I wish I didn't think.
I get angry when I do, so many things going on and I want so badly to change it.
I have always said I didn't want this to be an "have a go at Asda" blog but I have told you a couple of things that have gone on, but what is going on now takes the biscuit.
Don't be surprise if I and many more leave that bloody store.
I,m not talking about jane, the one who phoned me at home and was so rude, because she's alright now, (well sometimes!!!) but nothing like she was. No, she is not the problem, the problem is Asda itself.
This has been going on now for some months, it's not new, and it's driving us all mad.
We have been told about the new "Happy to help" programme they have set up.
We must be over the top happy to help all customers.
This is how it is set out:
1. We must say Good morning/afternoon to every customer.
2. We must ask every customer if they have bags and do they need a help with their packing?
3. We must then ask them if they want any bags and if they do, do they want free ones or the "bag for life" meaning they 5p once and when the bag is damaged we will replace it free.
4. We must make conversation with them, whilst we serve them, and take an interest in what they say.
5. When we serve the next customer we must say "Thankyou for waiting."
You notice I say we must, because, you see, we are monitored. One of the girls from the office comes down with a pad and marks you.
I have failed twice.
They failed me because I didn't make any conversation with the customer so they say, I don't remember not talking to them.
Tuff!!!!!!!!! I don't bloody care.
I do 5 hrs a day 4 days a week, plus any over time,and you could serve between 10-15 customers an hour,depending how much shopping they've got, so can you imagine just how many times I say these things? So many times and always of course with a smile.
It is driving us all mad. Those words go round and round your head until you could scream.
I used to love that job but now it more like a torture chamber, and I'm not the only one to say this, we all are. It is totally unreasonable to expect us to say this over and over and over again.
Also, if we are asked a question by a customer,for instance if they cannot find a particular product, if we are not on a till, we then take the customer to the product they require and then ask them if we could help them with anything else.
Thats ok but it could be the "mystery shopper"
This person, will again monitor us and mark us, the store will then be told how many we have scored.
The scoring goes like this,
1. We must be wearing our name badge
2. We must always be polite and take the customer to the product they want or if we are not sure take the to the customer service desk so they can enquire about it.
3. Ask if we could help with anything else.
4. Just our manner and how helpful we are.
None of us know who they are and when they will come into the shop.They come once a month.
Whoever passes this is rewarded quite well by Asda.
You get your photo taken with the manager,Nigel,and you are invited to an free breakfast and that is the works by the way, egg, bacon etc. and an Asda card worth £20.00
Not fantastic but we appreciate it.
They mark us out of a hundred and we have passed it.
In fact I have passed it, believe it or not.
You must remember when geoff had his knee op, well, it took a few months before he could drive, and on this particular day I was taking geoff to hospital. I received a phone call from one of the office girls and she asked me if I was going to the breakfast, I asked what breakfast, and she told me I got a hundred per cent from the mystery shopper.
I didn't know, nobody told me.
I explained I was taking geoff to hospital so I couldn't go to it, which was a shame.
I went to work the next day expecting a least a word from my managers, but no, nothing.
Time went on.
The next week, one of the girls told me there was an envelope on the desk for me. We wondered what it was and made the usual joke about it being my P45. Everybody laughed.
I opened the envelope to find an Asda card.
It was the card worth £20.00 that you get when you pass the mystery shoppers 100%
I put it away and said no more.
It isn't that I wanted a great big cheer, or even my photo taken for that matter (I hate photos of me lol) but most people get a congratulations or a hand shake from the managers because it looks good for them and the shop so they are pleased.
All shops are monitored and there is a competition between us all and it is put up on the notice board which shop has the highest points.
Anyway, thats what I mean about not wanting to think.
I wish I didn't.
I just get angry.
I get angry when I do, so many things going on and I want so badly to change it.
I have always said I didn't want this to be an "have a go at Asda" blog but I have told you a couple of things that have gone on, but what is going on now takes the biscuit.
Don't be surprise if I and many more leave that bloody store.
I,m not talking about jane, the one who phoned me at home and was so rude, because she's alright now, (well sometimes!!!) but nothing like she was. No, she is not the problem, the problem is Asda itself.
This has been going on now for some months, it's not new, and it's driving us all mad.
We have been told about the new "Happy to help" programme they have set up.
We must be over the top happy to help all customers.
This is how it is set out:
1. We must say Good morning/afternoon to every customer.
2. We must ask every customer if they have bags and do they need a help with their packing?
3. We must then ask them if they want any bags and if they do, do they want free ones or the "bag for life" meaning they 5p once and when the bag is damaged we will replace it free.
4. We must make conversation with them, whilst we serve them, and take an interest in what they say.
5. When we serve the next customer we must say "Thankyou for waiting."
You notice I say we must, because, you see, we are monitored. One of the girls from the office comes down with a pad and marks you.
I have failed twice.
They failed me because I didn't make any conversation with the customer so they say, I don't remember not talking to them.
Tuff!!!!!!!!! I don't bloody care.
I do 5 hrs a day 4 days a week, plus any over time,and you could serve between 10-15 customers an hour,depending how much shopping they've got, so can you imagine just how many times I say these things? So many times and always of course with a smile.
