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Service when shopping ......
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Depends on the store to a degree, but at the basic level a smile, friendly and attentive. Nothing annoys me more when they'd carry on a conversation with a colleague without acknowledging a customer. Unfortunately, happens far too often! |
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"Depends on the store to a degree, but at the basic level a smile, friendly and attentive. Nothing annoys me more when they'd carry on a conversation with a colleague without acknowledging a customer. Unfortunately, happens far too often!"
So you expect to come before their chat to a colleague ?
What if they answer the phone to someone and deal with them before you ? |
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"I always give polite conversation, I would expect politeness in return
What is politeness to you ?"
I think sometimes a simple hello, doesn’t have to be an in depth conversation. It’s amazing how a smile and hello from someone can help to improve a crappy day, hence I always try to pass it on.
“Smile and the world smiles with you” |
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"To, at the very least, acknowledge my existence by saying hello, followed by a goodbye as I leave.
What if they acknowledged your existence but you had to wait ages in a Queueueueueue ?"
I’d put my stuff down and walk out, shop elsewhere. |
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"To process my purchases swiftly and efficiently
Can you give me an example of inefficient processing and purchasing ?"
Checkout operater chatting on their headset to other staff whilst serving me, being really slow then finding an item has no barcode so s/he strolls off to the shelf to find another. Once I was asked what was the name of the vegetable I was buying. I replied "aubergine" She said it can't be. It isn't listed under "o" |
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"I always give polite conversation, I would expect politeness in return
What is politeness to you ?
I think sometimes a simple hello, doesn’t have to be an in depth conversation. It’s amazing how a smile and hello from someone can help to improve a crappy day, hence I always try to pass it on.
“Smile and the world smiles with you”"
I agree totally. By the way  have a wonderful day. Nice jamas ! |
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"To, at the very least, acknowledge my existence by saying hello, followed by a goodbye as I leave.
What if they acknowledged your existence but you had to wait ages in a Queueueueueue ?
I’d put my stuff down and walk out, shop elsewhere. "
I've been known to do this many times. There is nothing I need so much that I'll waste my time waiting longer than I need to.
There is very little I will queueueuee up for |
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"I always give polite conversation, I would expect politeness in return
What is politeness to you ?
I think sometimes a simple hello, doesn’t have to be an in depth conversation. It’s amazing how a smile and hello from someone can help to improve a crappy day, hence I always try to pass it on.
“Smile and the world smiles with you”
I agree totally. By the way have a wonderful day. Nice jamas !"
And you yourself have a wonderful day 😊 |
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"To process my purchases swiftly and efficiently
Can you give me an example of inefficient processing and purchasing ?
Checkout operater chatting on their headset to other staff whilst serving me, being really slow then finding an item has no barcode so s/he strolls off to the shelf to find another. Once I was asked what was the name of the vegetable I was buying. I replied "aubergine" She said it can't be. It isn't listed under "o""
Gotta love those head sets. Essential conversation on them around here goes like this ..... I know mate, Fuck yeah, He's a shit bag. Fuck him off lad. He's not giving me any overtime... You goin' out Satdee? |
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"To, at the very least, acknowledge my existence by saying hello, followed by a goodbye as I leave.
What if they acknowledged your existence but you had to wait ages in a Queueueueueue ?
I’d put my stuff down and walk out, shop elsewhere.
I've been known to do this many times. There is nothing I need so much that I'll waste my time waiting longer than I need to.
There is very little I will queueueuee up for "
I rarely shop in a store these days, and it’s usually if I’m walking past the door of one that has what I need as I’m thinking of it at that moment. If i walk out, I buy online instead.
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"To, at the very least, acknowledge my existence by saying hello, followed by a goodbye as I leave.
What if they acknowledged your existence but you had to wait ages in a Queueueueueue ?
I’d put my stuff down and walk out, shop elsewhere.
I've been known to do this many times. There is nothing I need so much that I'll waste my time waiting longer than I need to.
