# Poor Customer Service



## billski (Nov 2, 2010)

Skidork just related a bad experience with sirius   which reminded me of a poor customer service story from yesterday.

I had a $100 bill in my pocket.  I went to the bagel shop at 10AM and handed it to the girl.  She says, sorry, I have no change.  Huh?  They've been open for four hours and have a line to the door!  The guy next to her says, yeah she just opened.  :roll:  Rather than hassle the manager, I gave her a 20-spot and moved on.  Next day, I went to the grocery store at 7AM.  I handed the same $100 bill to the grocery clerk.  Big box grocer, with tons of money, right?  "Sorry, I don't have any money".  At that point, I noticed the customer service booth worker was counting out hundreds of bills.  Thank you.  I walked over to customer service and said, "can you change a hundred?  The girl in the checkout line told me she has no money."  Sure, she said.
I have two problem here, both revolve around lack of common sense.
First, why couldn't the clerks offer an alternative, like go to another register, go to customer service?

Second, Is not it good service to apologize for not being able to help you?  "sorry, I'll make sure the staff is trained properly next time."  

Things like this cost you nothing but can either gain or lose you a customer or a reputation?  My gut is that the workers don't want to be there, just want to go home and that management is clueless about customer service unless you scream and make a scene.

What's yours?


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 2, 2010)

IMO. there's no such thing as "poor customer service", it's poor management. A fish stinks from the head down.


----------



## Warp Daddy (Nov 2, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> IMO. there's no such thing as "poor customer service", it's poor management. A fish stinks from the head down.



TRUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Management  is asleep at the switch on this one Bill. !


----------



## gmcunni (Nov 2, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> IMO. there's no such thing as "poor customer service", it's poor management. A fish stinks from the head down.



No matter what Friendly's restaurant i go to the service is sub par.


----------



## billski (Nov 2, 2010)

Warp Daddy said:


> TRUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Management  is asleep at the switch on this one Bill. !



Really?  You mean they hire robots?  It's a real shame that individuals are not willing to think about the customers.  I'm not absconding management's responsibility here, but 'cmon, this is common sense stuff.


----------



## Dr Skimeister (Nov 2, 2010)

gmcunni said:


> No matter what Friendly's restaurant i go to the service is sub par.



The food sucks too.


----------



## gmcunni (Nov 2, 2010)

Dr Skimeister said:


> The food sucks too.



my daughter would disagree.. she loves the chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate ice cream


----------



## Dr Skimeister (Nov 2, 2010)

gmcunni said:


> my daughter would disagree.. she loves the chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate ice cream



Can't argue with someone that's into health food......


----------



## jrmagic (Nov 2, 2010)

gmcunni said:


> No matter what Friendly's restaurant i go to the service is sub par.




Agreed. I need to make sure we have lots of spare time when the kids talk me into going there for dinner and ice cream.


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 2, 2010)

gmcunni said:


> No matter what Friendly's restaurant i go to the service is sub par.



I'd lower your expectations then.


----------



## o3jeff (Nov 2, 2010)

gmcunni said:


> No matter what Friendly's restaurant i go to the service is sub par.



At least they are consistent, the on by sucks too.


----------



## bvibert (Nov 2, 2010)

Who the hell tries to pay for a bagel with a $100 bill?  I'm sure the management told them not to accept bills that large, and the drawer is probably kept low on extra cash to avoid being a theft target.  I don't blame them, makes sense to me, especially since most people I know don't use cash very much anymore and certainly not $100 bills.


----------



## billski (Nov 2, 2010)

bvibert said:


> Who the hell tries to pay for a bagel with a $100 bill?  I'm sure the management told them not to accept bills that large, and the drawer is probably kept low on extra cash to avoid being a theft target.  I don't blame them, makes sense to me, especially since most people I know don't use cash very much anymore and certainly not $100 bills.



Me. I buy dozens at a time.  
$100 doesn't buy that much any more, sorry to say. The world is big, lots of people still use cash.


----------



## mondeo (Nov 2, 2010)

bvibert said:


> Who the hell tries to pay for a bagel with a $100 bill? I'm sure the management told them not to accept bills that large, and the drawer is probably kept low on extra cash to avoid being a theft target. I don't blame them, makes sense to me, especially since most people I know don't use cash very much anymore and certainly not $100 bills.


+1. I don't even like using $20s if I can avoid it. When I do happen upon $50s or $100s, they get reserved from $40+ purchases.


----------



## thetrailboss (Nov 2, 2010)

Sorry to hear that, but in my experience some places have notes on the cash registers stating that they do not accept big bills, especially $100's because of counterfeit problems. I'm not saying that you pass around counterfeit bills. Unfortunately, too many other folks are. You can't blame the teenage clerks for that. The best thing to do would be to go to your bank and get smaller bills or ask for smaller bills when you get them.  

I also think that sometimes it is hard to expect much from young clerks who are working for minimum wage and are in school or decided not to go to school.


----------



## SkiDork (Nov 2, 2010)

these days wheneve I withdraw a $20 from an ATM I immediately go to the teller window and break it into singles.  All the stuff I do seems to need singles and sometimes its tough to make change.   Plus its cool to have a fat wad of cash...


----------



## billski (Nov 2, 2010)

SkiDork said:


> these days wheneve I withdraw a $20 from an ATM I immediately go to the teller window and break it into singles.  All the stuff I do seems to need singles and sometimes its tough to make change.   Plus its cool to have a fat wad of cash...



you tip too much


----------



## Warp Daddy (Nov 2, 2010)

Many still use cash system   for good reason  - It is a disciplinery tool that  has a way of making one "think a little"  Want vs, need )  before just impulse buying   on a piece of plastic and getting shell shocked later on .

My dad was an exec in a major credit industry one of the big three  and i've seen many a personal tragedy result from impulse buyers nad the debt loads that folks carry . 

