Tyger Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 OK, I understand that there are some people out there that haven't had the education I have, and I haven't done much past high school (some trade school). I admit, I suck at most math problems too. However, on another message board I belong too (local), there are some really really nice people, but then there are some really, really um, stupid people. There, I said it!One person posted that they needed help, and others responded, which they normally do, and I checked it out too. They wanted to know....get this........how to figure out 50 cents on the dollar. Yes, truly.If you can't figure out THAT sort of money figuring, as an adult, then, you really need to go back to school.I was so disgusted, I had to opt NOT to respond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lil_librarian Posted February 23, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Oh Lord... Yeah, that is pretty bad! Not sure that more school would help. Some people just can't be taught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pappyld04 Posted February 23, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 I saw this at my lawyers office recently. I told the secretary that the billing clerk had been making a mistake on the 10% interest. She was looking up the billing and come up with the idea that she would not know. Is $50 month even half-assed correct on an 1800 bill? Homey don;t think so. I tried to tell the ignorant bitch that most 5th graders can do that math! She played stupid, very well I might add. I think he needs a new secretary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Amylynn920 Posted February 23, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 As I said before, there is stupidity out there. Plain and simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mailahn97 Posted February 23, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Before I decided to stay home with my daughter for a while I was part of management for a major retailer. I used to get a kick out of the cashiers when they would put in the wrong amount that customer gave them. They were good for instead of putting $10 they would put $100 and then not have a clue how to figure out the change. They would call someone over to help them. I am like do they not teach you subtraction in school. Then I realized one of the objects that is on the back to school list is a calculator. I remember being in school and we were not allowed calculators at all.It is sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ladylove Posted February 23, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Alrighty then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ohshelly Posted February 23, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yep, thats bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pappyld04 Posted February 23, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Next tome your bill comes out to an odd amount such as $10.61, give them a penny or 0.11 and watch the fun begin!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyger Posted February 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Next tome your bill comes out to an odd amount such as $10.61, give them a penny or 0.11 and watch the fun begin!!!!!!You & I are a lot alike!! LOL I do this. And, what kills me, is that even the cashiers at Wal*Mart, who have automatic figuring registers, look at me funny when I do that. One said, rather disgustedly, "well, you're still getting coins back", and I told her that I wasn't getting as much back, and no pennies, and if she wanted to refuse my money, I would speak with a CSM. Having worked there before, I felt super-confident anyway. LOL I did report that cashier, to a CSM that I knew well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mystofpric Posted February 24, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Next tome your bill comes out to an odd amount such as $10.61, give them a penny or 0.11 and watch the fun begin!!!!!!See here's what I hate, when people DON"T give me change and bitch that I gave them pennies. Ya know what d-bag, your bill came to 10.61, your gonna get .39 back. don't like it? Take a penny from the penny thing and give it to me!!! Old men are notorious for this. at least at my store any way (and no, none of your guys qualify as old men, so shush.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eminatic Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 please keep in mind that in regards to customer service workers, it is not necessarily because we are stupid. i am not lying when i say customer service is the most soul crushing, dehumanizing and depressing work there is. try to imagine standing in the same spot all day, doing some monotonous repetitive task over and over and over and over for 8 hours barely able to eat, get a drink of water or go to the bathroom. most clerks are just not there mentally, in an attempt to survive the day. when i was a cashier i have had friends come to my register and rung them up and bagged their stuff without ever even recognizing them. when 99.9% of transactions are the same 8 hours a day 5+ days a week and you are zoning out just trying to live through the day of course we are not prepared for that one customer that wants something different or the one time the register goes down. the day is such a depressing life draining pattern that even the most basic arithmetic applications seem like a hazy fog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mailahn97 Posted February 25, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 please keep in mind that in regards to customer service workers, it is not necessarily because we are stupid. i am not lying when i say customer service is the most soul crushing, dehumanizing and depressing work there is. try to imagine standing in the same spot all day, doing some monotonous repetitive task over and over and over and over for 8 hours barely able to eat, get a drink of water or go to the bathroom. most clerks are just not there mentally, in an attempt to survive the day. when i was a cashier i have had friends come to my register and rung them up and bagged their stuff without ever even recognizing them. when 99.9% of transactions are the same 8 hours a day 5+ days a week and you are zoning out just trying to live through the day of course we are not prepared for that one customer that wants something different or the one time the register goes down. the day is such a depressing life draining pattern that even the most basic arithmetic applications seem like a hazy fog.Not necessarily true. I have been in retail for close to 15 years. I have been involved in the front end of the store mostly from cashier to management. It is about attitude for the job. If the cashiers have a good moral shown to them. They do better. Also you keep busy. our cashiers did not stand still. We kept them busy in their areas also. The comment I made