7 Tips to Become a Beloved Customer

Working on retailer is probably one of the worst jobs ever. You have to deal with all kind of people, including people who should be deemed legally retarded, assholes and self entitled pricks. Of course, nobody teaches the customers how to be good customers, only how to fight for all their rights.

So, to change this, here goes seven helpful tips to become the costumer all retailers want to have.

7. Be Informed

The bad customer will never care about knowing the bare minimum about whatever he wants to buy. he only knows we want something. If you are lucky he will now the right generic name for whatever he wants. Believe me, I had customers who had no idea what they needed, only they needed things like 'something to repel mosquitoes but that is no poison nor use electricity'. Many times they just wish that such product exists and become surprised to know that it doesn't exist.

Others now what they want, just don't know that exists a huge variety of them. Like fuses. There is something like dozens of different kinds of fuses. Going to a store and just asking for a fuse will just make the seller needing to go to the fuse catalog until you can point the right one. And even them we get customers who have no idea, because they where told to buy a fuse and no extra info was given to them.

The more informed about the product you want to buy will help you to get exactly what you want losing little time. Go to the internet, find the manual or ask someone who knows about it to give you the most information you can get.

6. Be Careful with Jokes

One day a customer came here and asked about phones. I showed him a black phone and he asked if we had another color, because black steals electricity. Yes, he did a racist joke, and I hated it. I told him that I had black friends and customers and that his joke was offensive. Instead of apologize, he complained that I got angry at his lame, racist joke. And he was not the first to do this joke.

If you don't know the attendant, don't do any joke. You could offend him/her and when you offend the attendant, you will have a hard time later to get discounts, better payment options or any kind of help. Why anyone would feel inclined to be helpful to a jerk?

It is okay to joke if you know the attendant for some time and have being joking together. But if it is someone you never saw before, just don't. He may be smiling, but he is also pushing the crappiest products at the most expensive price possible.

5. Time is Money

Some retailers pay their employees fixed salaries. Others pay them for productivity. But all of them hate to see an employee losing two hours because the customer decided to test-drive all the products in the store.

Be brief! The attendant don't care how was your morning or that your dog is cute or that your job sucks. If you need something, just say it to the guy behind the counter, get your product, pay for it and go away. If you need some information, be clear and direct about it. The more time you hold the attendant in your purchase, the more other costumers will need to wait to be attended and the more sales the retailer may lose.

You need a fridge? Ask for the fridges. Nobody needs or wants to know that your old fridge was a wedding gift given to you by Uncle John who was a heavy drinker but funny and now is in chemotherapy. This little story does not to help getting your fridge.

4. Don't Take Unnecessary People with you to the Store

You are going to buy a new pair of shoes for yourself. You just need two people: the one who will use the shoes and the one paying. If you are using the shoes and paying for them, just you need to go the store. Wife, kids, in-laws, friends and pets can all stay in home. The more people you bring with you, the harder to buy anything it become.

The more people you bring, the harder it is to get what you need or want. Not only they will mess with your own purchase, they will make all the purchase a hell. They will keep making suggestion and given opinions about your purchase, while making questions to the attendant who may have nothing to do with the purchase.

If you really want to do a family program, go the movies, the park or any place funny. Getting all of them to buy something that one person could have done just shows how much you hate them. If it is something that affect all the family, them yes, it is okay to bring everyone. Anything else? Leave them home.

3. If Budget is a Problem, Say so

You have limited access to money. It is OK, most people have. So, if budget is a problem, when buying something have that in mind. Let's say you decided to buy that fridge, because the old one burst in flames and you really hate food who are growing their own fungus. And that you have just $200 to buy a new one.

The worst way to do it is to go to the store and start looking for fridges way up your budget, mostly because they are the coolest ones. But you don't want the attendant to know that! You will point for the one you liked most, who will likely be a $600 fridge. And them asking to the attendant if he don't have the same fridge cheaper, going down until we reach the under $200 fridge.

I am really interested in this $1000 TV, but don't you have the same model slightly cheaper? Like, $800 cheaper?

If you have limited resources, there is no shame in saying so. The attendant will show you the best fridge at your budget right away, instead of losing his and your time showing fridges you know you can't afford. He may even show you a $230 fridge that he is in disposition to give a discount.

But if you decide to fake you can afford what you can't and he perceives, good luck. All good will the attendant should have with you may have stopped three fridges that you can't afford ago.

2. Make a List!!!!

As a rule of thumb, if you are going to buy more than two items, make a goddamn list. Your memory could fail you. If there is something all attendants hates is the client who keep them busy for fifteen minutes because  he forgot the name of something he is trying to remember the name.

Writing a list will make the live of everyone easier. First, there is a lesser risk of speaking a name incorrectly forcing the costumer and attendant to a guess game. Second, it saves time. Third, it make the likelihood of you needing to go back to the store as soon as you turn the car on unlikely.

Lists also reduces the chance of buying something by mistake or to buy things that looks the same but are different. Don't be affraid of making one, as it is your time and money that will be saved, and also as it will make the service of your attendant faster and easier. It is a win-win situation here.

1. Don't be An Asshole!!!!!!

Being an idiot will not make you be attended faster and/or better. It will make any good will the guys behind the counter could have with you disappear. Don't talk in the phone at the same time you talk with the attendants. Don't try to make a move on the person attending you. Don't go accusing the attendants of selling a defective product (it is hardly their fault and you will look like an imbecile if the product works just fine on the store).

Being confrontational is the worst mistake you make. Believing that the seller is a con man trying to push all the worst products on you will not make any good. Acting all might will not make the attendants treat you better. Just because you are on the other side of the counter does not make you some kind of god deserving their praise.

'This computer don't work!'
'Have you tried to turn it on?'
'How I was supposed to know that?'

Attendants are all trained to be nice with the customers, no matter how much of jerks they are. But if the customer also start acting nice with the attendants, the chances of both sides coming to a satisfactory agreement just get bigger.

Remember, they guy on the other side of the counter could one day be YOUR customer. Treating others   nice could not only have immediate benefits but also future ones too.