BTW  I regularly carry 100's  .and have encountered very little difficulty. Yet another benefit to living in a small town environment where everybody know's your name


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 2, 2010)

Warp Daddy said:


> Many still use cash system   for good reason  - It is a disciplinery tool that  has a way of making one "think a little"  Want vs, need )  before just impulse buying   on a piece of plastic and getting shell shocked later on .
> 
> My dad was an exec in a major credit industry one of the big three  and i've seen many a personal tragedy result from impulse buyers nad the debt loads that folks carry .
> 
> BTW  I regularly carry 100's  .and have encountered very little difficulty. Yet another benefit to living in a small town environment where everybody know's your name



I always carry cash....hate plastic, hate it...my wife gets pissed because of what I walk around with, but you never know when you'll wanna buy something.


----------



## SKIQUATTRO (Nov 2, 2010)

pay peanuts and you get monkeys.......

its sad, but its a new generation of slack parenting (no discipline or manners)  you can be a parent and your kids friend at the same time, most parents just want to be their friend and let manners, discipline and lessons of a strong work ethic go out the window...

its a generation of non respect and kids who dont care....but as Camp said, it stems from the top, that being mgmt and parents...


----------



## hammer (Nov 2, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> I always carry cash....hate plastic, hate it...my wife gets pissed because of what I walk around with, but you never know when you'll wanna buy something.


I'm just the opposite, put everything on the plastic...usually the DW takes care of cash transactions (mostly handing out $$ to the kiddos).


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 2, 2010)

hammer said:


> I'm just the opposite, put everything on the plastic...usually the DW takes care of cash transactions (mostly handing out $$ to the kiddos).



I know, most of my friends do the same as you---I just can't stand paying the bill when it comes.


----------



## dmc (Nov 2, 2010)

hammer said:


> I'm just the opposite, put everything on the plastic...usually the DW takes care of cash transactions (mostly handing out $$ to the kiddos).



me too... Except the kid thing...

i don't like carrying cash..


----------



## SKIQUATTRO (Nov 2, 2010)

my $1.50 coffee goes on the plastic, can run nifty reports off amex and tie it into your personal budgeting to see exactly where you are spending your money...it can be shocking....also, we rack up the skymiles.....


----------



## thetrailboss (Nov 2, 2010)

SKIQUATTRO said:


> my $1.50 coffee goes on the plastic, can run nifty reports off amex and tie it into your personal budgeting to see exactly where you are spending your money...it can be shocking....also, we rack up the skymiles.....


 
See, now that is something I don't like (no offense to you personally) because the merchant has to pay the fee for the credit card and in many cases if the purchase is too small the merchant loses money.


----------



## dmc (Nov 2, 2010)

SKIQUATTRO said:


> also, we rack up the skymiles.....



Oh yeah!!!  Skymiles rock!


----------



## SKIQUATTRO (Nov 2, 2010)

we take CC for my biz (abeit the transactions are much larger) and we get dinged for massive merchant processing fees, its cost of doing business...people are more likely to purchase more goods if a store provides CC over cash only.....if i only had a few bucks on me i might only get the coffee, now with the CC i might grab a sandwich too....in the end, the store does better with CC even if they lose $$ on a few transactions


----------



## hammer (Nov 2, 2010)

thetrailboss said:


> See, now that is something I don't like (no offense to you personally) because the merchant has to pay the fee for the credit card and in many cases if the purchase is too small the merchant loses money.


If it's really a loss then they can put a minimum on CC transactions and I wouldn't have a problem with that.  If they don't, however, I'm not going to feel bad about using a CC for a $5 purchase.


----------



## dmc (Nov 2, 2010)

hammer said:


> If it's really a loss then they can put a minimum on CC transactions and I wouldn't have a problem with that.  If they don't, however, I'm not going to feel bad about using a CC for a $5 purchase.



Right...  I guess they could put a sign up saying no CCs for purchases under $5...
But I don't think the CC companies would like that too much...


----------



## Warp Daddy (Nov 2, 2010)

I just saw a new book this afternoon in the library  called Retirementology . In it their research indicated that when folks use plastic over cash there is a 30 % increase in their discretionary ( impulse) spending . 

Not sure i buy that high but i'm sure there is significantly more spending on discretionary level


----------



## mlctvt (Nov 2, 2010)

gmcunni said:


> No matter what Friendly's restaurant i go to the service is sub par.



Friendly's does suck, I can't belive they are still in business. 

Their new motto should be
Friendly's, we're anything but....


----------



## bvibert (Nov 2, 2010)

dmc said:


> Right...  I guess they could put a sign up saying no CCs for purchases under $5...
> But I don't think the CC companies would like that too much...



I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to do that, but some places do anyway.


----------



## mlctvt (Nov 2, 2010)

SKIQUATTRO said:


> my $1.50 coffee goes on the plastic, can run nifty reports off amex and tie it into your personal budgeting to see exactly where you are spending your money...it can be shocking....also, we rack up the skymiles.....



My wife and I do this too, it's very convenient and there’s no need to carry cash at all. 
Everything we buy is on our credit card which we get 1.5% cash back. We pay it off in full every month so we've never paid a penny in interest over the last 20+ years.

I avoid the gas stations that charge extra for credit cards.


----------



## SKIQUATTRO (Nov 2, 2010)

a store/biz cannot (by the CC Merchant agreement) set a limit on the dollar amount they accept, they have to accept all transactions...although most do put up signs as they dont want to pay the fee, but legally, they have to accept the CC.


----------



## jrmagic (Nov 2, 2010)

bvibert said:


> I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to do that, but some places do anyway.



There are a fair number of places by me that do it. Who says they aren't supposed to the CC companies? if so I think that's pretty effed up of them. While it sucks if you are the consumer and you like usnig a card for everything, a merchant shouldn't have to lose money on a transaction.


----------



## Warp Daddy (Nov 2, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> I know, most of my friends do the same as you---I just can't stand paying the bill when it comes.



