This post is going to be a sort of rant mixed with a PSA for customers of large chain businesses. I know it seems odd for me to post this on a TUG's forum, but then again this is the "General Chat" section. So, this is a general chat about a topic that's been on my mind lately.
I've been working at GameStop for a good 8 months or so now, and I've dealt with a sizable amount of customers in my time there. People generally have positive attitudes when they come into our store due to their interest in what we sell. They're there because they want to be there. But, like with any industry, there are bad customer experiences, and GameStop is no exception.
I should take this time to specify that that there are some garbage employees that treat customers as nothing more than sources of money, and take no personal interests in their needs or wants. These employees are worthy of criticism, and thus it should be given to them. But what I cannot abide is when a customer goes after an employee for something that is completely out of the employee's control.
This is the shit that gets me.
The other day I had a customer bring in a coupon to use towards his purchase. As it turns out, the item he was getting was probably the one item in our store that wouldn't be covered by the coupon. Digital content. More specifically Nintendo E-shop gift cards. There's a roundabout explanation as to why this is, but basically Nintendo collects 100% of the profit on these cards. We just serve as a medium to sell them through. And a GameStop coupon doesn't translate into cash for Nintendo, so we won't accept the coupon on that particular item.
So, I explained this to the guy as well as pointed out the fact that it was specified in the print underneath the coupon. To which he responded "Well, you better call someone real fucking quick because I'm about to lose my shit." This is a $10 Nintendo E-shop card, mind you. The lowest interval we have. But regardless, I tell him I'll double check with another coworker of mine in back. Of course my coworker confirms what I originally told the guy. I go back and tell him that unfortunately the specific item that he is getting isn't eligible for the coupon he's using, but that I was happy to help him find anything else he might be interested in putting his coupon towards. This if course earned me a prompt swear session and subsequent rant about how we were "ripping him off".
But this is my point. I don't know what people think they're going to accomplish by doing this. I can understand being mad at GameStop. I can understand being mad at any company for that matter. But don't come at me like I'm trying to personally ruin your day. I'm a 19 year old that's making minimum wage. I don't have GameStop's policy in my back pocket that I can pull out and bend to my will.
Blame the company if you want, but don't blame the employee. I just work here. And I imagine that this is the case for many large businesses.
Since working in retail, and also hearing of my friend's separate-but-equal experiences with customers in the food industry, I've found that I've become more understanding of errors or mishaps within a business. Because I know what kind of shit they have to deal with, and I don't want to pile on. If I go to a restaurant for example and my food comes back slightly different from what I ordered, my go-to approach is usually to flag the waiter/waitress down and say something along the lines of, "Hey. Sorry to be that guy, but I actually ordered X instead of Y. Thanks." Then the mistake is corrected and the world goes on.
Most people are fine. Most people understand that I'm just doing my job, and that I'm not some Dr. Wiley, arch-nemesis-figure that's hell-bent on ruining their day. But, I guess that can't be everyone.
If you guys could just do us (the collective entry-level job community) a favor, don't take it out on us. If you get a genuinely bad employee then by all means have at it, but if it's a policy issue or something that is entirely out of their control then don't beat them up about it. There's a very big difference between someone with clear and directed frustration towards the situation and someone who is just looking to vent whatever rage they have to an unsuspecting 19 year old. And we greatly appreciate the former.