Tossing Rocks
If you've got time-sensitive or volatile info on your website, shouldn't you pay attention and keep it updated? Just asking.
I'll Play the Writer's Block: Open Book Test
Based on the books on your bookshelf, what conclusions would people draw about you?
The usual conclusion people draw is: Y'all didn't read all'a them books, did ya'?
Honestly, no. We've read most of them.
The concept of a single bookshelf eludes us. I hesitate to broadcast on the 'Net just how many bookcases we have. Let's just say that the sheer volume of paper is startling to most people--even avid readers--and like stichwitch, you might think we are using books as readble insulation.
But the question really being asked by this "Open Book Test" is what conclusions about your lifestyle and personality would people draw from your book collection.
The answer is that we're computer nerds that need to get out more instead of staying home with our noses in sci-fi, fantasy, or romance novels. I think the only thing you wouldn't be able to figure out (looking at the interests I have listed here on my profile page) is our interests in the Victorian era or in Legos. The other conclusion you might draw is that we do a lot of woodworking or model railroading, that we would cook or "garden" more than our collection would indicate, that we should be far more organized than we are, be much more into gaming and puzzles than we actually are, and you would wonder why we weren't already "off the grid".
Customer Disservice
Yes, I am going to take a moment to complain about my ability to return or exchange something to the store. A while back, we were gifted with a new bedspread and matching pillow shams. As we already have pillow shams we like, we put the new ones aside intending to return or exchange them. Months went by because going to the store was a special trip--not actually a huge inconvenience, but remembering to toss the stuff in the car and make a detour on the way home tended to keep slipping our minds. Finally, yesterday, I remembered to run the errand.
FAIL.
The associate at the first well-labeled and easily identifiable Customer Service kiosk politely directed me to the housewares area. OK, but isn't every kiosk equipped with a terminal that can handle a return? However, that is a minor issue. I actually appreciated being directed to the area with greater expertise with the stuff I am trying to return. Well, the housewares area has many different stations, I finally figured out there was a service desk at the store entrance near housewares. But, it took me a couple of tries at cashiers' stations to realize it. After getting redirected twice, I finally managed to find the Customer Service kiosk in housewares and was told by the obviously bored associate there that they didn't carry the item in-store and that I had to go deep into the bowels of the store to find the Catalog Desk.
I finally made it with a little bit of travelling down blind alleys to get to the Catalog Desk--signage exists, but directional arrows would be most helpful. Two people on duty, no line to speak of. Cool. The associate who waited on me seemed to be trying to get rid of me as quickly as possible--as if I had intentionally come in at the very end of her shift just to force her to work the full shift. Perhaps she was merely abrupt because she has to deal with grouchy patrons, and I know how much grumpy people wear on the staff's nerves.
Can I help you?
Yes, I received these as a gift and I would like to return or exchange them. (The Inner Grammarian and former Retail Sales Associate in my head snarked: *May* I, not *Can I*.)
Do you have an invoice?
No, it was a gift. It didn't come with an invoice. (I let it pass that she didn't listen when my opening statement indicated the merchandise was a gift)
(Slightly disgruntled) We don't carry that in store, I'll have to look it up by the invoice.
(Informatively, but ultimately misleading)We've got access to them from up to two years ago so we can check the sale price.
OK, I understand. (Thinking, she doesn't know that I was already directed here by another associate because the item is sold via the catalog. Let that one pass, too.)
Do you know what phone number was on the invoice? We can look it up using that.
I'm not sure, but here are two that I think could have been used. (Thinking: it was a *gift* I don't know what number they would have provided when ordering--assuming it was ordered and not picked up from another store. Hey, I don't know whether the item is UNIVERSALLY not sold in any store or just not in this one. Note to self: Ask.)
No, I can't find any invoices under those phone numbers. Were they purchased in the last 90 days? We can't accept merchandise that was purchased more than 90 days ago.
No. (Inner sigh, knowing that this trip is a FAIL. Followed by why couldn't you have said that up front? I would have stopped wasting both our time if I had known that.)
I can't do anything for you. Here's the number for catalog services. They might be able to help you.