Same here  Camp , i pay as i go -----------------------------  I 'm into building  HNW  with good financial discipline .


----------



## dmc (Nov 2, 2010)

Warp Daddy said:


> Same here  Camp , i pay as i go -----------------------------  I 'm into building  HNW  with good financial discipline .




You could use a debit card...  then you only spend what you have and don't have to pay it back..


----------



## bvibert (Nov 2, 2010)

jrmagic said:


> Who says they aren't supposed to the CC companies?



Yeah, I think it's in the agreements with the CC companies, or more likely the processing service that the store uses.


----------



## billski (Nov 2, 2010)

SKIQUATTRO said:


> pay peanuts and you get monkeys.......
> 
> its sad, but its a new generation of slack parenting (no discipline or manners)  you can be a parent and your kids friend at the same time, most parents just want to be their friend and let manners, discipline and lessons of a strong work ethic go out the window...
> 
> its a generation of non respect and kids who dont care....but as Camp said, it stems from the top, that being mgmt and parents...



It's rather odd.  I have found that the general level of respect and courtesy have declined across all age groups in the northeast.   I often find myself in crowded situations and pushed by teens, soccer moms and old ladies without so much as a comment of consideration.  Alternately, will just stand and stare, expecting you to clear the way without a spoken word.  

What is particularly odd is that those who are my late parents age do the  same thing now -they used to be the same ones to make eye contact, smile and hold the door open.  I suppose they got run over too many times.  We are all potential axe murderers now...


----------



## Warp Daddy (Nov 2, 2010)

dmc said:


> You could use a debit card...  then you only spend what you have and don't have to pay it back..



Got one , used it on sabbatical leave, then kept it -- still prefer cash -- probably a generational thing D  - 'sides which i like the feel of it


----------



## bigbog (Nov 2, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> IMO. there's no such thing as "poor customer service", it's poor management. A fish stinks from the head down.



Yup....don't think clerks delegate $$$ issues.  Think customer service is #1 stop...seems like they _should've_ had the $$$.  Maybe things at night are dicey enough to limit cash...you should've driven up to a Hanniford in Maine billski!


----------



## billski (Nov 2, 2010)

Warp Daddy said:


> Got one , used it on sabbatical leave, then kept it -- still prefer cash -- probably a generational thing D  - 'sides which i like the feel of it



Depending what I'm buying, I may offer cash (to the owner) - Will you take %3-5 off the price if I pay cash?  He was gonna pay 3-5% to the card company anyways, this way he gets his money now.  It works!


----------



## Dr Skimeister (Nov 2, 2010)

Warp Daddy said:


> Same here  Camp , i pay as i go -----------------------------  I 'm into building  HNW  with good financial discipline .





billski said:


> Depending what I'm buying, I may offer cash (to the owner) - Will you take %3-5 off the price if I pay cash?  He was gonna pay 3-5% to the card company anyways, this way he gets his money now.  It works!



In full agreement here, from both the consumer side and the merchant side. Cash is king with small business and the Uncle never knows.


----------



## dmc (Nov 2, 2010)

Warp Daddy said:


> Got one , used it on sabbatical leave, then kept it -- still prefer cash -- probably a generational thing D  - 'sides which i like the feel of it



I hear ya..   On the bright side - I'm a serial bill payer... 
Only debt I have is my mortgage..


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 2, 2010)

Warp Daddy said:


> Same here  Camp , i pay as i go -----------------------------  I 'm into building  HNW  with good financial discipline .





dmc said:


> I hear ya..   On the bright side - I'm a serial bill payer...
> Only debt I have is my mortgage..



With ya both----NO bills----you can live like a King w/o a lot of $$$$$


----------



## dmc (Nov 2, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> With ya both----NO bills----you can live like a King w/o a lot of $$$$$



yup....  I know exactly where my cash is at all times.  If I need something I save for it..  I have a normal mortgage..  Funny.. I just dropped some coin on a hotel room in NYC for the upcoming Phish shows..

I gotta be honest - I'm really nor feeling this financial crisis...  Cause i saw it coming and prepared for it..


----------



## Warp Daddy (Nov 2, 2010)

dmc said:


> yup....  I know exactly where my cash is at all times.  If I need something I save for it..  I have a normal mortgage..  Funny.. I just dropped some coin on a hotel room in NYC for the upcoming Phish shows..
> 
> I gotta be honest - I'm really nor feeling this financial crisis...  Cause i saw it coming and prepared for it..



 Good thinking guys !!  Glad to hear you've insulated yourselves from the nonsense by prudent $$ mgt. and investing  It really works and can set one up comfortably for retirement . Keep working it !


I was always into that way of doing things to  that and being debt free . Being a conservative   Investment Squirrel  for 3 decades  the recession is  not an issue at all  .  This life style choice  enabled me to RETIRE at 52 and play . After that i just did my consulting business which i had for 15 yrs beforehand . I did just  75 days a yr running  training seminars  for 5 more yrs.  i skied every mon  and fri  did seminars tu -th just during the academic yr  ---------------- --Then retired for good


----------



## dmc (Nov 2, 2010)

I cant wait to retire...  My goal is 60...  Or sooner..


----------



## Warp Daddy (Nov 2, 2010)

dmc said:


> I cant wait to retire...  My goal is 60...  Or sooner..



 Keeo doing what your doing financially  then Do IT as Soon as You can D 

-- Then you can get busy making a life and not just a living  Life is Short  - 

ONE of my favorite mantras is : Life A'int a Dress Rehearsal


----------



## snoseek (Nov 2, 2010)

Yes Friendly's is and always has sucked so bad along with most other chains.

I think retailers probably have a bit of dilemna with competitive pricing. To keep prices low they pay as low as possible hence the crappy service overall. It seems like it's only gotten worse in my lifetime. My attitude would probably suck in a dead end job with no skills and a wage that was not considered by 90% on this board to be livable. You can let the day to day shit roll right off of you or become "that guy".....


