"Never ever get frustrated from a customer's ignorance or asking dumb questions, we want them to ask, we want to be able to teach and guide them, for the millions that don't ask, they happily buy meat at Walmart.
Words of wisdom from mainemeatman, " CAN he get a Amen "
"dumb questions" amuse me rather than frustrate me. We even have a folder for that here. Is the fish fishy? I'm not sure what all is covered by "ignorance". That could be lots of things.
That's a nice thought, the Bible thing, but if you've never ever been frustrated, you haven't been doing this very long or * "I have a lot of soul searching to do" *(see below) It's how you react to it that's important. I have a lot of room for improvement in this area.
I'm wondering if it's ok to get frustrated for other reasons, just as long as it's not their ignorance or questions that's frustrating me?
*Around1985, I had a customer who wanted me to regrind their ground beef. It had to be ground 2 times she said. The one she was buying was already ground 2 times. I told her I could grind it again, but then it would be 3 times, not 2. She couldn't or wouldn't understand. Somehow she got mad. She complained. The 2nd man of the store came into the meat dept to find out what evil thing I did to make her so mad. Near the end of the conversation, that was in private (where no customers can hear), I told the ass't manager to tell the customer to "don't go away mad, just go away".
So the next morning I arrive to work at 6. I was immediately told that I'm not to start work. Rather I have to drive to the main office (20 miles) and talk to the top guys. All the Kings horses and all the Kings men were there. The King (owner) was there too. The meat supervisor, the VP of the company, another VP of some kind. I told them what happened. My frustration, or whatever term you want to use. We were focusing on my insult to the customer (who wasn't around when I said it) I asked them all if they've ever said or thought a similar thing about a customer and shared the thought with others? Everyone kept quite except for one guy, the top top guy just below the owner. He told me that he had never said one bad thing about any customer after they left. I told him that I didn't believe him or that he didn't work in stores very long before getting into office work. That's when he said "if you really think that, then you have a lot of soul searching to do". I think the VP was a liar, or an idiot, or both. It's funny that no one else in the room voiced an opinion.
If they are right about you then a lot of us have some soul searching to do. I know I was really bad in that department with out going into a lot of details I often turned my back on a customer and muttered something under my breath that nobody could hear. I also worked with a lot of people and I honestly can't think of a single one who never got annoyed with a customer. I even remember the nicest store manager I ever had getting annoyed with a customer before.
I get very annoyed with the self righteous people in the top who lie and preach that "customer is king" crap or say "I had been in this business for 20 years and I always helped customers with a smile" or "I Never tell a customer no". Then if you present them with an example of a customer requesting something that is against policy they don't have an answer on how to handle it.
Its pretty obvious they are full of ****. No human being goes through every minute of their jobs with out having some level of annoyance and in our business there are tons of annoying things. We have to interact with all types of offensive personalities on a daily basis. No human being can handle that with out losing their cool just a little once in a while.
So in addition to that can we PLEASE be honest here. This is the MEATCUTTER's CLUB We don't have to lie to each other here. This is a our support group. None of us are perfect and have all been guilty of some kind of violation one time or another. EVEN YOU, You know who you are.
(I do agree with original post. Customers do need education sometimes and I guess we are the ones to set them straight when it comes to meat, but being realistic sometimes we are going to be really busy and their questions sometimes come at the worst possible time. We are going to get annoyed sometimes. Just try to hide that annoyance and you are good. However I am not sure i would say I "want" them to ask all the time. I got **** to do and sometimes these questions need a long explanation. I used to joke that I needed a secretary to handle the phone calls and answer questions from customers in front of the case.)
-- Edited by fdarn on Friday 14th of November 2014 01:14:48 PM
I have to admit, I find it infinitely annoying as well as dangerous when a customer is slamming on my counter or yelling to me while I am operating a saw. On one occasion I even had a customer walk into the meat room and tap me on the shoulder as I was operating the thing. I honestly find it degrading and reckless that I am expected to simultaneously operate dangerous machinery while being responsive to customers. I honestly think there should be a law regarding this.
I certainly got annoyed more times than I care to remember. However I don't think I ever let it show. Instead I chose a passive agressive response to "kill them with courtesy." It was all fake mind you but it allowed me to annoy the customer back without them having a thing to report me for.
As to being asked to do something against company policy I soon learned if I refused they would go to the store manager and he would come back and tell me to do it, which made me look like the bad guy. Once I learned that, in every such case, I politely explained explained that if the customer would go to the store manager, he might just say yes so just ask him to come back to the meat dept. and tel me it was OK. that way I would not get in trouble. That way I made the customer do some leg work and I got the store manager to receive the major part of the annoyance.
fdarn wrote:
If they are right about you then a lot of us have some soul searching to do. I know I was really bad in that department with out going into a lot of details I often turned my back on a customer and muttered something under my breath that nobody could hear. I also worked with a lot of people and I honestly can't think of a single one who never got annoyed with a customer. I even remember the nicest store manager I ever had getting annoyed with a customer before.
I get very annoyed with the self righteous people in the top who lie and preach that "customer is king" crap or say "I had been in this business for 20 years and I always helped customers with a smile" or "I Never tell a customer no". Then if you present them with an example of a customer requesting something that is against policy they don't have an answer on how to handle it.
Its pretty obvious they are full of ****. No human being goes through every minute of their jobs with out having some level of annoyance and in our business there are tons of annoying things. We have to interact with all types of offensive personalities on a daily basis. No human being can handle that with out losing their cool just a little once in a while.
So in addition to that can we PLEASE be honest here. This is the MEATCUTTER's CLUB We don't have to lie to each other here. This is a our support group. None of us are perfect and have all been guilty of some kind of violation one time or another. EVEN YOU, You know who you are.
