Use some common sense.

Learn how to read

We opened a new store at the beginning of the month. And to promote the opening, the company sent out special discount cards to customers for the opening of that store. Do you know how many people come into our store with the discount card for the NEW s tore and try to get the discount? Learn how to read people! It says on the card to specifically go to the NEW store opening and get X % off your purchase. And it's not just about the new store opening discount. It happens with EVERY discount. We get people who come in with discount cards and other offers that expired MONTHS ago. Or them come in with their birthday discount and their birthday passed MONTHS ago. Don't even get me started how how they don't know how to read banners or sale signs!