As someone who has worked customer service jobs, I usually have a high level of patience with people not doing their jobs. The way the guy on the speaker spoke, he sounded like a stoner. I suspect the long delay was with people in front of me having similar issues dealing with these guys. I don't even know what they were doing in there but I strongly suspect it had to do with having some premade food lying around.
This happened around the holiday season a few years ago. The Macy's department store had recently taken over Marshall Field's around Chicago, and despite that I'm not rich enough to usually shop at Marshall Field's besides for taking friends visiting from other lands to the big one downtown as part of my standard tour of Chicago, I was suspicious of the takeover. Shopping for a watch for my then girlfriend, while buying other gifts at one of the many shopping malls in the suburbs, I decided to pop into the Macy's to see what they had. The sales woman was busy with other customers when I arrived, but finally she came around. I told her what I wanted, a woman's watch that was nice, not overtly feminine, somewhat utilitarian and durable but not a plastic sports watch, and whatever other descriptors I had. I also told her that I was hoping to keep it under 50 dollars, 60 tops (I was a penniless college student, ok?). She shows me a few that I'm not really taking too, and without the demeanour befitting a jewellery saleswoman, when my eyes fall on a Victorinox in a display case. It was more then a little out of my price range (no where near the prices I'm seeing now for new Victorinox's online, closer to 110), but it looked very much like the kind of thing suiting her, I had a new credit card, and I tend to be an terrible impulse buyer at times.
My tone and everything conveyed interest, so I asked her if I could see it. This woman was taking ages finding the keys. She tried several on her ring, but none of them fit the lock. She went off a bit. Also I kept track of the time and also there was a good 15 minute window of me standing around with nobody about. She apologised for the trouble a few times and I assured her as warmly as possible not to worry, as I knew how things could be in retail. She really didn't look like she was in that much of a hurry to help me. In fact, she even spoke with her other customers during this time. Finally, she found the key.
Now, I've worked sales jobs before. I know that one of the best strategies is to let the owner handle the product and create a sense of ownership so that when you go to take the product back then they are more anxious to pay for it. At the very least I wanted to examine the weight and built of this watch, and examine some of the workmanship up close. If she had done any thing to lure me or express interest in me, the buyer, I probably would have bought it. Instead she takes it out of the case, wraps it firmly around her hand, and says, 'see?' Keep in mind that from the time I initially approached the counter until now, a good 30 minutes had passed. I should have made a sarcastic comment about how obviously she didn't actually want to sell me anything. Instead I just frowned, shook my head, left, and ended up finding a very nice watch that was inside of my price range from one of the kiosks in the mall.
Everyone seems to be up on the fact that it's so wrong that I told the guy off. Here is a reply I finally made to someone:
I told him off and left. I tried working a job as a waiter once. I was really bad at it. A couple customers told me off. I understood why they did that, because I wasn't able to memorise the menu and options on items quickly enough (which yes is part of the job) or keep track of the multiple tables needing food and drink refills at different times, etc. I understood why they were irate, took their replies as justified, and also I took that as an indication that I wasn't a very good waiter. I found another job. That's it.
Seriously, who cares?
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