Today started off really bad. I walked into work (where I didn't want to be) and was instantly bombarded with a couple of things: questions about some wallpaper order from 6 months ago because the auditor was there and Nick couldn't figure it out, and then a long, mostly false email complaint about me that a lady sent to our city manager. This bombardment was so bad that I didn't even remember to clock in until 15 minutes later!
The infuriating thing about the letter from the customer is that there are two sides to every story. She made it sound like I was rude and unwilling to help her get what she wanted, and that I told her I couldn't make the color she was asking for. From my point of view, I was proud of the way I handled the situation, because I did a better job of not snapping and using a bad tone of voice, and I also stood up for myself with her, instead of letting her walk all over me like I have with other customers (like the lady who wouldn't take a dented can- for no reason- and it was already tinted- I should have just poured her paint into a new can right in front of her).
From the moment she walked in, she was on the warpath. She had been at the other store and I think that manager wanted to get rid of her so he called over to our store and as I was telling him that we don't actually have what she was looking for (a certain packaged color for a homebuilder that she's wanting to touch up, if I tint it, it won't touch up), he said, "Ok, well I'll send her your way!" So she comes in, and as I'm trying to explain why I don't have what she's looking for, she's snapping at me like I'm an idiot and asks why I just can't tint the paint. So I tint a gallon that I know will not work. Part of my job is to prevent problems from happening before they leave the store by making sure that what I get them is exactly what they need.
I asked her if there was anything else I could get for her and she said, "Why are you so mad about having to mix me some paint?" I responded, "I'm not mad about mixing paint for you, I just want to get you something that will work, and I know that this gallon will not touch up and that's what bothers me." So I finished ringing her up and she walked out with a snide comment about having a great day, then emailed an outrageous story to our city manager.
So here I am at 6:45 am, fuming mad because I'm being asked about the situation. And I was especially mad because I thought I did a better job than normal at keeping my cool. In fact, when she walked out, my part-timer said, 'Man! You always get the mean ones!' and then turned to her customer and said, 'Yeah, she's a lot nicer than I am and she always gets stuck with the mean ones.' This is a prime example of why I loathe working on Sundays. Because that's when I get stuck with the mean ones.
On a brighter note, our area HR manager happened to call today to see how I was liking everything, and if there was anything he could do for me. We have a tentative lunch meeting on Thursday to discuss my options as far as changing positions. I think I've come to the realization that I should not be a store manager, and that I should try to move to another position ASAP. I don't care how great the money is, it's just not worth it and I'm starting to realize that I really hate helping customers and I'm getting burnt out. I'm going to talk to him about my options as either an HR recruiter (getting people to work for SW), Designer Account Executive (promoting our color/design resources), or an Auditor (making sure everyone is doing their paperwork correctly). Honestly, if it doesn't involve wearing a uniform, getting dirty, and talking to annoying customers all day, I'm happy.
Although I will miss the good customers.
0 comments:
Post a Comment