Miss Tequila
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 10:13:45 GMT -5
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Post by Miss Tequila on Oct 31, 2016 12:34:09 GMT -5
Lets not even get into the calling you by your first name scenario. that I don't have a problem with.
Mrs. Swamp is my mother.
Exactly...except Ms. Tequila is not my mother but my exes...I KNEW I shouldn't have taken his name
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Cookies Galore
Senior Associate
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 18:08:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,892
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Post by Cookies Galore on Oct 31, 2016 13:30:07 GMT -5
Lets not even get into the calling you by your first name scenario. that I don't have a problem with.
Mrs. Swamp is my mother.
Or making assumptions that you are a Mrs! I am NOT Mrs. My Last Name, I am Ms. My Last Name. Just call me by my first name, I know you know it. Ms. is also the correct form to use unless you know someone goes by Mrs.
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Green Eyed Lady
Senior Associate
Look inna eye! Always look inna eye!
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Post by Green Eyed Lady on Oct 31, 2016 13:39:12 GMT -5
I don't care what they call me....first name, last name, Ms., Mrs....what difference does it make? My mother insists it's "disrespectful" to call a customer - or at least one you aren't personally acquainted with - by their first name. I guess when you are a customer and spending money, in her opinion, it entitles you to a certain amount of respect - earned or not. I do think it's another one of the antiquated rules of etiquette, so I guess if one is older, it may still be important to them. I don't see it as disrespectful so I don't care. Obviously, others do. I think, if it were me, I'd err on the side of caution and just not call anybody anything. However, if it's some sort of company policy, they don't have a choice.
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Miss Tequila
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 10:13:45 GMT -5
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Post by Miss Tequila on Oct 31, 2016 13:42:31 GMT -5
I don't care what they call me....first name, last name, Ms., Mrs....what difference does it make? My mother insists it's "disrespectful" to call a customer - or at least one you aren't personally acquainted with - by their first name. I guess when you are a customer and spending money, in her opinion, it entitles you to a certain amount of respect - earned or not. I do think it's another one of the antiquated rules of etiquette, so I guess if one is older, it may still be important to them. I don't see it as disrespectful so I don't care. Obviously, others do. I think, if it were me, I'd err on the side of caution and just not call anybody anything. However, if it's some sort of company policy, they don't have a choice. I think that's it. Calling someone Ms. or Mr. sounds like they are speaking to an old person...but it does seem important to old people.
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 14, 2024 13:26:55 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 13:57:31 GMT -5
I don't care what they call me....first name, last name, Ms., Mrs....what difference does it make? My mother insists it's "disrespectful" to call a customer - or at least one you aren't personally acquainted with - by their first name. I guess when you are a customer and spending money, in her opinion, it entitles you to a certain amount of respect - earned or not. I do think it's another one of the antiquated rules of etiquette, so I guess if one is older, it may still be important to them. I don't see it as disrespectful so I don't care. Obviously, others do. I think, if it were me, I'd err on the side of caution and just not call anybody anything. However, if it's some sort of company policy, they don't have a choice. I think that's it. Calling someone Ms. or Mr. sounds like they are speaking to an old person...but it does seem important to old people. I'm old, I guess. I don't like it when I'm a client or customer and haven't introduced myself to you (you just read my name somewhere) and you call me by my first name. I don't dislike it so much that I jump up and down about it, but I do notice. Especially if they mispronounce it, which happens more often than not. Besides being old, I'm also a Southerner, and there are rules darn it.
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Green Eyed Lady
Senior Associate
Look inna eye! Always look inna eye!
Joined: Jan 23, 2012 11:23:55 GMT -5
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Post by Green Eyed Lady on Oct 31, 2016 13:59:34 GMT -5
I can understand that. It doesn't matter to me but that sure doesn't mean it doesn't matter to anyone. I do still refer to my elders as Mrs. or Mr. Rarely is someone older than me going to take offense to not using Ms. It's a product of my upbringing so I do understand. I try to be careful to refer to someone as they wish to be addressed. I don't care how they address me, tho.