----------



## Geoff (Nov 3, 2010)

dmc said:


> You could use a debit card...  then you only spend what you have and don't have to pay it back..



Nooooooooo!   If somebody grabs the number off your debit card, they can zero out your bank account.   Checks start bouncing.   It's a huge hassle to unwind everything and you can be without access to cash because your bank account is trashed.   My bank ATM card has a Visa logo on it but I never, ever, use it in anything but a bank-owned ATM machine.

My credit card is set up to auto-pay in full.   I haven't paid a penny of credit card interest in decades.   My last car loan was in the 1980's.   Once in a blue moon, I'll accidentally hit the overdraft line of credit on my checking account for a day or two.  That's the only non-mortgage interest I've paid in years.


----------



## Glenn (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> It's rather odd.  I have found that the general level of respect and courtesy have declined across all age groups in the northeast.   I often find myself in crowded situations and pushed by teens, soccer moms and old ladies without so much as a comment of consideration.  Alternately, will just stand and stare, expecting you to clear the way without a spoken word.
> 
> What is particularly odd is that those who are my late parents age do the  same thing now -they used to be the same ones to make eye contact, smile and hold the door open.  I suppose they got run over too many times.  We are all potential axe murderers now...



I've found people are a bit more laid back where our place is up in VT. Our street is mostly locals and people are friendly. Ironically, we talk more to our neighbors in VT than we do in CT...and we're only up there on the weekends.


----------



## dmc (Nov 3, 2010)

Geoff said:


> Nooooooooo!   If somebody grabs the number off your debit card, they can zero out your bank account.   Checks start bouncing.   It's a huge hassle to unwind everything and you can be without access to cash because your bank account is trashed.   My bank ATM card has a Visa logo on it but I never, ever, use it in anything but a bank-owned ATM machine.
> 
> My credit card is set up to auto-pay in full.   I haven't paid a penny of credit card interest in decades.   My last car loan was in the 1980's.   Once in a blue moon, I'll accidentally hit the overdraft line of credit on my checking account for a day or two.  That's the only non-mortgage interest I've paid in years.



Nobodies getting my debit card - I dont use it online.    And it has a withdraw cap..


----------



## Hawkshot99 (Nov 3, 2010)

Dr Skimeister said:


> Cash is king with small business and the Uncle never knows.



Till you get audited.  It is amazing what they can figure out....


----------



## billski (Nov 3, 2010)

Hawkshot99 said:


> Till you get audited.  It is amazing what they can figure out....



WHAT are you buying with cash?  :-o


----------



## deadheadskier (Nov 3, 2010)

I don't view the lack of ability to expediently change a $100 as that big of a deal at all.  

Let me explain from a workers perspective.

As some of you know I bartend part time at a large hotel which obviously has lots of cash. My starting bank is $150, which consists of $90 in $5s, $50 in $1s and a roll of quarters. If at the start of my shift someone tries to pay for a $7 drink with a $100, I send them to the front desk to get change. Why? 

A. The change they get from me will be $90 in $5s and $3 in $1s. Who wants that for change?

B. The next three folks in line pay for their $7 drinks in $20s and get $1s for change. Who wants 13, $1s for change on a twenty?

So, boom, in 4 customers I am now stuck with a $100, three $20s and a roll of quarters. Now I've got a line 10 deep at the bar of pissed off customers who are waiting for my supervisor to run to the front desk and make change. And no, I cannot start tabs with these pissed off waiting customers because these are cash only catering functions often with 400 people in the room. I'd get burned on half the tabs. It's amazing the difference between restaurant bar patrons and catering bar patrons. A restaurant patron would never think about bolting on their tabs. Catering.....totally different story.


----------



## SkiDork (Nov 3, 2010)

deadheadskier said:


> I don't view the lack of ability to expediently change a $100 as that big of a deal at all.
> 
> Let me explain from a workers perspective.
> 
> ...





Like I said, I always break my twenties into singles when I withdraw from an ATM.  Makes things so much easier.


----------



## billski (Nov 3, 2010)

deadheadskier said:


> I don't view the lack of ability to expediently change a $100 as that big of a deal at all.
> 
> Let me explain from a workers perspective.
> 
> ...



I don't buy this argument.  You are forcing the customer to adapt to make things convenient for you.  It's your process that leaves so little cash in the drawers.  I think it's you who are missing the point of what GOOD customer service is, rather than merely adequate.   In my examples, we are not talking about small time operations.  We are talking about big grocery operations that have twenty cashiers and rack in hundreds of thousands per day.  We are talking about breakfast shops who have burgeoning amounts of cash on hand three hours after they operate.  I'm not talking about walking in at opening time.  Please take the time to read the original scenario.  

In your bar, you can stiff me for $5-10 per drink, I find $150 to  start with to be rather meager.  Why should I be your banker?  So I've given you exact change, and now I have nothing leftover for tips for the housekeeper at the hotel.  Now I have to go to the front desk and ask for change.  Maybe they will have it, maybe not.    I'll tell you this, if I don't have money for a tip because I've had to meet your scenario, I'm not going to ask you to change money for me.  I'll leave without tipping.

You also miss my original point.  Assuming a cash restriction. why can't the employee at least apologize and offer an alternative, instead of saying "I don't have any money?"   That would not cost you a thing.


----------



## deadheadskier (Nov 3, 2010)

Bill,

This is a Marriott hotel, pretty much the franchise that wrote the book on hotel customer service in this country.  I've worked at Marriotts, Wyndhams, Hiltons, the 5 star Wequassett Inn on Cape Cod,  Intrawest resorts, on and on and on.  I've never had a starting bank exceed $200 at any of them.  All of these properties have 10K in cash on them at any given time.

If you show up first thing to a newly opened register with $100 bill and they can't make change because the decision is to inconvenience you the one customer such that you can quickly service the next ten people in line.......deal with it.

