I received an email today that stated "URGENT". As I am reading this email I was asking myself, "why is this urgent?". This email was relaying information that the sender new about weeks ago but decided not to react to it until today. Here is an idea, why not tell me this info weeks ago so I can do some planning? You knew this was going to happen, yet you chose today to decide to do something about it!! Hey buddy, get your poop in a group!
I have a philosophy in life:
"Poor planning on your part, does not constitute and emergency on mine!"
The expectation by the email sender is that I jack up peoples schedule because they want certain people in place at a certain time. I got news for you dude, not gonna happen! I have already posted the schedule, people have made plans. It is wrong to go to them now and say "Sorry, some faceless person can't manage a coat rack with hangers, so I need to screw up your life to accommodate them."
Do things come up at the last minute that need to be dealt with? Absolutely, that constitutes URGENT. When you knew something was going to happen for 5 weeks and you choose not to share it and then demand something 5 days before it happens.....STUPID!
I have not posted a blog in over a year. I have typed several, but I didn't post them for various reasons. That ends now. Get ready for some rants, because there are some things really starting to tick me off!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Time Management
Why is it that the older we get, the faster time moves. It seems like only yesterday my oldest daughter was born. She just turned 17. Where has the time gone? Why is it moving faster? Did Captain Kirk order warp speed and I missed it?
I used to love going to work because it seemed like time slowed down. You know what I mean. The work day, it seemed, just dragged on and you thought the end would never come. Maybe because I was more focused on the clock as opposed to the tasks I had to accomplish. Now, I look at my watch thinking it is Noon and it's 5 o'clock! Even work is going by fast. That is a little depressing because now you don't have enough time to get your personal stuff done or your work stuff done. Which, by the way, just makes time go faster because you are trying to get everything done on a schedule and, as you all know, that never works out either because you run out of TIME!
I remember being a little kid and the days seemed to last forever. Even if you were doing fun stuff. Mom would say, "go outside and play, be back by 7." You would go round up your friends and go play baseball or whatever. It would seem like forever would go by. I would run home thinking I was going to get my butt beat because I was late and I was an hour early. Silly me! Also, when I was young I didn't like to finish my dinner. Hard to believe I know. My parents or grandparents would turn on the timer on the stove and I had to be done with dinner before the timer went off. They probably set the timer for 15 minutes. It felt like I would sit there for hours! I was more worried about the timer than my dinner. Now, with the help of the microwave, I can cook and eat my dinner in less than 5 minutes! Time flies when your not paying attention.
I am grateful I have a career I enjoy that makes time go by so quickly. The question is, how do I slow time down so I can enjoy it even more? I am a very lucky man to have a great marriage. We have been married almost 8 years now. A record for me. I have enjoyed every minute of it. How do I slow that down so I can enjoy it even more?
"Stop and smell the roses" people say. I say "look at your watch more often." Time seems to slow down when your paying attention to it.
I used to love going to work because it seemed like time slowed down. You know what I mean. The work day, it seemed, just dragged on and you thought the end would never come. Maybe because I was more focused on the clock as opposed to the tasks I had to accomplish. Now, I look at my watch thinking it is Noon and it's 5 o'clock! Even work is going by fast. That is a little depressing because now you don't have enough time to get your personal stuff done or your work stuff done. Which, by the way, just makes time go faster because you are trying to get everything done on a schedule and, as you all know, that never works out either because you run out of TIME!
I remember being a little kid and the days seemed to last forever. Even if you were doing fun stuff. Mom would say, "go outside and play, be back by 7." You would go round up your friends and go play baseball or whatever. It would seem like forever would go by. I would run home thinking I was going to get my butt beat because I was late and I was an hour early. Silly me! Also, when I was young I didn't like to finish my dinner. Hard to believe I know. My parents or grandparents would turn on the timer on the stove and I had to be done with dinner before the timer went off. They probably set the timer for 15 minutes. It felt like I would sit there for hours! I was more worried about the timer than my dinner. Now, with the help of the microwave, I can cook and eat my dinner in less than 5 minutes! Time flies when your not paying attention.
