I just finished doing the last of my Christmas returns last night. I had to go to across the street to my local mall to return a few things. My first stop was Aeropostle. I had one pair of pants that were the wrong size. I had my receipt in hand and I waited in a short line. As I walked up to the counter I was greeted by a rude young lady who yelled "Another return". Not "Hi how can I help you?" like I think she should have. She didn't make eye contact the whole time. The whole process took about four minutes. I would usually complete my return and browse around and find something else. I enjoy shopping at Aeropostle and they always have great deals for the kids but I just can't give more money to a company who employs rude people.
So now I'm on to the next store, American Eagle. As I walked in I was greeted by a friendly cashier. He was smiling and asked how he could help me. I explained that I bought a dress for my daughter for Christmas and she didn't like it. He said "Okay no problem, would you like to return or exchange it?" I told him that I wanted to return it. He then said "Can I please have your receipt and your drivers license?" I handed him both and he started the return. Within about a minute he handed me back my drivers license. He asked me to slide my credit card for the return. Once I was done he handed me a return receipt. He told me that I would see the return within 3-5 days and thanked me for coming in. The whole transaction took about two minutes.
Now I am off to Rue 21. This store has the best clearance deals. You can get a pair of shoes for your teenager daughter for only $3.00. They are always having a sale and it's a great place to buy trendy clothes. As I walked in the store I wasn't greeted by anyone. I noticed two cashiers up front so I walked towards one of them. As I sat my bag down I looked up to see the cashier stuffing her face with a chocolate cookie. With her mouth full, she said "Go to the other side and she will help you!" I was surprised that she continued eating right at the cash register while customers were walking around. The other cashier asked me if I had a return. I said yes and handed her my receipt. She started the return and asked for my drivers license. As she was entering my information the lady who was eating walked over and started interrupting her and telling her what to do. All while shoving another cookie in her face. I couldn't believe it. I was so grossed out by her talking while she was eating. I mean come on, you're being paid to be here. Stop screwing around. After all those interruptions, the girl was finally done with my return. When she handed me my receipt I asked her if I could speak to the manager. You'll never guess who the manager was? Anyone, Anyone? Yes, you guessed it. It was the lady who was obnoxiously chomping on the cookie behind the counter and rudely interrupting the cashier. I actually stood there with my jaw dropped for what felt like minutes. I simply said "Oh okay" and walked away. I couldn't believe that she was manager. She should be a leader and set a good example, instead she is taking advantage the store she is working at. Essentially, Rue 21 is paying her to eat on the clock, be rude to employees and basically run customers off. These types of employees are unproductive and actually cause a domino effect where other employees mimic their behavior. I work hard for my money and I want to enjoy my shopping experience. I don't want to deal with rude people who are eating snacks while behind the counter. I refuse to condone that type of behavior. I won't spend my hard earned money in a place that allow that to go on. Why has this type of behavior become the norm? Why do we as customers continue to tolerate this? It feel like it's getting worse every year. It shouldn't be rare to receive great customer service.
