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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Does this really happen? Is there anyone that is so f*cking stupid that if you move a case a few feet that they'll be completely unable to find what they want and thus won't buy it. Assuming that for some reason I don't think to look in that other glass case right next to where the GBA case used to be if I wanted to buy something and couldn't find it I'd ASK ABOUT IT. You read all this stuff about shelf space and placement and stuff like that but I don't think I've ever met anyone who wanted to buy something and then changed their mind because it got moved to a different part of the store or it's now on the top shelf instead of the middle.
Have you ever worked retail? Customers are idiots.
Probably not to this extreme, but seriously.
For example, at my Wal*Mart, our Snack Bar closed and, after it was gutted, it was replaced with a complete clearance section instead of having it spread all over the store. Now, as in most Wal*Mart, you have to walk right past the Snack Bar area when you enter the store (The Garden Center wasn't opened yet although I guess it is slightly possible that the people I'm about to talk about came in through Automotive...). Anywhoo, I walked past an older lady and a girl who was walking toward the front from Toys. The older lady points at the former-snack-bar-now-clearnace section and says "Well, they moved it all up there! That's just stupid! Now we have to walk all the way up here to see the clearance stuff." 'All the way up here' being two feet from the carts that you passed when you came in. Moron.
Another example - I work in the Connection Center (where we sell Cell Phones). I was working with a gentleman setting up his phone contract. This can be a pretty involved process and we'd just finished his credit check (which is about the first thing you do) and we were discussing plans to see which one he wanted. It was going to be another 30 mins or so with this one customer. Now this older man came up to the counter and kinda cut in-front of the guy I was speaking with and threw a pre-paid phone card onto the counter. Now, in theory, I could have rang this guy up, however, 'one customer at a time'. You may have to wait your turn for my attention, but when I give it to you, I'm going to respect that and you're going to get it. Also, I think both me and the first customer were just floored with the fact that this guy just cut in-front of him... Anywhoo, I looked at the rude-guy and told him that I was going to be another 30-45 mins with this other customer because we were setting up a contract and suggested going to the photo center (which was not busy at all - he would have been checked out with no waiting - and you have to pass on your way out of the store). The guy sneers at me and says "Do they have these at K-Mart?" - "I don't know." - "Well, I'm just going to go there." and leaves. Dude, you could have waited in line on our most busy day and still have gotten out of the store faster than leaving, driving over to K-Mart, walking to the other end of their store, finding the card and walking back to the front and then waiting at the Service Desk for someone to ring you up (our K-Mart is so understaffed that the majority of the time, the only "register" they have open to check people out is the Service Desk.)
And a final example - although not as bad. When I worked in Photo, numberous times people would come up to the One-Hour Counter with a roll of film. I'd ask if they wanted "One Hour or Regular Service". They'll reply "Regular Service". I point at the large, blue drop box about five steps away and tell them that's for regular service. "Oh. Well, I'll just take one hour then." What? A good variant is "How much more is one hour than send out?" - "A couple of bucks, depending upon which package you choose for the regular service." - "Oh, I'll take regular service then." - "Okay, the regular service drop box is right over there." - "Oh. Give me one hour then." Is it really worth a couple of bucks to people not to have to write their name on an envelope?
Anywhoo, the moral is, while I haven't seen any customers that stupid/lazy, if I was told a story about it, I wouldn't doubt it.