about not being able to make change has happened with cashiers that have been in all different phases of their shift so that is incorrect.Also it is only the younger ones that have recently graduated or are in high school now. I mean realistically they are helping them to be much more dependent on machines to do things for them. Come on a calculator should not be a regular back to school item. I can see if you are in higher levels or mathematics and need a specialized one but not for basic math.Retail life is not for everyone I will say that. It sounds like it is not for you. I would not generalize it that all cashiers feel that way as they do not. I enjoy it. In fact I was one of the few managers that loved hoping on register when things got busy. I have worked for small stores all the way up to big retail and still enjoyed it. It is what you make out of it. If you go in hating it before you get there. Then your day is gonna suck regardless as to what happens. Me I loved the interaction with the customers and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ladylove Posted February 25, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 I hope they don't work in a bank........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyger Posted February 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 please keep in mind that in regards to customer service workers, it is not necessarily because we are stupid. i am not lying when i say customer service is the most soul crushing, dehumanizing and depressing work there is. try to imagine standing in the same spot all day, doing some monotonous repetitive task over and over and over and over for 8 hours barely able to eat, get a drink of water or go to the bathroom. most clerks are just not there mentally, in an attempt to survive the day. when i was a cashier i have had friends come to my register and rung them up and bagged their stuff without ever even recognizing them. when 99.9% of transactions are the same 8 hours a day 5+ days a week and you are zoning out just trying to live through the day of course we are not prepared for that one customer that wants something different or the one time the register goes down. the day is such a depressing life draining pattern that even the most basic arithmetic applications seem like a hazy fog.I've been in retail since 1991. It's true that some people go thru their retail lives such as this, but it is what you make of it. No offense to Wal*Mart or their associates, since I was a front end night time cashier for over a year, but most cashiers are there for the paycheck, and interact as mininally as possible. I always tried to be as friendly and fun as I could be. If you actually acknowledge your customers and talk with them a little bit, even for the time it takes to ring them in, you've made a positive impression on them as an associate, and for the business you work for. Before that, I've worked for Rich's (a northern chain which is now closed), Sears (2 different stores), and TJ Maxx. All of which (except WM) I made middle management positions. You have to go in with a more positive attitude, smile, try and have fun with every situation. If you make comments or even a "wow, is THIS on CLEARANCE??" comments, customers LOVE hearing they found a great deal, and you can make your transactions more FUN, and possibly even build up a good repitoire (sp) with customers. I had one set of customers (a mother, father, and a son) that came in, and would search out my line at WM. The mother had cancer/hysterectomy, father was working advertising, and the son went to school. It got down to the point where if I didn't see them for a while, when they came in, they were full of info, and I was sooo happy to see she was ok. We even gave each other hugs. I wasn't saying that retail workers are stupid. My original post said nothing of the sort. Basically, most cashiers are soooo use to getting full bills, that they get "out of the groove" if you give them a penny to offset something, or exact change. Some have no clue how to handle it. Many people aren't cut out for the work that retail workers have to put up with and do. Customers don't seem to notice good retailers, but really notice bad ones. Only people that have DONE any sort of customer service (retail, waitresses, ect) really notice the good and the bad. So, please don't think that I would ever INSULT retail workers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pappyld04 Posted February 25, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Personally I think everyone shoul work retail at some point early in life. You see the best and the worst of what the world is about. There is no such thing as a mindless drone only lazy co-workers. We've all seen them and I personally despise them. Like Tyger, I always sought to interact with the customer and if they chose to get nasty then I can play that game too. (A customer asking for 2 quarters instead of 39 cents in change is not a major issue. It's basic math that we all should know by the 6th grade if not sooner). My gf and I actually adopted an older couple in our time there. They stopped in twice a week on the way to and from church for bathroom breaks and sometimes they would scrape enough change to buy her a chicken strip or maybe a hershey bar to share. After catching wid of this I made sure that she got 6 strips and a soda ad he got his hershey's ad a coffee every time they stopped. Even the assistant managers go in on this. If we weren't there they made sure that this couple was taken care of and would charge me half price at first then they got to a point of just giving it to them. I don't what you do for a living you should have at least a touch of pride in doing your job well. Every customer is different and you cannot please them all but you can put out the effort. It costs you nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eminatic Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 your description of being friendly, interacting and having a positive attitude describes me when i FIST started. a few years after that i couldnt put up with it. people will ALWAYS bitch whether you are friendly or not, whether the store is in perfect condition or not etc. after constantly trying your best and still getting bitched at either way you just stop trying. seriously.....why bother?yeah, when i was a cashier we were supposed to be zoning and all that crap as well, cashiering when its crowded is not that bad, its that steady stream thats not really busy but keeps you from taking one step away for even a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mailahn97 Posted February 25, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 your description of being friendly, interacting and having a positive attitude describes me when i FIST started. a few years after that i couldnt put up with it. people will ALWAYS bitch whether you are friendly or not, whether the store is in perfect condition or not etc. after