The Things Customers Do

[VakarLajos 5]

Maybe 1/20 times does that phrase ever enter my head as a person that is just sitting next to a customer being fitted by an employee.

I don't think it's the customers' responsibility, but the employee. As a customer, go ahead and buy a skate 3 sizes too big. makes my job as your opponent a whole lot easier. But as an employee, I should do my job correctly.

believe me, there's a reason I put quotation marks around that passage and not a thought bubble.

Edited March 4, 2010 by VakarLajos

[Rustyhole 1]

I don't think it's the customers' responsibility, but the employee. As a customer, go ahead and buy a skate 3 sizes too big. makes my job as your opponent a whole lot easier. But as an employee, I should do my job correctly.

You, sir, are a Sage. never more wise words have been spoken. Too many employees here deride the customer as an unknowing buffoon, ignoring the fact their reply is the greater evil

[cptjeff 0]

No one is saying that they should have let him buy the larger skates, we're just saying that the employee always needs to take the high road no matter how the customer is acting. He could have stated his point in a different way.

Might that high road include defending another customer who's trying to be helpful against a different customer who's being an ass and insulting that other customer? It sounds like they had already tried the 'stating the point in a gentle way' thing, as he had already had two employees fit him and recommended a certain size and skate. Presumably it got explained politely somewhere in that process. Sometimes there are people who just have to be right, and they don't tend to listen to rationed polite debate. Think of politics these days- for every one person who wants to talk about policy, there are 5 screaming their heads off about how Obama's a communist and a nazi, somehow at the same time. Not everyone's going to listen to a calm rationale.

Also remember that starsfan was a customer as well, and the guy flat out insulted him for venturing (correct) advice. The shop employee was taking the side of the guy who had been insulted for giving correct advice. In assuming the employee was in the wrong, you have to assume tone, you have the comment could reasonably have been expected to create offense, and I don't think that you can show the second, and you can't make a judgment either way on the first based on text.

I can't tell if it was a great thing to say or not, but I find it really difficult to find it completely indefensible, I can't envision much bad press coming out of it. And bad mouthing this guy does will be met with "Well, did you need a smaller size?", and it sounds like they made or kept a loyal customer in starsfan, who will now give them good reviews, if he didn't already. And if it's starsfan giving the good reviews rather then Mr. asshole, the customers they gain are a lot more pleasant to deal with, as the guys who listen to Mr. Asshole probably have similar personalities as well.

You're always going to offend somebody, it's unavoidable. The trick is to avoid offending the people you value.

[scorpionhockey55 0]

Might that high road include defending another customer who's trying to be helpful against a different customer who's being an ass and insulting that other customer?... (edited for length)

I applaud you sir, and I agree with your entire statement completely. There is no way to handle this situation without offending somebody. While you always want to TRY to avoid any type of confrontation, sometimes it is just necessary to get your point across. Again, well said.

[TBLfan 25]

No doubt but there is nothing wrong with the shop folks taking the high road.

Absolutely nothing wrong with the employees taking the high road but I don't see anything wrong with the response, that's all I'm saying. I probably would have responded the same way... actually, I have a tendency of giving people that "Wow, you aren't very smart" look.

[furlanitalia 1]

Might that high road include defending another customer who's trying to be helpful against a different customer who's being an ass and insulting that other customer?

You're always going to offend somebody, it's unavoidable. The trick is to avoid offending the people you value.

It wasn't a customer though it was his friend. And if two customers are going to go at it, from an management perspective it would be best to have the employee stay out of it so it doesn't look like you're taking sides and offending someone.

How about saying "he may be younger than you but he has played hockey his whole life. It's my job to fit skates and we both agree that these are way too big for you."

If you pick your words carefully you won't always offend someone.

[chippa13 1844]

I applaud you sir, and I agree with your entire statement completely. There is no way to handle this situation without offending somebody. While you always want to TRY to avoid any type of confrontation, sometimes it is just necessary to get your point across. Again, well said.

Sure there is, you just have to be diplomatic in how you choose your words.

[starsfan71 9]

When I said those look like they have an awful lot of room at the back I was just really trying to back up the employee who was helping the guy. I was thinking if the guy heard it from a non sales person he might have thought about it a little more. I think I used a pretty passive tone of voice when I said it too. I probably could have used a better choice of words but the dude was being a jack ass.

Oh and the employee who made the remark he knows more then you was not my friend in question who was working there at the same time. However the employee does know me because I am in there all the time.

Edited March 6, 2010 by starsfan71

[Drewhunz 3]

In the past week I've had 3 people call asking if we have the recalled Bauer sticks for sale. That speaks volumes about people's character and what a shitty situation Bauer has put themselves in.

[shotty 7]

i dont get why they'd want to know if you were selling them.

[Drewhunz 3]

So they could buy a recalled stick cheap and get a top of the line stick in exchange.

[troy 12]

So the customer could buy them and have Bauer replace the recalled stick with a higher model I would guess.

