Why is it that shops and supermarkets are heaving with customers to the point where it seems like the end of the world. Supermarkets and food shops are only closed for one day Christmas - and even then you could probably find a shop somewhere that is open.
I don't know about you but by the end of Christmas day the last thing I want is food. And the last place I want to go is a shop or supermarket. I have bought too much, feel bloated, overweight and uncomfortable. All I can think of is how much weight I put on and how long it will take me to get rid of it.
What has happened to buying one thing for each person on your list and making the most of the day rather than trying to outdo each other buying presents nobody wants and that will be forgotten about in a matter of hours.
What has happened to the our society? We have never had it so good, even in this recession but we are not happy, in fact, we are more depressed than ever.
Anyway,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - I hope that 2010 will be a happy and healtby year for you and your families.
Monday, 21 December 2009
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Who said that life is easy?
What a weekend this has been! Nothing to do with work just BT engineers, BT customer services and BT management.
Friday my broadband connection went. Great start to the daty Rang BT and they did send someone out quickly and it was free!
The engineer disconnected my modem from the extension and hooked it up to the main telephone line - that left me with no extension which I needed. But the broadband was working - yipee.
One problem sorted but the telephones decided to to pack up. It's funny how you have things for ages then nothing, gone, and everything goes at once. Yep, one phone after another - although I have had them for ages.
Tesco's have an inexpensive range of landlines. However, when I went to buy a new one all they had was phones with large numbers on them - and when I say large - you can see the numbers from another room. So that's what I bought, a few of them because I have 3 extensions and they all went, one after another. That cost me a small fortune.
Next problem, getting the landliens to fit into small corners - I suppose I could have nailed them to the wall but do I want to ruin my wall - no.
My problem with BT is trying to convince them that it was their engineer who disconnected my extension that I can no longer use. To reconnect it would cost £125 plus and I refuse to do it because the extension worked fine till the engineer disconnected it. I'll know tommorrow if the battle with BT continues. Whatever next????
Friday my broadband connection went. Great start to the daty Rang BT and they did send someone out quickly and it was free!
The engineer disconnected my modem from the extension and hooked it up to the main telephone line - that left me with no extension which I needed. But the broadband was working - yipee.
One problem sorted but the telephones decided to to pack up. It's funny how you have things for ages then nothing, gone, and everything goes at once. Yep, one phone after another - although I have had them for ages.
Tesco's have an inexpensive range of landlines. However, when I went to buy a new one all they had was phones with large numbers on them - and when I say large - you can see the numbers from another room. So that's what I bought, a few of them because I have 3 extensions and they all went, one after another. That cost me a small fortune.
Next problem, getting the landliens to fit into small corners - I suppose I could have nailed them to the wall but do I want to ruin my wall - no.
My problem with BT is trying to convince them that it was their engineer who disconnected my extension that I can no longer use. To reconnect it would cost £125 plus and I refuse to do it because the extension worked fine till the engineer disconnected it. I'll know tommorrow if the battle with BT continues. Whatever next????
Monday, 7 December 2009
Merry Christmas to Checkout Operators Everywhere
Don't you just love this time of year? Festive decorations, lots of nice things on the shelves of stores, supermarkets and decorations everywhere. But where is the season of goodwill when it comes to Checkout Operators?
This Christmas, when you are buying your shopping, putting your food on the conveyer belts with lots of goodies spare a thought for the Checkout Operators.
1. Be patient - mistakes happen when people are in a rush.
2. Be a good customer - have empathy for all checkout operators
3. Remember CO's are people too and someone has to do that job.
4. Be polite - it is amazing how far a please and thank you will go - it really does speed up
your chopping experience.
5. It is not the CO's fault when things go wrong. Technology has a lot to answer for.
6. For many CO's who work long hours normally, Christmas is a time when they too can
make extra money.
7. Season greetings apply to everyone.
8. Don't forget to write a letter to the Store Manager and tell them about your good customer
relations experience and who the CO was that provided it. It will make the CO's day too!
Make this year a season of goodwill to everyone - especially Checkout Operators (CO).
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
This Christmas, when you are buying your shopping, putting your food on the conveyer belts with lots of goodies spare a thought for the Checkout Operators.
1. Be patient - mistakes happen when people are in a rush.
2. Be a good customer - have empathy for all checkout operators
3. Remember CO's are people too and someone has to do that job.
4. Be polite - it is amazing how far a please and thank you will go - it really does speed up
your chopping experience.
5. It is not the CO's fault when things go wrong. Technology has a lot to answer for.
6. For many CO's who work long hours normally, Christmas is a time when they too can
make extra money.
7. Season greetings apply to everyone.
8. Don't forget to write a letter to the Store Manager and tell them about your good customer
relations experience and who the CO was that provided it. It will make the CO's day too!
Make this year a season of goodwill to everyone - especially Checkout Operators (CO).
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
You've done a good job - now you'll get a verbal warning !
What a strange week this has been! First I had a Red Obervation for my lack of Customer Service i.e. there was no beginning or an end although the middle bit was better than anyone else - so I failed. As if that wasn't bad enough, it was followed by my getting a Shinning Star (£10 voucher) for my Customer Services. This was given to me by the Store Manager because a customer has recommended me for it. Crazy isn't it???
Two weeks later, a student, not even a manager gave me another Red Observation for once again my failure in producing a beginning and end. Although this time I was award TWO Shinning Stars - one from a customer who said I gave superior customer service and a second from the Mystery Shopper.
And guess what? I was also given a Verbal Warning that my Customer Service skills are lacking - you couldn't make this up could you?
So who decides on the customer services template? Some bozo in head office who has never sat on a till in their life - let alone for 8 hours a day. Is this unfair or what?