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Miss Tequila
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 10:13:45 GMT -5
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Post by Miss Tequila on Oct 31, 2016 14:05:33 GMT -5
I think that's it. Calling someone Ms. or Mr. sounds like they are speaking to an old person...but it does seem important to old people. I'm old, I guess. I don't like it when I'm a client or customer and haven't introduced myself to you (you just read my name somewhere) and you call me by my first name. I don't dislike it so much that I jump up and down about it, but I do notice. Especially if they mispronounce it, which happens more often than not. Besides being old, I'm also a Southerner, and there are rules darn it. Us Yankees don't have rules
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 14, 2024 13:26:55 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 14:16:45 GMT -5
As far as the OP, I tend to go easy on people that work the front lines in retail and the service industries unless they're rude. I've worked in stores before and dealing with the public is not always pleasant. I remember all the rude, mean, crazy people I had to deal with, and I try not to be THAT customer. I'm usually patient with someone that's fumbling around or doesn't know something because they're new at the job. But if I'm dealing with a manager, I expect them to know what they're talking about or know how to find out what they need to know.
I also know that many of the things employees ask and say that annoy customers are required by the employer. I've worked for companies that would have someone call or visit and if the employee didn't say or ask those things, they were "in trouble". I guess companies that do this get enough results to risk annoying a certain percentage of their customers with all the extra talk.
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wvugurl26
Distinguished Associate
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Post by wvugurl26 on Oct 31, 2016 14:19:41 GMT -5
If they do their dang job I really don't care what they call me!! Home Depot and Wegman's both let you look up where something is online. Wegman's will also organize my list by aisle. I think Lowe's does it too but I live in a county with one Lowe's and a Home Depot on every corner it seems like.
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dee27
Senior Member
Joined: Sept 28, 2016 21:08:12 GMT -5
Posts: 2,211
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Post by dee27 on Oct 31, 2016 14:30:42 GMT -5
Retail may have upped the ante on friendliness, but a lot of local hospitals and doctors' offices use automated calls or email to contact patients about upcoming appointments, registering as a new patient, and follow-ups after surgery because those methods are more time efficient. Although I would appreciate a post surgery follow up call, it is easier for me to register on line or press one to confirm an appointment.
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zibazinski
Community Leader
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Posts: 47,912
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Post by zibazinski on Oct 31, 2016 15:52:25 GMT -5
I don't know if it was Monday or Halloween or a combo of both but at the bank today some customer remarked when the teller introduced himself that he had a "girl's name!" 😲 Then I go to Publix and I think this one customer was drunk as she was so loud that she even drowned out the crying kids, who quieted down when they heard her. I couldn't avoid her no matter what aisle I went down and when I went to checkout, lo and behold, there she was yelling away about how to pack her groceries! Thankfully Trader Joe's was normal.
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chiver78
Administrator
Current Events Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:04:45 GMT -5
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Post by chiver78 on Oct 31, 2016 16:30:08 GMT -5
I don't care what they call me....first name, last name, Ms., Mrs....what difference does it make? My mother insists it's "disrespectful" to call a customer - or at least one you aren't personally acquainted with - by their first name. I guess when you are a customer and spending money, in her opinion, it entitles you to a certain amount of respect - earned or not. I do think it's another one of the antiquated rules of etiquette, so I guess if one is older, it may still be important to them. I don't see it as disrespectful so I don't care. Obviously, others do. I think, if it were me, I'd err on the side of caution and just not call anybody anything. However, if it's some sort of company policy, they don't have a choice. one of my HS jobs was at a pizza place in the mall food court. the managers were a group of late 20-something guys that all came up from RI and to a man, they called every female "Miss" and every male "Sir", whether they were 6 or 60. it got a chuckle out of some of the older women, and almost always a smile. no names necessary
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zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,912
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Post by zibazinski on Oct 31, 2016 16:51:16 GMT -5
When my DD worked at Sams Club they were told to call customers by their first name when thanking them. She just cringed at the thought. I raised her well. . She used sir and ma'am and when called on it, said she was raised to be respectful and she couldn't change that.
