Sometimes a customer comes up to me cause there was nobody to help them in produce and they needed an answer that I just have no idea. My CSMs and co-managers, have all told me to just page somebody from produce on the intercom, you know, a store wide page. Okay, there are times when I've done that, and all the produce people are just gone. Nobody shows up. So the customer just looks at me. I page again. Nobody shows up. Customer just leaves disappointed.
So is that how it is in your store? Just keep paging till the customer gives up?
I forgot to mention, our service desk closes at 8.
I think this is highly laughable, if MGMT told you to page.....just page it this way. Customer needs assistance in the produce department, a member of the produce or STR Mgmt to the produce department. Its getting so funny how the stores have went down hill with the level of service, but everything is "Customer 1st" or is done to support "Our Promise". In reality they should just re-brand the customer service desk "Money Services" and eliminate the need service part.
Sometimes a customer comes up to me cause there was nobody to help them in produce and they needed an answer that I just have no idea. My CSMs and co-managers, have all told me to just page somebody from produce on the intercom, you know, a store wide page. Okay, there are times when I've done that, and all the produce people are just gone. Nobody shows up. So the customer just looks at me. I page again. Nobody shows up. Customer just leaves disappointed.
So is that how it is in your store? Just keep paging till the customer gives up?
I usually page then "disappear." I cant ( and wont) stand around waiting for whom i paged to show up. Ive done my part.
Sometimes there is only one person scheduled in produce. Most often this happens in the morning or at night. And at my store, last man goes home at 10pm. If he is on lunch/break, likely nobody will answer your page.
If you have a question from a customer, page them to call you at your extension. If a customer needs help in produce, page produce over intercom and tell them a customer is waiting for them in produce. Then send the customer to produce.
There is no phone on produce floor, so give them a minute to walk to the nearest phone.
And tell the customer that they may be on lunch. So if nobody shows up, that's what happened.
Perhaps you are a customer who doesn't understand that in many cases (not all, but many) people who work in one department just don't know a lot about everything there is to know in the other departments. They might want to help, but simply don't have the info to be of much help.
Which is often why, if a customer needs to ask a question from someone who works in the produce dept, but no one is around they try to ask another employee (a courtesy clerk, or a deli worker just happening to walk by right at that time, etc) but that other employee may simply not have enough knowledge to really HELP the customer in any meaningful way.
As "tov" said, the main reason why no one comes when they are called is because produce employees may be on lunch or break. If there is only one employee on the clock, there will be no one in Produce for a few minutes. And you are not supposed to bother an employee while they are on break unless it is really important.
Hate to sound negative here, but in about 90% of the cases, the question a customer is asking in produce is almost never that big of a deal. Like "where is the fresh ginger? I don't see any" or "Have you got any better looking clementines in the back, than what is here on the sales floor?" Or "which watermelons are on sale right now?"
(Side issue: A lot of the questions would be unnecessary if the pricing dept was allotted enough hours and employees to make sure all the price tags and signs were current and in place. Which is often a problem at our store)
pretty sad state of affairs when this sort of thing is common place.
The logic makes no sense:
*cut hours in all depts, everyone shorthanded
*customer needs help in produce, meat, etc. but nobody is around
*employee from grocery has to take the time to call and if nobody answers the call, at least try to come up with an answer
It sends a poor message to customers that we can't go above and beyond to meet the needs of our customers.
You think that customer is going to come back? Of course not. I hate being bothered on my breaks too, but you can at least answer the phone and assist the person from the other dept who is trying to help YOUR customer.
pretty sad state of affairs when this sort of thing is common place.
The logic makes no sense:
*cut hours in all depts, everyone shorthanded
*customer needs help in produce, meat, etc. but nobody is around
*employee from grocery has to take the time to call and if nobody answers the call, at least try to come up with an answer
It sends a poor message to customers that we can't go above and beyond to meet the needs of our customers.
You think that customer is going to come back? Of course not. I hate being bothered on my breaks too, but you can at least answer the phone and assist the person from the other dept who is trying to help YOUR customer.
Then it's not a break, if your constantly under the gun to answer calls on your time.
