Today, I had a really catty customer. She asked me if we had a perfume called 'Cachet' by Prince Matchabelli. (She was saying Machiavella, but I knew what she meant.) I proceeded to tell her that, no we did not, but suggested she tried online as I knew a few online stores stock it. She then called me an idiot, and proceeded to look up and down my fragrance section, looking for it.
I know the wall like the back of my hand. I've remerchandised it three times a year for the past 3 years, since I transferred to my store, and I clean, tidy, and sell from it 5 days a week. She then wandered off to ask someone who doesn't work on the beauty section (I look after fragrance, electrical stuff like ladyshaves and the cosmetics section in my store, with my 3 colleagues), who then came back and asked me 'do you do etcetc.' to which I obviously responded "No, sorry, we do not." - very much aware that this was the same customer.
She then proceeded to ask 4 other members of staff (all female, as males dont know ANYTHING about ladies fragrance or cosmetics obviously, regardless of my training or 6 years experience..) and told two of them that 'he doesn't know anything so don't ask him'.
Finally, one of my colleagues explained to her that I'd worked on the section for a long time and knew all the fragrances 'inside-out' (her words, not mine. I blushed
). She wanted the manager and wanted to make a complaint to him about the service she'd received.
All we did was tell her we dont stock something, very politely!
And then there is saggy-face. She's a repeat offender that has made 3 people that work in our store cry. She's horrible to anyone and everyone, making ridiculous demands (I checked when we were due a delivery of a certain item, and it said that it was due in on that day, but we don't get our delivery until the store closes - and she told me I'd need to go and get it off the lorry for her immediately because it was important that she got it as it was on buy-one-get-one-free! I dont drive, so I wouldn't even have been able to go to the other side of the town to the warehouse! And she then threw her usual stroppy fit and left.)
She's raised her daughters to be the same as her. I've seen her and them in supermarkets and restaurants acting like complete bitches. I really want to put her in her place, but I can't because we are all about customer service, killing them with kindness as my manager calls it.
I love it when my regular lovelies come in though. Like Sue*, who brings her little puppy (not such a puppy any more - I have no idea what kind of dog it is, its face looks all folded up and creased but its so cute!) and asks about new perfumes and if theres anything she would like, and always ends up buying about 5! Or Joan* who comes in and spends ages chatting to us and updating us on her physio, and is just wonderful in general. And the little lady whose name I never learned, who always buys truckloads of the same cleanser and toner. She must have a cupboard full of it, but she always comes in looking for me.
*(not using their real names)