OK. I will deal with this from home. I have other errands to run
(Taking the number, and disappointed, I dejectedly wander back out into the store. My only comfort was that the associate didn't act gleeful about not being able to help me.)
OK, BigNameStore, you annoyed me. I made a special and slightly inconvenient trip to your store because I wanted to return items that you currently sell. Said items had obviously not been removed from their original packaging. I brought them to a person who could validate that I wasn't bringing back used merchandise. The SKUs were still on the package, how difficult is it to look up the prices? Why is it so hard to take back that merchandise? I would have accepted the lowest price at which they had been sold since we didn't know what price had been paid for them.
Not only did I get shunted to decreasingly disengaged employees, I had to navigate all over your store to find the person who *might* have been able to help me.
Once there, there were two main points of failure:
1) instead of telling me the most critical piece of information up-front (the 90-day return window) I was led to believe that even though I had deferred returning the merchandise, I could still return it--because they have the price history and invoice records available.
2) I didn't feel like a valued customer whom you could help. I was going to return something I wasn't going to use so I then spend money on something FROM YOU that I actually would use.
Now I am an unhappy customer. I still ended up buying something from you, since I needed it (and you were the only place locally I could get it) regardless of the return. It isn't like I brought back produce or meat that had turned green and maggoty. But my enthusiasm for shopping at your stores is now highly diminished, and my plan of buying merchandise equivalent or greater than the value you could have offered me for the return isn't going to happen.
In fairness, that was big, long story to displace my annoyance at myself for being too distracted by other stuff to return a piece of merchandise in a timely fashion. I still think the returns policy was a little too rigid and the person at the catalog desk could could have been a little more personable--or at least had a better "script" to figure out whether or not the item could be exchanged.
Recovery Fu
I am pleased to report that AElf' is back to her normal tortitudinous personality. This morning, she tried to attack Ignatius, but rather than chomping on his neck, she gnommed on it. Ignatius was startled and puzzled. Shouldn't this attack hurt more? AElf' gave up pummeling the boy out of sheer embarrassment--she tried to slink out of the room.
I have the feeling that the pecking order in our feline community is about to change--or AElf' will use her claws more. No good can come of that.
I'll Play the Writer's Block: Open Book Test
Based on the books on your bookshelf, what conclusions would people draw about you?
The usual conclusion people draw is: Y'all didn't read all'a them books, did ya'?
Honestly, no. We've read most of them.
The concept of a single bookshelf eludes us. I hesitate to broadcast on the 'Net just how many bookcases we have. Let's just say that the sheer volume of paper is startling to most people--even avid readers--and like stichwitch, you might think we are using books as readble insulation.
But the question really being asked by this "Open Book Test" is what conclusions about your lifestyle and personality would people draw from your book collection.
The answer is that we're computer nerds that need to get out more instead of staying home with our noses in sci-fi, fantasy, or romance novels. I think the only thing you wouldn't be able to figure out (looking at the interests I have listed here on my profile page) is our interests in the Victorian era or in Legos. The other conclusion you might draw is that we do a lot of woodworking or model railroading, that we would cook or "garden" more than our collection would indicate, that we should be far more organized than we are, be much more into gaming and puzzles than we actually are, and you would wonder why we weren't already "off the grid".
Customer Disservice
Yes, I am going to take a moment to complain about my ability to return or exchange something to the store. A while back, we were gifted with a new bedspread and matching pillow shams. As we already have pillow shams we like, we put the new ones aside intending to return or exchange them. Months went by because going to the store was a special trip--not actually a huge inconvenience, but remembering to toss the stuff in the car and make a detour on the way home tended to keep slipping our minds. Finally, yesterday, I remembered to run the errand.
FAIL.
The associate at the first well-labeled and easily identifiable Customer Service kiosk politely directed me to the housewares area. OK, but isn't every kiosk equipped with a terminal that can handle a return? However, that is a minor issue. I actually appreciated being directed to the area with greater expertise with the stuff I am trying to return. Well, the housewares area has many different stations, I finally figured out there was a service desk at the store entrance near housewares. But, it took me a couple of tries at cashiers' stations to realize it. After getting redirected twice, I finally managed to find the Customer Service kiosk in housewares and was told by the obviously bored associate there that they didn't carry the item in-store and that I had to go deep into the bowels of the store to find the Catalog Desk.
