Music store rant...that's not about GC

[Nick JD]

While they sorted out the cash register thing, I would have gone and cranked up an amp, "un-tuned" a guitar and played Smoke on the Water followed by Sweet Child of Mine and then Stairway to Heaven.

They'd have the register thing fixed in nanoseconds.

[pottedmeat42]

I would have done *exactly* what you did. Clearly the folks running the store see themselves as merely clerks. There are 100 different ways that they could have fulfilled their primary responsibility - CUSTOMER SERVICE. They are not in COMPUTER SERVICE. Act like it was the old days folks! I am in IT management for a large retail chain & I fought tooth & nail to ensure that every register kept the old fasioned carbon copy receipt books & manual card swipe devices JUST FOR THESE TYPES OF OCCASIONS. There is no excuse for semi-rational humans to sacrifice their thinking abilities at the alter of the CRT. Rant mode off! =jason

[morroben]

TGT, you handled things just fine. I probably would have done pretty much the same thing.
At the same time, I'm not really surprised by their actions. I worked in a couple of chain retail stores in high school and college and it taught me a lot about how these things work. They don't have any real incentive to help you.
It's one of the advantages to the Mom & Pop stores. If Mr. Sam Ash was in the store, or might be there the next time you come in, then doing business and keeping you happy so you'll return are the #1 priority.
These large chains don't go by the same rules...the cashier is sticking to protocol, because the manager is right there. The manager is sticking to protocol because he probably has a district manager that he answers to, and was brought up through the ranks of protocol following as well. These people probably all had training manuals that taught them what to do in various situations...those training manuals always assume that computers and registers work 100% of the time.
At least that's how it all worked in the big chains I worked in.
The downside of the Mom & Pop stores around here is selection.
Anyway, hope you find some strings soon. I hate playing dead strings.

[Telephx]

Originally Posted by superbadj

well, in their defense, if they only had one register open, and it was tied up, they couldn't have rang you up.

Bad Business- and more of the dumbing down of our culture. I want to buy a soda at the gas station, but there's no electricity. Sign on the door says so. Of course the gas pumps and registers don't work, but you know i buy a soda there every single frickin day. get the soda out of the cooler, take $1.75 to the front counter ( actual price is $1.69- told you i buy one every frickin day).

"We can sell anything sir, there's no power." Oh, you can't take the money and put it in a cigar box or something? "The computer keeps our inventory- everything will be all messed up if we sell something without the register."

overheard on my way out the door " somebody lock the door until the power comes back on so we don't have to deal with that"

I don't buy a soda there anymore.... ever.

[Larry F]

I don't put my money down on the counter and walk out out of concern that the employees will think I'm being rude to them. I've seen too much small suffering to want to add to it. People working behind a counter aren't doing it as a career, so I try to make it easy on them when I can. I'm not making any recommendations, just offering another point of view.

[Nick JD]

Originally Posted by Telephx

"We can sell anything sir, there's no power." Oh, you can't take the money and put it in a cigar box or something? "The computer keeps our inventory- everything will be all messed up if we sell something without the register."

Now I understand why they can't sell something and ring it up later. If you leave the shop with a bar-code that wasn't scanned, there's no other way to balance the accounts. It would show up as "shoplifted" or get some employee in trouble.

Maybe ask for scissors and cut out the bar-code! Problem solved.

[garytelecastor]

I don't know, but if it had been me I probably would have waited while they figured things out and when I got to the register said something to the manager about waiting, politely, and more than likely you probably could have gotten one set of the strings free. IMHO/YMMV

I'm a cheap SOB and I try to get as much free as possible in life. You know, came into the world with nothing, can't take nothing with you.

[rhinocaster]

Having worked behind the counter at a music store and now back in a print shop, here is what I would have done.

Once I had help, I would have let the manager deal with the register, and I would have explained to the other customers the reason for the delay. If they wanted to pay and didn't need a receipt, I would have taken their money and scanned the same strings (From the shelf) into the computer once things were up and running again.

I'm picturing a bunch of people standing around the non functional register and nobody talking to the customers.

Not good.

[Larry F]

What hasn't been addressed is store policy. Is it possible that the employees are required to do it their way--that is, not improvise in the ways that have been suggested? Maybe they were afraid of being fired by not following the rules.

I also wonder why this is an us versus them situation. Why is it necessary to demand customer satisfaction? Why not accept the situation at face value and do everything one can to make things easier for the employees? Go strum a few guitars while they sort it out? I've got a fantastic job and feel blessed that I don't have to work behind a cash register. It is in my power to make things as easy for those employees as I can. Make a joke, look at some sheet music, tell them thanks for working it out when they are done. Make the employees go home with a better outlook on the day's events, rather than being stressed and worried.

[Intonator]

Playing the devils advocate for a minute.....

First off, the item did not come to $10.00
Probably less, but now the person who closes has to remember/figure out where the extra change came from. They won't balance.

The fact that the items were not scanned, means that even tho you purchased them, inventory will still be showing two more than they actually have.
Again, unless someone remembers to scan in two packs later on, but the fact that they are having terminal problem and trying to remedy that, the chance of remembering who bought what is very slim.

Most chains like that require a name and, at least , a zip code of the buyer.
This of course is to help track sales, but none the less, it is a store policy that could mean the firing of an employee if not met.

And on that same note, the guy/gal at the door has probably been instructed NO ONE goes through with an item without a receipt, or it's your job.

Just something to think about.

[beach bob]

At the risk of beating a dead horse...

