Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The Greetings Should Stay in Cards

How clerks greet customers, and if it's always necessary.

I went into a Hallmark. The second I walked in, a lady in her 40s, from the other end of the store, yells "Hello sir, how are you?"

I didn't look up for a few seconds, until it dawned on me...she's actually yelling to me. I smiled.

Now, why would you greet someone so far away, when you have two customers?

I know, during their training, they were probably told to. But I think you have to realize, that probably means if you aren't helping someone and you're just standing there. But not yelling. It probably scared the crap out of the woman she was helping. And, it made me feel uncomfortable. Am I supposed to yell back, "I'm doing great. Just looking for Christmas cards. Do you sell cards here? Oh yeah, that's 80% of what you sell."

They don't greet me when I walk into Vons, and I like it that way.

I dunno. Women tell me I get mad at little things. But, it's just...well, here I go again...when I finally bought a card, and she's counting back my $16.74, she doesn't need to count out each penny, nickle, and dime. Just throw it all in my hand and say "Here's your change, thank you." I'll either assume you're right, or I'll count it myself. I don't need you to slowly do it.

And, just to show I don't complain about everything, I have no problem if I'm at the register, and they answer the phone. Some of my friends say "You should help the customers that are actually spending money, not on the phone." But, I assume it's more important to let a caller know they have reached the business they intended, and not a wrong number. And I take no offense. I just hope they make it quick, or tell the person to hold, and finish my transaction.

A childhood friend of mine has been working for the post office for the last 15 years. When he started working up front with customers, he said they tell him to ask "Do you need any stamps today?" I joked, "They always will, with the prices raised 3 cents every year." But what's weird is that they told him, "If the customer doesn't want stamps, you then ask them if they need any postal supplies, like tape or boxes." We both agreed this is ridiculous. Hell, when I worked at McDonald's in high school, they told us to "up-sell only one item, otherwise, you appear pushy. (and you don't want to ask 'would you like fries with that?' and if they say no, continue with 'what about one of those apple pies, that will burn the roof of your mouth so bad you can sue us for a million bucks.")

He decided he wasn't going to do that, after a few customers said "If I needed supplies, I would've told you!"

The 4th customer he didn't say that to, turned out to be an inspector. He was written up.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”

I went into a Hallmark. The second I walked in, a lady in her 40s, from the other end of the store, yells "Hello sir, how are you?"

I didn't look up for a few seconds, until it dawned on me...she's actually yelling to me. I smiled.

Now, why would you greet someone so far away, when you have two customers?

I know, during their training, they were probably told to. But I think you have to realize, that probably means if you aren't helping someone and you're just standing there. But not yelling. It probably scared the crap out of the woman she was helping. And, it made me feel uncomfortable. Am I supposed to yell back, "I'm doing great. Just looking for Christmas cards. Do you sell cards here? Oh yeah, that's 80% of what you sell."

They don't greet me when I walk into Vons, and I like it that way.

I dunno. Women tell me I get mad at little things. But, it's just...well, here I go again...when I finally bought a card, and she's counting back my $16.74, she doesn't need to count out each penny, nickle, and dime. Just throw it all in my hand and say "Here's your change, thank you." I'll either assume you're right, or I'll count it myself. I don't need you to slowly do it.

And, just to show I don't complain about everything, I have no problem if I'm at the register, and they answer the phone. Some of my friends say "You should help the customers that are actually spending money, not on the phone." But, I assume it's more important to let a caller know they have reached the business they intended, and not a wrong number. And I take no offense. I just hope they make it quick, or tell the person to hold, and finish my transaction.

A childhood friend of mine has been working for the post office for the last 15 years. When he started working up front with customers, he said they tell him to ask "Do you need any stamps today?" I joked, "They always will, with the prices raised 3 cents every year." But what's weird is that they told him, "If the customer doesn't want stamps, you then ask them if they need any postal supplies, like tape or boxes." We both agreed this is ridiculous. Hell, when I worked at McDonald's in high school, they told us to "up-sell only one item, otherwise, you appear pushy. (and you don't want to ask 'would you like fries with that?' and if they say no, continue with 'what about one of those apple pies, that will burn the roof of your mouth so bad you can sue us for a million bucks.")

He decided he wasn't going to do that, after a few customers said "If I needed supplies, I would've told you!"

The 4th customer he didn't say that to, turned out to be an inspector. He was written up.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

"They're very German" their whole mentality is, "We've been here for 600 years."

Next Article

I Know That Dude

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader