The joys of working retail

[Herky]

Since going back to college I've been working recently at Best Buy part time in Home Theater and have encountered all sorts of types of people. Some good, some bad, some just plain stupid. I had thought especially during the holiday season that I had seen/heard/experienced it all until the other day. A guy and his wife come in both smelling a bit of booze and wanted to get a Samsung Plasma TV. It was a gift for the guy's dad and he had the same TV". He then slurs a bit and tells me that American has the same TV for 99 cents less and wants me to price match it. The TV was $699 I think over there and $699.99 at Best Buy. I thought he was joking but he was dead serious. My manager was near and told me to go ahead and do it so I did. Then the guy wants me to throw in a $80 Monster Power Center for free since "we are spending $700 on a TV". I told him I can't do that and then he gets a little pissy saying back when he bought his, Best Buy gave him all sorts of stuff for free. I held back my urge to laugh (I already did about the 99 cent price match) and held firm saying I wish I could (lying about the wishing part) and told him we can't do that. I hear a little more guff about "past" when he "got stuff for free" and rang him up and got him the hell out of the store.

Well that was long and you probably had to be there, but the point is if you are so concerned about 99 cents when it comes to a plasma TV, you probably shouldn't purchase it anyway.

Good God parts of the general public are freaking stupid.

[Scottdau]

Re: The joys of working retail

That is funny I have the opposite feeling when I go into a Best Buy. Most of the employees there are idiots. So I guess it is the way you look at it. I can't tell you how many time I go in there looking for good advice and them saying they have no idea. But yes People are dumb too even customer.

[jeremym480]

Re: The joys of working retail

I can feel ya Vikingfan. I worked in retail for about 4 years, in sales and management and I'm definitely not envious of your position (especially during the Holiday's). I think I pretty much saw it all in my time from drunken customers,to regular customer bitching and moaning about price, to people trying to steal. to people having the police called on them, to people talking dumps in urinals and that's probably not even half of it.

Well, hang in there man and take the good days with the bad and I'm sure you'll be fine.

[BlueNGold]

Re: The joys of working retail

I can feel ya Vikingfan. I worked in retail for about 4 years, in sales and management and I'm definitely not envious of your position (especially during the Holiday's). I think I pretty much saw it all in my time from drunken customers,to regular customer bitching and moaning about price, to people trying to steal. to people having the police called on them, to people talking dumps in urinals and that's probably not even half of it.

Well, hang in there man and take the good days with the bad and I'm sure you'll be fine.

Wait, what?

[jeremym480]

Re: The joys of working retail

Last year, I was working for as an Assistant Manager at a furniture store in Baton Rouge and was asked to fill in for the store manager in Covington, LA.

On my first day there one of the salesman comes up to me and said that there was a problem in the bathroom. I walk in and there it is, a big, curly turd sitting right on the old urinal cake. The bad thing about it was that the urinal was right when you walked in the bathroom so, the guy who did it have to have a huge set.

Luckily, one of the houseman was a vet who had served in Iraq so, he didn't care to clean it. So, I bought his lunch and called it a deal.

[BlueNGold]

Re: The joys of working retail

Last year, I was working for as an Assistant Manager at a furniture store in Baton Rouge and was asked to fill in for the store manager in Covington, LA.

On my first day there one of the salesman comes up to me and said that there was a problem in the bathroom. I walk in and there it is, a big, curly turd sitting right on the old urinal cake. The bad thing about it was that the urinal was right when you walked in the bathroom so, the guy who did it have to have a huge set.

Luckily, one of the houseman was a vet who had served in Iraq so, he didn't care to clean it. So, I bought his lunch and called it a deal.

LMAO. Who ****s in a urinal?

[jeremym480]

Re: The joys of working retail

LMAO. Who ****s in a urinal?

Hell, I'd like to know that myself. Somebody apparently had major "issues" with that particular store. Luckily, I was a substitute manager so, I only had to stay for two or three days.

[bkrich83]

Re: The joys of working retail

I have no idea what would possess someone to think dropping a deuce in a urinal was a good idea.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: The joys of working retail

Some people are cut out for retail and some aren't. I liked talking to people about electronics (tvs and home theaters) rather than selling the stuff. I probably cost Sears a nice chunk of change after all the price matching I initiated.

Let me say this: I. HATE. PLAN-O-GRAMS. Every week corporate would come up with a new layout that would supposedly increase revenue. Was more of a pain and didn't do jack for sales.

[stewaat]

Re: The joys of working retail

The only way it's acceptable...

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: The joys of working retail

LMAO. Who ****s in a urinal?

The million dollar question though....is that worse than an upper decker?

[DickDalewood]

Re: The joys of working retail

Yah, I manage a Buckle... Worked 61 hours last week, and will work that, if not more, this week. Retail + Holidays = no fun at all.

[jeremym480]

Re: The joys of working retail

Yah, I manage a Buckle... Worked 61 hours last week, and will work that, if not more, this week. Retail + Holidays = no fun at all.

QFT. I just got out of retail last February. Now I have a job working M-F, 8-5 and love it. Weekends off, home by 5:30 every night, I get long Holiday weekends plus, this is the first Thanksgiving that I got to go home in four years so, I was very happy about that.

Life is good.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: The joys of working retail

When I worked for Walmart, high school kids during the summer months would take a crap in the urinals and up against the wall every week at least twice a week. They did it on purpose because they would always think it was funny and pretty much thought it was COOL to have a walmart employee clean up their crap.

Just like it use to be this high school every week use to come in there and purposely drop her bag of what ever she bought or stand near the tv wall and wait for a manager to walk by and say I been standing here for 40 minutes and nobody helped me or the cashier dropped my bag on the floor. Her and her friends got a kick out of seeing Walmart employees get in trouble. Because the managers at the particular walmart I worked at ALWAYS believed the customer no matter what and it was the associate who would get written up for it.

And during the holidays at walmart in the electronics department was pure hell. Would have parents everyday pissed off and yelling because we sold out of their kids game or ipod. Or they would always say well I seen it online for cheaper, why is it higher in the store.

Then the returns was down right hilarious. You would have kids trying to return an old system that was clearly dirty and scratched up, trying to pass it off as something their parents bought for them for christmas. You would have adults trying to do the same thing with the tvs and laptops.

As though we not going to check the serial number on the product, the box and the receipt. And dont get me started with the dozens of peope who try to buy big screen tvs or multiple gaming systems with stolen gift cards they snatched off the shelf IN FRONT OF THE STORE.

People are stupid. Those cards have no value to them at all unless it was activated at a register first.

[thrashman]

Re: The joys of working retail

People used to **** in the urinals all the time in high school. Behind the bleachers in the gym were also favorite ****ting spots because no one thought to look there. I'm surprised the janitors never went on a killing spree.

I've worked minimally in retail but have definitely experienced the trying to pass old rusty stuff off as a return. I never valued those jobs so I literally told them to **** off.