Hi, All -
Long story short is impossible - apologies in advance. Hired early October as a seasonal cashier. Within three weeks, was pulled to "cross train" in Guest Services. and, also given several new cashiers to "train." Guest Services cross-training was really comical - "Here is how to do a simple return, now good luck." Within another week, ALL of my hours are closing guest services shifts. I've done my best to learn the nuances and essentially train myself to handle whatever might arise at Guest Services. My "training" has been subject to many different opinions on many different ways to do things, and my job is generally micromanaged like crazy. I took the time to read the guest services manual, and I believe I know the proper way to conduct a return and myself while doing it.
As an aside: My ETL has given me nothing but amazing feedback, both as a cashier and at Guest Services. Says "my personality is perfectly suited to guest services." LOD through many of my closing shifts has personally come to me to tell me I've done a great job and that the place looked amazing. Another ETL who had a "visit" came to me to say that the Bullseye Spot received high praise from their "visitor" and that she was told to pass that on to whomever had zoned it the night before. (That was me.) As a rule, I try to be upbeat with guests, find some common ground and try to be chatty if they are open to that. I generally have a great deal of fun interacting with guests in this way. At the front lanes, can honestly say I have never had a rude or crappy guest. Always pleasant. Ironically, the rudest people I encounter are gstl's and gsa's, along with a few of the longer tenured employees . . . but that's another story for another post.
Enter Guest Services. Day after Black Friday - worked overnight shift on Black Friday. Opened this morning - scheduled completely alone, mind you. It was like a bomb went off back there - stuff stuck everywhere; nothing sorted. Rotting food. Counters full of reshop. Horrendous. I'm exhausted and I suppose not as cheerful as I usually am or like to be. Just quiet and kind of doing my job.
My four thousandth guest arrives (she's about 70 years old) and throws two items down on the counter and pronounces that she was mischarged by about 50 cents for each item. She's literally growling about a sign that said they were priced lower than she was charged. I begin by looking at her receipt, pressing price inquiry to find out what the computer says, and then I simply agreed that the price she was charged was higher than this sign she saw said. I asked her where the sign was and what it said - trying to understand what she saw, without actually seeing it. She does not want to be questioned, and takes a pad out of her bag and writes my name down. She then tells me "I love writing nasty letters about horrible, argumentative employees like you." I tried to take her down to zero, but telling her that I wasn't trying to argue with her, I was just wanting to know more about the sign - (I was told that if something has rung up wrong, we needed to find out where it was and let that department know so that they could either take down the sign, or fix the computer.) She kept screaming about writing a letter, and then she wanted to see my manager - I agreed that if she wanted to write a letter, that was her perogative, and I immediately called over the walkie for a GSTL. In about a nano-second, the LOD appears beside the customer, who is still ranting. LOD escorts the guest off and I assume fixes her issue.
Ten minutes later, I am summoned to a meeting with the LOD and my GSTL who begin telling me that I was entirely rude to the guest - the LOD claimed to have watched the entire encounter - that I should not have questioned the guest about the sign. I explained where my question came from - my actual training. The pair then told me that I should not question 50 cents, that I should have just refunded her money with no questions asked. So I apologized and then my GSTL pipes in that guest services scores have been down, ironically since I began working there. I asked if I was the direct cause of that, and GSTL said, "I'm not saying that." Then, LOD says that I have had many complaints that I am abrasive, and that she didn't believe it until today. Okay, I thought. Then, GSTL chimes in that he has received numerous guest complaints, as well. Now, I'm confused, so I asked when he received those complaints - he and I have worked several closing shifts together. He said "I can't really remember."
Then, suddenly, the meeting was over, and I was free to go to lunch. As I walked past guest services (and the line that extended beyond the front lanes), I got a little peeved - not just because of the content of the conversation, but the lack of concrete details that accompanied some of the "feedback." Of course, the ETL who hired me and loves me (and put me at guest services) is off today, so I've got to suck it up . . . but, I can't help wondering,
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Honestly feel so bullied, abused, double-teamed on an already terrible day, which makes me feel even more exhausted and not myself. Feel like Guest Services has gone down the sh*tter since I came after this conversation. I'm feeling pretty funky . . . and alot like quitting. Input appreciated - please just don't tell me I'm abrasive. LOL.