I am grateful I have a career I enjoy that makes time go by so quickly. The question is, how do I slow time down so I can enjoy it even more? I am a very lucky man to have a great marriage. We have been married almost 8 years now. A record for me. I have enjoyed every minute of it. How do I slow that down so I can enjoy it even more?
"Stop and smell the roses" people say. I say "look at your watch more often." Time seems to slow down when your paying attention to it.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Repairs
As predicted by of couple friends, here is a post about auto repairs.
I have owned several cars in my life, some great, some not so great. I am currently the owner of a 2003 Saturn Vue, and a 2005 Scion. Both cars are actually good cars. I can't complain about either of them, except for the fact that the Saturn seems to cost me more in repairs than any other car I have ever owned.
Since we have owned the Saturn, we have replaced the passenger wheel bearing, breaks, tires, serpentine belt, the check engine light has been on for about a year and now the driver side bearing needs replaced. That has cost a bunch of money! I realize that tires, belts and brakes are going to wear and need replaced. Happens on all cars. Wheel bearings, I have never replaced on any car I have ever owned. Until now.
I learned a little bit about our auto repair industry in the past two years with this car. Garages mark up the price of a part about 200%. Labor can run you anywhere between 60 and 80 bucks an hour. How can these places not be booming? I took my Saturn to a shop to have the bearing replaced. They told me the part was $299.99 and that it was an hour and a half for labor at $70 an hour for a total of $105.00. Then there were "shop" charges of $35 and taxes of course on the parts. Total $457.98. I paid that amount for the passenger side. The bearing was fused so tight they couldn't get it off. They called me and said they couldn't fix it. I'm guessing that it would take them longer that the hour and a half they were charging me to fix it and they didn't want to to do it. When I went to pick up the car, they charged me a $56 inspection fee. I was none to happy about that. This got me thinking. I got on the Internet and found the part for $99. I could get a lifetime warranty part for $150. I was shocked. The garage has to get the part at a better price than I can. What is up with the huge mark up? It's called gouging.
I work in retail. I understand that in order to make money, you have to sell the products at a markup. I wonder if I could get away with not only marking up my product, but also charging customers a rate for every question they ask? Or for my time? Probably not. However a repair facility can! Here is the kicker. Its not even actual time. It's "book" time. It may only take 10 minutes to do the job, but the "book" says that it takes 2 hours. You get charged for 2 hours! How is that legal? Not to mention the outrageous markup on the parts!
Where is the outcry from activist groups about this? Why no congressional hearings? I'm outraged, why isn't anyone else? How did this practice get started and why is it allowed to go on? Ill tell you why, the have us by the short hairs! Not many of us have the ability or the tools to complete repairs ourselves. We have to take it somewhere. They know it, so why not charge out the wazoo to do it. While they have your car, guess what? They have just found 100 other things wrong and have prepared an itemized list for you and started with the fear mongering that if you do not get these repairs done right away, your car will blow up!
So, I bought the bearing, $99, and asked around if anyone knew how to fix my issue. My old next door neighbor said he could do it. Off to his house I went in hopes of a much cheaper fix. After 2 hours of banging, pulling, huffing, puffing, calling the car names and even invoking prayer at one point, the bearing wouldn't budge. Now I am stuck with a part and still a bad bearing. I called around to a couple garages and was told that they would do it, but not use my part. I was back to being screwed. I called one last garage and was greeted with a friendly, "We love a good challenge, bring it in Monday 8am. We will charge you 2 hours at $80 an hour. I'm sure we can fix it. I don't mind you bringing your own part, we just appreciate the business." Do my ears deceive me? Is this a joke? I read several positive reviews about this garage, so I am hopeful that Monday morning I will have a fixed car and only be out $260.
The only way these garages will ever change is if we all become mechanics and do our own repairs. That's not going to happen. I encourage all of you to find a place that lets you supply your own part and just charges you labor. It will save you money and let you feel like you were not so taken advantage of.
I have owned several cars in my life, some great, some not so great. I am currently the owner of a 2003 Saturn Vue, and a 2005 Scion. Both cars are actually good cars. I can't complain about either of them, except for the fact that the Saturn seems to cost me more in repairs than any other car I have ever owned.