There is very little I will queueueuee up for
I rarely shop in a store these days, and it’s usually if I’m walking past the door of one that has what I need as I’m thinking of it at that moment. If i walk out, I buy online instead.
"
Me too but there's a limit to how low you can go online .... a small item or emergency purchase requires a shop dunnit tho |
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I don't want to be served
I want leaving alone to make my own choices
I don't need your affirmation of my choices
I will approach you if and when I'm ready to
Be polite, but do not intrude on my shopping experience |
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"I don't want to be served
I want leaving alone to make my own choices
I don't need your affirmation of my choices
I will approach you if and when I'm ready to
Be polite, but do not intrude on my shopping experience "
I get that. I shop that way too. But when you seek service what is the lowest level of service you will accept ? |
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"To, at the very least, acknowledge my existence by saying hello, followed by a goodbye as I leave.
What if they acknowledged your existence but you had to wait ages in a Queueueueueue ?
I’d put my stuff down and walk out, shop elsewhere.
I've been known to do this many times. There is nothing I need so much that I'll waste my time waiting longer than I need to.
There is very little I will queueueuee up for
I rarely shop in a store these days, and it’s usually if I’m walking past the door of one that has what I need as I’m thinking of it at that moment. If i walk out, I buy online instead.
Me too but there's a limit to how low you can go online .... a small item or emergency purchase requires a shop dunnit tho "
I suppose so yeah, but I wouldn’t know much about that. I’ve yet to have emergency purchase need that I couldn’t work around and make it an inconvenience instead of emergency. I’m a ‘will manage til’ tomorrow/day after” sort.
Some would say lazy  |
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"I don't want to be served
I want leaving alone to make my own choices
I don't need your affirmation of my choices
I will approach you if and when I'm ready to
Be polite, but do not intrude on my shopping experience
I get that. I shop that way too. But when you seek service what is the lowest level of service you will accept ?"
Or easier still, what do you expect a human interaction to look like ? What might disappoint you ? |
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"I don't want to be served
I want leaving alone to make my own choices
I don't need your affirmation of my choices
I will approach you if and when I'm ready to
Be polite, but do not intrude on my shopping experience
I get that. I shop that way too. But when you seek service what is the lowest level of service you will accept ?"
Someone who knows their product
Someone who knows how to work their internal systems
Someone who offers alternatives without expecting you to find them...
Example:
Unacceptable
"We don't have stock in your size here, but you can check online"
Acceptable
"We don't have stock in your size today, but are expecting new stock in tomorrow" or
"We don't have stock in your size today, but I can see that the store in XYZ, has 3 in stock"
I get that not all retail outlets give their staff enough info to do this, but if they do it helps |
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" But when you seek service what is the lowest level of service you will accept ?
I like the till area to be waist high so I don't have to bend down.
What about when you have your boots on ?"
When I have my boots on of course I have a sub do my shopping while I wait by the door with a riding crop |
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I will also say, I am never rude to retail staff, I'm just a shopper that likes to be left alone unless I ask for assistance
As employment goes, standing on the spot for 8 hours watching people do their shopping must, quite often, be both mind numbing and hard on the body
Standing on the spot for more than 15 minutes can see my back start locking up |
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By *mmaleiaWoman 6 weeks ago
East Northamptonshire |
As somebody who runs a shop, I am polite, helpful, chatty, courteous, unless you come in chatting on your mobile phone, ignoring everything around you, then I won’t serve you until you’re done, that’s just rude |
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By (user no longer on site) 6 weeks ago
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I don't expect anything but I appreciate just being a nice polite human. If they are not, it doesn't necessarily mean they are a bad person, we all have bad days sometimes. |
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"As somebody who runs a shop, I am polite, helpful, chatty, courteous, unless you come in chatting on your mobile phone, ignoring everything around you, then I won’t serve you until you’re done, that’s just rude "
Totally agree ! Good communication runs both ways. Each is a human being who deserves basic eye contact and acknowledgement.
Now you mention it ! It's bloody rude to carry out a phone chat as if the assistant doesn't exist!