If you find it a reoccuring problem in your life, I'd recommend getting $20s out from the bank instead of $100s.  Sorry, sometimes in life, you as a customer need to adapt your expectations on how particular businesses choose to operate.  Just the way it is.


----------



## billski (Nov 3, 2010)

I've been around the block a few times, educating me or suggesting a cash management strategy is unnecessary.  It's sad that customer service has degenerated to such low levels.  I do not have to be convinced of this, I experience it every day, but lived at a time when customer service was king.  And in a few industries it still is.  


Again, you're not addressing my points about a) how your employees interact with the customer in such cases, b) why, hours after an establishment is open, they still cannot change or offer an alternative

At least at the hotels you mention, and I have paid good cash to all of them, they do provide marginally better service, by hiring more intelligent people, who could think on their feet and offer alternatives to their own operational restrictions.

Bill




deadheadskier said:


> Bill,
> 
> This is a Marriott hotel, pretty much the franchise that wrote the book on hotel customer service in this country.  I've worked at Marriotts, Wyndhams, Hiltons, the 5 star Wequassett Inn on Cape Cod,  Intrawest resorts, on and on and on.  I've never had a starting bank exceed $200 at any of them.  All of these properties have 10K in cash on them at any given time.
> 
> ...


----------



## Riverskier (Nov 3, 2010)

billski- Clearly in both instances the employees could have handled themselves better. But.... why the 100's? MANY places don't take them due to counterfeiting, keeping cash levels low as a robbery deterent, and because they can eat up whatever change they have. When I go to the bank, no matter how much cash I get, I tell them nothing higher than a 20. Again, I get your point about customer service and I agree, but these scenarios could have easily been prevented by your own actions.


----------



## dmc (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> I've been around the block a few times, educating me or suggesting a cash management strategy is unnecessary.



I'd take his advice..  From my own experience..

just cause your old doesn't mean you can't learn something..


----------



## billski (Nov 3, 2010)

dmc said:


> I'd take his advice..  From my own experience..
> 
> just cause your old doesn't mean you can't learn something..




Really, Dave.  Broad-brush comments answer no questions and have done nothing to answer my original questions which appear at the start of this thread.   What the fear factor over $100 bills anyways?  Lift tickets have gone up 25% in five years, let alone the general CPI, and we still only have $200 starting cash?  

Counterfeiting is very easy to detect today thanks to the upgrading of paper money by the US government.  Besides, that was never an excuse offered to me. 

I guess we ask our service employees to work too hard today.


----------



## tjf67 (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> I don't buy this argument.  You are forcing the customer to adapt to make things convenient for you.  It's your process that leaves so little cash in the drawers.  I think it's you who are missing the point of what GOOD customer service is, rather than merely adequate.   In my examples, we are not talking about small time operations.  We are talking about big grocery operations that have twenty cashiers and rack in hundreds of thousands per day.  We are talking about breakfast shops who have burgeoning amounts of cash on hand three hours after they operate.  I'm not talking about walking in at opening time.  Please take the time to read the original scenario.
> 
> In your bar, you can stiff me for $5-10 per drink, I find $150 to  start with to be rather meager.  Why should I be your banker?  So I've given you exact change, and now I have nothing leftover for tips for the housekeeper at the hotel.  Now I have to go to the front desk and ask for change.  Maybe they will have it, maybe not.    I'll tell you this, if I don't have money for a tip because I've had to meet your scenario, I'm not going to ask you to change money for me.  I'll leave without tipping.
> 
> You also miss my original point.  Assuming a cash restriction. why can't the employee at least apologize and offer an alternative, instead of saying "I don't have any money?"   That would not cost you a thing.




Someone who looks up and down for deals should not be concerned as much with customer service.   After all the best deal is what you are after.   Sometimes it bites you in ass.  I mean who goes into a store and asks for a couple percent off because they are paying cash?  Just sayin:blink:


----------



## billski (Nov 3, 2010)

tjf67 said:


> Someone who looks up and down for deals should not be concerned as much with customer service.   After all the best deal is what you are after.   Sometimes it bites you in ass.  I mean who goes into a store and asks for a couple percent off because they are paying cash?  Just sayin:blink:




That's just deflecting the topic to an ancillary issue and has nothing to do with the original point.  Besides, I can almost always get a better deal with cash in hand.


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 3, 2010)

You can come to my place of employment... we like 100's


----------



## SkiDork (Nov 3, 2010)

singles singles...


----------



## tjf67 (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> That's just deflecting the topic to an ancillary issue and has nothing to do with the original point.  Besides, I can almost always get a better deal with cash in hand.



I guess it is but cut them some slack.


----------



## tjf67 (Nov 3, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> you can come to my place of employment... We like 100's



sar report


----------



## severine (Nov 3, 2010)

dmc said:


> Right...  I guess they could put a sign up saying no CCs for purchases under $5...
> But I don't think the CC companies would like that too much...





jrmagic said:


> There are a fair number of places by me that do it. Who says they aren't supposed to the CC companies? if so I think that's pretty effed up of them. While it sucks if you are the consumer and you like usnig a card for everything, a merchant shouldn't have to lose money on a transaction.


It's in the agreement the company makes with the credit card company. When I sold Tastefully Simple, I had to sign up for a merchant account. Part of the agreement I signed said that I could not deny credit card payment based upon the $ amount--that if people wanted to pay with a card, I had to accept it as a member able to process credit cards. And then, of course, there was a fee for processing--the highest fees being attached to American Express. But again, I couldn't ask someone to pay with a different card either. Cost of doing business.



dmc said:


> You could use a debit card...  then you only spend what you have and don't have to pay it back..


If I use my debit card as a debit card (instead of credit), my credit union charges me a fee like I'm using another bank's ATM. So then you're exchanging the merchant paying fees for you paying fees (in my case, $1 per transaction).