Since we have owned the Saturn, we have replaced the passenger wheel bearing, breaks, tires, serpentine belt, the check engine light has been on for about a year and now the driver side bearing needs replaced. That has cost a bunch of money! I realize that tires, belts and brakes are going to wear and need replaced. Happens on all cars. Wheel bearings, I have never replaced on any car I have ever owned. Until now.
I learned a little bit about our auto repair industry in the past two years with this car. Garages mark up the price of a part about 200%. Labor can run you anywhere between 60 and 80 bucks an hour. How can these places not be booming? I took my Saturn to a shop to have the bearing replaced. They told me the part was $299.99 and that it was an hour and a half for labor at $70 an hour for a total of $105.00. Then there were "shop" charges of $35 and taxes of course on the parts. Total $457.98. I paid that amount for the passenger side. The bearing was fused so tight they couldn't get it off. They called me and said they couldn't fix it. I'm guessing that it would take them longer that the hour and a half they were charging me to fix it and they didn't want to to do it. When I went to pick up the car, they charged me a $56 inspection fee. I was none to happy about that. This got me thinking. I got on the Internet and found the part for $99. I could get a lifetime warranty part for $150. I was shocked. The garage has to get the part at a better price than I can. What is up with the huge mark up? It's called gouging.
I work in retail. I understand that in order to make money, you have to sell the products at a markup. I wonder if I could get away with not only marking up my product, but also charging customers a rate for every question they ask? Or for my time? Probably not. However a repair facility can! Here is the kicker. Its not even actual time. It's "book" time. It may only take 10 minutes to do the job, but the "book" says that it takes 2 hours. You get charged for 2 hours! How is that legal? Not to mention the outrageous markup on the parts!
Where is the outcry from activist groups about this? Why no congressional hearings? I'm outraged, why isn't anyone else? How did this practice get started and why is it allowed to go on? Ill tell you why, the have us by the short hairs! Not many of us have the ability or the tools to complete repairs ourselves. We have to take it somewhere. They know it, so why not charge out the wazoo to do it. While they have your car, guess what? They have just found 100 other things wrong and have prepared an itemized list for you and started with the fear mongering that if you do not get these repairs done right away, your car will blow up!
So, I bought the bearing, $99, and asked around if anyone knew how to fix my issue. My old next door neighbor said he could do it. Off to his house I went in hopes of a much cheaper fix. After 2 hours of banging, pulling, huffing, puffing, calling the car names and even invoking prayer at one point, the bearing wouldn't budge. Now I am stuck with a part and still a bad bearing. I called around to a couple garages and was told that they would do it, but not use my part. I was back to being screwed. I called one last garage and was greeted with a friendly, "We love a good challenge, bring it in Monday 8am. We will charge you 2 hours at $80 an hour. I'm sure we can fix it. I don't mind you bringing your own part, we just appreciate the business." Do my ears deceive me? Is this a joke? I read several positive reviews about this garage, so I am hopeful that Monday morning I will have a fixed car and only be out $260.
The only way these garages will ever change is if we all become mechanics and do our own repairs. That's not going to happen. I encourage all of you to find a place that lets you supply your own part and just charges you labor. It will save you money and let you feel like you were not so taken advantage of.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Vacation
Vacation, that wonderful time when you can get away from the daily grind and try to relax. In the past, I was not a big fan of taking week long vacations. I usually took 4-5 days at a time and took a trip home. The last two vacations, I have taken the full 9 days off in a row. It has been rather nice to walk out of work on a Friday afternoon and not have to return until the Monday of the next week. This vacation I spent pretty much at home. We went to my parents for the weekend, but other than that we just stayed at the house. We finally got our spare rooms cleaned up, watched and entire season of 24, and were absolute bums! It was awesome!! I highly recommend it.