It is driving us all mad. Those words go round and round your head until you could scream.
I used to love that job but now it more like a torture chamber, and I'm not the only one to say this, we all are. It is totally unreasonable to expect us to say this over and over and over again.
Also, if we are asked a question by a customer,for instance if they cannot find a particular product, if we are not on a till, we then take the customer to the product they require and then ask them if we could help them with anything else.
Thats ok but it could be the "mystery shopper"
This person, will again monitor us and mark us, the store will then be told how many we have scored.
The scoring goes like this,
1. We must be wearing our name badge
2. We must always be polite and take the customer to the product they want or if we are not sure take the to the customer service desk so they can enquire about it.
3. Ask if we could help with anything else.
4. Just our manner and how helpful we are.
None of us know who they are and when they will come into the shop.They come once a month.
Whoever passes this is rewarded quite well by Asda.
You get your photo taken with the manager,Nigel,and you are invited to an free breakfast and that is the works by the way, egg, bacon etc. and an Asda card worth £20.00
Not fantastic but we appreciate it.
They mark us out of a hundred and we have passed it.
In fact I have passed it, believe it or not.
You must remember when geoff had his knee op, well, it took a few months before he could drive, and on this particular day I was taking geoff to hospital. I received a phone call from one of the office girls and she asked me if I was going to the breakfast, I asked what breakfast, and she told me I got a hundred per cent from the mystery shopper.
I didn't know, nobody told me.
I explained I was taking geoff to hospital so I couldn't go to it, which was a shame.
I went to work the next day expecting a least a word from my managers, but no, nothing.
Time went on.
The next week, one of the girls told me there was an envelope on the desk for me. We wondered what it was and made the usual joke about it being my P45. Everybody laughed.
I opened the envelope to find an Asda card.
It was the card worth £20.00 that you get when you pass the mystery shoppers 100%
I put it away and said no more.
It isn't that I wanted a great big cheer, or even my photo taken for that matter (I hate photos of me lol) but most people get a congratulations or a hand shake from the managers because it looks good for them and the shop so they are pleased.
All shops are monitored and there is a competition between us all and it is put up on the notice board which shop has the highest points.
Anyway, thats what I mean about not wanting to think.
I wish I didn't.
I just get angry.
6 comments:
For a small fee, I might investigate, and discover the identity of the 'mystery shopper' for you!!!!! lol.
I always feel for the checkout girls, it doesn't take much from the shopper to say thank you for the service but seemingly many people are in their own world and ignore the checkout girls other than to pay for their shopping... though to have your side so regimented is ridiculous and unreasonable... do they mark the shoppers? no, it would be interesting if they did. Congrats on the pass of 100% with the mystery shopper, shows you are on the right track and the lack of management response is unbelievable xx xx
You can always recognise the 'mystery' shopper....they have usually only bought a packet of Polo's! :)
If I can come back on that bit about 'chatting to the customers'.
I was in Sainsbury's the other week and there was quite a 'heated row' about this on the checkout next to me. The queues were fairly long and the girl was chatting away to this customer and not really putting through the goods as she should have been. Kept stopping to chat about how well the kids were doing at school and so the belt was not moving. Eventually a bloke who was trying to unload his trolley had had enough and a row developed. I think the girl was upset and a supervisor was called, the girl taken off and the supervisor took over and got things moving again.
"I want to be served" he said in a loud voice, "I don't want to stand here and listen to all this 'yackerty-yak'.
Well he had a point.
It's OK to chat if you keep things moving I suppose, but I find it distracting whilst I am trying to pack and keep an eye on the price read-out. If I'm the only one in the queue, fine. Usually I like to get packed up and away.
And I will add my congrats for your pass. I'm sure you deserved it. :)
'Oh great, Annette's ranting again' I thought. I love to hear a good old rant and I love to do my own. Anyway, you have my sympathy. I must say I don't really want to be chatted to at the checkout. A smile and a 'Hello' and for the person to be polite is all I ask for. As for 'thank you for waiting' well did the person have a choice? 'Thank you for your patience' when the person waiting is hopping mad and has none? I hate all this 'Is there anything else I can help you with?' stuff that you get everywhere and all this 'How are you today?' Why would someone I don't now want to know how I am? It's all so false. You have your own life; it must be very hard dogn what they want all the time. That's why I think that as long as people are polite I doon't mind them having their own problems to dwell on. It's impossible to leave them behind at home, whatever anybody says. I'd like to tell all thise stupid customer relation pen-pusgers how irritating all this 'customer care' is. I once got silently very annoyed standing in a queue when I was in a hurry and the checkout person and customer were yacketty -yakking and the stuff was just not moving along the belt. I got served the wrong sandwich twice in one visit to a sandwich shop recently by the shop owner because she was so busy yakking. Stuff this comment under their officious Asda noses. Grrrr!!!
I think people don't like it when I rant on my blog. I think they take umbrage because they think I'm really angry, but I'm not, I'm actually having enormous fun! Anyway so I'll rant on yours instead!
Well done on winnng the prize though.
Thankyou all for your comments. My argument with Asda is that some customers don't want to be asked a load of questions when they come to the till and they don't want "silly talk" either. They just want to be served and go home.
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