rudeness of toys 'r' us staff

steve_cov

I think it was Jenny Eclair who suggested on "Grumpy Old Women" last week that shoppers should be allowed to slap the legs of retail staff who are rude or unhelpful.

Anthillmob can console herself with the fantasy that Ms Eclair's idea becomes policy at Toys R Us. Or do what I do and give back as much attitude as you get, but always with a smile: remember that the girl can't answer back!!

Firefly

I feel sick to the pit of my stomach to read the response of grex9101. I am sure he will be overjoyed to read of my distaste.I had very, very valid reasons for purchasing a car seat in the late stages of pregnancy together with going shopping alone. I do not wish to post the details so publicly. For reasons beyond my control that pregnancy was my last.

elona

As someone who lost three babies just after 3 months into the pregnancies- I can assure you that there are very good and valid reasons to delay baby shopping.

Coupon-mad

grex9101 wrote:

What I was saying, which I thought I had made pretty clear, was that it would be COMMON SENSE to bring assistance with you if you were intending to purchase a large item which you were unsure if you were able to carry. The three months was only an example.

Why the hell should the shop staff help you out to the car? Is it part of their duties? NO.

If you are too lazy/stupid/unfit/unable to perform a task, you take someone with you. If you have no friends to help, you buy it online and get it delivered (and then consider the fact that you have no friends could be down to you being too lazy/stupid/unfit/unable).

In this age of uncaring large corporations etc, it would be sheer folly for a member of staff to help anyone when it fell outside their line of responsibility. Quite simply, people have to start thinking for themselves, applying a bit of common sense, and becoming less prone to claiming "pregnant" or whatever when they decide they can't be bother doing something or thinking it through properly.

QUOTE]

:eek: My Goodness you are an angry person :mad: (what happened to being nice to MSE posters?)! I am amazed if you have any friends -seem to assume that the rest of us haven't!

If you had any common sense you would realise that not everyone is able-bodied (sometimes only temporarily due to pregnancy or broken leg, or whatever). Also, people are not stupid/lazy if they don't bring a friend with them, they are (quite rightly) expecting good customer service!

The OP says she also went to Mothercare where I know the staff are trained to go out of their way to help pregnant ladies or those with young children in a buggy, who are entitled to shop there but who would not be able to carry a large item to the car! It is in their staff guidelines to help, so why is it not in the guidelines of TRU (or Babies R Us) staff?

Finally, not everyone can go online - wake up to the real world! My Mum is in a wheelchair and does not have a computer. Does that mean she cannot go out and buy anything larger than she could carry on her lap (and no she does not always have someone pushing the wheelchair to help, she lives alone. My Dad died years ago and my brother and I work, so do you feel such people should be housebound unless they only want to buy the local paper?

zappomatic

I hope grex doesn't work in retail - I know in the places I've worked that attitude would cost someone their job.

Everyone knows that when you go somewhere like Ikea or Lidl, you are buying into their minimal service, low prices concept. Toys R Us doesn't claim to be part of that movement so one would expect some assistance.

To refuse to help someone just because their tea break is about to start, without offering to get someone else to help instead, is disgustingly lazy and rude.

cliffsgirl

I work in retail and while we go out of our way to help customers carry goods to cars, carry stuff home if they live close by, we are not insured for this, we do it because we want to help. If i had an accident outside the store i would not have any comeback so it is up to the individual staff member whether they want to risk this or not. Some customers have unrealistic demands which are often beyond the control of the sales staff.

Anthillmob

hjb123 wrote:

Did you ever see this persons experience at TRU?

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=187110

i remember reading that and thinking 'oh my god'. we only wanted to try tru as the highchair was £15 cheaper and then we could possibly get a blackout blind for the bedroom too as chops wakes at the slightest bit of sunlight.

mspig

At the store i work at the babies r us staff are always taking car seats out to peoples cays to check they fit. The lads on the pick upi department also help people with their goods to their cars of needed.

What people need to realise is that we are all individual people with our own individual attitudes and that some of us are helpful and respectful.

We do however get a lot of customers who complain for the sack of complaining or bring goods back that are months or even years old and expect a refund.

Take for example a lady came in with an item she said was faulty and that she wanted a refund, she produced the item and the date on it was nearly eight months ago, fair enough it shouldn't go wrong in that time. However our policy is that if the item is faulty we have to check it first to make sure that the item is indeed faulty. When this was explained to the lady she bacame aggressive and saying she was a solicitor and she knew here rights and that she was entitled to a refund with out any check, after a long discussion the item go checked- nothing wrong with it, turns out her son wanted a better one and she thought she would try her luck.

What i'm trying to say is sometimes you have to realise that we do deal with people who try to pull the wool over our eyes everyday.

grex9101

cliffsgirl wrote:

I work in retail and while we go out of our way to help customers carry goods to cars, carry stuff home if they live close by, we are not insured for this, we do it because we want to help. If i had an accident outside the store i would not have any comeback so it is up to the individual staff member whether they want to risk this or not. Some customers have unrealistic demands which are often beyond the control of the sales staff.

Yeah, my point exactly.

Of course, some of the posters in this thread don't seem to understand this concept.

Just proves that some people are indeed simply too lazy/stupid/unfit/unable ....

grex9101

zappomatic wrote:

I hope grex doesn't work in retail - I know in the places I've worked that attitude would cost someone their job.

an outright sacking for poor attitude wouldnt go down very well at all at a tribunal.
Oh yes, I DID work in retail - perhaps you should try it yourself. Putting up with the general public is VERY trying. Particularly with the amount of socially inept, stupid, arrogant and generally lazy people that are out there.

zappomatic wrote:

Everyone knows that when you go somewhere like Ikea or Lidl, you are buying into their minimal service, low prices concept. Toys R Us doesn't claim to be part of that movement so one would expect some assistance.

Even if their insurance doesn't cover it?

Let me get this straight -
you're EXPECTING that someone helps you EVEN ALTHOUGH it is not in their contract?
you're EXPECTING that someone puts themselves at potential risk without recompense because you decide they should?

Perhaps you should think of others for once. Just because they work in retail does not mean that they are your servant.

zappomatic wrote:

To refuse to help someone just because their tea break is about to start, without offering to get someone else to help instead, is disgustingly lazy and rude.

Fair enough, but what if there IS nobody else? In retail places, breaks are tight. A lot of places operate a policy whereby you have to go and come back at a certain time. Helping a customer simply eats into your break time, you still need to be back for the time you are told.