I must say, I have laughed more in the last week than I have in a long time. You would think that spending and entire week with your spouse, you would get on each others nerves. Not so for us. We actually enjoy being around each other! I know, I am as shocked as you are! I can't tell you that we did anything special, we just had fun with everything we did. We spent time with some friends one day, FUN! We spent an entire day cleaning and organizing the house, FUN! (I must admit, the fun that day was encouraged by a few adult beverages. Cleaning and organizing sucks!) Took a trip to Wal-Mart and did not spend a bunch of money, FUN! We found out people think my wife and I are swingers, HILARIOUS! I better explain that one. Our friend is a bartender at a bar we go to and she is engaged to a very nice man. The four of us get together and go out for drinks or dinner on occasion. Somehow that translates into us swinging. I have no idea how that works out. I bet we laughed for an hour after we heard that. There is no way I'm sharing my wife with anyone else! I worked too hard to get her in the first place and I am not going to let her in on the secret that she could have done way better. Second of all, I was quite flattered because I am no prize to look at, and to think that people thought I was capable of landing another woman just astounded me! I am a very lucky man to be married to the woman I am. I don't think that many women would have laughed at being called a swinger. It is my hope for all of my friends that they can be as happy in their relationship as I am in mine.
I thought I would miss work, I didn't. I thought I would be compelled to go to the store and check things out, I didn't. I realized about 3 days in that if there was a terrible emergency, they would call me or figure it out. I received no calls so I am guessing they figured it out. It is a comforting feeling to know that there are competent and capable people running things in your absence. I just hope I feel the same way once I get back.
I must say, I have laughed more in the last week than I have in a long time. You would think that spending and entire week with your spouse, you would get on each others nerves. Not so for us. We actually enjoy being around each other! I know, I am as shocked as you are! I can't tell you that we did anything special, we just had fun with everything we did. We spent time with some friends one day, FUN! We spent an entire day cleaning and organizing the house, FUN! (I must admit, the fun that day was encouraged by a few adult beverages. Cleaning and organizing sucks!) Took a trip to Wal-Mart and did not spend a bunch of money, FUN! We found out people think my wife and I are swingers, HILARIOUS! I better explain that one. Our friend is a bartender at a bar we go to and she is engaged to a very nice man. The four of us get together and go out for drinks or dinner on occasion. Somehow that translates into us swinging. I have no idea how that works out. I bet we laughed for an hour after we heard that. There is no way I'm sharing my wife with anyone else! I worked too hard to get her in the first place and I am not going to let her in on the secret that she could have done way better. Second of all, I was quite flattered because I am no prize to look at, and to think that people thought I was capable of landing another woman just astounded me! I am a very lucky man to be married to the woman I am. I don't think that many women would have laughed at being called a swinger. It is my hope for all of my friends that they can be as happy in their relationship as I am in mine.
I thought I would miss work, I didn't. I thought I would be compelled to go to the store and check things out, I didn't. I realized about 3 days in that if there was a terrible emergency, they would call me or figure it out. I received no calls so I am guessing they figured it out. It is a comforting feeling to know that there are competent and capable people running things in your absence. I just hope I feel the same way once I get back.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Rudeness
I am noticing a disturbing trend in people today, rudeness. Having lived away from Michigan for some time, it has become apparent to me that people are more rude here as opposed to Missouri. I guess I just got used to people dealing with issues in a happier fashion. People a little further south are just nicer. They smile at you, they say hello, they ask how you are doing and they mostly respect the fact that we are all in this together. I used to get a kick out of my parents when they would visit. They were shocked that people said hello and actually had a conversation with you. The most glaring of all rudeness revolves around cell phones. Who hasn't been in a store and had the person in front of you in line blabbing away on their cell phone? I saw a sign in a store that read:
"If you want our help, hang up your phone!"
I thought that was great. A couple weeks ago I had a fellow co-worker get yelled at because the ladder he was moving was making too much noise and disturbing a lady on her phone! She told him he needed to quiet down and couldn't he see she was on the phone? Really?!? The other thing that really ticks me off are the blue tooth headsets. I can't tell you how many people I walk up to and ask if they need help and then I get this exasperated look and they point to their ear. I guess I am supposed to just know they are on a phone call. One last thing about rude cell phone users. If I am in the middle of a conversation with you, trying to help because you asked me to, and your phone rings, and you answer it and start a conversation, don't be surprised when I walk away to help someone else.
