Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!
This is actually a non-venting post (so far, I haven't been to work yet..."What do you mean you're out of candy? It's Halloween!"), but I wanted to say "Happy Halloween" and ask if anybody was dressing this year and as what? Send pictures and I'll post the good ones. :)
Monday, October 5, 2009
Things to consider when you're at the drug store
A lot of people know that I work for a drug store chain. On a daily basis I get asked questions that either I can't answer, or the answer is so obvious I really just want to roll my eyes and walk away.
So....I present you a list of the most common questions/comments I get, and what I'm really thinmking (and it's quite possible this applies to every retail employee in every retail store).
"Oprah said this product is good for my illness"....Um, is Oprah your personal physician? I doubt it, so please don't take her word as fact. What works for Oprah (or any other celebrity) won't necessarily work for you. This goes the same for stuff you read in the newspaper (gotta love Dr. Gott) or in magazines. ALWAYS before trying something new, talk to your doctor first to make sure you actually NEED it, and that it won't interract with something you're already taking.
"Do you have any of this in the back?" ... never We don't have a back room big enough to have the entire store in back stock. Actually, stores keep very little backstock because it's a money loss to have it sit in storage. Unless it's a popular selling item, chances are pretty good that we will not have it. Also, the fact that we ordered it doesn't guarantee that we'll get it in. Any store's stock is dependent on a central warehouse, that may service hundreds of stores so it's very possible that even they will run out of an item if it becomes quickly popular.
"Can I have a raincheck?" ... most of the time, yes however a raincheck is only in case we're out of stock on a sale item. A lot of people ask for raincheck because we're out of the product they have a 25 cent off coupon for. Also, it's useless to get a raincheck on seasonal items, or items that are not sold in all locations. If the tiem never comes in, it's a wasted raincheck. Also, rainchecks do have restrictions. We don't really believe that you really need to have 20 bottles of ibuprofen for a dollar each, that's just being greedy (and we never order that large a quantity without a special order). Also, they do expire so don't get mad at us because you forgot about your raincheck and never got to use it.
"What should I take for.....(insert malady here)?" This is a question that really should be asked of a doctor or pharmacist. When I tell people this, they reply "oh they're busy", or "I dont' want to bother them"...well you need to bother them, because asking medical advice from the high school kid who's stocking cold medicine is just plain stupid. Floor people have no medical training and are not qualified to give medical advice, that's why we have a pharmacy. There are things to consider, such as the age of the patient, weight, other medications being taken, etc. that the stock clerk won't know. It's a HUGE liability on the store to have a sales clerk give out medical advice. Chances are pretty good you'll get the wrong information and it could be lethal. Best to get medical advice (and this includes what vitamin to take, what pain killer is better, even down to what to use for poison ivy) from a medical professional.
"Why haven't you gotten this in?" or "When will you get this in?" We really have no idea, but most of the time I'll make something up that sounds believable. We're told so little at store level, we're lucky we know the phone number and hours of operation! We know when our scheduled delivery days are, but we won't know what's in the delivery until it's delivered. So basically, we'll get it when we get it. As for why not, "manufacturer issues". ;)
So....I present you a list of the most common questions/comments I get, and what I'm really thinmking (and it's quite possible this applies to every retail employee in every retail store).
"Oprah said this product is good for my illness"....Um, is Oprah your personal physician? I doubt it, so please don't take her word as fact. What works for Oprah (or any other celebrity) won't necessarily work for you. This goes the same for stuff you read in the newspaper (gotta love Dr. Gott) or in magazines. ALWAYS before trying something new, talk to your doctor first to make sure you actually NEED it, and that it won't interract with something you're already taking.
"Do you have any of this in the back?" ... never We don't have a back room big enough to have the entire store in back stock. Actually, stores keep very little backstock because it's a money loss to have it sit in storage. Unless it's a popular selling item, chances are pretty good that we will not have it. Also, the fact that we ordered it doesn't guarantee that we'll get it in. Any store's stock is dependent on a central warehouse, that may service hundreds of stores so it's very possible that even they will run out of an item if it becomes quickly popular.
"Can I have a raincheck?" ... most of the time, yes however a raincheck is only in case we're out of stock on a sale item. A lot of people ask for raincheck because we're out of the product they have a 25 cent off coupon for. Also, it's useless to get a raincheck on seasonal items, or items that are not sold in all locations. If the tiem never comes in, it's a wasted raincheck. Also, rainchecks do have restrictions. We don't really believe that you really need to have 20 bottles of ibuprofen for a dollar each, that's just being greedy (and we never order that large a quantity without a special order). Also, they do expire so don't get mad at us because you forgot about your raincheck and never got to use it.
