Friday, August 25, 2006

Extensions

Well, after another hectic sales period, it's now gearing up towards spring and Father's Day. Which is always busy in retail- we're still phasing out winter stock and are slowly starting to bring in spring/summer gear.

This recent catalogue sale was interesting, to put it mildly. I'm now working regularly at Innaloo. No idea why I've been moved. As I'm not working so many hours anyway, (as in, not in stores long enough to care or have any real responsibility or accountability), I don't mind it too much. It's challenging. At least that keeps me busy.

Well, yes, another sale, no more stock. Because, as usual, our company likes to release a catalogue and promote sales but never send us enough stock to begin with, nor even replenish our stock levels in the first few days of the sales to make sure we have enough to meet demand. Nothing new really. I'm dealing with it quite well now. I don't even bother apologising anymore. I'm more cynical and blunt now.
"Well, just because it's advertised doesn't mean we have them"
"No, we never received any more stock of those and only had the two pairs to begin with"
"Yes, it is" - in response to a huffy customer frustrated that we didn't have any stock: "It's another catalogue where you don't have any of the advertised products" - Honestly now, if he'd already been screwed over last few times we had sales and promotions, why does he bother coming back? He's only looking to get rejected!

So I obviously have no sympathy towards the customers now. I've stopped taking orders for items that I can't be bothered finiding and know that no other stores will have stock of. Sorry, can't do it. A neat trick I've learnt is to agree that we can take the order but always inform them that it may take a while and there may be little chance of ever getting the item in. No expectations, that's the way to go!

And also, when it's busy during a catalogue promo:

"Do you have these in a size 11? Or a 12?"
Are you kidding me?! I haven't seen anything above a 9 or 10 in MONTHS! And sometimes we only get say, 5o size 11 and 12s, distributed to our 100-odd stores around Australia. Do you seriously think we're gonna have them 6months after they've been in stores, and 3 days into the half price sale?! Come on!
"Can you call Howlong to see if they've got them"
Note: no PLEASE.
So, depending on how annoyed I am (doesn't have to be at them in particular, I hate all people - I don't discriminate!) I will react in one of 3 ways:

"Sure, I can try to call, but they may not answer as we've been trying to ring them and they've always been busy"

If it's really busy in my store: "Sorry, I don't have time to call them now, but if you like, I can give you their phone number and the style codes for you to try to ring them"

If they're being real nutheads, I'll ring, or pretend to ring, and then wait an appropriate length of time, and then return, apologetic: "Sorry, they weren't picking up the phone, they must be really busy as well." By this stage, I am peeved and rarely offer much more help beyond the phone call. I may begrudgingly oblige to non-rude requests, but not try very hard.

I was quite impressed with myself for discovering that one. I never realised that everyone'd been doing that for ages already! I used to be so nice...

I was covering a shift at Nevertire, not having worked there in months, and was up on a ladder, ignoring customers as I tried to get the store to bear some semblance of order and tidiness, when I felt a jab at my thigh. I was shocked. I looked down, boxes in hand, up on a ladder, and a man had POKED me with a shoe! I was too shocked to be rude! Are you kidding me!?

"Whoa! Uh, can I help you?" was all I could muster.

"Er, you got this in a black?"

I climb down reluctantly. I'm still reeling. "Um, yeah, what size were you after?" I ask, trying not to glare. But seething on the inside!

"Size 10? You got a size 10?"

"Yeah, I'll have a look. Just let you know, that style's not reduced" That last comment usually puts off all the tightwads. Most of our customers, these days.

"Ok then, what about this style? You got this in a black size 10?" he asks, pointing to one of our regular styles, reduced at this time.

I look around our shoes, which are in a complete mess anyway. Like Kate said, they've probably got as much chance of finding them as we do!

Let's not forget this guy poked me with a shoe to get my attention. While I was up on a ladder. Needless to say, I didn't look very hard for his shoes. "Sorry, it looks like we've sold out of those in a 10." I respond matter-of-factly. He knows he's had his chance, and doesn't push it. Maybe I was staring daggers at him and he could tell I didn't want to help him. He leaves it at that and exits our store.

Later that day, while looking for shoes for another customer - a big spender, who was patient, polite and understanding, I came across shoe-poker's shoes. There were a few of them hidden there! I tell Carrie, and I laugh evilly. "Oh well, that's what you get for poking me!" hahahahaha!

So, the day after the scheduled end of the sale... surprise surprise, they decide to extend it! So after having taking down all the promo prices and posters, we are then advised, late morning (NOT the night before) that we are to keep them all up and have the reduced price points up for the next TWO weeks. Grrrrr... it took ages to thoroughly check everything to make sure we removed promo prices and items, and then they tell us to put em all back up. Great. Thanks for nothing.

Well, you know I won't be promoting the sale items. At least they're not sending out more catalogues! Cos we still don't have any more stock. Our patience only goes so far.

You know what all these crazy, mismanaged sales have taught me? Self serve. I've become quite adept at ignoring customers. It's a very important skill one must acquire in order to stay sane in The Company. I can look very busy filing emails. Heck, I could do that all day.

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