One night a lady walked into our store, put a container of file folders filled with papers on the desk, and interrupted the associate who was helping another customer. She demanded to be helped immediately. The other customer put up a small protest and was greeted with a curt "I'm not talking to you!" Wow. Rude. She couldn't understand why we wouldn't drop everything and take care of her. She was mean, rude and not very attractive. (I know that should not matter, but I'll take a little more crap from someone if they are attractive. It's a character flaw of mine, deal with it.) Since we were not able to guarantee that we could meet her every demand in her very short time frame, she took her project elsewhere. Good luck with that, you big meanie!
Where is this rudeness coming from? Why do people feel it's OK to just be rude? I swear some people get out of bed and say "today, I am going to be the rudest person I can be!"
I have several friends in the restaurant/bar industry. I always feel better about my job after spending time with those folks. I am shocked at the way those people get treated. They get yelled at, harassed, poorly tipped and blamed for everything. How is it the waitresses fault the food was prepared wrong? Why yell at the waitress because you do not like the smell of the food at the table behind yours? Yes, I have seen this happen, once. I felt really bad for that poor girl. By the way, if you are going to be a drunken idiot, the least you can do is leave the bartender or waitress a decent tip for having to put with you. I have a friend who does this and the wait staff seems to forget/forgive his behavior rather quickly and they are always glad to see him again.
I am not sure if this next example is rude or disrespectful, I'll let you decide. I lived in Kansas City for the better part of 10 years. In that time I attended several Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium. At the end of the National Anthem, the majority of the crowd changes the word "brave" to "Chiefs". I find that to be very rude. I was attending a game with my Dad a couple years ago, and I voiced my displeasure about this practice right before the anthem. The man sitting in front of us turned around and informed me that if I didn't like it, I didn't have to do it. If my beer didn't cost me 8 bucks, I am pretty sure it would have ended up on his head "accidentally" at some point. But that would have been rude, wouldn't it?
"If you want our help, hang up your phone!"
I thought that was great. A couple weeks ago I had a fellow co-worker get yelled at because the ladder he was moving was making too much noise and disturbing a lady on her phone! She told him he needed to quiet down and couldn't he see she was on the phone? Really?!? The other thing that really ticks me off are the blue tooth headsets. I can't tell you how many people I walk up to and ask if they need help and then I get this exasperated look and they point to their ear. I guess I am supposed to just know they are on a phone call. One last thing about rude cell phone users. If I am in the middle of a conversation with you, trying to help because you asked me to, and your phone rings, and you answer it and start a conversation, don't be surprised when I walk away to help someone else.
One night a lady walked into our store, put a container of file folders filled with papers on the desk, and interrupted the associate who was helping another customer. She demanded to be helped immediately. The other customer put up a small protest and was greeted with a curt "I'm not talking to you!" Wow. Rude. She couldn't understand why we wouldn't drop everything and take care of her. She was mean, rude and not very attractive. (I know that should not matter, but I'll take a little more crap from someone if they are attractive. It's a character flaw of mine, deal with it.) Since we were not able to guarantee that we could meet her every demand in her very short time frame, she took her project elsewhere. Good luck with that, you big meanie!
Where is this rudeness coming from? Why do people feel it's OK to just be rude? I swear some people get out of bed and say "today, I am going to be the rudest person I can be!"
I have several friends in the restaurant/bar industry. I always feel better about my job after spending time with those folks. I am shocked at the way those people get treated. They get yelled at, harassed, poorly tipped and blamed for everything. How is it the waitresses fault the food was prepared wrong? Why yell at the waitress because you do not like the smell of the food at the table behind yours? Yes, I have seen this happen, once. I felt really bad for that poor girl. By the way, if you are going to be a drunken idiot, the least you can do is leave the bartender or waitress a decent tip for having to put with you. I have a friend who does this and the wait staff seems to forget/forgive his behavior rather quickly and they are always glad to see him again.