Down with that I say ..... |
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"I don't expect anything but I appreciate just being a nice polite human. If they are not, it doesn't necessarily mean they are a bad person, we all have bad days sometimes. "
No it doesn't mean they are a bad person.
What is the minimum level of service you expect when they are at work serving you, serving the public......... what is the very least you think will happen in terms of service ? |
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"Minimum - them to do their job.
Mrs "
God ... can of worms that...
What is their job ? Cos I only want the minimum too .... Do your job but I think what they think is their job and what I think is their job is very very different. |
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I like to be sympathetic to someone who has a factory production like queue of customers to serve. So I'll greet them with a smile and hello. A simple hello back is enough, alongside processing my stuff. I don't have huge expectations, largely acknowledgement of my existence |
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Go into a store? You mean like when I log into Amazon or someotherstore.com? I expect there to be an efficient means of searching for what I want and an efficient shopping cart to hold what I'm after. It's good if the store accepts multiple methods of payment, e.g. Shop and PayPal as well as having to put my card details in again. Quick delivery is important, next day preferably. Maybe a no questions asked return policy, but I seldom buy stuff I don't want, so that's not all that important to be honest. Not to bothered about thing like remembering my last searches and asking if I've forgotten to put X in my basket. |
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"I don't want to be served
I want leaving alone to make my own choices
I don't need your affirmation of my choices
I will approach you if and when I'm ready to
Be polite, but do not intrude on my shopping experience
I get that. I shop that way too. But when you seek service what is the lowest level of service you will accept ?"
I sometimes think human collaboration, the thing that made us so successful as a species, has gone into reverse. People are so self centred and broken that simple interactions seem beyond them. |
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"...But they are too small to put a full basket of shopping on"
My entrance hall is sometimes too small for the Morrisons man to put all the bags mostly is something was on offer and wife buys 3 years supply  |
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For them to fulfil their role in a way that makes the experience as efficient and pleasant as is reasonable. I worked in retail for many years and often there will be things out of the control of service staff (big queues, prices, out of stock items, transaction issues etc), but I would expect to be served as quickly as possible, to be greeted with a smile, say hello/ please/ thank you/ goodbye and for them to be generally polite and professional. If a customer is rude or unpleasant, I think the server has the right to keep pleasantries to a bare minimum - the customer is definitely NOT always right. I wouldn’t expect them to waste time chit chatting with colleagues and other customers or to lack the common sense or awareness leading to a poor experience or delay. |
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"For them to fulfil their role in a way that makes the experience as efficient and pleasant as is reasonable. I worked in retail for many years and often there will be things out of the control of service staff (big queues, prices, out of stock items, transaction issues etc), but I would expect to be served as quickly as possible, to be greeted with a smile, say hello/ please/ thank you/ goodbye and for them to be generally polite and professional. If a customer is rude or unpleasant, I think the server has the right to keep pleasantries to a bare minimum - the customer is definitely NOT always right. I wouldn’t expect them to waste time chit chatting with colleagues and other customers or to lack the common sense or awareness leading to a poor experience or delay. "
I think we are cloned in this dept. |
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"I don't want to be served
I want leaving alone to make my own choices
I don't need your affirmation of my choices
I will approach you if and when I'm ready to
Be polite, but do not intrude on my shopping experience
I get that. I shop that way too. But when you seek service what is the lowest level of service you will accept ?
I sometimes think human collaboration, the thing that made us so successful as a species, has gone into reverse. People are so self centred and broken that simple interactions seem beyond them. "
Oh, erm...
Don't get me wrong, I am polite and friendly
I will say Good Morning, please, thank you etc
I am not mute
A Good Morning welcome is also nice coming at you as opposed to from you
It's more the staff that are trying to be so helpful that it is to the point of being intrusive
Then they hover around you, in silence, but watching
It is very, very off putting |
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By *eliWoman 6 weeks ago
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Efficient service. A focus on the job they're doing without assumptions made.
I've only had two bad experiences - one when they were serving others until they heard my voice and then bam, they couldn't help me enough. And the other when they were chewing gum and nattering away to a colleague, rather than actually working.
