Need to rant

MissC89 · 03-21-13, 07:00 AM

So I went to a petstore the other day and I was looking at a BTS that I had the honour of previously having it crawl all over me (will load pics when I get home) and the girl who was working there came over and started talking about how their faces freak her out. I thought "Ok... thats fine" and I suggested "well maybe its because they kind of look like a snake? A lot of people don't like snakes" and she went off on this little tangent about how she loves snakes and what not. Ok fine. Then I went up to the corn snakes they had on display (trying to find them but I'm pretty sure they were hiding underneath the paper towel they had in there) and THEN she went off about how ball pythons are so much better than corn snakes because when you buy them they're already big and corn snakes are so flimsy and the babies are really easily scared.

I've worked in retail for a really long time and no matter WHAT your opinion is, you NEVER tell the customer that what they want is "flimsy and not as good as something else because it isn't as big". That is terrible customer service and I was really disappointed because there's another employee who works there that I absolutely LOVE because of how amazing she is and she was really open to suggestions about the blue tongue skink and how to care for it.

Also, I don't CARE how flimsy the corn snakes are, I want one, I'm going to get it. Like our mothers always say, If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!

Phew, glad I got that off my chest. Thanks people!

Julius2314 · 03-21-13, 08:48 AM

Wow lol. Ur welcome. Negative employee ^^

Chu'Wuti · 03-21-13, 08:56 AM

"Flimsy"??? How weird. That's like saying a slender person is "flimsy" compared to someone who is heavy-set. Doesn't even make sense.

Sounds like an under-educated employee; maybe you can go in and give her positive bits of info every once in awhile to help her learn more about the animals she's working with. Like many people, she just needs more education.

But it is really frustrating when they put someone like that in charge of the herps, I know. How do they expect her to sell anything when she's so negative? (I won't ask whether they expect her to be able to care for them properly; I know they don't after my recent experience of finding a dead BP in our local national chain pet store.)

Good luck!

MissC89 · 03-21-13, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu'Wuti

Sounds like an under-educated employee; maybe you can go in and give her positive bits of info every once in awhile to help her learn more about the animals she's working with.

I tried last night but she just kept talking. One of those "I think I know therefore I must so I don't need advice but thanks!"

**Aaron_S** · 03-21-13, 09:02 AM

Well just to play devil's advocate here's something...

She's scared of skink faces. So what? I don't see how that's negative. She just mentioned something about herself on why she may not know or want to get close to the animal.

She's not really wrong about the corn snake vs. a larger snake. A lot of people have issues with baby snakes, especially babies as small as corn snakes. It's way easier for someone to learn to hold and care for an already established, and larger snake. She just said it wrong.

Personally, when I worked in pet stores, I'd try to get anyone to buy an adult or sub-adult corn over a baby. Way less issues to encounter.

stephanbakir · 03-21-13, 09:03 AM

what shop?

Chu'Wuti · 03-21-13, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissC89

I tried last night but she just kept talking. One of those "I think I know therefore I must so I don't need advice but thanks!"

followed by Aaron_S:

Quote:

A lot of people have issues with baby snakes, especially babies as small as corn snakes. It's way easier for someone to learn to hold and care for an already established, and larger snake.

I've definitely met those types, Miss C89; they are the most frustrating to deal with!!

Aaron_S likely has the key to her belief that corn snakes are fragile--the babies are more difficult in general. BPs can be challenging enough; with corn snakes being so much tinier than BPs, they need smaller food items and may be even more difficult to feed. Pet stores get a LOT of very young snakes/babies, unfortunately, so their losses are probably very high. That would certainly convince someone that corn snakes are fragile.

MissC89 · 03-21-13, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

what shop?

I would rather not call out a shop. Its not the shops fault.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu'Wuti

Aaron_S likely has the key to her belief that corn snakes are fragile--the babies are more difficult in general. BPs can be challenging enough; with corn snakes being so much tinier than BPs, they need smaller food items and may be even more difficult to feed. Pet stores get a LOT of very young snakes/babies, unfortunately, so their losses are probably very high. That would certainly convince someone that corn snakes are fragile.