What about stores like mine where they schedule you with the idea you will skip breaks to get your job done.
pretty sad state of affairs when this sort of thing is common place.
The logic makes no sense:
*cut hours in all depts, everyone shorthanded
*customer needs help in produce, meat, etc. but nobody is around
*employee from grocery has to take the time to call and if nobody answers the call, at least try to come up with an answer
It sends a poor message to customers that we can't go above and beyond to meet the needs of our customers.
You think that customer is going to come back? Of course not. I hate being bothered on my breaks too, but you can at least answer the phone and assist the person from the other dept who is trying to help YOUR customer.
My break: MY time
Thats the way it works with me. Yes, ive gotten pages on my break, and when my break was done, ive answered the page. 9/10 times its been resolved by then.
Yeah, i'm sorry but if i hear a page for me during my break, it can wait until after my break. Most days i only take one 15 minute break as it is, if the bakery can't function for 15 minutes without me, oh well, the deli people can wait until i get back.
Thats the way it works with me. Yes, ive gotten pages on my break, and when my break was done, ive answered the page. 9/10 times its been resolved by then.
oh I get that. What I'm saying is get up from break, page whoever called for your department and ask what they needed. Sure a break is only 15 minutes, but take an extra 5 minutes...7 minute rule after all. In this instance you've earned it.
That being said, I think it was Al Bundy who said something along the lines of 'I just started my break' followed by Grif 'don't interrupt us, we'll have to start over' LOL
Often times people step outside of the store for a break. They can't hear a page and answer the phone.
Yes, when I work in a department where I am the only one at a time, I am available to pages and to helping a customer on my floor. Then I just ad some time to my break, so I actually have time to buy or finish eating my food.
But when we are on lunch, in other words "not on the clock", we are not allowed to work. You can get fired for that. I would like if customers understood this. When they ask an associate for help and they answer that they are not on the clock, it's not that they don't want to help, but they can not. Not allowed. Same, as when an associate is clocked out for the day and he is doing his own shopping. Customers, don't get offended when you hear that explanation. Anyway, if I know where something what customer is looking for is, I will tell them. But if I don't know, or it's something needing longer help, I will try to alert someone who is on the clock, but not gonna go out of my way to do so.
Breaks are paid, lunches are not, hence the difference.
Tov, yes you are off the clock when on lunch, but you're not going to get fired for telling someone where something is or to make a page to further assist the customer
Tov, yes you are off the clock when on lunch, but you're not going to get fired for telling someone where something is or to make a page to further assist the customer
That's called working off the clock. That and stealing is a fireable offense in my neck of the woods.
Tov, yes you are off the clock when on lunch, but you're not going to get fired for telling someone where something is or to make a page to further assist the customer
That's called working off the clock. That and stealing is a fireable offense in my neck of the woods.
"sir can you tell me what aisle your cereal is in?"
Which response is both easier and will make the customer happier?
a) "It's in aisle 5"
b) "Just a moment. 'grocery customer needs assistance down by the dairy'" (where they might catch you as you're going on lunch)
c) "I'm on lunch, I can't help you right now, I'm sure there's a grocery associate somewhere who can tell you"
Any manager who would fire an employee for doing A or B has some serious mental deficiencies
Tov, yes you are off the clock when on lunch, but you're not going to get fired for telling someone where something is or to make a page to further assist the customer
That's called working off the clock. That and stealing is a fireable offense in my neck of the woods.
"sir can you tell me what aisle your cereal is in?"
Which response is both easier and will make the customer happier?
a) "It's in aisle 5"
b) "Just a moment. 'grocery customer needs assistance down by the dairy'" (where they might catch you as you're going on lunch)
c) "I'm on lunch, I can't help you right now, I'm sure there's a grocery associate somewhere who can tell you"
Any manager who would fire an employee for doing A or B has some serious mental deficiencies
Guys, we are not talking about what a manager wants. Of course, every manager would LOVE if we worked non-stop, breaks and lunches be damned. But that's only till something happens. Then it's YOUR fault and you are responsible. When you are off the clock, you are a liability and you can bet that they will make YOU pay for it.