I worked in retail and gas stations in high school. Keeping low amounts of cash in the drawer is not a new development--at the gas station, as soon as we had $200 more than we started with in the drawer, we had to do a cash drop into the safe--and there was only 1 key (of 2) on site, so we could not take those funds out after dropped in. Start amount was around $50 or $60 in bills so we usually had little change on hand--at a busy gas station. We also had to do cash drops in the video store where I worked. 

I'm not saying being rude and not apologizing are excusable, but I am saying there is likely a valid reason why change would not have been available. Managers generally don't want to leave that money target to theft. And many won't accept large bills around here either.

SkiDork- What are you doing with all those singles?


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 3, 2010)

tjf67 said:


> sar report



More like OFAC


----------



## thetrailboss (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> Again, you're not addressing my points about a) how your employees interact with the customer in such cases, b) why, hours after an establishment is open, they still cannot change or offer an alternative.
> 
> At least at the hotels you mention, and I have paid good cash to all of them, they do provide marginally better service, by hiring more intelligent people, who could think on their feet and offer alternatives to their own operational restrictions.
> 
> Bill


 
(a) We weren't there, so we can't say who said what. I, and I think, some others have said that the management might have made it clear to their staff not to break large bills. Sorry it inconveniences you. 

(b) The reason is either (1) no cash in the drawer regardless of what time of day it is and because people pay with plastic, or (2) because of the counterfeit concerns. 

I know it was too bad, sorry to hear that. The people you dealt with again are working for minimum wage and may not understand your perspective. 

Folks have sympathized with you and tried to offer suggestions and other perspectives. If you don't want the latter, that's fine. 

At the end of the day, it seems that things are going pretty well if this is your biggest gripe then life must be good. A lot of people have not seen a $100 bill in their wallet for a long time. A lot of people are unemployed or have people over seas in harm's way.   

Complaining threads in here rarely lead to good things I'm sorry to say. Your life could have been a hell of a lot worse.


----------



## dmc (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> Really, Dave.  Broad-brush comments answer no questions and have done nothing to answer my original questions which appear at the start of this thread.   What the fear factor over $100 bills anyways?  Lift tickets have gone up 25% in five years, let alone the general CPI, and we still only have $200 starting cash?
> 
> Counterfeiting is very easy to detect today thanks to the upgrading of paper money by the US government.  Besides, that was never an excuse offered to me.
> 
> I guess we ask our service employees to work too hard today.




I think the issues behind big bills have been explain pretty well..   You just don't agree with the statements i guess..

my season pass hasn't changed price in 4 years...


----------



## dmc (Nov 3, 2010)

severine said:


> If I use my debit card as a debit card (instead of credit), my credit union charges me a fee like I'm using another bank's ATM. So then you're exchanging the merchant paying fees for you paying fees (in my case, $1 per transaction).




I don't get charged fees..  So thats cool..


----------



## thetrailboss (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> Really, Dave.


 
Um, who is Dave? His name is dmc on here and I know that his real name is not Dave. :blink:


----------



## ctenidae (Nov 3, 2010)

severine said:


> SkiDork- What are you doing with all those singles?



Pulling them out of his g-string.

As a bartender and restaurant manager, I always hated waitstaff who came in without a bank. I always left $20 in change in my apron when I waited tables.

We bought a dinghy and motor last weekend for $700. I paid cash, but my wife thought I was nuts for giving the guy $50s. I told her it's easier to spend a $50 than a $100, but it takes to long to count out that many $20s.


----------



## dmc (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> Besides, I can almost always get a better deal with cash in hand.



No doubt...  If it's a business that allows negotiation.

I was able to get a better deal on my car when i said I'd write a check(cash) for the price that day.


----------



## dmc (Nov 3, 2010)

thetrailboss said:


> Um, who the hell is Dave?  His name is dmc on here and I know that his real name is not Dave.  :blink:



Well - we use monikers so people don't use our real names..  I'd prefer people that know me - don't..  Trying to use my name as some sort of arguing or debating tactic is bad form..

Besides..  Dave's not here man...


----------



## tjf67 (Nov 3, 2010)

dmc said:


> No doubt...  If it's a business that allows negotiation.
> 
> I was able to get a better deal on my car when i said I'd write a check(cash) for the price that day.



Campi would know better but I think you may be able to get a better deal if you finance it through the dealership.  Those finance guys in dealerships are the highest paid employees on the lot.


----------



## thetrailboss (Nov 3, 2010)

dmc said:


> Well - we use monikers so people don't use our real names.. I'd prefer people that know me - don't.. Trying to use my name as some sort of arguing or debating tactic is bad form..
> 
> Besides.. Dave's not here man...


 
Exactly.  You are dmc.  Enough said.  :wink:


----------



## dmc (Nov 3, 2010)

tjf67 said:


> Campi would know better but I think you may be able to get a better deal if you finance it through the dealership.  Those finance guys in dealerships are the highest paid employees on the lot.



Financing wasn't even on the table for me..  But i could see that...
I think they just wanted to move cars quickly..


----------



## deadheadskier (Nov 3, 2010)

ctenidae said:


> I always left $20 in change in my apron when I waited tables.
> 
> .



which wouldn't do you a darn bit of a good if your customer wants to buy a bagel and coffee with a $100 bill.


----------



## dmc (Nov 3, 2010)

thetrailboss said:


> Exactly.  You are dmc.  Enough said.  :wink:



thats the way - uh huh - uh huh - i like it - uh huh - uh huh....


----------



## mondeo (Nov 3, 2010)

deadheadskier said:


> which wouldn't do you a darn bit of a good if your customer wants to buy a bagel and coffee with a $100 bill.


I think this is partially a failure to adapt to changing times...

Trying to pay a $5 bill with a $100 would be completely unthinkable to me. If not with plastic, I'd go to an ATM first and at least use a $20. Why should you expect cashiers to provide good service if you don't give them an ounce of respect?


----------



## ctenidae (Nov 3, 2010)

deadheadskier said:


> which wouldn't do you a darn bit of a good if your customer wants to buy a bagel and coffee with a $100 bill.



A winner is you.


----------



## SkiDork (Nov 3, 2010)

mondeo said:


> I think this is partially a failure to adapt to changing times...
> 
> Trying to pay a $5 bill with a $100 would be completely unthinkable to me. If not with plastic, I'd go to an ATM first and at least use a $20. Why should you expect cashiers to provide good service if you don't give them an ounce of respect?



I would pay with singles...


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 3, 2010)

dmc said:


> No doubt...  If it's a business that allows negotiation.
> 
> I was able to get a better deal on my car when i said I'd write a check(cash) for the price that day.



Presentation is everything ;-)....it's cool you got a good deal




tjf67 said:


> Campi would know better but I think you may be able to get a better deal if you finance it through the dealership.  Those finance guys in dealerships are the highest paid employees on the lot.



We don't even have "F&I Guys" in our delaership anymore---those days are gone. But the ones who still do you most likely would be correct, if they're good.


----------



## bvibert (Nov 3, 2010)

SkiDork said:


> I would pay with singles...



I didn't even see the singles on the bike at first, I was confused as to why it wasn't a single speed bike... :dunce:


----------



## hammer (Nov 3, 2010)

tjf67 said:


> Campi would know better but I think you may be able to get a better deal if you finance it through the dealership.  Those finance guys in dealerships are the highest paid employees on the lot.


warning, going a bit off topic...

I financed "through the dealership" for my newest car...got the same rate that PFCU was offering at the time and the loan is through the bank I have my checking and savings account with.

I did wonder why we had some issues with dealers accepting sight drafts for car purchases.


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 3, 2010)

hammer said:


> warning, going a bit off topic...
> 
> I financed "through the dealership" for my newest car...got the same rate that PFCU was offering at the time and the loan is through the bank I have my checking and savings account with.
> 
> I did wonder why we had some issues with dealers accepting sight drafts for car purchases.



If your draft was from a bank the delaership din't do biz with I would understand their concern---sometimes it can take 3 or 4 times as long for the dealer to get his $$$$. If it was a "well known" draft then it shouldn't have been an issue.


----------



## hammer (Nov 3, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> If your draft was from a bank the delaership din't do biz with I would understand their concern---sometimes it can take 3 or 4 times as long for the dealer to get his $$$$. If it was a "well known" draft then it shouldn't have been an issue.


OK...I mainly thought it was because they were trying to push financing through them.  In the case of each car purchase I just told the dealer the best rate I was able to get and they were able to match it or do better so it wasn't an issue.


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 3, 2010)

hammer said:


> OK...I mainly thought it was because they were trying to push financing through them.  In the case of each car purchase I just told the dealer the best rate I was able to get and they were able to match it or do better so it wasn't an issue.



That still could be the case----he most likley got a "flat" of like 150 bucks or something like that just for giving the paper to whatever bank you went through. Good for you and the dealer.


----------



## Hawkshot99 (Nov 3, 2010)

billski said:


> WHAT are you buying with cash?  :-o



I'm not buying anything.  I am talking about working in retail and the people who come in and ask if they pay cash can we knock off the tax.


----------



## WakeboardMom (Nov 4, 2010)

As a former convenience-store owner, I totally understand why she couldn't break the hundred.  We trained our employees to keep a minimum amount of cash in the drawer.  I would hate to lose a sale, but in the long run, it's simply not worth it.

The credit card/debit card debate is interesting.  My Rotary has been running a huge fundraiser (a lot of beer is sold) for the past ten years; and last year was the first year they accepted credit cards.  It was an interesting conflict that came to a head.  The old-timers were firmly against taking credit cards; the younger folks who never travel without a debit card were convinced we should be taking them.  It proved to be a good call to decide to accept plastic.

On a personal level, we TRY to limit our use of credit cards to emergency situations and online purchases.  Occasionally there's a bit of controversy over what exactly constitutes an emergency.  ; )


----------



## smitty77 (Nov 4, 2010)

billski said:


> What the fear factor over $100 bills anyways?
> 
> Counterfeiting is very easy to detect today thanks to the upgrading of paper money by the US government.  Besides, that was never an excuse offered to me.
> 
> I guess we ask our service employees to work too hard today.



Counterfeit for one.  As good as the US currency is now, I've seen some really authentic copies out there.  And in a high volume coffee shop, it becomes even easier to slip one past a harried clerk.  When I used to work at a local country store, any counterfeit bills or bad checks accepted could come out of the employee's pay.  Not a chance I was willing to take.

As for the paltry amount - theft.  Pure and simple.  If it becomes common practice for every retailer to keep a minimum in the drawer at all times, those locations cease to be a target.

My wife worked the courtesy booth at a major grocery retailer and was help up at gunpoint once. The thief was good - despite the silent alarm sent to the PD, he had the manager open the safe and cleaned them out and was gone 5 minutes before they arrived.  My wife said it was probably the longest 45 seconds of her life, and an experience NO ONE should have to live through.

That being said the clerk should have directed you to customer service as the first course of action.


----------



## WakeboardMom (Nov 4, 2010)

smitty77 said:


> Counterfeit for one.  As good as the US currency is now, I've seen some really authentic copies out there.  And in a high volume coffee shop, it becomes even easier to slip one past a harried clerk.  When I used to work at a local country store, any counterfeit bills or bad checks accepted could come out of the employee's pay.  Not a chance I was willing to take.
> 
> As for the paltry amount - theft.  Pure and simple.  If it becomes common practice for every retailer to keep a minimum in the drawer at all times, those locations cease to be a target.
> 
> ...



That's fine for the grocery store.  But the bagel shop?  I don't see how he has a leg to stand on with the complaint against a small place; except that the clerk could have apologized for the inconvenience.  A mom-and-pop type operation shouldn't be expected to accept a $100 bill for a $5 purchase.

