One thing that drives me crazy is getting asked about the merchandise. For some of the items, I know quite a bit about them. And it is fine if I get asked questions. When the questions keep coming after I have declared that I do not know the first answer...I probably don't know the next ones. "No, I do not know what it is made of." "Probably made in China." "Nope, haven't tried it."
I do not have access to taste testing each food product we sell. I have to purchase those, and I am on a limited income. I am not the manufacturer, and do not know any more than you do what is put into those ingredients. Nor do I know what something is made of.
The running joke a few years back was that workers made all the merchandise in the back of the building. We were getting asked often if we had made the items for sale.
Customers also do not seem to understand that a made in Alaska item is expensive. You don't work for pennies, do you? Neither do Alaskans. Most of the items you will find in tourist traps come from China. It's just a fact. Very few people are really willing to may $200 for a piece of ivory. That's how it is.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Is it Good?
When in a candy store, or a bakery, or even a restaurant, there is a certain way of asking questions that gets better results than others. All the time, I get asked, "Is such and such good?"
Now, that is not an intelligent question to ask. Any clerk will say, "Why yes, it's great!" Even if they honestly think it tastes awful. A clerk will want to promote the product at first talk. A much better question is, "What do you like?" or "What is it like?" This requires the clerk to talk about the product and describe it. In asking in that way, it is much easier to get a feel for how the clerk does feel about the product. It also opens up more dialogue in general. If I get asked what I like in the candy case, I can tell you right away. If I sense you are open to more discussion, I will expand on my first words. But if you ask me if a candy is good, it may not be one of my favorites, and I will still say, "yes."
Now, that is not an intelligent question to ask. Any clerk will say, "Why yes, it's great!" Even if they honestly think it tastes awful. A clerk will want to promote the product at first talk. A much better question is, "What do you like?" or "What is it like?" This requires the clerk to talk about the product and describe it. In asking in that way, it is much easier to get a feel for how the clerk does feel about the product. It also opens up more dialogue in general. If I get asked what I like in the candy case, I can tell you right away. If I sense you are open to more discussion, I will expand on my first words. But if you ask me if a candy is good, it may not be one of my favorites, and I will still say, "yes."
No Empty Tills!
When a customer needs to get checked out, they often go to the register. Most of the time, I have no problem with this. Customers usually find where they need to go, and we send them out the door. I get a little peeved when I wait and wait at the till for several minutes, as some customers look ready to go. As soon as I walk away from the till....they are ready to get rung up.
A worse peeve I have, is when we have two tills. When Summertime hits, we get two. Without fail, as soon as we pull out the second register, and stand behind it, all customers go to the first one. And if we are camped out at #1, they go to #2. Do you normally go to the empty register at the grocery store? No! So why do it at my place?
I once got asked, "Can I pay anywhere?" Mmm, no, I don't have 100s of dollars in my pocket for change. Sorry. Once I told the customer that I had a till in said place, I got a "Oh really?"
As a customer, look around for a register near the clerks. If you are confused, ask a clerk. We are very happy to ring you up. Don't walk over to an unattended register and stand there. Sometimes it can be effective, but a lot of the time, it's just aggravating, and oftentimes, we can't help you there anyway.
A worse peeve I have, is when we have two tills. When Summertime hits, we get two. Without fail, as soon as we pull out the second register, and stand behind it, all customers go to the first one. And if we are camped out at #1, they go to #2. Do you normally go to the empty register at the grocery store? No! So why do it at my place?
I once got asked, "Can I pay anywhere?" Mmm, no, I don't have 100s of dollars in my pocket for change. Sorry. Once I told the customer that I had a till in said place, I got a "Oh really?"
As a customer, look around for a register near the clerks. If you are confused, ask a clerk. We are very happy to ring you up. Don't walk over to an unattended register and stand there. Sometimes it can be effective, but a lot of the time, it's just aggravating, and oftentimes, we can't help you there anyway.
Summer's Coming
Well, another Summer season is upon us. And it is very apparent. Weird customers have been popping up more. The t-shirts in the back have been repeatedly demolished. We're getting stupid questions more often. But, lucky me, I get to leave the state for 2 weeks to get away from it! And then it's full time into Summer. Then I will have more stories to tell...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
This IS a real job
Originally posted on my personal blog July 26, 2008.
Just because I work as a candy counter girl in a tourist shop doesn't mean that I'm a high schooler with no ambition. Maybe there's a reason I don't pursue a better job right now...so that I can get a better job faster? Right now, my employment is treating me well (well, that could be questioned =P) I have a good boss, good coworkers, but the best part is the schedule. I can work as much or as little as I want during the school year. So, as I have done the past 2 years, I will be going to school full time and working every couple of days. If I were to work full time elsewhere, I would not be done with my AA degree and would still be floundering around, hoping to pass my classes. Basically, this is the best employment for me right now. I will still get a paycheck but be working on my schooling full time. My boss won't push me to work any more than I want, ever. Where else in town can I get a job like that?
I had a customer tonight who was the icing on the cake after several irritating customers. He was like, "When you grow up, what's your real job going to be?"