"What should I take for.....(insert malady here)?" This is a question that really should be asked of a doctor or pharmacist. When I tell people this, they reply "oh they're busy", or "I dont' want to bother them"...well you need to bother them, because asking medical advice from the high school kid who's stocking cold medicine is just plain stupid. Floor people have no medical training and are not qualified to give medical advice, that's why we have a pharmacy. There are things to consider, such as the age of the patient, weight, other medications being taken, etc. that the stock clerk won't know. It's a HUGE liability on the store to have a sales clerk give out medical advice. Chances are pretty good you'll get the wrong information and it could be lethal. Best to get medical advice (and this includes what vitamin to take, what pain killer is better, even down to what to use for poison ivy) from a medical professional.
"Why haven't you gotten this in?" or "When will you get this in?" We really have no idea, but most of the time I'll make something up that sounds believable. We're told so little at store level, we're lucky we know the phone number and hours of operation! We know when our scheduled delivery days are, but we won't know what's in the delivery until it's delivered. So basically, we'll get it when we get it. As for why not, "manufacturer issues". ;)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Long time no Rant
Yeah, it's been a while...however something good has come out of it....Starting Monday I'll no longer be a Comcast Cable customer.
Long story but here goes.
About a month ago, somebody stole my bank card number and tried to process about 15 internet transactions in about a minute. My bank (National City...highly recommended) caught the activity and put a stop on my card. I didn't realize this though because when they tried to call me to verify the activity, their voice mail did not identify them as being from National City, they were identified as from another company and they needed to "verify activity on my credit card"...I just have my bank card, I don't have a credit card so I thought it was a scammer and ignored it. That weekend when I tried to use the card at the gas station, the transaction was declined. When I called the bank, they said there was a fraud stop on the card and that they had tried to call me to verify. The person on the phone listed a bunch of websites that I'd never heard of. They were nice enough to keep the debit (PIN required) portion of my card open so I could get gas and food, but at 5pm the card would be completely closed off and a new card issued. Until the new card arrived and was activated, and the fraud transactions had a chance to run through my account, I couldn't use it. This took about a week.
Since I couldn't use my account during this time (I could have gone to a branch, filled out a withdrawel request, showed ID to get cash, but that's a lot of trouble to go through for a few bucks), I called the companies who had bills due that week and told them of the situation. One was Comcast. What did they do? They shut off my account for non-payment! It was off for a week until I could access my account again (after my next direct deposit) and call in a payment. Plus, they raised my rates...again. I started 2 years ago with the $99 per month triple play. My last bill was for $175.
Before I get into changing companies, there's another company I need to warn about...Rent a Center. I needed a video camera to tape some church functions. Living paycheck to paycheck, there's not a spare $300 lying round to buy a new one outright, so I went to RAC to rent to own one. The rental was $30 per week. I paid faithfully every week, sometimes a little more than needed. When I called them about not being able to pay that one week, they weren't happy about it. They called every day that week wanting to know when I was going to come pay, then that Friday while I was at work they came to my house looking for the payment, then showed up at 8:30am on Saturday looking for the payment. I paid every week for 10 months, miss one and they treat me like a thief. I packed up the video camera and took it back to the store and told them their collection practices were illegal (in Illinois, you cannot go to somebody's house looking for the payment) and they would be very lucky if I decided not to report them for it.
Back to changing cable companies: My parents have always used AT&T for their phone line. I change mine when I find a better deal. Dad had some odd charges on his bill, so he called AT&T about it. Of course when you call any company, they'll try to sell you on their other services. They tried to sell Dad on U-Verse. He had no need for U-Verse since I paid for the TV and he doesn't have a computer. The woman on the phone was persistant, so Dad told her "My daughter takes care of all that"...since I was home (day off), Dad put me on the phone. I could get U-Verse for $109 a month for 6 months, and it'll only go up about $30 after that. That's the final rate and won't go up unless utility rates go up. I'll have phone service, internet, and TV comparable with Comcast, plus DVR is included (that was an extra charge of about $30 with Comcast) on as many TVs as I wanted to put it on (Comcast charged me extra for more than one TV). They're coming on Monday to change everything over.
SO....my product recommendations for this post:
Comcast: Not recommended
Rent a Center: Not recommended
National City Bank: Highly Recommended
AT&T U-Verse: I'll let you know after I've had it for a while :)
Long story but here goes.