The funniest thing to come out of this is that I suggested to Head Office that we, the staff, be able to assess management the way they assess us - and guess what - I got a Shinning Star for that too! To date I have 9 Shinning Stars from Head Office this year alone. Pity my customer service skills are lacking?????????
Two weeks later, a student, not even a manager gave me another Red Observation for once again my failure in producing a beginning and end. Although this time I was award TWO Shinning Stars - one from a customer who said I gave superior customer service and a second from the Mystery Shopper.
And guess what? I was also given a Verbal Warning that my Customer Service skills are lacking - you couldn't make this up could you?
So who decides on the customer services template? Some bozo in head office who has never sat on a till in their life - let alone for 8 hours a day. Is this unfair or what?
The funniest thing to come out of this is that I suggested to Head Office that we, the staff, be able to assess management the way they assess us - and guess what - I got a Shinning Star for that too! To date I have 9 Shinning Stars from Head Office this year alone. Pity my customer service skills are lacking?????????
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
How to avoid (serving) customers!
Although you work on checkouts in a large store you may be interested in learning how colleagues I work with avoid working!
1. Think of the irrelevant - like cleaning your till area when there are lots of customers about.
Take your time making sure you haven't forgotten a speck of dirt.
2. Go to the loo a lot. And take your time walking there and back . Don't forget to wash your
hands so clean that the skin almost falls off.
3. When it is hot - ask to get a drink . . . and again, and again.
When it is cold you will need a hot drink and a jumper. Don't get them on the same trip
make two very slow trips to the changing rooms and to your locker.
4. Forget about queues - there will always be long queues - let your supervisor through their
weight around. It is not your problem.
5. What ever you do - don't be good at it because people who do their job and people who work
hard are the ones who get all the aggro from staff. It is the people who milk the system
that get on in this environment. Learn from others who are successful how to milk the
system otherwise you will be the odd one out.
1. Think of the irrelevant - like cleaning your till area when there are lots of customers about.
Take your time making sure you haven't forgotten a speck of dirt.
2. Go to the loo a lot. And take your time walking there and back . Don't forget to wash your
hands so clean that the skin almost falls off.
3. When it is hot - ask to get a drink . . . and again, and again.
When it is cold you will need a hot drink and a jumper. Don't get them on the same trip
make two very slow trips to the changing rooms and to your locker.
4. Forget about queues - there will always be long queues - let your supervisor through their
weight around. It is not your problem.
5. What ever you do - don't be good at it because people who do their job and people who work
hard are the ones who get all the aggro from staff. It is the people who milk the system
that get on in this environment. Learn from others who are successful how to milk the
system otherwise you will be the odd one out.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
10 ways to speed up your shopping
Have you ever wondered how to speed up your trips through the supermarket checkouts?
Simply follow the following rules:
1. Smile at the checkout assistant – remember even checkout people are human.
2, Don’t forget the checkout assistant is always right.- when they tell you
something listen, absorb and remember!
3. Don't stress them more than they are already. Checkout operator have targets to meet and trust me, they are doing their best to process your order as quickly as possible.
4. If an item is unknown – don’t fret – it is not the end of the world. Unknown items, items that don’t scan or disappearing bar codes annoys checkout operators more than you. So don’t get annoyed with the checkout operator it isn’t their fault. If you are in a hurry either accept it and or politely say "never mind, I'll leave it."
5. When you forget to hand over your coupons or vouchers, take them to the Customer Services Desk to refund your money. Don't argue!
6. Pack yourself - if help is offered and you want to pack – ask the assistant to put your shopping from the trolley on the belt.
7. Don't distract the checkout operator they will probably have more important things to think about than processing your order.
8. If you have a problem, ask to see a manager and suggest they spend a week on the checkout.
9. Id you lose your temper with a manager - you will probably get a voucher!
10. Take an interest in the life of your checkout assistant - it will probably be the first time someone has.
Simply follow the following rules:
1. Smile at the checkout assistant – remember even checkout people are human.
2, Don’t forget the checkout assistant is always right.- when they tell you
something listen, absorb and remember!
3. Don't stress them more than they are already. Checkout operator have targets to meet and trust me, they are doing their best to process your order as quickly as possible.
4. If an item is unknown – don’t fret – it is not the end of the world. Unknown items, items that don’t scan or disappearing bar codes annoys checkout operators more than you. So don’t get annoyed with the checkout operator it isn’t their fault. If you are in a hurry either accept it and or politely say "never mind, I'll leave it."
5. When you forget to hand over your coupons or vouchers, take them to the Customer Services Desk to refund your money. Don't argue!
6. Pack yourself - if help is offered and you want to pack – ask the assistant to put your shopping from the trolley on the belt.
7. Don't distract the checkout operator they will probably have more important things to think about than processing your order.
8. If you have a problem, ask to see a manager and suggest they spend a week on the checkout.
9. Id you lose your temper with a manager - you will probably get a voucher!
10. Take an interest in the life of your checkout assistant - it will probably be the first time someone has.
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Disciplinary for doing your job
Sorry to my supporters for being absent - health problems! Never mind I am back with Tales from the Checkouts!
What has happened to work? Remember in days not so long ago, you were excepted to do a days' work for a days' pay - not avoid being on the tills.
I work with one lady who is such an expert, my manager gave her more jobs to do (otherwise known as more opportunities to get off serving people) and she got away with it. I am beginning to wonder who is the MUG here. Think it is me.
Hope you all had a nice summer!
What has happened to work? Remember in days not so long ago, you were excepted to do a days' work for a days' pay - not avoid being on the tills.
I work with one lady who is such an expert, my manager gave her more jobs to do (otherwise known as more opportunities to get off serving people) and she got away with it. I am beginning to wonder who is the MUG here. Think it is me.
Hope you all had a nice summer!
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