Semi OT rant about Hobby Lobby - Page 2

Doublereeder2 · 05-06-2007, 05:38 PM

Customer service has become a way of the past in many retail businesses. And you can call me a cynic if you want, but I think the stores purposely keep the wrong price in the computer and if the consumer does not notice, it is just too bad. The company makes it's extra few pennies on each of us and that amounts to a huge amount when multiplied by the number of customers. I always have to watch at the grocery because something invariable rings up wrong.

Or maybe the people at corporate who input the price changes in the computers are just incompetent. Irritating, to say the least.

Our HL never has enough checkers and the ones that are there do not seem to happy to be there. I try not to go there if I can get the item elsewhere.

kellyh57 · 05-06-2007, 11:46 PM

On the flip side, I've heard of HL having mis-marked merchandise by $20-$30 ($2.99 instead of $29.99, etc.) and the cashiers don't do anything about it since "that's what it's marked." I think it's pretty sad that they rely on such an outdated system. The store is really too large for the cashier to know all the prices and sales.

Speaking of watching to make sure things ring up correctly, I really hate one of the grocery stores here. They use the cards and it doesn't gove sale prices until they scan the card at the end. I went last night to get some awesome sales, but if the certain type I got didn't count, I didn't want it. I was really annoyed! Ah, technology!

Kelly

jess_hawk · 05-07-2007, 12:40 AM

I hate rude cashiers. I work register at my job, and I admit that once or twice I've gotten a bit snippy with a particularly rude customer, or if I'm having an extra stressful day and its getting to the point where each thing that goes wrong makes me want to cry/beat whoever made the mistake. However, if I catch myself slipping to being rude I stop, take a deep breath, apologize to the customer and explain that I'm having a very stressful day and I'm just ready for it to be over. The worst was the day we had an ice storm and the whole town ran out of a bunch of stuff people needed, like generators and gas heaters. I was trying to stop each person at the door because I didn't want them to have to walk all the way through the store only to find out that we were out of what they wanted (I had a list of the items) plus we had almost the normal number of regular transactions. I was working at least twice as hard as usual and several people were extremely offended that when they walked in the door I asked them what they were looking for (I wanted to smack the man who was still annoyed even after I explained why I had done so. but I didn't). If I can go through a day like that and still have some sort of (albeit haggled) smile, other people should be able to handle a standard day.

Inis · 05-07-2007, 01:06 AM

I've been lucky. The HL closest to me has great employees. They've even checked the back for more yarn in the same dye lot, done special orders and rain checks, etc.

I really wish they'd update to new technology, too, but a clerk at my local HL hypothosized that they never will due to their moral philosophy -- what ever the heck that means.

Speaking of which, I really wish they'd open on Sundays.

cando · 05-07-2007, 01:45 AM

Oh that sucks!

I too have had similar experiences with Hobby Lobby and Joann. So now, I always tell them which item is how much off and they check against the flyer. If the cashier says its not discounted I just leave it rather than go back and check or pay more than I planned.
It's a pain to check everything they punch in but atleast I don't walk out of there pissed.

suzeeq · 05-07-2007, 01:55 AM

Originally Posted by Inis

I've been lucky. The HL closest to me has great employees. They've even checked the back for more yarn in the same dye lot, done special orders and rain checks, etc.

I really wish they'd update to new technology, too, but a clerk at my local HL hypothosized that they never will due to their moral philosophy -- what ever the heck that means.

Speaking of which, I really wish they'd open on Sundays.

They won't because the corp is very Christian. I guess that means they're Luddites too, if they won't use new technology....

sue

PaperGirl · 05-07-2007, 03:51 AM

Sadly, as I was looking there, I noticed that they rearranged their yarn selection to be ALOT easier to locate what I want...AND...they got ALOT of Lion Wool....I was debating on going back for some for some clog felting for my nephew..

Jo-Anns here...crap. Never anything there that I like or need.

Michaels....now I found ALOT of Patons SWS and Lion Brand....Im thinking I may head over there next time and grab some SWS for my next project.

BinkyKat · 05-08-2007, 12:43 AM

I notice our HL moves their yarn around a lot. Every time I got it seems like it's being moved around in the same group of rows

One of our good friends works there and other than that, she's the only truly nice one. I haven't been treated rudely, but I notice that depending on the day, the checkers seem to lapse into a lot of conversations amongst themselves....like between lanes over your head like you're not even there. And although they do ask for people to come to their registers, there is usually only 3 or 4 open on any given day and they'll still be 5-10 people deep and going slower than molasses. It seems at our HL they are always stocking, moving, inventory-ing, etc. Not a lot of eye contact unless you are at the frame shop or fabric area

I did have to return something once...omg, set aside an hour for that issue

I've been in retail and customer service all my life and I get jabbed for being too nice or that I "take too much sh!t from people" but I cannot abide by being sarcastic, rude, or oblivious to people. You get what you give and I get really frosted that customers think we are their whipping posts. I do feel like the "customer's always right" addage could be amended a little because many take advantage and think the only way to get their way is to be rude, but that comes from people being forced to come out of the stall kicking because they've had rude service before.
Sad state of affairs...

brendajos · 05-08-2007, 12:56 AM

ugh i am fully irritated by "the customer is always right" because it is completely not true. And honestly, i don't think that the customer is any happier when they act like a jerk saying that the customer is always right and get their way, than they would be if they were told "no!"

We have customers who place their orders online, we can tell that no one here touched their order, and yet they insist that we put the wrong address in or ordered the wrong thing for them. They get really irritated when we refuse to pay for them to return something when the error is theirs. We give away all sorts of stuff when it comes to errors on our part, but i refuse to deal with a customer that is just being beligerant because "the customer is always right."

I gotta say, when i am acting like an arse to someone in customer service, i know it and i most certainly pull that "customer is always right" cwap.... even if it does kill me to admit i am wrong...lol