I started seething inside.
For one thing, I do have a real job. While it's not a 9-5 office job, it pays my bills and I have worked here for 2 and a half years continuously. I consider that to be a real job to me. I realize that I am still very young. I look young. I work with young coworkers. But. I am a college student. Married and living on my own. I have a steady job. The satisfaction I felt when saying I was working on becoming an accountant and saying I'm halfway there and seeing the surprise on that guy's face was slightly nice, but not really worth having to go through the conversation!
I dunno, it was totally not a big deal, but I do get sick of being treated like I am twelve for working retail.
Just because I work as a candy counter girl in a tourist shop doesn't mean that I'm a high schooler with no ambition. Maybe there's a reason I don't pursue a better job right now...so that I can get a better job faster? Right now, my employment is treating me well (well, that could be questioned =P) I have a good boss, good coworkers, but the best part is the schedule. I can work as much or as little as I want during the school year. So, as I have done the past 2 years, I will be going to school full time and working every couple of days. If I were to work full time elsewhere, I would not be done with my AA degree and would still be floundering around, hoping to pass my classes. Basically, this is the best employment for me right now. I will still get a paycheck but be working on my schooling full time. My boss won't push me to work any more than I want, ever. Where else in town can I get a job like that?
I had a customer tonight who was the icing on the cake after several irritating customers. He was like, "When you grow up, what's your real job going to be?"
I started seething inside.
For one thing, I do have a real job. While it's not a 9-5 office job, it pays my bills and I have worked here for 2 and a half years continuously. I consider that to be a real job to me. I realize that I am still very young. I look young. I work with young coworkers. But. I am a college student. Married and living on my own. I have a steady job. The satisfaction I felt when saying I was working on becoming an accountant and saying I'm halfway there and seeing the surprise on that guy's face was slightly nice, but not really worth having to go through the conversation!
I dunno, it was totally not a big deal, but I do get sick of being treated like I am twelve for working retail.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Joran
Sometime last year, a father brought in his son to get candy. They turned out to be locals, and that turned out to be unfortunate for us.
Son is about 6 or 7 years of age, and comes in after 3:30, after school is out for the day. His father has a 1 dollar bill for the kid to spend. There is not much for the kid to get, even after pointing at the chocolate in the case and is denied. He decides he wants jelly beans. His father opens the bins for him as we look on. To our shock, said child reaches in with his hand to taste, and to grab jelly beans for his bag. Repeated chastisement later, we got the kid out the door, with a $.98 purchase. We breathed a sigh of relief, after much discussion.
A week or two later, who walks in, but the kid and his dad. Same thing, 1 dollar to spend. Except this time, the kid was loud, yelling across the store, "Dad, Dad, DAD!" and his dad totally ignored him. Meanwhile, it is impossible to ignore him from the workers' point of view. We learned a new tidbit that day: the kid does the same thing (grabbing, whiney), and also has a name, Joran.
Hearing that name soon sparked terror in our hearts. Seeing the door open to those two was enough to make us want to run away. We came to know him by name, and always had our guard up when he walked in. Who knew a little boy could strike such terror in the hearts of women?
And then one day several months ago, we never saw him again.....and we don't miss him at all.
Son is about 6 or 7 years of age, and comes in after 3:30, after school is out for the day. His father has a 1 dollar bill for the kid to spend. There is not much for the kid to get, even after pointing at the chocolate in the case and is denied. He decides he wants jelly beans. His father opens the bins for him as we look on. To our shock, said child reaches in with his hand to taste, and to grab jelly beans for his bag. Repeated chastisement later, we got the kid out the door, with a $.98 purchase. We breathed a sigh of relief, after much discussion.
A week or two later, who walks in, but the kid and his dad. Same thing, 1 dollar to spend. Except this time, the kid was loud, yelling across the store, "Dad, Dad, DAD!" and his dad totally ignored him. Meanwhile, it is impossible to ignore him from the workers' point of view. We learned a new tidbit that day: the kid does the same thing (grabbing, whiney), and also has a name, Joran.
Hearing that name soon sparked terror in our hearts. Seeing the door open to those two was enough to make us want to run away. We came to know him by name, and always had our guard up when he walked in. Who knew a little boy could strike such terror in the hearts of women?
And then one day several months ago, we never saw him again.....and we don't miss him at all.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Getting Hit on
Today I was chatting with a normal looking man in his 30s. He was with his daughter who was at least 11, probably closer to 12 or 13, but I was not sure, as she seemed small for her age. He had a strange accent, but she did not. He was rather clueless on some things, asking me what different stone rings were made of, and confused as to how mood rings worked.
I sold him a $1.50 ring, and he look at me and says, "Every guy needs a ring, don't you think?" I agreed, to be nice and conversational. And then the man continued, "So he isn't hit on by girls, because he is handsome." By this point, I was looking at him incredulously, and so was his daughter, who promptly left the store at this point. He walked out and I shook my head at his tenacity.
