Printable View
I'm with you, Lainey! But I don't feel bad about being standoffish in my response. In 99% of the cases I'm sure they've been trained to ask that and I feel they don't most likely give a crap, anyway. For whatever reason I first noticed this at Potbelly and I still don't like to go there because of it. I like friendly, not trained.
Am loving watching your artistic creations on FB, SQ!
Like Kelli, I'm guessing that it's become an automatic greeting and the folks in stores don't expect a real answer to that question any more than they do to the question "how are you?".Quote:
Originally Posted by Lainey
Actually, it might be kind of fun to have some outlandish response ready. Like saying you're going to a coronation. Or that the President is coming over for a beer. Might get a good laugh out of it.
I kind of like when sales people say those things. I was in retail, part time, for a million years (in retail years).
I almost always say something outrageous. I am old and fat and all the rest, so replying that I am participating in a black belt tournament, or sky diving or riding bulls in the rodeo or giving a presentation on the proper mating habits of coatimundi at the governor's mansion please me.
This is more fluid if you are in line and have a chance to think of something. Last week I told the clerk that I was defending my apple bobbing title at the regional conference.
I like involving the President, though.
Once I had a huge bandage on my hand, and when the clerk mentioned it, I told him that I was stabbed in a bar fight.
OMG! I do that at work, to strike up a conversational tone with my customers! Most of the time people are happy to chat but I can see how some people are somewhat taken aback (like today, for instance)! We are strongly encouraged to be super-friendly and helpful; in fact, my job on the deli counter kind of depends on it...I have to say though if I am not in the mood to be sociable (like today) it takes a lot out of me.
@Fidgiegirl- thanks for following Taliswoman on FB! I'm having a lot of fun with it!
Yep, I'm ordinarily polite and friendly enough, but geez. I'm like fidgiegirl - I like friendly, trained, efficient, and timely customer service. If I can get that, I'm happy and I'll be back.
Reminds me of an article I read about a young woman years ago who was tired of strangers telling her to Smile! She decided to start replying "My brother died today." Of course that really threw them for a loop, and she was pretty sure they no longer went around saying that.
Some people are dealing with very serious stuff, so a truthful answer to this query might be that their weekend plans, e.g., are that they are helping their relative re-apply for Soc. Security disability so the relative does not lose their apartment. So now they have to make up something else for their circumstances to not be so depressing.
I guess if I worked in customer service I would take my cue from the customer - if they're there to buy a graduation cake, then by all means it's fun to chat them up about the party plans. But otherwise please don't ask me to entertain you while you're finishing my transaction. Gosh, sounds curmudgenly (sp) but I think that's what us borderline introverts would prefer.
Took me an hour and 50 minutes to go the bit less than 20 miles to work today. >:( One of those Murphy's law applied to traffic days.
Geez Louise! My DD takes seizure meds. She has PHP, Medicare & Medicaid. She gets 2 different sizes of the one medication because they don't make a big enough tablet for her dosage. Well, she cannot have generics. But every now and then her Medicare RX decides that they will no longer pay for name brand. So DD's house manager calls the drug store to find out why it is being denied. Then she calls the Medicare RX co. who won't talk to her because she is not DD's guardian. Then she calls DD's neurologist to see if they will send the Medicare RX co. a note saying she cannot have generics. The person who does this is not in the office for a week and nobody else can do it. Then the House Mgr. calls me and tries to explain it to me. She is brand new to the position and this is new to her.
I don't quite understand what the problem is so I call the pharmacy who tells me that I have to call DD's DHS caseworker and the DHS caseworker has to do something on her computer files that tells Medicaid to over-ride something so that MedicareRX will pay for it. huh? So I call the Medicare RX co. They won't talk to me either. Thank you HIPPA (or however you abbreviate it). So I have to go find somewhere to fax a copy of the Guardianship papers to MedicareRX. Then I call MedicareRX again. They will talk to me now. But all he keeps saying is that they only pay for 5 mg & 25 mg Lamictal (DD needs 150 & 200 mg) something or other. Or if you use this other Lamictal ds something or other. So I finally got him to say that yes we do need to have the Dr. call them to get the form that they then need to fax to MedicareRX. They can't just fax something without using THE form.
So I waited until today when the person who takes care of this stuff is supposed to be back in the office. Had to leave a message and I can only hope that they will actually call me back to let me know that they are taking care of it.
I think I need a drink
Oh Azure, that is soooooooo frustrating! The ineffiency and ineptitude of *the system*. I think my daughter takes Lamictal too (or some new name-brand drug for her bi-polar that doesn't have a generic out yet), and I know she's had problems with Medicaid about it. Meanwhile, she runs out of meds, which can throw her into a tailspin. Luckily, the clinic she goes to can dole out samples until things get straightened out.