I dunno if I would have waited. I am certainly not the most patient person in the world, and haven't always been on my best behavior in a retail store, but lately I've been working on it.

IMO, the music store could have a way of dealing w/ down computers... if they recognized the lost sales and put the tools needed into the hands of the employees. Down here in FL, I've been through several hurricanes. And a day or two after it blows through, there's the trusty Home Depot up and running without electricity. They operate out of the parking lot; selling just the commonly needed post-storm stuff, which is sitting on pallets. EVERTHING gets hand written on a form, the credit card numbers are put down, and they are able to make sales. Tedious and time consuming? Long checkout lines? Heck yeah, but people are accomodating and patient, when that's the only real option they have. The store did hand out free water to those standing in the 90deg. sun; good for them.

Any music store could have a form to hand write sales when the puters go down; you'd get your pink copy to show the goth chick at the exit door, and all would be right with the world

[jonzer]

Originally Posted by Dave W

Bingo!

You don't need three people trying to fix a problem with one register when you have a customer waiting and other registers you can open. Period.

I don't know how it works at Sam Ash but try to have this understanding next time there's a problem and you wonder why they didn't open another register.

Where I work I close a register when it gets closer to closing time. That leaves us with one working register. If we get a line then we're kinda screwed. Can I open another register? Sure, after waiting on the time delay safe so I can get the drawer with the cash in it to the register so I can actually do business. So I don't open another register.

If we do get a line then I'll stay by the cashier to make conversation with the waiting customers or take over her register myself so I can move people out quickly.

It's not as easy as just opening another register, or leaving your money on the counter and walking away.

[sanhozay]

Wal Mart is showing a profit this quarter.

[Jakedog]

I think many of us are saying the same things, just differently.

Sometime you can't open another register, sometimes power's out, and all the computers are down, sometimes there is a system freeze, etc.

When I worked for big-box music store, we did have physical, paper, deal books so that we could make sales in these situations. The only time we didn't stay open, and keep selling, was in the case of a complete power outtage once. No lights and no windows makes for a very dark store, and lots of liability issues. So everybody had to leave. As for the rest, I think not being able to do physical, paper transactions, is very stupid, poor planning, and poor customer service from the word go.

HOWEVER, not everybody in the world sees things my way, and that is something I'm working on getting better at accepting. Even so, what I find absolutely inexcusable, is that nobody was at least talking to a waiting customer, and keeping them in the loop. I don't mind waiting if I have time, as long as somebody acknowledges that I am there, and let's me know why. It takes two freakin' seconds to look up, and say "sorry for the wait sir, we're having a little trouble with the computer, and we'll get you out of here as soon as we can." Something like that, said in a sincere and pleasant tone, will get a smile, and a "thank you" from me everytime. It is also customer service 101. Period. NEVER ignore a customer, or assume that they know what's going on. For crying out loud, speak to people.


Jake

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by jonzer

I don't know how it works at Sam Ash but try to have this understanding next time there's a problem and you wonder why they didn't open another register.

Where I work I close a register when it gets closer to closing time. That leaves us with one working register. If we get a line then we're kinda screwed. Can I open another register? Sure, after waiting on the time delay safe so I can get the drawer with the cash in it to the register so I can actually do business. So I don't open another register.

If we do get a line then I'll stay by the cashier to make conversation with the waiting customers or take over her register myself so I can move people out quickly.

I've had no such problems with Sam Ash in San Antonio, but if a company makes it difficult for its employees to provide good customer service by making it impossible to open another register on short notice, then that's the company's problem, not the customer's problem.

Believe it or not, there are companies out there who make it their goal to check people out quickly, no matter how long they've taken to shop. There are companies who will open up a new register immediately if more than 2 or 3 people are standing in line. I enjoy shopping at stores like that. Your employer obviously isn't one of them.

Originally Posted by jonzer

It's not as easy as just opening another register, or leaving your money on the counter and walking away.

It's easy for me! I won't tolerate that.

[jonzer]

Originally Posted by Jakedog

HOWEVER, not everybody in the world sees things my way, and that is something I'm working on getting better at accepting. Even so, what I find absolutely inexcusable, is that nobody was at least talking to a waiting customer, and keeping them in the loop. I don't mind waiting if I have time, as long as somebody acknowledges that I am there, and let's me know why. It takes two freakin' seconds to look up, and say "sorry for the wait sir, we're having a little trouble with the computer, and we'll get you out of here as soon as we can." Something like that, said in a sincere and pleasant tone, will get a smile, and a "thank you" from me everytime. It is also customer service 101. Period. NEVER ignore a customer, or assume that they know what's going on. For crying out loud, speak to people.


Jake

I totally agree with you there. It is inexcusable not to let the customer in on the loop. You don't have to give detail for detail as customers won't understand everything you have to do...but you can explain it in a rudimentary way without talking down to them. At the very least acknowledge you're aware you're inconveniencing them and apologize.

During the day and early evening we keep more than one register open. If there is only one person working one of those and three people get in line then somebody has to jump on another register.
We only have one working in the last hour of the day's business unless it's real busy when I'm closing and I'll keep the second register open longer. When it slows down and more than three people decide to enter and check out at the same time then we're just kinda stuck. But we usually move them quickly.

We're a rental place so putting your money down isn't so simple. I have to actually scan the item so that exact copy is rented to that exact customer with the exact due date, etc. Also, I have to go into their account to make sure they don't owe us money and they're not allowed to rent until it's paid.

Working retail can be a pain in the butt, but it's not a hard job.