About a month ago, somebody stole my bank card number and tried to process about 15 internet transactions in about a minute. My bank (National City...highly recommended) caught the activity and put a stop on my card. I didn't realize this though because when they tried to call me to verify the activity, their voice mail did not identify them as being from National City, they were identified as from another company and they needed to "verify activity on my credit card"...I just have my bank card, I don't have a credit card so I thought it was a scammer and ignored it. That weekend when I tried to use the card at the gas station, the transaction was declined. When I called the bank, they said there was a fraud stop on the card and that they had tried to call me to verify. The person on the phone listed a bunch of websites that I'd never heard of. They were nice enough to keep the debit (PIN required) portion of my card open so I could get gas and food, but at 5pm the card would be completely closed off and a new card issued. Until the new card arrived and was activated, and the fraud transactions had a chance to run through my account, I couldn't use it. This took about a week.
Since I couldn't use my account during this time (I could have gone to a branch, filled out a withdrawel request, showed ID to get cash, but that's a lot of trouble to go through for a few bucks), I called the companies who had bills due that week and told them of the situation. One was Comcast. What did they do? They shut off my account for non-payment! It was off for a week until I could access my account again (after my next direct deposit) and call in a payment. Plus, they raised my rates...again. I started 2 years ago with the $99 per month triple play. My last bill was for $175.
Before I get into changing companies, there's another company I need to warn about...Rent a Center. I needed a video camera to tape some church functions. Living paycheck to paycheck, there's not a spare $300 lying round to buy a new one outright, so I went to RAC to rent to own one. The rental was $30 per week. I paid faithfully every week, sometimes a little more than needed. When I called them about not being able to pay that one week, they weren't happy about it. They called every day that week wanting to know when I was going to come pay, then that Friday while I was at work they came to my house looking for the payment, then showed up at 8:30am on Saturday looking for the payment. I paid every week for 10 months, miss one and they treat me like a thief. I packed up the video camera and took it back to the store and told them their collection practices were illegal (in Illinois, you cannot go to somebody's house looking for the payment) and they would be very lucky if I decided not to report them for it.
Back to changing cable companies: My parents have always used AT&T for their phone line. I change mine when I find a better deal. Dad had some odd charges on his bill, so he called AT&T about it. Of course when you call any company, they'll try to sell you on their other services. They tried to sell Dad on U-Verse. He had no need for U-Verse since I paid for the TV and he doesn't have a computer. The woman on the phone was persistant, so Dad told her "My daughter takes care of all that"...since I was home (day off), Dad put me on the phone. I could get U-Verse for $109 a month for 6 months, and it'll only go up about $30 after that. That's the final rate and won't go up unless utility rates go up. I'll have phone service, internet, and TV comparable with Comcast, plus DVR is included (that was an extra charge of about $30 with Comcast) on as many TVs as I wanted to put it on (Comcast charged me extra for more than one TV). They're coming on Monday to change everything over.
SO....my product recommendations for this post:
Comcast: Not recommended
Rent a Center: Not recommended
National City Bank: Highly Recommended
AT&T U-Verse: I'll let you know after I've had it for a while :)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
I want to screw up like this and keep my job.
Wow, they sure employ some real idiots in our corporate office.
A few months ago, the company decided to do a "Big Relief Price Cut" by lowering prices on certain items in the stores. Good idea, however very poorly implemented.
Some brilliant person decided the "Big Relief Price Cut" tags should be noticeable so customers can tell what items are included. SO...they made the tags look exactly like our clearance tags! Problem with that...they look exactly like our clearance tags. Anybody ordering merchandise for the departments will take a quick glance and not order while thinking the item is on clearance. Hence, out of stock on a lot of the items.
Next brilliant idea....shelf bullets. They sent these red circles that say "Big Relief Price Cut" that we were to clip to the shelves at every item that was included. Hmmm OK, however the bullets are too big, customers walk into them, they get bent over and you can't see the shelf prices!
Hmmm OK, that's not working out....SO they decided to change the color on the tags from red to yellow since we use Yellow for sale tags (logic would dictate they try this first instead of the "clearance" colored tags). The tags came in on Sunday and I spent 4 hours separating and sorting the tags into which aisle they were to be hung in. Uh oh, somebody goofed and the tags had the wrong prices on them! I get to work this morning and am told "Throw the tags away, they're no good"...so I spent 4 hours sorting garbage.
