I was in a big box store in Calgary (won't name it), and I asked several people where a specific food item was located. One gave me a blank look and a big smile and pointed at the utensils on the shelf next to her. Another looked like a deer in the headlights, smiled, and walked away. Finally, I found an English-speaker, who told me it "wasn't in his deparment, sorry".
2007-01-04 03:48:21 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
They were migrants from East Asia.
2007-01-04 04:05:59 · update #1
I like to follow them around and just keep talking to them. It irritates them and it's fun for you, plus if you wander around aimlessly you may stumble on what you were looking for. If all else fails I find a manager or supervisor who speaks english and thoroughly explain the situation to them in German or Russian, then again in English just to drive the point home.
2007-01-04 04:28:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
If it was that big of a store, then I would guess that it would have a "Customer Service" counter....did you try that? Just because these people gave you a "blank look" or "looked like a deer in the headlights", doesn't mean they don't speak English. And even the "English-speaker" couldn't help you. Maybe the problem lies within that certain company and the training process for its employees. Many times I've gone to certain stores(Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc.) and the employees do not know where certain products are. Some are downright rude. I took my complaint(s) to the management, and, have, on occasion, come across management employees who do not speak fluent English. It happens. It's a part of life. Get over it.
2007-01-04 12:04:53 · answer #2 · answered by STRETCH 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I would try talking to the manager about what happened, and/or firing off a letter or Email to the corporate headquarters(especially if the talk with the manager gets you nowhere). I've had the same problem with big box stores in my area. Many employees have lousy manners, poor English-speaking skills, and/or little know-how of Western culture. It is not uncommon for me to have to take my business elsewhere, if indeed an "elsewhere" even exists anymore. (The big box stores have outcompeted a lot of them.) Nonetheless, I am willing to pay a slightly higher price for knowledge and good service.
2007-01-04 13:06:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Complain to the manager. Then go one step further and send a letter of complaint to company headquarters if there is one. People go into stores because they need stuff, and if the hired help can't do their job, in this case help the customer find something, they should not be working there! I'm not discriminating here. This is just common sense. By the way, what language were they speaking? When I was in Ontario I heard the Canadians complaining that there were some people who refused to learn English and only spoke in French?
2007-01-04 11:54:41 · answer #4 · answered by pinkrosegreeneyes bluerose 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
My sister-in-law and her family own a couple of small grocery stores, and she's told me about some of her trials/travails in hiring help, which I have to assume are fairly representative of what it's like to hire people who work in stores both big and small.
Sis-in-law says that it is really, really, really hard to find people who are reliable, honest and somewhat competent. The pay for this kind of job isn't real high, the work can be hard (you're on your feet for much of your shift), and it isn't the kind of work people want to do forever so there's a lot of turnover.
The people you encountered are probably the best that the store could find. I know that doesn't help you out and doesn't make the situation any better, but you might think about this: low wages are a key reason the "big box stores" can keep the prices on their shelves low. "You get what you pay for" is another way of thinking of it. Would you be willing to pay higher prices in order to have store clerks who speak fluent English?
2007-01-04 13:10:36 · answer #5 · answered by Karin C 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I speak louder. Seriously, these are the only people who will do certain types of low paying retail work, ie, fast food, convenience stores, big box stores, etc. How I deal with it is, I expect bad service, and I am rarely disappointed.
2007-01-04 12:21:33 · answer #6 · answered by hope 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
First I would write a letter..and I would go back in a month or so to see if anything had changed if it hadn't I would no longer shop there..and I would tell everyone I know as well not to shop there
2007-01-04 11:57:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
Complain to the manager and never go back. Dollars are the best way to express your displeasure.
2007-01-04 14:07:51 · answer #8 · answered by Goose&Tonic 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would talk to the store manager and express my dissatisfaction.
2007-01-04 11:53:31 · answer #9 · answered by Silver Fox 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋
I don't go back to the store.
2007-01-04 11:51:55 · answer #10 · answered by Handsome Devil 4 · 3⤊ 2⤋