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973beachbum
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:12:13 GMT -5
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Post by 973beachbum on Nov 1, 2016 7:19:02 GMT -5
The way things are stocked in grocery stores really isn't what I thought it would be. I was a customer for years so I thought I knew basically what it would be like but man was I wrong. I guess the weirdest part is a huge chunk of things aren't stocked by employees of the GC itself. At ours I think almost half of the inside isles are stocked by vendors. So if something is removed say because it doesn't sell most of us really wouldn't know unless we buy that product ourselves. The worst though are the shipping displays that are all over the stores! Those things sometimes are "permanent" yet move around the freaking store. It's like trying to herd cats. I will say the gc I work at and from talk the others in the Shoprite really need a Virgil to help with their antiquated computer systems. And there are lots. Every single dept has their own computer system and none of them are merged. Funnily enough all the vendors complain that Shoprite is much worse. PS I tend to be a Sir and Ma'am person unless I know the person. I will say though it was crazy to me how quickly I did get to know the regular customers. And not just what brand of cigarettes they buy.
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973beachbum
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
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Post by 973beachbum on Nov 1, 2016 7:36:02 GMT -5
I had one time I was checking people out in the express line. It was a week or so before Christmas and about dinner time. So I am doing the usual and a guy walks up and plunks down ten or twelve gift cards. Well on a good day in February it takes 15 seconds to activate a gift card after the register finishes the transaction. Well this night every store in the state was crushing the bandwith to a crawl. I think it was closer to 30 seconds each and he had over ten. So after he put his CC through and pays the computer starts activating each card one at a time. So we keep talking. And from the customer behinds point of view talking and talking and talking. So she finally says, extremely politely, that she is very rushed and if I could ring her up now she would really appreciate it. She said she didnt care if we wanted to still talk but she really had to get going. So I explained how the system was still finishing the transaction and I couldn't ring anything else up until it was done. She looked a little confused so I turned my screen so she could see it and her face changed as she saw it going through each gift card one at a time and activating it. The real point should be don't go into a store before Christmas and expect anything to be quick.
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Chocolate Lover
Distinguished Associate
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Nov 1, 2016 13:46:30 GMT -5
I gave up sir and ma'am on the phone after some woman with a deep voice got offended about being called sir.
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Bob Ross
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 14:48:03 GMT -5
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Post by Bob Ross on Nov 1, 2016 14:24:45 GMT -5
Back when I worked in defense contracting, the "super-nice-do-nothing" employee was relatively common, and many could and would make an entire career out of using this strategy. What they would do is set their asking salary low, then get hired because they were cheap and nice. They'd also learn to "talk the talk" so they sounded like they knew a thing or two, just to get hired. Then they would spend their days doing jack sh*t. The way we figured it, the profit margin on these folks was actually quite large, because the contractor would bill the gov't the same amount for them as for a good employee, but the good employee's salary was higher, therefore, more company profit was made on the crappy guy. It was pretty common for a contracting company to hire and pay for enough good people to get the job done, then fill the rest of the open spots with cheap "chair fillers" to increase their profits. I saw MANY top notch employees get laid off during draw-down times, while the chair fillers got to keep their jobs, and this is my best guess as to why. It got to the point that when I was doing the interviewing and hiring, I got extremely suspicious of candidates who were overly nice and friendly, since that increased the likelihood that they were professional chair fillers. I know it sounds messed up to fault someone for that, but that's how it was. The notable exception was for new college grads, since they are simply naive, but the true sign of a good gov't contracting employee is that they are bitter and cynical like the rest of us.
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alabamagal
Junior Associate
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Post by alabamagal on Nov 8, 2016 13:58:49 GMT -5
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Peace Of Mind
Senior Associate
[font color="#8f2520"]~ Drinks Well With Others ~[/font]
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Nov 8, 2016 14:07:17 GMT -5
I gave up sir and ma'am on the phone after some woman with a deep voice got offended about being called sir. LMAO!!! That's happened to me too back when I worked and again recently when we were at a drive-through window. DH said "yes, mam" after they asked him a question about our order. When we drove up to pay there was this huge dude with a very female voice. Oops!
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