ericcoleman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ericcoleman) wrote2005-05-02 10:32 am
ericcoleman) wrote2005-05-02 10:32 am
Entry tags:
The Foreman Awards For Excellence In Humanity - Customer Relations - 05/02/05
These are both things that happened to me this week. Of course it is not the first time for either but who cares ...
And The Beep Goes On.
I was getting gas in a small Iowa town near the small Iowa town I live in. I filled my tank and was about to head into the store to pay. The gas pump proceeded to beep at me, and beep at me, and beep at me, and beep at me. It beeped as I walked all the way across the parking lot into the store. It was still beeping as I entered the store. Now keep in mind that this is a small town. This is not some high traffic gas station. My question is, does this actually do any good? Do they really think I need that reminder? Am I going to forget that I need to pay for my gas and therefore need this obnoxious reminder? If I indeed planned on driving away, will this beep make me see the error of my ways and forever more pay the money I owe with a smile on my face and a bank loan to cover it? Or is it just rude and terrible customer relations?
YOU DO WANT FRIES WITH THAT !!!
I hate the force sales thing. It pisses me off generally. I make a point of always saying "that's all" when I order fast food. Most folks get it. I had someone argue with me last week. They would not take no for an answer that I only wanted a burger and fries, no drink. They kept on how it would save me money. You know, by spending 50 cents more on the drink that I didn’t want I would spend less than if I had bought the drink separately. I told them that I didn't like Coke and didn't want a Coke, so they tried to get me to get a milkshake. Do they expect to keep customers? I asked to speak to the manager when I drove around. Sure enough, she was the one who I had been speaking to.
And The Beep Goes On.
I was getting gas in a small Iowa town near the small Iowa town I live in. I filled my tank and was about to head into the store to pay. The gas pump proceeded to beep at me, and beep at me, and beep at me, and beep at me. It beeped as I walked all the way across the parking lot into the store. It was still beeping as I entered the store. Now keep in mind that this is a small town. This is not some high traffic gas station. My question is, does this actually do any good? Do they really think I need that reminder? Am I going to forget that I need to pay for my gas and therefore need this obnoxious reminder? If I indeed planned on driving away, will this beep make me see the error of my ways and forever more pay the money I owe with a smile on my face and a bank loan to cover it? Or is it just rude and terrible customer relations?
YOU DO WANT FRIES WITH THAT !!!
I hate the force sales thing. It pisses me off generally. I make a point of always saying "that's all" when I order fast food. Most folks get it. I had someone argue with me last week. They would not take no for an answer that I only wanted a burger and fries, no drink. They kept on how it would save me money. You know, by spending 50 cents more on the drink that I didn’t want I would spend less than if I had bought the drink separately. I told them that I didn't like Coke and didn't want a Coke, so they tried to get me to get a milkshake. Do they expect to keep customers? I asked to speak to the manager when I drove around. Sure enough, she was the one who I had been speaking to.
OY!
absolutively the plus selling BULLDADA
And much as i loved the suggestion about fertilzer aspiring to cat food, yea the sad truth is they're cowed into plus selling. i mean, think about it. the utter shame and humiliation of being FIRED from a minimum wage retail or food service job... i remember when the Amocos started turning into BPs. (Wasn't all that long ago really). Remember? all shiny bright and new, with lots of lights, clever use of color, doors that are honored to open before you and pleased to close behind you, satisfied in a job well-done? the well-trained goon-squad behind the counter plus-selling the shit out of everything with the thinly-veiled-behind-a-chipper-smile look of abject terror on their shiny scrubbed faces ?
creeped me out so bad i avoided BP for a good year or 2 till the hype finally died down and they started acting like a gas station again..
as for beeping (BPing? ;-) ) gas pumps...annoying. the programmer needs a good thwack upon the forehead with a coiled-up middle finger. but it's mere mechanical repetition. not insiduouscorporate brainwashing.