This is rampant in so many stores! If all of us who aren't thanked for giving the store our money would just send an email of complaint to the corporate office, I think this issue would get the attention it needs.

In the emails I've sent, I've also pointed out that saying "Have a good day" or any other phrase at the end of the transaction is NOT an appropriate substitute for "thank you for shopping at _________".

So true......and I love it when they just dump all the change in your hand in a lump...no counting it back like in the "olden days." They don't even know how to do it!

I do not understand what does 'no problem' mean??? Of course I am not a problem, I am a customer~~~people use those words at the oddest times to me?? Why would helping me in a store, giving me my change ever be a problem to them~~it is their job?? I want to ask, them why would you even think I could be a problem???

I have no hesitation (much to the chagrin of the missus) of telling customer service people that "no problem" is inappropriate. Two negative words do not make a positive. No and Problem are two bad words.

The other one that gets me, particularly when on the phone with customer service..."wait a sec." I always immediately say, "time's up!" Huh? How about, "will you wait a moment!" A moment is indefinite whereas a sec is definitive.

See? I am becoming my father!

Jim

My husband's company just instituted a very firm policy of never ever replying to anyone, customers, or other employees with no problem. It will be strictly enforced. And they absolutely know to be extremely helpful and thankful to the customer. They very well know they would not be in business with out their loyal customers. And a customer can easily chose to go elsewhere if not happy and satisfied.

More companies and employees need to know and understand that.
We, the customer, are not an inconvenience in your day, we are writing your check, or your pink slip, all up them.

Start asking their name and write it down in front of them! It gets their attention fast. Whether you use it of course is entirely up to you. But they just got a little shake.
I also give a good employee encouragement.

I try to tread lightly and have low expectations concerning any dealings with people in minimum wage jobs. With all due respect to any of you who have a similar kind of job, I figure that no one chooses to have a flunky job unless that's all their circumstances allow. If such people had more education and capability, more ambition, more flexibility in their personal lives for school or other personal betterment, etc, they'd be doing something else. For whatever reason, that's what they're able to do and they usually do it poorly.

Waiters/waitresses ("Hi Guys"), retail workers in stores of any kind, phone answerers, often don't know their jobs, don't know the information they should, don't know how to deal with people, where do you stop?

I never say anything and I don't let it bother me. Experience has shown me that dealing with someone else instead of an apparent airhead always offers just more of the same.

The blame also lies with management. I owned and operated a restaurant for 42 years. I had strict guidelines that my waitstaff had to follow and on the top of that list was customer service. The food can be fabulous, but if you have bad service, you would be hesitant to go back. As a manager it was my responsibility to make sure my waitstaff was trained on how to communicate properly and respectfully.

Matti
I love to hear from bosses/owners like you. I think many people do only what is expected of them, but if the owner of the business sets high expectations, the employees may live up to them (and if they don't, those kinds of owners show the sluggards and slackards to the door).
I might try someplace new because of an ad or an article, but it is the experience I have there which decided whether I will return.

What I hate is women being called guys. The home shopping network hosts when selling cosmetics and other items for women always say, "You guys this or that". The new and IRRITATING beginning a sentence with "So" as though the speaker is beginning to tell a story-I either tune out or click away. I won't even read the post. I'm turning into Jim's father...

Deeby, I hate that also!! Big time. I am not a guy!!!

This post was edited by YogaLady1948 on Sat, Sep 20, 14 at 17:40

I also wish that management would instruct their staff on their voice mail messages. It bothers me to get a vm that says, "I'll call you back at my earliest convenience." It just sounds nicer to say, "I'll return your call as soon as possible." It's basically the same thing, but the "at my earliest convenience" makes it sound like the person has no consideration for the caller.

Hi Dad! (Jim) :)

I feel the same. People just don't seem to give a darn.

JoaniePoanie, in an observation above, said, "...they just dump all the change in your hand in a lump...no counting it back like in the "olden days." They don't even know how to do it!"

Not only do they not know how to count your change back to you, they don't know how to ring up the sale unless photos of the items you are purchasing are on the keys of the register! And the only reason they know how much change to give back to you is because the register tells them the amount!

Usually I just say, "gee, thanks" and put the money in my wallet. But there have been times when I've stood my ground and counted the money to make sure the amount is correct. I will admit that there have been several times when I've done this that I've discovered I have received too much change. A couple of times I gave the extra back, explaining that it was too much. The other times I figured that if the clerk was too lazy to do the job correctly, and too ignorant to know how to count money as they pulled it from the drawer, that I might as well let it teach them a lesson when at the end of the day they are held responsible for a shortage in their money drawer.

Wow. Just ... wow.
Apparently a lot of people expend a lot negative energy on trying to find anything to find offensive. I have never in my life noticed if a server came up to our table and said, 'Hi guys", or whether anyone in retail, or otherwise, ever said to me, 'no problem". Glad I don't work with the general public.
You are going to make a point (!) to write my name down in front of me and report me to my boss because I walked up to the table with a big smile and said, "Hi guys!" Really makes me want to go above and beyond to give you great customer service. Or anyone else for the rest of my shift. *smdh*

Someone must have lit a fire under the people that work at my Kroger's grocery store. They all have started being so friendly, not just the cashiers, but the people stocking the shelves and working in produce, deli, just everybody. Just today I wanted some pimento cheese spread and wasn't sure where it was. I went to the area I thought it would be in and a very nice young lady not only showed me where it was, she pointed out the different kinds and took me around the display to show me yet another kind that was way more expensive and then agreed when I choose the cheaper Kroger brand! The cashiers and baggers both thank me for shopping at Kroger's and wish me a nice day/evening. My sister hates Kroger's because she said they were always so rude. Well, it's not like that anymore. They have really cleaned up their act and it is a pleasure to shop there. Amazing how a little kindness and civility can go such a long way!!

As for counting out the change, I agree that is a problem. If I give someone a lot of change (so I don't have to get change back), they have trouble counting the coins!! Just yesterday I was in the company of an 8th grader who could not divide 85 by 5 in her head!! She didn't even understand how to approach the problem. We learned those skills in 4th grade. It certainly doesn't speak well of our education system.

And don't even get me started on spelling and grammar.

Work 'ethics' seem harder to find. In manufacturing, Workers don't get to tell the customer 'thank you'. Repeat orders, and new business based on the quality of what you make determines your job. If it's a lower pay position, adjust your lifestyle. But don't compromise on your ability to do the best you can. Some people only need a word of encouragement, not a report that they did not meet your personal expectations.

Remember the saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff--and it's all small stuff"?

I am bothered by just about everything in the news today, and a few other issues. But to me, "no problem" is no problem.

Customer service is important to me.

I went to a Walmart one time (not my current local one which is outstanding) and wanted something from the deli. There were four people behind the counter. One said 'just a minute' and disappeared into the kitchen. The others never even looked my way. After five minutes of standing there I left.
I want to go to places that help me. And the little things DO make a difference. My local Walmart double bags heavy groceries, everyone is helpful, the cashiers say hello. It makes a difference to me.

Something that always strikes me as being funny, is my hubby and I going into a restaurant and the person asking "How many?" They laugh when I say, "Just the two of us unless my little invisible friends followed us in." I do understand the reason for asking, as perhaps others will be joining us later, but I just find it funny.

The hi guys or guys doesn't bother me at all, I use the term guys and gals, fine by me.

If I am handing over my hard earned money to someone you better believe I expect some appreciation! If you like your job you really need to comprehend why you have a job. And thank the good customer that is providing it for you.
Management needs to make that perfectly clear, unfortunately many of the management are not much better.

And as I stated above I do appreciate and reward, and encourage those that know how to put effort into performance and a simple thank you. Is that really too much to ask for these days?

Angleaid
"You are going to make a point (!) to write my name down in front of me and report me to my boss because I walked up to the table with a big smile and said, "Hi guys!"
Not a single person on this thread said any such thing. Do you like it when someone puts words in your mouth that you never said? My guess is No.
Smdh Too

"Start asking their name and write it down in front of them! It gets their attention fast."
I did not put those words "in your mouth".

