I have been subjected to it several times in the past. I was to be subjected to it no more. It's ridiculous, IMO, for a person to stand there, realize they don't have enough money to pay for their food (or forgot their wallet/purse in the car) and then expect the customers behind that person to wait while they take their sweet old time walking out to their car, getting their money and then coming back in.
I have waited as long as 10 minutes for this phenomenon to play itself out and I decided today that it is total BS. When the woman had walked away, I politely asked the cashier if she was going to go ahead and start checking out the next in line, which was me. Note that they had fully 3 lanes of 15 items or less open that had very little traffic and the line I was in, full service, had a large number of people waiting with full baskets and it was the only full service lane available.
The cashier replied no, she was going to wait. Manager, please. I'm sorry, are you asking for a manager? Yes, I am, thank you. The front end manager shows up and gives me a look after finding out what's going on. What are we supposed to do? - while shrugging his shoulders and getting an attitude, an attitude that I didn't have until that kind of treatment started coming my way. You are supposed to move this customer's things out of the way and start checking other customers, that's what. He said nothing to me and went to the cash register, closed out that other customer's ticket and then the cashier, who obviously wasn't happy about what I had asked - reasonably - to do checked me out.
When we were done, I was walking away and felt eyes on my back. I turned my head to see the cashier scowling at me, who quickly turned her head back to the line in front of her. That was enough. I went to the Customer Service desk and asked for the store's GM, who just happened to be there and who showed up rather quickly, I might add. This is a "secondary" Fry's, I only use it when I have other business needing to be taken care of at the part of town - which is 3 miles away from the normal Fry's I go to. He immediately apologized, asked what he could do - of which I said nothing, just deal with this - and we parted ways after he assured me he would be having a conversation with those individuals.
The problem here is that most people won't say anything, so when the "odd one out" does speak up, they give you an attitude both in their tones and their stance/look. When I got home, I decided to call corporate and ask them if they have a policy on such things, they do on most every thing else. The lady I was speaking with said no, no official policy but at the same time, that cashier should not have made everyone wait, especially considering it was the only full service lane available. Thank you. I'm not an unreasonable person, but I think a person who forgets their money should realize that they are going to have to go through the waiting process again, it's not going to be a 30 second wait, it has taken as long as 10 minutes for people to go get their money and that's just plain unacceptable.
That was the store at 24th Street & Baseline, now moving on to my experience at the store at 48th Street and Baseline, which occurred yesterday.
I wanted to buy a bottle of liquor for someone for Christmas. Crown Royale to be precise. They did not have it on the shelf, instead they have a sign saying it's available at the Customer Service desk. Upon going to the Customer Service desk and finding a lot of people in line there to do money orders and such, well, I wasn't going to wait that long and then have to go wait in line again to check out with the thing I was buying. So, I walked up to the front end manager and asked him about getting a bottle for me. I didn't think it unreasonable to ask for someone to go get it versus having to wait 15 to 20 minutes (customer service at that Fry's takes a long time, especially if there's a long line there) at that line and then having to wait in yet another line to check out.
He was having nothing to do with it. He told me I could get in line and that the cashier could go get it for me. ???? This guy was standing there, doing absolutely nothing. I just walked off and got into line, screw the whiskey, I'll find something else. But, the man kept staring at me - that feeling of having eyes on you again. So, after a while of this, I finally said "thanks for all the help you gave me!". But, that was also enough. I simply don't put up with attitudes from people working at grocery stores where I have spent unbelievable amounts of money over the past 8 or 9 years at that specific store.
When I got my items checked out, I called for the store's general manager. It took her a while to get up there, but upon hearing my statement, she immediately apologized, went to the customer service desk, got the bottle and had me check out at an unopened lane. I didn't ask her to get the bottle, I didn't want it at that point, but she insisted. I simply informed her that that man - the manager - is completely and totally useless. Why couldn't HE have done the same thing you just did? She was all over that, yes, I completely agree, was her reply and a statement that she was going to have a conversation with him about it.
I could see if that manager had been busy or something, but seriously, that man was standing there, doing absolutely NOTHING at all. Unbelievable. The state of customer service in this day and age at many places is absolutely abysmal. I do not believe my requests were out of line, unreasonable or otherwise undo-able.
Well whatever. I bought a lot of that food today for a family of 8 that was going to go without a Christmas dinner. I do this every year, buy a holiday meal for a family to cook. They are coming over right now to pick up the food. No, the bottle of Crown Royale is not for them, lol. I also got gift cards for tenants since they have posted cards on the tree addressed to me and others in the house - couldn't be a Scrooge and not give something back, lol.
It's a cool 59 degrees outside right now - that at noon thirty. It finally feels like winter : ) I was concerned to find a very large Plecostomus in my pond. I had thought they had all died out last winter and I didn't buy anymore because they can't handle the cold and up and die. How that one survived, I have no idea. He's about 11 inches long. Which reminds me that I am going to place an ad on Craigslist and see if anyone wants him. I would rather give him away, free, than see his dead body floating around the top of the pond.
I decided to go ahead and make a dentist appointment before the end of the year so I could get the free x-rays/exam done and find out how bad the damage is. I have pain coming from one tooth, dunno. It's been a loooooong time since I've been to a dentist. Stories that go along with the reason why I don't go to dentists would take too long/too much writing. But I can't let it go forever, especially when low level pain starts coming here and there. Next thing you know, you have a full fledged toothache and there is no point in procrastinating. If I get in there now, at least I can take advantage of this year's worth of limit on my insurance then pick it up again in January if necessary (I'm guessing 90% chance it will definitely have to be picked up in January). This doesn't include 2 chipped teeth and a tooth with the crown missing - it came off 3 months after I paid a good deal of money to have it put on there. Hmm, might have been 6 months. Whatever it was, definitely not long enough to say, gee, I got my money's worth out of THAT little deal.
That's it. As much as I don't want to, I am going to have to go out there and clean out one of the pond filters today. I don't much care to deal with the ponds when it's cold outside, but, it has to be done.
Merry Christmas Eve Day!
ben
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