I sold him a $1.50 ring, and he look at me and says, "Every guy needs a ring, don't you think?" I agreed, to be nice and conversational. And then the man continued, "So he isn't hit on by girls, because he is handsome." By this point, I was looking at him incredulously, and so was his daughter, who promptly left the store at this point. He walked out and I shook my head at his tenacity.
How to walk up a street
I had an interesting exchange with a "local" the other day. As a reference, the store is in the main business district of town.
Local: "Does the business pick up in the summertime?"
Me: "Yes, of course."
Local: "I've lived here for 25 years."
Me: *nod*
Local: "How do the tourists get here?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Local: "How do they find you guys?"
Me: "You mean the street?!"
Local: "Yes! How do they find their way up here?"
Me: "I dunno..." Thinking: How did you find your way here? You drove or walked...
Not sure if my point came across, but he basically was asking me how people find the main business district...for one, there is a sign. And plenty of tourists find their way.
Local: "Does the business pick up in the summertime?"
Me: "Yes, of course."
Local: "I've lived here for 25 years."
Me: *nod*
Local: "How do the tourists get here?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Local: "How do they find you guys?"
Me: "You mean the street?!"
Local: "Yes! How do they find their way up here?"
Me: "I dunno..." Thinking: How did you find your way here? You drove or walked...
Not sure if my point came across, but he basically was asking me how people find the main business district...for one, there is a sign. And plenty of tourists find their way.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
I hate retail Valentines Day
Twas a typical Valentine's Day at work today. Men rushing in, glancing over the chocolate, grabbing a box and leaving. Women rushing in, meticulously taking their time picking out pieces of candy that are only going to be devoured in a matter of hours.
And then, chaos struck. The candy box guys showed up. These are two men that work on the slope, who buy candy with company money. They always want several boxes made up. Today was no exception. And, without exception, they manage to always bring a ton of people in with them. The store will be dead before they arrive. And once they walk in the door, we get slammed. They come in every couple months, and every time this happens. I can only think of one exception.
They came in today, and we were overwhelmed with customers, my boss and I, all wanting candy at once. I made 3 boxes for the first man and my boss started in on the 2nd. Not sure how many she made. At least 4. All the while, the customers left out are getting more and more agitated. I hate it when that happens. If you all would spend more money all the time, we could have more help on a day like today!
We finally got all of the customers out the door. And then it happened again. And again. I filled candy all day, and made boxes.
Some other highlights:
- A man walks in, "Is the candy straight from the Amazon?" "Mmm, no, ---" "Oh well, better get my antioxidant fix."
- A hard of hearing Native man who when I give him a choice (Milk, or dark?) responds with "yes". Therefore, you will take what I give you and like it. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer, I don't have time to waste on questioning you.
- My boss dealt with a man who was so indecisive and unsure of what to get that she had to help him along. "You have 3 pieces. You need 12 more. What else would you like?" "I thought you were going to pick them..*confused*" Um. No, we don't know what your wife likes. "Well, is coconut ok?" "NO, she hates coconut!" There you go. At least you know her that well.
- Old hippie guy started playing one of our wooden flutes in the store. Kinda obnoxious, but he was in the other room. We could handle it. He purchased it and his wife says, "Why don't you play your flute, honey?" *Resume playing for 5 minutes while they wander the store.* Please...go outside.
Definitely an obnoxious day today. We made lots of money, but it felt just like summer already. I am so not eager for that to start again. I hate Valentine's Day in retail
And then, chaos struck. The candy box guys showed up. These are two men that work on the slope, who buy candy with company money. They always want several boxes made up. Today was no exception. And, without exception, they manage to always bring a ton of people in with them. The store will be dead before they arrive. And once they walk in the door, we get slammed. They come in every couple months, and every time this happens. I can only think of one exception.
They came in today, and we were overwhelmed with customers, my boss and I, all wanting candy at once. I made 3 boxes for the first man and my boss started in on the 2nd. Not sure how many she made. At least 4. All the while, the customers left out are getting more and more agitated. I hate it when that happens. If you all would spend more money all the time, we could have more help on a day like today!
We finally got all of the customers out the door. And then it happened again. And again. I filled candy all day, and made boxes.
Some other highlights:
- A man walks in, "Is the candy straight from the Amazon?" "Mmm, no, ---" "Oh well, better get my antioxidant fix."
- A hard of hearing Native man who when I give him a choice (Milk, or dark?) responds with "yes". Therefore, you will take what I give you and like it. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer, I don't have time to waste on questioning you.
- My boss dealt with a man who was so indecisive and unsure of what to get that she had to help him along. "You have 3 pieces. You need 12 more. What else would you like?" "I thought you were going to pick them..*confused*" Um. No, we don't know what your wife likes. "Well, is coconut ok?" "NO, she hates coconut!" There you go. At least you know her that well.
- Old hippie guy started playing one of our wooden flutes in the store. Kinda obnoxious, but he was in the other room. We could handle it. He purchased it and his wife says, "Why don't you play your flute, honey?" *Resume playing for 5 minutes while they wander the store.* Please...go outside.
Definitely an obnoxious day today. We made lots of money, but it felt just like summer already. I am so not eager for that to start again. I hate Valentine's Day in retail
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