Best customer service I've had recently was at Chick-filA. They make eye contact with you and ask for a name when taking your order, then she'll call over to a different person and verbally give him/her that order along with your name and that person looks at you and acknowledges you, then you pay the first person and receive your change nicely along with a personal thank you and advise on where to wait for your order. Then, that 2nd person comes over with your order and another personal thanks for coming to Chick filA. I also said thank you and she responded with "it was my pleasure". I walked out of there thinking "this is the nicest run business and the employees are so well trained." I have to think that they have very few disgruntled customers, because it would be hard to get upset with anyone there.

They were having a problem with the drive-thru speaker system that day and the manager/franchise owner was outside in the parking lot taking orders by hand, with a big smile on his face. Of course, it was a beautiful AR day, but still, he was doing it himself.

When I worked at the frame shop, my boss had a time saying "you're welcome." People would come in to pick up something important to them and they would keep on and on saying grateful things, embarrassing him, and finally I snapped and said "Just say you're welcome, Charles, that's all they want!" It became our little joke, everything I said to him, he'd say "you're welcome", LOL. But it was true, they didn't want him to poo-poo the effort he'd gone through on their behalf, they wanted him to acknowledge that they were so thankful and grateful for his efforts, not just blow them off as if it wasn't a big deal. "No problem" annoys me, too.

I have no issues with being called "guy". It's like the term "man". To me, it's unisex.

People who don't know how to count back change annoy me. I make it a point, if they dump it all my hand, to look at the bills and make sure they didn't short me. You know, that ought to be part of their training if they're on a register. It shouldn't take ten minutes to teach that to someone.

Not a customer service thing, but when my mother was in the hospital recently, I noticed that almost any hospital employee I passed would usually say, "Hi", or "Have a nice day" or some other greeting. Because my mother's stay was so long - two weeks- I seemed to pick up the habit and greet other people I passed. One day I stopped an employee and asked if it was policy for the employees to greet people they encountered in the halls. She said it just is something most do, not policy, just practice. It made for a pleasant environment each day as I visited. Actually, as I write this, I'm thinking I'll drop a note to the hospital to say so!

To me, making everyone say "You're welcome" falls in about the same place as political correctness. I don't have a lot of patience for it. Most people don't say "You're welcome" because for the younger generations it has become acceptable to say "No problem." They didn't ignore you. They were trying to be polite by responding back to you. I can't imagine trying to shame someone by writing their name down in and reporting them to their manager.

I just can't get worked up about a phrase that has become more colloquial than a formality. It's a common expression, nothing more or less. I'd much rather have a friendly, sincere "no problem" than someone struggling to remember the script they've been told to say.

The one phrase I can't abide is being called "Hon". Fortunately I hear less of it these days.

This post was edited by tally on Sun, Sep 21, 14 at 13:30

Carabubble, you should write to the hospital. They would love to know how you felt. And have your Mom fill out the HCAPS survey they send her--it's very important information to them.

I really don't like it when someone calls me a "guy" but I don't complain about it. If I am treated rudely at an establishment, I won't shop there again. There is a difference between rudeness and ignorance, though. I try to give people and their circumstances the benefit of the doubt.

Since Chik Fil A was mentioned...

I avoid fast food, chain or franchise restaurants, I rarely find the food to be acceptable. Except like on road trips when nothing else is available. BUT, a few years ago when Chik Fil A first came to the area with lots of accompanying buzz, I decided to give them a try.

I went once each to two different locations. At both, I found the food to be ok but the service experience to be nothing short of creepy. The people seemed to be in robotic, Stepford Wife-like trances. Very weird,

Maybe that was just my reaction, my perception could have been wrong, but both experiences were rather odd in the same way.

When someone says "no problem" to me, I say back...."no it shouldn't be a problem".

This is a management failure. Surveys show that customers value friendly service. I thought most stores had gotten that message. Now, if they would teach staff to see the difference between showing their teeth and knowing the stock...

Is it so much trouble to train a new cashier that you don't replace the dullards? If the pool of potential employees is entirely dullards, maybe you need to pay more!

I recently read an interview with the manager of several successful white-tablecloth restaurants. He screened wait staff for what he considered an innate sense of consideration for others. He said he could train anyone how to wait tables, but if that quality was absent, he couldn't train it into them.