I am not sure if this next example is rude or disrespectful, I'll let you decide. I lived in Kansas City for the better part of 10 years. In that time I attended several Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium. At the end of the National Anthem, the majority of the crowd changes the word "brave" to "Chiefs". I find that to be very rude. I was attending a game with my Dad a couple years ago, and I voiced my displeasure about this practice right before the anthem. The man sitting in front of us turned around and informed me that if I didn't like it, I didn't have to do it. If my beer didn't cost me 8 bucks, I am pretty sure it would have ended up on his head "accidentally" at some point. But that would have been rude, wouldn't it?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Honesty
"...and the truth, shall set you free!"
Jim Carrey "Liar, Liar" 1997
Why is it so hard to just tell the truth? If you haven't heard, it is much easier to remember the truth. If you tell lies, you have to remember them. I encounter people all the time who are intentionally deceitful. When working in the hardware industry, customers would ask "do you have rental?" You knew right then and there that whatever they were buying was coming back. I used to enjoy being called up to approve a refund. I got lucky a few times and remembered certain people and I would inquire as to why they were returning their item. I would usually hear the standard "it quit working". That was when I took a minute and plugged the item in and guess what?!? It worked without a problem. The look on the faces was priceless! Then started the inevitable himming and hawing. Usually they ended up walking out with the product realizing they had been discovered. Just be honest.
" Mr. Manager, I bought it, completed my project and I just don't want it anymore!"
Will I be mad? You bet!
Will I issue the refund, provided it is within the specified time frame for a return?
Yep! And I will have respect for that persons honesty. I wont like them very much, but I will respect their honesty.
Over the years I have heard some whoppers from people when they are calling in from work. I have found it amazing how many people get a terrible "flu" on the first 75 degree and sunny day of the year. I also love how some people ramble on for days about the big party they are going to on Saturday night. Lo and behold, they call in on Sunday with the "I must have ate some bad food last night". How stupid do people think I am? And another thing, how many grandmothers do some people have? I find it amazing that when you ask for proof of attending a funeral, I get the "I lost the remembrance card." Really?!? My favorite of all time. An associate called in and claimed to be terribly sick. I actually believed this kid. He told me he was going to the hospital because he was so sick. A few hours went by and I thought I would call and see how he was doing. His mother answered the phone and I asked how he was doing. She asked me what I was talking about. I told her of the earlier conversation. She then informed me that she thought he was at work! He called the next day and quit! What an idiot.
I was a young party guy at one time. I know what a 4 alarm hangover feels like. I also called in one time because of it. This was the conversation:
"Boss, I got plastered last night and I can't even breath without being sick. Ill be in about 2 hours late. Is that OK?"
After my boss stopped laughing, he told me to rest up, drink lots of water and he would see me in two hours. Painless, and I maintained my integrity in the process. When I got to work and the laughing finally calmed down, my boss thanked me for coming in, took pity on me and gave me easy tasks for the day. I didn't have to worry about a lie. We all had a good laugh about it and the day went on. If Tiger Woods was just honest about his philandering, the story would be dead already. Bill Clinton, need I say more? Just tell the truth, its so much easier. You might even be surprised at how understanding people are if your honest.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Rules
Life has rules people, deal with it. I have noticed a trend in people lately, they don't like to follow the rules. For example, during our back-to-school season my company runs items for a penny. This is a great deal, no doubt. There are rules attached to this sale, limit 12. Not a single hour went by without this question, "Can I have more than 12?" I just don't get it. Why ask the question? The "rules" are clearly stated. There is no need for questions. You would not believe the way some people acted when I reiterated the rules. You would have thought I shot a puppy or something. "well I'm a teacher", "I work for a major university with low academic standards, so I should get whatever I want!"(the person actually named the university, I chose not too, but I think you can figure out to which one I'm referring) It was amazing! It kills me that people, such as teachers, who are responsible for instilling rules into the lives of our children, are the ones who want to break the rules. I had a lady call our customer care center because we were following the rules. There was an item on sale. It plainly stated "while supplies last, no rain checks." Seems pretty simple huh? Well she spoke to one of the other managers in our store who pointed out that there was no sub and no rain checks. She went nuts! She demanded that we do something for her. Why should I? The "rules" were in plain English, get over it lady!
