TV Retail Hell

From Jit:

This story begins quite pleasantly. I'm doing announcements over the intercom all day, so I don't have to be on register. I'm happy about this. I try to help other departments while I'm doing this, even if it's just straightening. 

I happen to walk by the electronics section to find them swamped. I start helping customers retrieve things from behind locked cases while the person in electronics takes them at the register or taking pricey items back to layaway for them.

Then this customer - this bitch-ass customer - wants a TV. I man the register while my counterpart takes down the KSN number of the TV as well as the UPC, brand and size. I give her the register and take the slip of paper to the back to retrieve the TV. I thought I would be fine and wouldn't need anyone else's help - how big could the TV possibly be?

I find the TVs in the upper loft in the back and then glance down at the slip of paper. The number 42 catches my eye. WHAT! A 42 inch TV?!?!

<insert screaming here>

This thing weighed more than half of me, and I'm just shy of 100 pounds. I somehow manage to maneuver this thing onto the conveyor so I don't have to try and take it downstairs. 

I get it downstairs after about five more minutes of "how am I going to get this effing thing onto a flatbed?' and the cashier rings it up. The woman's debit card declines. Her credit card declines. Her check declines. She says she'll be back with cash in a minute. Ten minutes go by and no woman. After a half hour, I took the TV back so loss control wouldn't bite my butt about a $800 TV being out for so long.

Fifteen minutes later, the woman reappears. "Where's my TV?" -Twitch- I tell the cashier to type in the UPC and ring it up like that while I fetch the damned thing. Woman demands to see the TV before she pays for it. I go ALL the way back and get the TV - AGAIN. The woman has a friend with her whose debit and credit card and check declines. 

By this point - I am so far beyond pissed it's not even funny.

She wants a smaller TV. I get the smaller TV that's cheaper. Things decline. She demands to speak to a manager. I get the assistant store manager who the women proceed to bitch out about the "poor service" and the "rude, reluctant employees". Assistant store manager asks if they're buying anything. They say no. 

Then he starts yelling at ME for getting the TVs myself because on top of my lack of height, weight, and muscle mass, I also have slipped discs in my back. (Under 20, too.. just shoot me now.) He tells the customers that if they aren't getting anything to please leave.

He sends me on my lunch. I obey my manager.

</screaming>

Comments

[Megan]

Damn customers and their declining payment methods!
"where's my tv?" It ain't your TV, lady, until you've paid for it...which you seem to be unable to do. Eeevil.

[Kristi]

I had a similar experience working at Michael's one day. A lady came in wanting to see a couple of fake potted trees we had which of course were on the absolute highest shelf in the store, shelves that were so high that there was only one ladder in the entire store that could reach them, a lovely half-rusted and shaky number painted a pleasant robin's egg blue.

So after getting the ladder to where I needed it I climb up to the top shelf to lug down these two fake trees that she wanted to compare. This is where I discovered that both trees were about 50 pound each, and let me tell you it is not a fun experience having to use both hands to carry down a 50 pound tree down a steep, rickety ladder, with branches making it nearly impossible to see two inches in front of your face, let alone the next step down. Being only 5'3 and 125 pounds, I'm surprised I managed to carry one of the trees down, let alone two.

Of course, once I get to the bottom the woman looks the trees over and can't decide which one she likes more. After sometime she tells me that she's going to go and finish the rest of her shopping, them come back and pick the tree she liked best.

Of course she never did. I think after watching me struggle to carry these damn trees down she wanted to spare me having to hear her say she didn't like either tree. I left those damn things on the floor for the rest of the night, praying to god that someone else would take the initiative and put them back. No one did, so guess who had to lug them back up?

[Jit]

Oh, no, poor Kristi!! That's not only annoying, it's WAY dangerous. Augh...

[Megan]

I always had able bodied male customers wanting me to drag a whole frickin piece of furniture to the front for them :-/

[Jit]

Usually we do too, but there were literally two males covering ten different departments. I didn't really see a choice.

[Spritzy]

Oh Kristi...that story about the trees has brought back a old, haunted and repressed memory of mine of a simmilar nature. What is it you ask? Well I'll send it in soon. Stay tuned! Same Bat-time! Same Bat-channel!

[CrustyCusty]

Murder imminent?
There really should be a law that allows justifiable homicide.

[Jit]

Spritzy - meeee iiiis waaants tooo knoooow!
CrustyCusty - Like in London, where murder is okay if it's a crime of passion?

[N/A]

Don't you know that retail slaves have super powers and can lift any size of box because that's what they're paid for? Thankfully I never had to lift anything that bulky working in a grocery store but there were boxes up to 70lbs. Ordinarily I could lift them but while pregnant I was restricted to lifting 25lbs; doctors orders and my awesome manager would have had a fit if she'd seen me trying to life more. I only had one customer pitch a fit at me about it surprisingly enough. She asked for a case of a product which weighed about 35, maybe 40lbs. I had to tell her I'd go grab someone else to lift it for her and she started bitching. I briefly explained that I wasn't able to lift more then 25lbs and she started in on the "you shouldn't be working here if you can't do your job" crap. I briefly considered shoving her in the compactor but instead I just said "I'll just go find someone who isn't pregnant to lift that for you." Yeah, she apologized after that little guilt trip :-)

[Burger Bitch]

o_o

I bow to thee for not pushing the TV on top of them.