Also...yes, I've had an employee get held up at gunpoint.  You can keep your hundred-dollar bill.  Ain't nothin' worth putting someone through that.


----------



## skibum9995 (Nov 4, 2010)

WARNING - RANT

Here’s my take on this. I am a checkout supervisor and service desk clerk at a large supermarket chain. We have cash policies in place as a theft deterrent, as others have mentioned. At night, the lanes get counted and the majority of the cash is collected. When you come shopping the next day I will not take your $100 for a small purchase, using up all my change. Most people pay with debit or credit, which means it takes a while for a lane to accumulate enough cash to make proper change for big bills. Once a lane reaches a cash limit, it’s cleaned out, and the process starts over. Most of the time making change at the service desk is no problem, but the safe gets locked whenever not in use, so it might take a while.

People don’t seem to understand the service desk is not a bank. We have a limited amount of cash on hand. For $3 I will gladly cash your payroll check, but I’m going to give you whatever bills I have. You’re not getting $500 in 20s, deal with it. Our primary purpose is to sell you food, not to handle business better suited for your bank.

Customer service is a big part of our business, I deal with people all day. A lot of how I treat you is based on how you treat me. If come in an expect me to bend over backwards for you, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you have a miserable shopping experience. If you are polite and don’t yell in my face, I’ll will happily take care of you and make sure you are smiling on your way out the door. When I train someone new I tell them that no matter what you do, you are going to be yelled at regularly. You just can’t make everyone happy. 90% of the employees are making within $2/hr of minimum wage. People making that kind of money really don’t care if you take your business elsewhere, and probably want you to.

PS - Please follow the instructions when using a self checkout lane, they really are not very difficult to use.


----------



## mondeo (Nov 4, 2010)

Out of curiosity, was the cashier the same kid that wouldn't get off your lawn?

Damn kids these days.


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 4, 2010)

skibum9995 said:


> WARNING - RANT
> 
> Here’s my take on this. I am a checkout supervisor and service desk clerk at a large supermarket chain. We have cash policies in place as a theft deterrent, as others have mentioned. At night, the lanes get counted and the majority of the cash is collected. When you come shopping the next day I will not take your $100 for a small purchase, using up all my change. Most people pay with debit or credit, which means it takes a while for a lane to accumulate enough cash to make proper change for big bills. Once a lane reaches a cash limit, it’s cleaned out, and the process starts over. Most of the time making change at the service desk is no problem, but the safe gets locked whenever not in use, so it might take a while.
> 
> ...



This is what I was talking about earlier in this thread......Skibum please DO NOT take this the wrong way, I'm sure you are a good manager. I've been in customer service biz for A LONG TIME----one of the best things about my job is I'm a "bomb diffuser", I get more enjoyment out of "turning around" an irrate customer more than anything. The customer who is pissed USUALLY has a g/d good reason and as a manager it's our jobs to listen and help them out....no matter what our personal feeling for them are. Believe me, there are times when we need to "cut bait" and get rid of the s.o.b., but those times are very few and far between. There's an old saying that you "get more done with sugar than you do with salt", and IMO, that is soooo true.....try it, both from the customer and retailer side and I think your shopping/work experience will be much better.


----------



## hammer (Nov 4, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> This is what I was talking about earlier in this thread......Skibum please DO NOT take this the wrong way, I'm sure you are a good manager. I've been in customer service biz for A LONG TIME----one of the best things about my job is I'm a "bomb diffuser", I get more enjoyment out of "turning around" an irrate customer more than anything. The customer who is pissed USUALLY has a g/d good reason and as a manager it's our jobs to listen and help them out....no matter what our personal feeling for them are. Believe me, there are times when we need to "cut bait" and get rid of the s.o.b., but those times are very few and far between. There's an old saying that you "get more done with sugar than you do with salt", and IMO, that is soooo true.....try it, both from the customer and retailer side and I think your shopping/work experience will be much better.


+1


----------



## skibum9995 (Nov 4, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> This is what I was talking about earlier in this thread......Skibum please DO NOT take this the wrong way, I'm sure you are a good manager. I've been in customer service biz for A LONG TIME----one of the best things about my job is I'm a "bomb diffuser", I get more enjoyment out of "turning around" an irrate customer more than anything. The customer who is pissed USUALLY has a g/d good reason and as a manager it's our jobs to listen and help them out....no matter what our personal feeling for them are. Believe me, there are times when we need to "cut bait" and get rid of the s.o.b., but those times are very few and far between. There's an old saying that you "get more done with sugar than you do with salt", and IMO, that is soooo true.....try it, both from the customer and retailer side and I think your shopping/work experience will be much better.


I agree with you for the most part, and I used to use this approach, but I've built up too much frustration being constantly berated day in and day out for following company polices. People see a kid in the grocery store and try to take advantage of it. I can't remember the last day I worked when someone didn't try to scam me somehow. I've given up.


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 4, 2010)

skibum9995 said:


> I agree with you for the most part, and I used to use this approach, but I've built up too much frustration being constantly berated day in and day out for following company polices. People see a kid in the grocery store and try to take advantage of it. I can't remember the last day I worked when someone didn't try to scam me somehow. I've given up.



I've been running a car dealership since 1994, and I get that way too, really, it's normal. Dealing with the John Q. Public day in and day out is NOT an easy task. I need to constantly remind myelf to treat people as I expect to be treated. Maybe time for a vacation???? I know I'm going on one in a couple weeks, god knows I need one :beer:


----------



## tjf67 (Nov 4, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> I've been running a car dealership since 1994, and I get that way too, really, it's normal. Dealing with the John Q. Public day in and day out is NOT an easy task. I need to constantly remind myelf to treat people as I expect to be treated. Maybe time for a vacation???? I know I'm going on one in a couple weeks, god knows I need one :beer:



hookers and blow?


----------



## campgottagopee (Nov 4, 2010)

tjf67 said:


> hookers and blow?



Of course....what else is there??? greeeeeen


----------

