Tuesday, July 8, 2008

How to be a Great Customer

  • Don't try to put your gift card into the credit card machine. It won't work. (Unless it is a credit card-type gift card, which will have a magnetic strip on the back.)
  • Never, ever mix produce sold by weight. Even if it's the same price. Just don't do it.
  • If your apples don't have stickers on them, make sure you know what variety they are so the cashier will be able to look up the number.
  • It's nice if you smile every now and then. Everyone has bad days, but just try to be a little bit friendly.
  • Compliments go a long way. If you liked something the cashier did, you should tell them! Cashiers have to put up with a lot of crabby people every day, and a compliment will help immensely.
  • Don't get mad and pout if the cashier doesn't say hi to you, and refuse to talk to them first. They see hundreds of people every day, and sometimes start zoning out. They might need a kick. (Not literally, of course.)
  • We all know that at Wal-Mart, you so very rarely see this, so it's difficult to remember if you regularly shop there. When there is a cashier standing at the front of a lane and the light is on, it means they're open and ready to help you. Don't stupidly ask if they're open...just smile and say hi, they'll know what you want.
  • Similar to the previous one, don't walk up to a cashier waiting at the end of his or her lane without making any sort of eye contact. It's just...awkward.
  • We all know this is difficult sometimes, but please try to not have an entire cartload of things, and put them on the belt all mixed up. Sorting even just halfheartedly will make the whole thing much faster and easier for everyone.
  • This is also difficult, but do try to make sure your things have tags. This is for your convenience. If something doesn't have a tag, it will only take longer to get you through.
  • People tend to bunch up at the closest open lanes. Try walking another few feet and seeing if the other ones are less busy.
  • Don't ever take out your anger about prices, quality, what isn't in stock, or your mother-in-law on the cashier. They're like robots, they just ring hundreds and hundreds of things up every day. They really don't know anything about the store. If you have a problem, find a manager.
  • If the cashier makes a mistake, such as missing a coupon, double scanning an item, etc. etc. etc., and the transaction is done, take it to guest service. That's what they're there for. If it's not busy, go ahead and ask the cashier if they can fix it. If they can't...guest service is your friend.
  • If you have a discount or coupon you want to use, don't run your credit card until you know for a fact that the coupon or discount has been applied to your purchase. Voiding credit card payments is not fun. Again, if this happens, it's probably easier to just take it to guest service. They're pretty good at that kind of thing.
  • Don't talk on your cell phone while you're checking out. Especially in one of the following situations: your credit card doesn't work, one or more of your items don't have tags, or you have a large transaction.
  • If you forgot something and need to run back and find it, offer to do it on a new transaction and let people go ahead of you. Especially if it's going to take more than a minute to get it.
  • Please, please use the sticks placed near the belt. They mean "this is a separate purchase from the person in front of me". You have no idea how confusing it gets when 3 people, who look like they're together, come at the same time and dump all their things on the belt, and then get mad when you try to ring it up together. Just use the sticks.
  • If you like reusable bags, great! But don't load your cart to overflowing, dump it all, shampoo, meat and veggies all mixed, on the belt, throw 20 bags in the cashier's face and expect him or her to get it all sorted and bagged quickly. It won't happen. The best thing to do is offer to help fill the bags yourself. And sort your stuff while you're putting it on the belt.
  • If you want paper bags, don't wait until the cashier is finished with plastic. If you remember too late, either fix it yourself, or forget it. An exception is if it was a small transaction and the store is not busy.
  • If you want to use a check, please either fill out the parts you can before the total, or write it out very quickly. However, if you're very old and slow, take your time.
  • Many people like to pay the exact amount of cash that is due. This is great, however, if it takes more than about 15 seconds to find the right change, just forget it. Take your change to the bank if you have too much.
  • Don't ever, ever put anything like money, coupons, or other very small, flat objects on the conveyor belt. Even more importantly, don't blame the cashier if they get sucked in. Those things are automatic. No matter how we try to stop the belt in time, sometimes we can't. It's not our fault.
  • If there is a large orange and black sticker on your item that says "non-conveyable", don't put it on the belt. Especially if the cashier looks very small. Leave it in the cart, they'll scan it there.
  • If you have ten of the same flavor of pop in large boxes, just put one on the belt and tell the cashier how many you have. Same goes with anything else moderately big and/or heavy.
*NOTE* There are exceptions. Mistakes happen, and no one expects you to be perfect. These are only general guidelines.

1 comment:

JanetinMN said...

You should send this in to the Reader's Digest!! They need it.