Retail Etiquette 101!

OK 12 years in the retail industry and customer service experience, I believe have qualified me to give this lil view into the world of the retail assistant and what to say and not to say to get the best service:):) Here r a few golden rules:):)

* DO NOT:See a person doing nothing at a counter, and say jokingly oh u look bored I better give u something to do, or anything of that nature....for most of us this 10second breather is all we have had all day....and we don't appreciate being told that we look bored (especially if a supervisor or manager is in ear shot)...when seconds before we have been flat out serving customers or doing many of the million mundane jobs we have been given.

*DO NOT: go into a store 5 minutes before closing...unless it is a real emergency and u will be in and out before the store closes.....we do not get paid after closing time (well most of us don't)....and we do not like working for free:(:( and this goes for customers who shop in the last half hour and come to the counter 2 minutes before closing with 50 items to buy....do not expect to be given the royal treatment as again we will now be late after work and have given our company up to 10minutes of extra work time that WE DO NOT GET PAID FOR!!!! add that to 5 shifts a week and that's an extra hr our company gets out of us for nothing!!!!

*DO NOT: Have breakables and ask the person at the counter to check before they sell it to u....please do this before reaching the counter as 1 most of us do not have the time to look over your precious item and put it back in it's box...and 2 if that isn't really our dept it would be best to have a sales person from that dept check for u or better yet serve u:):)

*DO NOT: Talk on your cellphone or decide to have a lil PDA (Public Display of Affection)infront of us...we have nowhere to go if we are behind a counter and do not like being subject to the intimate details of your relationship.....and to talk on your phone is not only rude but if we need to ask u something we have to interrupt u:(

*DO:If u r need of a refund or exchange....do check the policy of the store beforehand and if u disagree with it for any reason do not get upset at the poor girl behind the counter and especially don't get rude....we r only qualified to tell u and adhere to the store's policy we have no authority to change or bend the rules.....BUT.....we will usually offer to get a supervisor or a manager to help u.....AND....if u have been nice we will definitely put in a good word for u and help u with your case....our manager and supervisors listen to us and often judging on how u have treated us, will probably as gesture of good will bend the rules and give u a refund/exchange.....AND if u have been rude to us....be aware that when we say we will go and talk to a manager/supervisor for u and then leave u....be guaranteed that we r out the back of the store telling them how rude u were to us....and unless the manager is a complete whimp u will never have a chance of getting a refund or exchange:P

*DO: Be nice at all times not only for refunds or exchanges but just in general if we have the opportunity to give an extra discount or a free sample or something....be assured that by being nice to us, u will be rewarded too.....:):):) and u know what just be nice anyway because it always pays to be nice in life....because Karma is a u know what ppl:):):)

NOTE: Ok I must mention here that not all who work in Retail/Customer Service/Sales should ever be working at such positions because they have absolutely no customer skills whatsoever (I personally attest to having excellent customer skills:):):):) I have many "regular" customers who wait to be served by me only:):):)and I am always complemented on how nice/friendly/helpful I am (shame the boss is never around to hear any of that hehehehe)....but yes some ppl r just flat out rude (but for a lot of them that is just there personality and it doesn't matter where they work).....believe me I've encountered my fair share of rude assistants over the years....which baffles me even more working in the same industry.....as it isn't that hard to be nice to customers especially when it's the main thing we r paid for....unfortunately not all agree with me....hence why u encounter the rude/arrogant staff along the way.....the best way to get the service that u want is to speak to a manager....(if the manager is the biggest culprit and the whole store puts u off then definitely write to the head office and in a letter explain your discomfort as a customer because of the level of service the staff/manager provide....if a lot of ppl complain....the turnover of staff at the store will happen rather quickly:):):):) happy shopping everyone!!!:)