(I do agree with original post. Customers do need education sometimes and I guess we are the ones to set them straight when it comes to meat, but being realistic sometimes we are going to be really busy and their questions sometimes come at the worst possible time. We are going to get annoyed sometimes. Just try to hide that annoyance and you are good. However I am not sure i would say I "want" them to ask all the time. I got **** to do and sometimes these questions need a long explanation. I used to joke that I needed a secretary to handle the phone calls and answer questions from customers in front of the case.)
-- Edited by fdarn on Friday 14th of November 2014 01:14:48 PM
I like the way your mind works. "You don't mess around with Jim"
jimhenry2000 wrote:
I certainly got annoyed more times than I care to remember. However I don't think I ever let it show. Instead I chose a passive agressive response to "kill them with courtesy." It was all fake mind you but it allowed me to annoy the customer back without them having a thing to report me for.
As to being asked to do something against company policy I soon learned if I refused they would go to the store manager and he would come back and tell me to do it, which made me look like the bad guy. Once I learned that, in every such case, I politely explained explained that if the customer would go to the store manager, he might just say yes so just ask him to come back to the meat dept. and tel me it was OK. that way I would not get in trouble. That way I made the customer do some leg work and I got the store manager to receive the major part of the annoyance.
-- Edited by fdarn on Friday 14th of November 2014 03:51:16 PM
as a fairly new meatclerk years ago, I was cleaning one evening, it was a Friday evening and one well dressed lady said she was having a gathering at her house after a funeral, and she wanted to bake chickens, she had a roaster in her hand that was reduced, it had tomorrows date on it, she asked "will this still be good tomorrow"? she was going to buy the last remaining four birds, so I smiled and said "Yes of course, are you sure?" I said "i wouldn't say yes unless I knew they would be fine" so off she went Saturday I am working and I proudly proclaim to my boss I sold those reduced roasters to one lady- he said good job!
those roasters were the only ones we had, and no, I didn't know if they would be fine, I should have checked, but was young and dumb and wanted to be the hero, yes they were officially outdated , but I knew they came in with quite a chill, again, I should have checked,
this lady comes back in the afternoon, rings the buzzer
she looks awful and teared up.... she asked for "the boss" and me we go out to talk with her,,,she has receipt in hand,,,my stomach goes in a knot, she very articulately told my boss, she and her family will never shop there again,,,because this young man got snippy with me, and assured me these would be good
"before the funeral the ladies of the family were prepping the birds and when we opened the wrap, it stunk like rotten eggs and I broke down , it was a hard enough day as it was"
the meat manager offered her an exchange , she didn't want it ,,,, and walked off
he (meat manager) took me in the cooler and screamed at me,,,i wanted to run out the door- he said if this lady goes to the store manager, we both may lose our jobs ..
I felt terrible for a month, and I never saw that lady again, but because I screwed up so bad, I wanted to make up for it, I wanted positive karma - and in doing that was- doing everything reasonable I could to please the customers
ive had my share of very difficult customers , some screaming at me... but thru maturity I grew thick enough skin, that it didn't rattle me. (if they were un reasonable) but I also know one strength we have over walmarts and many chains is excellent customer service, we need to be pounding that drum to grow sales
you ever notice most guys don't ask questions?? because they don't want to look stupid?? and we lose sales because of it men eat more meat than women and we need to invite more questions from them .
and the "Butcher's Bible"was a fictitious book I made up years ago, for "customer quotes" but also we made up our own quotes for new trainees, butcher's diary" didn't have a good ring to it- I also recorded, dates of personnel changes and every year had a picture of the crew at Christmas time,,,,now when I see some of the old crew- they ask if I still have that (for the pictures)
when a customer challenged us and was bullheaded about it...we would write that quote in the book (bible)
-- Edited by Mainemeatman on Saturday 15th of November 2014 08:34:58 AM
When you put it that way I have to agree we should encourage men to ask more. I do not recall getting many questions from men either.
I have been there before and sold someone something that shouldn't had been in the case. To today I still have some regrets in situations like that.
I remember a few years ago a lady asked me to cut a whole striploin for her at an inch and a half thick. So I am slicing it and she is across the county watching me do it. then I wrap it and bring it back to her and she is like "Holey Moley that is thick" then she went and got the manager and made an official complaint. Jeez.
That is went I started double checking when they throw out a thick number for slicing steaks. I will say "You realize that is this thick right?"
This is embarrassing but I am going to go ahead and share it.
One time in the beginning of my meat cutting career (only maybe 4 months in) the meat manager was off for a couple days and it was only me there. My own grandma came into the store. She was looking for ground beef for the family memorial day picnic that we had every year. She pointed to some disgusting looking ground beef I was trying to push out with reduced stickers and asked me if it would be good tomorrow. I said yes. I was an idiot. Well that hamburger didn't get cooked. I think one of my aunts threw it away. no one said anything about it to me but to this day I still remember it and feel embarrassed about it. I didn't mean to lie to my grandma I just didn't know anything about meat. Now when I look back and knowing how bad that meat looked i feel ashamed that it was ever in the case.
I have always tried to find convenient answer for such customers some accept and they have become dear friends others just leave the counter if they didn't get what they really wanted.
I once had an Indian customer insist that I cut a frozen New Zealand leg of lamb (on sale for $1.29lb as whole leg only) into one inch cubes. I politely explained that doing that would be very dangerous and put my fingers at risk. He told me to "just shut up and do your job!" I told him I could not do that. He went ballistic and said "I'm going to your store manager! What do you say to that?!" I said, "Tell him that Jim says hello." At that point it took our store manager and store detective to subdue him and drag him out of the store while I watched in amusement. This was in Northeast Philadelphia.