Thanks all -
Long story short is impossible - apologies in advance. Hired early October as a seasonal cashier. Within three weeks, was pulled to "cross train" in Guest Services. and, also given several new cashiers to "train." Guest Services cross-training was really comical - "Here is how to do a simple return, now good luck." Within another week, ALL of my hours are closing guest services shifts. I've done my best to learn the nuances and essentially train myself to handle whatever might arise at Guest Services. My "training" has been subject to many different opinions on many different ways to do things, and my job is generally micromanaged like crazy. I took the time to read the guest services manual, and I believe I know the proper way to conduct a return and myself while doing it.
As an aside: My ETL has given me nothing but amazing feedback, both as a cashier and at Guest Services. Says "my personality is perfectly suited to guest services." LOD through many of my closing shifts has personally come to me to tell me I've done a great job and that the place looked amazing. Another ETL who had a "visit" came to me to say that the Bullseye Spot received high praise from their "visitor" and that she was told to pass that on to whomever had zoned it the night before. (That was me.) As a rule, I try to be upbeat with guests, find some common ground and try to be chatty if they are open to that. I generally have a great deal of fun interacting with guests in this way. At the front lanes, can honestly say I have never had a rude or crappy guest. Always pleasant. Ironically, the rudest people I encounter are gstl's and gsa's, along with a few of the longer tenured employees . . . but that's another story for another post.
Enter Guest Services. Day after Black Friday - worked overnight shift on Black Friday. Opened this morning - scheduled completely alone, mind you. It was like a bomb went off back there - stuff stuck everywhere; nothing sorted. Rotting food. Counters full of reshop. Horrendous. I'm exhausted and I suppose not as cheerful as I usually am or like to be. Just quiet and kind of doing my job.
My four thousandth guest arrives (she's about 70 years old) and throws two items down on the counter and pronounces that she was mischarged by about 50 cents for each item. She's literally growling about a sign that said they were priced lower than she was charged. I begin by looking at her receipt, pressing price inquiry to find out what the computer says, and then I simply agreed that the price she was charged was higher than this sign she saw said. I asked her where the sign was and what it said - trying to understand what she saw, without actually seeing it. She does not want to be questioned, and takes a pad out of her bag and writes my name down. She then tells me "I love writing nasty letters about horrible, argumentative employees like you." I tried to take her down to zero, but telling her that I wasn't trying to argue with her, I was just wanting to know more about the sign - (I was told that if something has rung up wrong, we needed to find out where it was and let that department know so that they could either take down the sign, or fix the computer.) She kept screaming about writing a letter, and then she wanted to see my manager - I agreed that if she wanted to write a letter, that was her perogative, and I immediately called over the walkie for a GSTL. In about a nano-second, the LOD appears beside the customer, who is still ranting. LOD escorts the guest off and I assume fixes her issue.
Ten minutes later, I am summoned to a meeting with the LOD and my GSTL who begin telling me that I was entirely rude to the guest - the LOD claimed to have watched the entire encounter - that I should not have questioned the guest about the sign. I explained where my question came from - my actual training. The pair then told me that I should not question 50 cents, that I should have just refunded her money with no questions asked. So I apologized and then my GSTL pipes in that guest services scores have been down, ironically since I began working there. I asked if I was the direct cause of that, and GSTL said, "I'm not saying that." Then, LOD says that I have had many complaints that I am abrasive, and that she didn't believe it until today. Okay, I thought. Then, GSTL chimes in that he has received numerous guest complaints, as well. Now, I'm confused, so I asked when he received those complaints - he and I have worked several closing shifts together. He said "I can't really remember."
Then, suddenly, the meeting was over, and I was free to go to lunch. As I walked past guest services (and the line that extended beyond the front lanes), I got a little peeved - not just because of the content of the conversation, but the lack of concrete details that accompanied some of the "feedback." Of course, the ETL who hired me and loves me (and put me at guest services) is off today, so I've got to suck it up . . . but, I can't help wondering,
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Honestly feel so bullied, abused, double-teamed on an already terrible day, which makes me feel even more exhausted and not myself. Feel like Guest Services has gone down the sh*tter since I came after this conversation. I'm feeling pretty funky . . . and alot like quitting. Input appreciated - please just don't tell me I'm abrasive. LOL.
Thanks all -