Forget it--it's a convenience store, and that's the type person they hire.

So are we saying that if a young kid responds enthusiastically with a "no problem" because that's a generational habit - that it's not friendly customer service?

And a dour, mumbled "you're welcome" is?

I hear "no problem" and "no worries" all the time from young people. They say it without thinking.

I respond more to the intent, and not the verbage. Form over substance doesn't mean squat to me.

This post was edited by tally on Sun, Sep 21, 14 at 13:40

What tally said....(My late mother would get angry over the "you guys" when ordering at restaurants...but the waitstaff wasn't being disrespectful from what I saw...)

No Tally, I expect them to say a cheerful You are welcome, not a mumbled no problem.

I just don't get bent out of shape expecting public service employees to meet some sort of standard that can vary from person to person. Why let it ruin your day, or put you out of sorts for even a second? Not worth it, IMHO. Life is easier if you slough off the "little things."

BTW, I volunteer in the hospital gift shop & just hand people their coins, not counting it back like bygone days. Yes, I actually know how, LOL. I do spread the bills out so they can see them readily. I can't remember the last time anyone counted coins back to me. Personally I could care less if the short me a quarter.

Uh-oh . . . I often say, "Thanks, guys!" on this forum and other places on the Internet. No complaints so far, but I hope people aren't silently steaming.

I would just like it if they cashier put the coins in my hand first followed by the receipt instead of the receipt followed by the coins (where they easily slide off the paper onto the floor).

We took a trip to Ireland this summer. ALL over the country, people responded with "no problem". The Irish are such polite & friendly people, I found the phrase ...charming.

Alisande, you know the ditty about "pleasing some of the people some of the time..."? Let em steam & feed their peeve.

s ... m ... d... h?

Sometimes when I see a grocery customer with a lot of stuff in the small top basket and nothing in the bottom, larger tray, I ask, with semi-serious expression, whether they may be a bit worried whether, with a top-heavy load like that ...

... if they turn a corner quickly, whether it might tip over.

Most give me a look, and say that they aren't really worried about it, then I ask/suggest, with a smile, that that's not one of their major worries, and when they agree that it's not, I suggest that that's good - that it'd be a shame to get worried over little stuff that's very unlikely to happen.

But there's almost always more of a lilt to it than the serious sound when it's written here.

o j

Gawd I wish there was a block feature on this board. What is in my cart, and where, is none of your dammd business! What a jerk!

JoyfulGuy --- If I was the other shopper, I would think, "What a very odd thing to say." Obviously, you wouldn't choose to load your cart that way, but it's really no skin off your nose if others do so. Why you feel compelled to initiate a (VERY) passive aggressive conversation with someone on this topic makes zero sense to me. MYOB is in order, I believe!

This post was edited by Jewel654 on Tue, Sep 23, 14 at 18:41

I love great customer service. A smile and 'have a nice day' go a long way with me. I don't care if you call me guy or say no problem, as long as you are smiling and being polite, I'm a happy customer. I have worked with the public for 30+ yrs in one compacity or another, sometimes making only minimum wage, sometimes lots more. It never mattered to me how much money I was making, I was still polite and sweet to the customer. It has nothing to do with money. I treat people the way I want to be treated every day in every situation. It is just common curtesy to be nice to people, isn't it?

Oh, curlysue, saying "have a nice day" is enough to get some people into quite a lather, whether you are smiling or not. Pretty sad actually that some let such things get under their skin, IMHO.

Joyful, obviously some overlooked the words "more of a lilt to it than serious". I took it as an older fella simply making light hearted conversation. I hate to see you chastised. Not nice.

I simply hope for their best to make me feel appreciated or comfortable; trying hard is enough for me. Or it should be. There are so many ways to do things.

joyful, they may have trouble bending over.

I use "so" to begin a sentence. I really don't see that it is problematic. It might "begin a story" was all I saw above, so please, tell me more why I shouldn't do begin with so? I thought, most posts were stories??? I'd love to make sure I understand if/when it use it again how it could be perceived. And, I like to use "and" to begin a sentence. When posting. Only. This isn't going into a manuscript, after all. Very different way to talk, when we're conversing online.