[AHF 1]

If you thought outfitting a child with a helmet was a bit of a pain, try outffitting a sleeping child with a helmet.

Thankfully, he woke up after the third helmet we tried on.

Edited May 1, 2010 by AHF

[raganblink 82]

Had a weird one today.

For the last two months this guy has been coming in almost every week buying little things at a time for ice and roller. First he gets gloves and a stick. Then ICE skates a week later. Then he gets elbows, shins and shouldies. We don't see him for 3 weeks. Next time he comes in he says he wants to do roller. So he has us size him up for roller skates. Then he goes to a roller rink and has them size him up. Then he comes back and tries on inline pants. Then he goes over to the rink and asks how much this stuff would cost. Then back to us for pricing. Then to them, then back to us to finally do an order. (confusing, right?). Also, every time he comes to us and the rink apparently he is psyched for an inline league that is about to start, which has PLENTY of space available. Once we place the order in, he has us change some stuff. Then he finally gets his inline skates, girlde and pants. Then a week later (today) he comes in and says that he can't do inline league cuz its full, which is total BS. I'm like do you want to keep all of this for ice (Which he wants to do, which also has plenty of space)? And hes like no I just want this returned. Hope that made sense.. doesn't to us.

Atleast we made some money on the return. Ha.

[Bravada 442 0]

Had a weird one today.

My first thought on that story was he was buying your stuff to make sure it fit, then trying to get it online for a cheaper price. You said you made some $$ on the refunds, you don't give full refunds or do you charge a restock fee or something?

[raganblink 82]

We have a 4% restocking fee. Basically just covers CC cost, and an annoyance of having to return stuff that we apparently wasted our time on you. This guy didn't go buy it online, if he did, the place he bought it from is below MAP. Wouldn't surprise me if he did though, this guy is pretty much an idiot.

Honestly I can take the idiots who are misinformed, and the people who are pricks (to an extent), but my biggest pet peeve is people who we spend a vast amount of time to suit up, and then return it like it was no big deal that they dropped XXX and spent sometimes hours of our time in helping them, only to return it. Bugs the hell out of me. Not only do we end up not selling it, we could have sold it permanently to someone who wasn't interested in wasting our time. After about 5-6 people who we suited up to return it the next week (all adult league type players.. its weird, they all are like 25-30) we decided to put the fee into place.

[NextBobbyOrr 0]

Well, luckily I don't flex the sticks anymore. I've played enough to know what one flex will feel like. Just wondering if this annoys any of you LHS workers/owners. Do you get annoyed if a person asks you to match another stores price? I'll do this sometimes but it's usually only by 15-25 dollars. This may have been asked before, but I really didn't want to go through all those pages.

[Chadd 916]

Well, luckily I don't flex the sticks anymore. I've played enough to know what one flex will feel like. Just wondering if this annoys any of you LHS workers/owners. Do you get annoyed if a person asks you to match another stores price? I'll do this sometimes but it's usually only by 15-25 dollars. This may have been asked before, but I really didn't want to go through all those pages.

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index...st&p=532754

[raganblink 82]

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index...st&p=532754

pretty much the world's greatest reply.

[RussianDangler15 0]

Though i'd bump this because I loved this thread but do you guys notice if there's a behavior change in customers during the spring when new stuff comes out because it's around spring and summer when most DB's seem to be in my LHS

[DarkStar50 679]

I notice that customers who are jerks stay true to themselves and act like jerks all year long. At this time of year there may be a few beginner kids with mom or dad that need everything for camp. They want to be fitted for everything so they can "see if the neighbor's equipment will fit first before buying everything. Then we'll come back to get what doesn't fit." I told him to bring in the gear and I could tell him what didn't fit. He did buy skates and a helmet combo on Tuesday with me fitting his kid, but he never came back. And I did fit the kid with every piece of gear so he knew what would fit. Not the first time, won't be the last..............

[raganblink 82]

hey guys gotta question

do you have visors? Bauer (old itechs) and Oakley (what they didn't have in stock) are literally going to take until October to come in.

We had a call the other day from someone who said they literally have tried every shop to try to find any visor, let alone a straight pro.

is the people who make the visors not doing it or short supply or what? We ended up grabbing some random ones from oakley that dont sell well just so we can actually have something.

Also I hate people try to lowball you on gear that just showed up, let alone stuff that you are in the middle of unpacking... different story :P

[dalebert 8]

This isn't so much a "I hate when customer's do this" more of a does anyone else find this funny thing. Recently I've had a lot of parents come in and say,

"I need a jock for Johnny" which is fine except for 2 things:

A) I don't know your kid by name and

B) When you come in without little Johnny AND expect me to know him and what size he needs and I don't the guessing game becomes exponentially tougher.

[DarkStar50 679]

AKA "What size is he?"

"He's 10 years old."

[dalebert 8]

And they give you the "he's this tall hand gesture" Where they put there hand about where little Johnny's head would be if he had been standing next to them at that time.