On Sunday, I took a phone call and this guy was wondering why there was such a "huge" discrepancy between his finalized total [about $115] and his estimated total [$104 or $105] and I looked through his order and he had a few weighted things from the meat department. Also, if you guys didn't know, when customers order previously and they have a weighted item, it'll save that price on the estimated total, even though the item won't be on sale the next time the customer orders. It turns out he had a chuck roast and it saved that sales price. Anyway, I tried to explain to him that our site gives an estimated total and not a finalized total because there are several things that can change it, e-coupons, sale prices might be over, etc. etc.
This just sets the guy off on a tangent. He's used clicklist "for years" and walmart is able to "keep their promise about the price of meats picked" . It's bad enough he has to pay the 5 dollars for "delivery fees". "So explain again when your service didn't keep its promise of the stated price in my email."
"...Alright, sir. It's an estimated total. We have no way of ensuring the same amount of weight for things like in meat department and produce section. That's why we aren't able to give a finalized total."
"Well, let me phrase this in a way someone with a simple mind like yours can understand, for the price I paid, I should just be given a 10lb chuck roast. It's totally ridiculous. Estimated totals are redundant."
At this point I was just really offended at his 'simple brain' comment, but I've worked in retail for a few years now and did my best to ignore it. I was about to offer him a 10 dollar gift card and to waive his fee for next time if he ordered again, first I apologized for his hassle and tried to explain one last time about why we have estimated totals.
Then, the next thing I know: "This is only making me more frustrated, you aren't helping me whatsoever. This is bull**** and we BOTH know it. So just page me through to a manager or someone that can actually make this right." So I just page for our department manager so he can listen to this entitled attitude instead.
Sometimes I wonder if this job is worth the mental stress.
Also, if you guys didn't know, when customers order previously and they have a weighted item, it'll save that price on the estimated total, even though the item won't be on sale the next time the customer orders.
Well, that's just dumb. It should estimate the total based on what the price is now, not what it was last week when it was on sale.
I absolutely love it when agitated customers name drop Walmart. That's so cute. They somehow think mentioning the "W" word will magically make everything better. What they don't seem to realize is just how stupid and "simple minded" as this guy put it makes them look when they praise Walmart while going on and on about how bad the service at Kroger is. Like, okay... common sense and simple logic should be to just shop at Walmart and not Kroger if Walmart is so, so much better... yet customers like this clearly lack both... and on top of that, manners.
When I'm dealing with a customer like this that purposely brings up how Walmart is so much better because of this and that, I purposely go out of my way to be less helpful. Serves them right and it brings me just a tad bit of satisfaction to know that I didn't reward them for throwing a temper tantrum and insulting me. I'll go out of my way to be helpful when a customer treats me respectfully, but treat me like ****? Don't expect me to make anything right for your rude ***.
Major props to you for NOT giving him a gift card and waiving his next fee... even though some spineless manager probably did.
Major props to you for NOT giving him a gift card and waiving his next fee... even though some spineless manager probably did.
It would tarnish Kroger's reputation a lot if managers started doubling down on customers and not giving them what they want. A $10 gift card and $5 waiver is worth a customer's repeat business. And talking to a manager so they can "make things right" just strokes customers' egos smoothly. They might get a little leeway here and there but eventually they still end up shopping at Kroger because of a simple positive gesture by Kroger mgmt.
Major props to you for NOT giving him a gift card and waiving his next fee... even though some spineless manager probably did.
It would tarnish Kroger's reputation a lot if managers started doubling down on customers and not giving them what they want. A $10 gift card and $5 waiver is worth a customer's repeat business. And talking to a manager so they can "make things right" just strokes customers' egos smoothly. They might get a little leeway here and there but eventually they still end up shopping at Kroger because of a simple positive gesture by Kroger mgmt.
The main reason I was going to offer him the gift card was just to get him off the phone asap. We only have two phones and it happened on a Sunday and several customers arrived to pick up while this guy was chewing my eat off.
But then he demanded a manager before I had the chance so....
Major props to you for NOT giving him a gift card and waiving his next fee... even though some spineless manager probably did.
It would tarnish Kroger's reputation a lot if managers started doubling down on customers and not giving them what they want. A $10 gift card and $5 waiver is worth a customer's repeat business. And talking to a manager so they can "make things right" just strokes customers' egos smoothly. They might get a little leeway here and there but eventually they still end up shopping at Kroger because of a simple positive gesture by Kroger mgmt.
Meh... I want a lot of stuff, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna get it or make a scene when something doesn't go my way. Some customers throw a fit every chance they get whether they are in the right or the wrong because they know they're going to walk away with something like a gift card. That bugs me because stunts like that, on top of things like theft and shrink, all cost the store money and can have a potential impact on the budget and what partially makes up the budget? Employee hours. Not only that, but its customers like this guy that don't care one iota about the lives of employees and probably wouldn't hesitate to call corporate and complain, thus potentially costing an employee his or her job just because the customer was too stupid/too much of a baby/too crooked to accept the employee's explanation. I have no sympathy for customers that have no empathy for employees that are providing them with a service/convenience.
YEAH! AND TEACHES THEM IF THEY TREAT EMPLOYEES LIKE **** THEY'LL GET FREE STUFF! You must be management. They aren't the ones cursed out almost daily. At least at my store we have one or two people at minimum throw temper tantrums and call employees names and they get free gift cards.
and walmart is able to "keep their promise about the price of meats picked" 
. It's bad enough he has to pay the 5 dollars for "delivery fees". 
"So explain again when your service didn't keep its promise of the stated price in my email."