When any of you go shopping you get a receipt. I would encourage you to read the back of that receipt, it has rules on it. It tells you "computers, once opened are not returnable", "14 days to return unopened electronic items" and so on. Here is a news flash, NO ONE READS THE BACK OF RECEIPTS! People seem so surprised when you point out the rules on the back of the receipt. I always ask people "did you read the back of your receipt? It explains our return policy." This usually incites a rather profanity laced monologue from the customer. I don't get it. Why don't you follow the rules? What is so hard about reading and following direction. I understand why you would be upset about a product not working or breaking down. When you buy a car, if it has a problem you take it to the dealer. The dealer fixes it. You don't get a new car. You sure as hell don't get a refund do you?
My favorite line from people after I explain the rules is "rules were made to be broken." Agreed. Sometimes you need to make a good decision and bend the rules in the interest of fairness. There are always extraordinary circumstances that present themselves and those need to be dealt with on a case by case basis. With that being said, it is an exception. The rules can not be broken for everyone. Quit asking!
I would be remiss if I did not speak about one specific rule. The Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have done unto you" This is the greatest of all. I find it amazing that when people do not follow the rules and you point that out to them, they start screaming! Who hasn't seen a video of a cop giving a ticket and that person is screaming like it was the officers fault they were caught breaking the rules. I would love it if I was able to treat customers exactly the way some of them treat me. Well, I guess I do. The majority of people are very nice and they are treated equally the same by me. I'm talking the rude jerks who whistle at you and demand your presence in front of them like I was their dog. Or my favorite: you are in the middle if a conversation with one customer and another walks right in between the two of you and asks his question. That person should be slapped! Do unto others people! Its not that hard is it? If you are nice and explain your issue in a calm, professional manner, guess what? You are going to be treated exactly the same way! If you are a raging lunatic, do not expect positive results.
In closing, please follow the rules. If you chose to not follow the rules, don't be surprised when it bites you in the butt, most rules tell you that's going to happen if you don't follow them.
When any of you go shopping you get a receipt. I would encourage you to read the back of that receipt, it has rules on it. It tells you "computers, once opened are not returnable", "14 days to return unopened electronic items" and so on. Here is a news flash, NO ONE READS THE BACK OF RECEIPTS! People seem so surprised when you point out the rules on the back of the receipt. I always ask people "did you read the back of your receipt? It explains our return policy." This usually incites a rather profanity laced monologue from the customer. I don't get it. Why don't you follow the rules? What is so hard about reading and following direction. I understand why you would be upset about a product not working or breaking down. When you buy a car, if it has a problem you take it to the dealer. The dealer fixes it. You don't get a new car. You sure as hell don't get a refund do you?
My favorite line from people after I explain the rules is "rules were made to be broken." Agreed. Sometimes you need to make a good decision and bend the rules in the interest of fairness. There are always extraordinary circumstances that present themselves and those need to be dealt with on a case by case basis. With that being said, it is an exception. The rules can not be broken for everyone. Quit asking!
I would be remiss if I did not speak about one specific rule. The Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have done unto you" This is the greatest of all. I find it amazing that when people do not follow the rules and you point that out to them, they start screaming! Who hasn't seen a video of a cop giving a ticket and that person is screaming like it was the officers fault they were caught breaking the rules. I would love it if I was able to treat customers exactly the way some of them treat me. Well, I guess I do. The majority of people are very nice and they are treated equally the same by me. I'm talking the rude jerks who whistle at you and demand your presence in front of them like I was their dog. Or my favorite: you are in the middle if a conversation with one customer and another walks right in between the two of you and asks his question. That person should be slapped! Do unto others people! Its not that hard is it? If you are nice and explain your issue in a calm, professional manner, guess what? You are going to be treated exactly the same way! If you are a raging lunatic, do not expect positive results.
In closing, please follow the rules. If you chose to not follow the rules, don't be surprised when it bites you in the butt, most rules tell you that's going to happen if you don't follow them.
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