constantly trying your best and still getting bitched at either way you just stop trying. seriously.....why bother?yeah, when i was a cashier we were supposed to be zoning and all that crap as well, cashiering when its crowded is not that bad, its that steady stream thats not really busy but keeps you from taking one step away for even a second.Obviously this proves that retail is not for you. I am the same way now as when I first entered retail. I enjoy it. You get what you give no matter what part of life this has to do with. If you greet someone with a smile and such most times that will turn the person around. It is a proven fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pappyld04 Posted February 25, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Obviously this proves that retail is not for you. I am the same way now as when I first entered retail. I enjoy it. You get what you give no matter what part of life this has to do with. If you greet someone with a smile and such most times that will turn the person around. It is a proven fact. Very well proven fact at that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eminatic Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 no crap retail isnt for me, nor is it a fate that i would wish upon anyone else. with the availability of a full time student and no real skills or education i don't qualify for anything else. once in a blue moon i will go in and tell myself that its going to be a good day and try to be upbeat, but i am quickly reminded why i stopped trying long ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mystofpric Posted February 26, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 no crap retail isnt for me, nor is it a fate that i would wish upon anyone else. with the availability of a full time student and no real skills or education i don't qualify for anything else. once in a blue moon i will go in and tell myself that its going to be a good day and try to be upbeat, but i am quickly reminded why i stopped trying long ago.Ya know, hon, it could be the store you work in too. I currently (though only for a little while longer) work in a conveince store part time and i hate it. I do my best to interact with customer, and apperently, though I have no clue why since I hate my job so much, people love me! However, I worked at a blockbuster for 6 months and I really loved it! I could sell like there was no tomorrow and I enjoyed both my customer and my co-workers. I had to quit when I moved and the store here was soulless and atypical corporate bullshit. What a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Amylynn920 Posted February 26, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 no crap retail isnt for me, nor is it a fate that i would wish upon anyone else. with the availability of a full time student and no real skills or education i don't qualify for anything else. once in a blue moon i will go in and tell myself that its going to be a good day and try to be upbeat, but i am quickly reminded why i stopped trying long ago.Em don't place such a low value on your skills or your ability to learn, you will only climb as high professionally or personally as you choose. Retail is not for everyone, I did it for many years and managed a call center with 32 reps. Morale building is a skill. I personally have an issue when basic math skills are not learned in school. And I blame some retail centers for not making sure their workers can count back change. Look into some other areas where you'll find personal fulfillment in your daily job. Check into some training facilities in your area, take some classes, find what you love to do and reach for it with both hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pappyld04 Posted February 26, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Em, I'm not trying to be mean or anything here, but are you capable of happiness? It seems like everything lately has brought you down into a nonstop hatred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eminatic Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 i can tell you for sure i didnt become a hateful person until i started working in retail. that was when i lost all respect for humanity...people think its a funny joke when i say i hate all these disgusting pigs that are constantly infesting the store....except that im not kidding. seriously, i can't even emphasize enough the drastic change that my view of life went through after working in retail for a few years.i am in college so that i can gtfo of retail but in the meantime that severely limits the types of jobs i can work while in school. most companies dont want to hire someone whos only available a couple days a week, why pay benefits etc to add another employee that they can't get much work time out of? its more economical for them to press their existing employees to the limit. i had hoped on getting a job at my school but due to budget cuts they are not allowed to hire any new employees for any department....and even worse they might be cutting that program altogether (the other college in this state has already gotten rid of it)my major is linguistics and i hope to be able to leave to a non-english speaking country once i graduate....but it just seems like its taking forever to get there...im still only in general ed for the most part, so then i end up thinking about how much longer i'll have to be working crap jobs and just get either really pissed off or depressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mystofpric Posted February 27, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 my major is linguistics and i hope to be able to leave to a non-english speaking country once i graduate....but it just seems like its taking forever to get there...im still only in general ed for the most part, so then i end up thinking about how much longer i'll have to be working crap jobs and just get either really pissed off or depressed.Well what languages do you speak? That is a HUGE HUGE attribute for any employer! But you live in VEGAS!! they always have people speaking all kinds of languages around there and your skills can be a huge plus! Look at casinos and banks and things like that, restaurants etc just put yourself out there, even if you don't think you have the skills apply any way. DO you honestly think i ever thought they'd hire me at a granite quarry? No, i figured i'd be crushed (literally) and sent home. BUt they hired me and a year later they made me our company's FIRST female miner! (yup, nation wide , i'm the first!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pappyld04 Posted February 27, 2009 Members Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Perhaps iha or one of his co-workers could offer a little something here. I, being a high school educated idiot, would guess that your skills aren't holding you down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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