People who work in retail are still human. They might be having a bad day. I'm still going to smile and say hello and thank you, regardless. |
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That they process my purchases in as timely a manner as is suitable for the circumstances.
Retail workers are still humans. They don't decide to have an extra busy day or be short staffed. I don't require a smile from someone who's being paid barely minimum wage for a thankless job. Just as long as they're not outright rude or taking the piss we're good 💜 |
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By *ony MannMan 6 weeks ago
New York City New York USA |
Just scan my goods and take my money.
If I am buying a car I expect the sales man to give me information and know the subject without pushing me towards a car.
I did shop at a supermarket years back, she scanned my goods and took my money. I looked at her packed my car and forgot about her. Two years later we met at a club and to my big surprise I remembered her at the till with her sunshine name badge. I really tried to remember her name, but I couldn't. At the end of the evening I got a name and number. We spent over a year together. |
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"I don't want to be served
I want leaving alone to make my own choices
I don't need your affirmation of my choices
I will approach you if and when I'm ready to
Be polite, but do not intrude on my shopping experience
I get that. I shop that way too. But when you seek service what is the lowest level of service you will accept ?
I sometimes think human collaboration, the thing that made us so successful as a species, has gone into reverse. People are so self centred and broken that simple interactions seem beyond them.
Oh, erm...
Don't get me wrong, I am polite and friendly
I will say Good Morning, please, thank you etc
I am not mute
A Good Morning welcome is also nice coming at you as opposed to from you
It's more the staff that are trying to be so helpful that it is to the point of being intrusive
Then they hover around you, in silence, but watching
It is very, very off putting"
Often it’s their job. If they overdo the helpfulness you can just say no thank you I’m fine & don’t need any help, there’s no need to be rude, defensive or offensive or scared of them
And so what if they stand & watch you ? It might be there job to do that ? Some people seem to have an extremely low tolerance to such small stuff |
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"That they process my purchases in as timely a manner as is suitable for the circumstances.
Retail workers are still humans. They don't decide to have an extra busy day or be short staffed. I don't require a smile from someone who's being paid barely minimum wage for a thankless job. Just as long as they're not outright rude or taking the piss we're good 💜"
Retail workers are still humans , that's true but is that reason enough to allow shit service ? |
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"If I’m serving someone and they answer their phone and continue a conversation I totally ignore them and move to the next customer."
Good for you , they should have common courtesy and be engaged in the transaction and aware of your involvement |
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I was served the other week by someone who was so busy having a conversation with someone about what they done over the weekend on his headset he didn't even acknowledge me. I find it very rude and ignorant. |
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By *ynecplCouple 6 weeks ago
Newcastle upon Tyne |
Ring up my purchase and process my payment quickly and with little fuss. I don't need a loyalty card, you don't need my email so that you can spam me every hour and you certainly don't need to know what I am doing, what the occasion is etc etc. |
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Smile, a greeting- good morning/afternoon/evening, after that, processing my purchases, taking payment, handing my receipt along with a farewell.
I don’t expect any more. I honestly don’t want to chat, my time is precious.
*really procrastinating in going to get lettuce rn* 😭😭😭 |
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Back in the day i used to run pubs. Slightly different to retail i know but i wluld always teach my staff to make eye contact with each person as they came to the bar. If the bar was silly busy (like 3 or 4 deep) then obviously thats not possible but they would always know who was next. In my opinion, if the barperson doeant know who is next to serve, then are not very good at their job.
Retail wise. Manners, hello, good morning, please and thank you as a minimum. |
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By *8on33Man 6 weeks ago
winfrith |
"If you go into a store ( any store ) what is the minimum level of service you would expect from a counter assistant ?"
A personality ,a smile ,great service and when you leave a 'have a nice day ' retort .
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"Back in the day i used to run pubs. Slightly different to retail i know but i wluld always teach my staff to make eye contact with each person as they came to the bar. If the bar was silly busy (like 3 or 4 deep) then obviously thats not possible but they would always know who was next. In my opinion, if the barperson doeant know who is next to serve, then are not very good at their job.