Since the right hand never knows what the left hand is doing, somebody else decided that it would be nice to make the sale a permanent price change so they sent new regular price shelf tags for about 2,000 items. I spent 6 hours today putting up these tags, get to the last page of tags and the manager comes over "We just got an email, we don't have to put these up". Great.
The latest now is that we're supposed to get a reprint of the yellow tags on Thursday....another 4 hours sorting, and the idiots in corporate want them hung by closing Thursday. My manager laughed and said "yeah right".
I'd love to see the corporate yahoos work at store level for one month so they can see how much their screw ups affect the stores.
A few months ago, the company decided to do a "Big Relief Price Cut" by lowering prices on certain items in the stores. Good idea, however very poorly implemented.
Some brilliant person decided the "Big Relief Price Cut" tags should be noticeable so customers can tell what items are included. SO...they made the tags look exactly like our clearance tags! Problem with that...they look exactly like our clearance tags. Anybody ordering merchandise for the departments will take a quick glance and not order while thinking the item is on clearance. Hence, out of stock on a lot of the items.
Next brilliant idea....shelf bullets. They sent these red circles that say "Big Relief Price Cut" that we were to clip to the shelves at every item that was included. Hmmm OK, however the bullets are too big, customers walk into them, they get bent over and you can't see the shelf prices!
Hmmm OK, that's not working out....SO they decided to change the color on the tags from red to yellow since we use Yellow for sale tags (logic would dictate they try this first instead of the "clearance" colored tags). The tags came in on Sunday and I spent 4 hours separating and sorting the tags into which aisle they were to be hung in. Uh oh, somebody goofed and the tags had the wrong prices on them! I get to work this morning and am told "Throw the tags away, they're no good"...so I spent 4 hours sorting garbage.
Since the right hand never knows what the left hand is doing, somebody else decided that it would be nice to make the sale a permanent price change so they sent new regular price shelf tags for about 2,000 items. I spent 6 hours today putting up these tags, get to the last page of tags and the manager comes over "We just got an email, we don't have to put these up". Great.
The latest now is that we're supposed to get a reprint of the yellow tags on Thursday....another 4 hours sorting, and the idiots in corporate want them hung by closing Thursday. My manager laughed and said "yeah right".
I'd love to see the corporate yahoos work at store level for one month so they can see how much their screw ups affect the stores.
Monday, August 17, 2009
You're NOT the only person on this planet.
While driving to *blech* WalMart this morning (my sewing scissors disappeared from my sewing box...must have run away with my straight pins, cuz they're gone too) I was nearly ran off the road by some idiot who really wanted to be first to the red light. That's all he accomplished...first to the red light. Guess who waited longer? DUH!
Please remember folks, you are not the only one on this planet, have some consideration for other people around you. (This goes double for the woman at Dollar Tree who kept hitting me with her shopping basket).
Please remember folks, you are not the only one on this planet, have some consideration for other people around you. (This goes double for the woman at Dollar Tree who kept hitting me with her shopping basket).
Saturday, August 8, 2009
DUH moment at WalMart
No, it wasn't mine. I can't stand the WalMart in my area. The employees treat you like you're an interruption to your day, and if you complain to the management, they treat you even worse. I once had a manager say "This is WalMart, not Von Maur". I only go there to buy fabric because the fabric stores by me have all closed.
I went to get fabric to make a couple "Hawaiian" shirts. While in the store I was run over by at least 3 people with shopping carts, and at least 10 kids running around lacking parental supervision.
Get checked out by one of the "you interrupted my day" cashiers, who had trouble counting out the 20 cents she owed in change, head to the parking lot where I almost ran over a woman carrying a toddler (looked around one year old) who just walked right behind my car as I was backing out. To top it off, she put the kid down and let her run around the parking lot...WHILE THERE WERE CARS MOVING!!!! Um HELLO!!!! Anybody with half a brain knows you don't let your one year old run around the WalMart parking lot!
I went to get fabric to make a couple "Hawaiian" shirts. While in the store I was run over by at least 3 people with shopping carts, and at least 10 kids running around lacking parental supervision.
Get checked out by one of the "you interrupted my day" cashiers, who had trouble counting out the 20 cents she owed in change, head to the parking lot where I almost ran over a woman carrying a toddler (looked around one year old) who just walked right behind my car as I was backing out. To top it off, she put the kid down and let her run around the parking lot...WHILE THERE WERE CARS MOVING!!!! Um HELLO!!!! Anybody with half a brain knows you don't let your one year old run around the WalMart parking lot!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
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