We encountered a customer on Saturday who was angry about this wrapping paper from Hallmark.
I heard her complaining to one of our team members at the sales counter, telling them, and other shoppers nearby, that we should remove the paper from the shelves.
Our staff were busy serving customers and couldn’t engage that much. She went back to the paper display.
I’d heard the comments from elsewhere and went to speak with her, expecting to find that it was a prank.
The disgruntled shopper was in front of our wrap display, busily removing the product which offended her. Seriously.
I advised that we would continue to sell this design. She reiterated that the product was rude, disgusting. She said she would complain to centre management. She eventually left but not before complaining to other team members.
Customers who heard her comments were surprised and sympathetic towards us.
Some days, people working in newsagencies face the most unusual experiences.
please post your favorite funny customer dealing everyone…..
we are in a small country town, and we get asked all manner of things….. top 3 questions:\
1. “why is there a helicopter on the oval?” turns out john singleton came for lunch at the pub.
2. “is your power out” yes “oh good, i dont have to go out and check my switch board” we have alot of blackouts, and rather than calling the power supply company…. they call the newsagency.
3. customer “is there something wrong with the herald?”
me “no i dont think so.. why?”
customer “my paper wasnt delivered today, i have been out 4 times looking in the rain”
me “you dont have a paper delivered today mrs smith”
customer “i have had the paper delivered for the last 30 years”
me “yes mrs smith, but not on a monday”
customer “well… where is my sunday herald?”
Peter your last one about the paper brings back memories of just about every month we get a call like that “oh you havn’t deliverd my paper yet and i have to have my paper when i have breakfast ” then you tell them that our local paper hasn’t been printed on a tuesday for about 12 months .
young boy about 12 or 13 wanting to buy the Zoo mag i thought he was a bit young but he said it ws for his dad and then he picked up a NW and said what is the difference there is just as much body shown in this mag , then his dad called and said he was picking it up for him .
customer come in complaining that i am the cause of her house almost burning down ,i was shocked and asked what happend and she said she put her paper in the microwave to dry it out and it caught on fire . i said to her come on you sdon’t out paper in the microwave and her comment was that you can put the pop corn packet in the microwave .
Seven signs on the front door saying ” no papers until 10.30am.
Where the papers get put in the shop, a sign where each pile of papers would be saying ” no papers until 10.30am” ( thats another 8 signs ).
Customer looks at front door and reads signs, opens door and goes to where papers would be and reads signs.
Customer turns to me and asks ” No papers ?” I respond with no there is no papers yet. Customer responds with ” Oh when will they be in ? “
We have a door to the external street as well as the main one in the centre. It has a reversible Open/Closed sign, which is of course turned to show “Open” to the outside world during opening hours. I wish I had a dollar for every time a customer has walked through the shop towards the external door (seeking a short cut to the outside world), only to turn back halfway to the door and walk out muttering because it is “Closed”.
Here’s another:
Advised by News Ltd that papers were running extremely late. Easel erected at front door stating “No papers till mid-morning”.
First customer…”What?….No papers?”
(Move easel 2 metres closer to paper stand)
Second customer….”What?….No papers?”
(Move easel ON TOP OF WHERE PAPERS SIT)
Third customer – looks under easel….”What?….No papers?”
I decide that none of my regulars can read Swahili!!
And another:
Customer: “May I have a $6.40 for Tuesday please.”
Me: “Certainly…that’ll be $6.40, thanks.”
Customer: “Oh no, you see I got one yesterday but lost it….I’m not paying for it again – I just want a replacement.”
Me: “Well you lost the ticket, you’ll have to pay for it again.”
Customer: Throws ticket at me and walks off!
(And my wife wonders why I twitch a lot and make voodoo dolls out of Blu-Tack!
This is my fav wrapping paper of all time! Lucky the customer did not come in during Valentines Day … Fluffy handcuff, karma sutra chocolate, choc body paint, blindfolds … She may have had a heart attack!
We had one customer the other week flash another customer at the counter … She wasn’t wearing a bra and was in full view of the cameras. Thought the girls were having me on until I checked the footage.
I Recently experienced a similar problem with a display I put up for ZOO mag. The customer told me she would not be shopping in my store again, I sent her packing and told her not to come back.
MarkC,
Tell the customer that you contemplated putting up a cooking mag display, but all that all that gooey, runny chocolate on the covers was far too suggestive and sensual – especially for those people with food fetishes. What’s a newsagent to do?
I did think of telling my shopper about the karma sutra chocolates which we had for valentines day.
I’ve nearly choked on my cup of tea while doing the end of day stuff reading this !!
Glad to see it isn’t just me with the “unusual” customers. 🙂
we have plenty of customers got upset with everything- dirty joke greeting cards, adult mags…..
I had a bloke from England complain that the herald Sun did not have Page 3 girls like in some London newspapers.
We had one customer, an older Italian lady, come in with her daughter about ten years ago. The daughter was looking for a magazine with naked men to show her mum. her husband had died many years earlier and the daughter wanted to reminder her mum what it looked like. They left satisfied.
Mark, I’ve gotta ask……….”How so ?”
Nah….never mind……….;-)
I had a customer who told me that I should take off the Steve Irwin “Hallmark Cards” we had on display as it was not appropriate. This was 1 hour after his death. Then the next customer bought them all as a souvenir. To each their own
Oh dear… unfortunately many customers (not even older ones specifically) have sticks shoved so far up their rear ends that theirs no point even arguing with them or talking with them for more then a few seconds when they complain about something. The fact she had the nerve to remove the paper from the shelf (what was she going to do with it anyway?) pretty much confirms shes not all their mind you.
Lance, naturist magazines can appeal to a wide audience.