Retail wise. Manners, hello, good morning, please and thank you as a minimum. "
Correct to the nth |
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"If you go into a store ( any store ) what is the minimum level of service you would expect from a counter assistant ?A personality ,a smile ,great service and when you leave a 'have a nice day ' retort ."
Sweet Jesus no ...... Leon no ..... just no ......
I HATE the have a nice day bullshit.... I do like other meaningless phrases but more anglicised than have a nice day |
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By *8on33Man 6 weeks ago
winfrith |
"If you go into a store ( any store ) what is the minimum level of service you would expect from a counter assistant ?A personality ,a smile ,great service and when you leave a 'have a nice day ' retort .
Sweet Jesus no ...... Leon no ..... just no ......
I HATE the have a nice day bullshit.... I do like other meaningless phrases but more anglicised than have a nice day "
Granny cmon woman 'have a nice day' is a genuine comment straight from the foothills of Andalusia. |
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I expect an efficient service, not making me wait longer than necessary just because you have to discuss the latest gossip with your colleague. If it's a computer issue, that's understandable, sometimes they do have life of their own and get awkward. Just make me aware of that. I like to be acknowledged when I'm waiting to be served (that's when I'm next in the queue but they need to do something else first, like get something from the back)- though this is more in pubs or cafes- I have been known to walk out without ordering if the person at the till where to busy doing god knows what rather than serving. If they acknowledged I was there and said something like "sorry, will be with you shortly", that's different. It's when there is nobody else to be served, you're standing at the till like an idiot and they keep ignoring you, that's when it gets too much, and my patience runs out very fast then.
I get that working in retail or service industry is not the easiest job, but nobody is making them do it. |
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And I absolutely hate the "we don't have this product in store, online only". I can't check online whether the shoes I want are going to fit, whether the strap is going to be long enough, etc. Maybe clothing and and shoe shops should start a service where you can order an item to try in a store without having to pay full price for it straight away? Yes, I know you can a refund when you return the item, but I don't want to wait even up to a month for my money to be back in my account. |
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"I expect an efficient service, not making me wait longer than necessary just because you have to discuss the latest gossip with your colleague. If it's a computer issue, that's understandable, sometimes they do have life of their own and get awkward. Just make me aware of that. I like to be acknowledged when I'm waiting to be served (that's when I'm next in the queue but they need to do something else first, like get something from the back)- though this is more in pubs or cafes- I have been known to walk out without ordering if the person at the till where to busy doing god knows what rather than serving. If they acknowledged I was there and said something like "sorry, will be with you shortly", that's different. It's when there is nobody else to be served, you're standing at the till like an idiot and they keep ignoring you, that's when it gets too much, and my patience runs out very fast then.
I get that working in retail or service industry is not the easiest job, but nobody is making them do it. "
Good God ..............  you are me.... |
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"And I absolutely hate the "we don't have this product in store, online only". I can't check online whether the shoes I want are going to fit, whether the strap is going to be long enough, etc. Maybe clothing and and shoe shops should start a service where you can order an item to try in a store without having to pay full price for it straight away? Yes, I know you can a refund when you return the item, but I don't want to wait even up to a month for my money to be back in my account. "
I like this as an idea  |
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"I expect an efficient service, not making me wait longer than necessary just because you have to discuss the latest gossip with your colleague. If it's a computer issue, that's understandable, sometimes they do have life of their own and get awkward. Just make me aware of that. I like to be acknowledged when I'm waiting to be served (that's when I'm next in the queue but they need to do something else first, like get something from the back)- though this is more in pubs or cafes- I have been known to walk out without ordering if the person at the till where to busy doing god knows what rather than serving. If they acknowledged I was there and said something like "sorry, will be with you shortly", that's different. It's when there is nobody else to be served, you're standing at the till like an idiot and they keep ignoring you, that's when it gets too much, and my patience runs out very fast then.
I get that working in retail or service industry is not the easiest job, but nobody is making them do it.
Good God .............. you are me.... "
Lol. I'll take this as a compliment?  |
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