At the checkout counter of TJ Maxx the other day, I witnessed a conversation between a manager and a young sales associate that should never have taken place at all, much less in front of paying customers. Although I did not hear the entirety of the conversation, I caught the most important part:
Associate: "But... she asked to speak to a manager."
Manager: "Well, I'm out in back with the guy who's trying to fix my computer. I don't have time for this!"
Associate: "Okay, so what should I do when someone asks for a manager?"
Manager (angrily): "Tell her I'm busy!" (then, demonstrating the technique as if speaking to a 5-year-old): "The manager is tied up right now."
Associate (trying it out): "The manager is tied up right now. Huh."
At this point, the manager walked off in a huff and the associate turned and looked straight at me. The horrified look on my face must have made him feel a little embarrassed, because he put his head down and walked away.
Anyone who's ever worked in retail knows how awful managers of these establishments can be at times. But a big part of a retail manager's job is to practice customer diplomacy - make the customer feel important (because she's talking to "a manager") and resolve her problem. This particular manager was not only passing off his duties to a young and inexperienced associate, he was putting that associate in a terrible position. I have no doubt that for the rest of his shift, that associate was completely stressed out, angry at his manager, and - through no fault of his own - making some customers very angry. Check minus for TJ Maxx.
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2 comments:
I'd be really pissed if they told me the manager was tied up.
Eww that was probably my old manager from 1998. Take your bitterness out on your husband like normal people, not paying customers!
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