I finally made it with a little bit of travelling down blind alleys to get to the Catalog Desk--signage exists, but directional arrows would be most helpful. Two people on duty, no line to speak of. Cool. The associate who waited on me seemed to be trying to get rid of me as quickly as possible--as if I had intentionally come in at the very end of her shift just to force her to work the full shift. Perhaps she was merely abrupt because she has to deal with grouchy patrons, and I know how much grumpy people wear on the staff's nerves.
Can I help you?
Yes, I received these as a gift and I would like to return or exchange them. (The Inner Grammarian and former Retail Sales Associate in my head snarked: *May* I, not *Can I*.)
Do you have an invoice?
No, it was a gift. It didn't come with an invoice. (I let it pass that she didn't listen when my opening statement indicated the merchandise was a gift)
(Slightly disgruntled) We don't carry that in store, I'll have to look it up by the invoice.
(Informatively, but ultimately misleading)We've got access to them from up to two years ago so we can check the sale price.
OK, I understand. (Thinking, she doesn't know that I was already directed here by another associate because the item is sold via the catalog. Let that one pass, too.)
Do you know what phone number was on the invoice? We can look it up using that.
I'm not sure, but here are two that I think could have been used. (Thinking: it was a *gift* I don't know what number they would have provided when ordering--assuming it was ordered and not picked up from another store. Hey, I don't know whether the item is UNIVERSALLY not sold in any store or just not in this one. Note to self: Ask.)
No, I can't find any invoices under those phone numbers. Were they purchased in the last 90 days? We can't accept merchandise that was purchased more than 90 days ago.
No. (Inner sigh, knowing that this trip is a FAIL. Followed by why couldn't you have said that up front? I would have stopped wasting both our time if I had known that.)
I can't do anything for you. Here's the number for catalog services. They might be able to help you.
OK. I will deal with this from home. I have other errands to run
(Taking the number, and disappointed, I dejectedly wander back out into the store. My only comfort was that the associate didn't act gleeful about not being able to help me.)
OK, BigNameStore, you annoyed me. I made a special and slightly inconvenient trip to your store because I wanted to return items that you currently sell. Said items had obviously not been removed from their original packaging. I brought them to a person who could validate that I wasn't bringing back used merchandise. The SKUs were still on the package, how difficult is it to look up the prices? Why is it so hard to take back that merchandise? I would have accepted the lowest price at which they had been sold since we didn't know what price had been paid for them.
Not only did I get shunted to decreasingly disengaged employees, I had to navigate all over your store to find the person who *might* have been able to help me.
Once there, there were two main points of failure:
1) instead of telling me the most critical piece of information up-front (the 90-day return window) I was led to believe that even though I had deferred returning the merchandise, I could still return it--because they have the price history and invoice records available.
2) I didn't feel like a valued customer whom you could help. I was going to return something I wasn't going to use so I then spend money on something FROM YOU that I actually would use.
Now I am an unhappy customer. I still ended up buying something from you, since I needed it (and you were the only place locally I could get it) regardless of the return. It isn't like I brought back produce or meat that had turned green and maggoty. But my enthusiasm for shopping at your stores is now highly diminished, and my plan of buying merchandise equivalent or greater than the value you could have offered me for the return isn't going to happen.
In fairness, that was big, long story to displace my annoyance at myself for being too distracted by other stuff to return a piece of merchandise in a timely fashion. I still think the returns policy was a little too rigid and the person at the catalog desk could could have been a little more personable--or at least had a better "script" to figure out whether or not the item could be exchanged.
Recovery Fu
I am pleased to report that AElf' is back to her normal tortitudinous personality. This morning, she tried to attack Ignatius, but rather than chomping on his neck, she gnommed on it. Ignatius was startled and puzzled. Shouldn't this attack hurt more? AElf' gave up pummeling the boy out of sheer embarrassment--she tried to slink out of the room.
I have the feeling that the pecking order in our feline community is about to change--or AElf' will use her claws more. No good can come of that.