human-to-human communication failure

[timepiececlock]

Just had a rather uncool phone conversation with a person at Trader Joe's. I called to ask if they were open and until when, and he said "We're open ninetonine." What I got out of that was "we're open" and he had to repeat it twice before I could hear between his mumblings that he was saying "nine to nine", so they weren't in fact open now.

I said "Oh, so you're closed then."

The guy said (snidely) "Yeah, it's past nine isn't it?"

I should have hung up then, but I was caught up in this human-to-human communication failure we were having. The kind that happens when the person who answers the phone after closing hours doesn't feel any desire to be commercial polite to the people calling because its not shop hours anymore, therefore the real human comes out. I can see why this happens, but I consider it bad form on his part, and not good customer service. If he's there at work, he's on the company clock. And while he's on the company clock and answering the company phone and talking to company customers, he should be polite and not snide.

Or at least if he's going to be snide, he should be funny about it. I would accept funny. He was not funny.

So I'm a bit thrown by his tone (I've worked retail and grocery stores for a while now, and I don't talk to people on the phone with that voice while I'm at work, no matter how much I would want to), and so thrown by it am I that I rather thoughtlessly admit "Oh, I'm surprised you answered the phone then, if you're closed."

I guess I was imagining that I was calling some customer-only phone number. Lord knows the Albertsons I worked at last year had multiple phone numbers, and only one of them was in the phone book for regular callers. If this was past closing time I would have expected a machine to pick up, not a person, and the machine would then forward me to a) answering machine, or b) a person.

He was like, "Well people are still here," duh asshole, I know that, "and we have the phone available for people who call in, and for emergencies, and..." He listed like three other things in a patronizing way.

I waited till he was done, swallowed my irritation, and said "So you're open nine to nine, right?"

"Yes."

I hung up. Jerk.

If I wasn't so attached to the Trader Joe's chocolates and frozen pizzas I would take my irritation out on the store and stop going. If this were Albertsons I wouldn't have blinked an eye. I guess I just have higher expectations for Trader Joe's. Their marketing strategies worked and now I'm irritated that one employee doesn't live up to them.

Comments

[slacker-97.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't take that from my local Trader Joe's, especially since when we're there the people seem to be overly friendly. Your annoyance was justified and he shouldn't have acted that way. I know when I answer the phone after hours I dread every second of it, but I still pretend to be happy to help them even though I'd really be happy if I just hung up and whistled my way out the door to the car.

Damn you Trader Joe's and your having of good food that can't be denied...Gawd, what are we going to do when we move to Utah where there are no Trader Joe's?! *cries*

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I have some sympathy for the guy; there's been times when I had to talk to customers and wished they'd disappear right in front of me, without a care to where they disappeared to. But I really think that if you're being paid to be there and be polite to customers, then you should be, no matter what hour they call at. You're *there* so that someone will be around to politely answer questions for people who call late at night; that's your *job*.

I appreciate a nice balance-- some cheerfullness, but overly flamboyant displays of false cheeriness are unnecessary, and disengenuous. But no matter what snideness or rudeness is not acceptable; if you're not up to being cheerful you should at least be distantly civil. Distantly civil is perfectly fine with me, as it answers my questions without being insulting. I don't need positive feedback from the person at the grocery store, I'd just like not to be talked down to. I don't tolerate that from other people I speak with, and I shouldn't be asked to tolerate that from the grocery store, either.

Okay, I'm laying off the rant now. ::sigh:: Had to get that out.

Moving to Utah, huh? Stock up your liquor now! :g: My cousin lives in Salt Lake City. It's pretty. Weird, but pretty.

[slacker-97.livejournal.com]

tell me about it with the alcohol. But it's not like you can't find it. Just harder, and in state regulated stores. It is pretty, and so much cheaper. Let's hope the 'cheap' and 'so much cheaper' doesn't send us running back here before the two year requirement is up.

So not looking forward to snow again.

[juliet-demarcus.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the human-to-human communication failure. Alas, I know it so well (unfortunately not just in the area of customer service).

I really don't get this attitude that some customer service people have. I mean, I get that it's tough...for God's sake I worked at a 24 hour call center for Allhate...I mean Allstate insurance, not to mention my time spent working in a public library where some people thought the idea of closing time was time to get up off your ass and finally start looking for a book/CD/video. But I never resorted to that sort of thing...no matter how much I wanted to (like when people were screaming at me). There may have been one or two times when I strangled an invisible foe before me after I got off the phone or the patron left...but I stayed calm and polite while talking... O:-) It was my job, after all.

I mean seriously dude, you just answered a phone after closing time...what a burden you bear! *rolls eyes*

Seems overly simplified, but I think it just comes down to people not taking their jobs seriously. It happens in all areas of customer service.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

but I stayed calm and polite while talking... O:-) It was my job, after all.

Me too. I've worked at Coldstone Creamery and Albertsons, two of the most unfun places to work (albertsons's 6am shifts KILLED ME), but I was able to remain polite. Not always cheerful, but not slipping into rude either.

I mean seriously dude, you just answered a phone after closing time...what a burden you bear!

Especially forty minutes after closing time, as was the case here.