Very true. It still ruffled my feathers that she was trying to steer me away, but in her own way she may have thought that she was stopping someone (who, for all she knows, is completely inexperienced [but she would have known I wasn't if she would let me talk!]) from getting a snake and having the misfortune of having it pass away on them.

reptimama · 03-21-13, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissC89

no matter WHAT your opinion is, you NEVER tell the customer that what they want is "flimsy and not as good as something else because it isn't as big". That is terrible customer service

I bet her boss would not be happy that she is losing sales because she is probably turning customers off what they were there to buy, especially if they haven't made up their mind and are new to reptiles.

**Aaron_S** · 03-21-13, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissC89

I would rather not call out a shop. Its not the shops fault.

Very true. It still ruffled my feathers that she was trying to steer me away, but in her own way she may have thought that she was stopping someone (who, for all she knows, is completely inexperienced [but she would have known I wasn't if she would let me talk!]) from getting a snake and having the misfortune of having it pass away on them.

If you think of it my way then she was offering up another option that may be better suited. She didn't do it with the right words though it sounds like.

**Aaron_S** · 03-21-13, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reptimama

I bet her boss would not be happy that she is losing sales because she is probably turning customers off what they were there to buy, especially if they haven't made up their mind and are new to reptiles.

I bet her boss would be happier.

Get someone into the ball pythons and then you can get them into the morphs which cost far more than cornsnake morphs = more and higher sales.

Not only that but you're buying larger prey items and larger accessories for a larger snake.

Julius2314 · 03-21-13, 09:48 AM

I like the way you think Aaron S. you always seem to have a very different point of view and come with an educated answer. I view this thread differently now

But I do think she could had been nicer and worded it differently. The way it sounds is kinda negative in my personal opinion.

MissC89 · 03-21-13, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

If you think of it my way then she was offering up another option that may be better suited. She didn't do it with the right words though it sounds like.

I would agree, but she didn't really let me get a word in, so I could have told her why I specifically wanted a corn snake instead of a BP. Its good that she was trying to offer up another option that may be better suited, but she should have listened to what the customer wanted first and then give her opinion. All I said was "I really like corn snakes" and she went in to this tirade of how balls are better. She didn't ask any of the retail questions like "Are you looking to buy one? Is there anything I can help you with? Do you need information on any of our reptiles?" etc...

I've worked in retail for a really long time and one of the main rules is ask the customer what they want, then give them other options of you know something that can better suite their needs.

Like I said, I just needed to rant

reptimama · 03-21-13, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

If you think of it my way then she was offering up another option that may be better suited. She didn't do it with the right words though it sounds like.

Yeah, while I was writing this the other posts popped up. I agree with what was said above but I do think she used the wrong words and that could cause the loss of a sale period of either type of snake.

KORBIN5895 · 03-21-13, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissC89

I would rather not call out a shop. Its not the shops fault.

Very true. It still ruffled my feathers that she was trying to steer me away, but in her own way she may have thought that she was stopping someone (who, for all she knows, is completely inexperienced [but she would have known I wasn't if she would let me talk!]) from getting a snake and having the misfortune of having it pass away on them.

I have a serious question. What is your experience level?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissC89

I would agree, but she didn't really let me get a word in, so I could have told her why I specifically wanted a corn snake instead of a BP. Its good that she was trying to offer up another option that may be better suited, but she should have listened to what the customer wanted first and then give her opinion. All I said was "I really like corn snakes" and she went in to this tirade of how balls are better. She didn't ask any of the retail questions like "Are you looking to buy one? Is there anything I can help you with? Do you need information on any of our reptiles?" etc...

I've worked in retail for a really long time and one of the main rules is ask the customer what they want, then give them other options of you know something that can better suite their needs.

Like I said, I just needed to rant

I did door to door sales for three years. My first year I was second in north America for rookies and my last year I was twelfth overall in north America.

Do you know what the secret is to high sales? You tell the customer what they want to buy in a way that they don't realize your are telling them what to buy. You make them think they decided it all by themselves. Never ask a question they can answer with a no.