What do you do about unfriendly service?
 

So I go into my favorite record store today and barely get a nod of recognition. I browse around a while, say good bye to the owner who's working at the register, and I get a curt 'yep.' Like WTF! I'm wondering what I did wrong? This, after I've dropped probably like 100 bucks in the place over the past 3-4 weeks.

They were like busy as hell getting some online order ready to send out, and there was some cussing going on as they were having a hard time finding some of the albums their customer ordered. But still, a customer's a customer, after all, especially an easy mark like me...

I don't get it. Does this happen to you, too? Cantankerous, you work in a record store. What's up w/ these guys? Am I just too uncool?

Let me tell you from experience not to take this personally.

Yeah, I know. It was just a weird vibe, thinking back on it. The "tension so thick you could cut it with a knife" kind of vibe. Like when you walk in somewhere and you immediately feel like you don't belong there.

Shit happens.

Fuck that. I say take your buisness elsewhere. Clerks have a responsibility to make their customers feel welcome, and their managers have a responsibility to mkae sure the clerks make the customers feel welcome.

I would give them another chance, and if they're still cold towards you (as you are now a regular), I'd let them know politely that this is your X number visit to their store, and every time you have visited it, you feel unwelcome by the staff, and that you don't want an apology, you just wanted to let them know why they would no longer have any of your buisness.

Fuck unfriendly, unhelping record store clerks. If they don't like their job, they should do another job.

I find it helps noing the poeple that work there. I have a friend that works at a record store and when hes working there, well just shoot the shit while he rings people up.

I agree that they could have been nicer but it wouldn't exactly bother me. It really doesn't take much time to say "goodbye."

Yeah, it would have different, too, if it was just "a clerk," although I don't think of anyone there that way. Over the years, I've gotten to know them and the owner and the manager as well as any regular customer can. The cold shoulder was from the owner, at the register as I was leaving, and the manager at work in the store. I've been a helluva good customer for many years now. They must have just been having a bad day. Still...

Thing is, I was almost going to buy something. But the mood really put me off.

Record store employees are generally twats but there a few nice ones too.I would have been rude back.The minute you step into a record shop you have to think that you know more about music than anybody who works in there.Put them in their place just to remind them about their poorly paid selves.

I go back and forth on this. They are humans after all, and have good and bad days. However, if you have more bad days than good, and it's obvious that you are not a "people person," then you really shouldn't be the one behind the counter.
Far too many record store clerks are smug bastards, and everyone has a few stories about being treated rudely by one of them at one time or another. I hate when they assume you know nothing when it becomes obvious within a short time that your own knowledge dwarfs theirs. There is a skill to being the person behind the counter; getting to know the tastes of regular customers and being able to give them informed tips on new music, new artists, or new releases by familiar artists regardless of one's own tastes.

If I get the smug treatment more often than the "peer treatment," I shop elsewhere.

He may have been distracted with a crisis at the moment or something; not even necessarily from the store, but just something on his mind. If it's the first time it happened, don't worry about it. If it continues for a while, you should be upset.

I know what you mean the girl in my local shop never says hi. I come there alot and buy alot of cd's but she's always a bitch about things. AND she can't even handle the register.

Yeah, I'll check em out again later this week. I'll try a different time of day, too, just to mix it up. They are probably the smuggest store in town and they're often not attentive, but I've just chalked that up to the smug-cool factor. This time they were just downright rude.

mail order the bitch.
paypal is friendlier than any asshole record store helpers.

It's always something there, though, I've noticed. I don't think they're very organized. Which is odd, since they've been around for something like 25 years.

Yeah, I've been thinking about ordering a Dwarves Lp from SubPop anyway. Has anybody ordered directly from SubPop?

I run a bookstore and I hate bad customer service. Good customer service is the one thing I absolutely demand from my staff. Retail work isn't the best paid work, but then it's hardly labour intensive or stressful. And it's what you're paid to do. I personally don't have a problem being nice & helpful to people and if I did I'd choose a different place to work.

God I sound smarmy.

They have a really stroppy internet mail order system that laughs at you the minute you set your eyes on their website.

I think these guys are starting to do a lot of online business. Every time I've been in there lately, the mgr and at least one clerk are in the back hunched over the computer and they've got a bunch of record boxes piled up. There can be six customers on the floor and the store clerks will be in the back office.

Now if I were running the store, ohh, man, things would be different...

I don't get your meaning, man...

the only horror stories i get from label mail ordering is from neurot records.

don't know about sub pop though, can't be that bad.

Nevermind

Internet mail order system/stroppy record store clerk.Joke.Duh!

Sorry, I'm kind of dense sometimes. I get it now. I think the funny Brit word threw me. Stroppy.

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strop·py
Chiefly British strop·pi·er, strop·pi·est
Easily offended or annoyed; ill-tempered or belligerent.
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Oh, I get it.

I wish they'd speak proper English over there.

Yeah, the blokes. (Sorry if that's offensive. I really don't know.)

Only if you said bloody blokes.

I usually don't care about poor service. No one's perfect, and no one aside from the owner really cares about the customers anyway. Especially at a record store, where the people behind the counter have their jobs solely because they want to be cooler than their friends. As long as I walk out of a place with what I want, I'll be happy.

Yeah, I don't shop there to make friends. In fact, it's easier if you don't feel like you're friends with the clerks and owner. I don't mind "lack" of service, becuz I prefer to be an anonymous customer contentedly thumbing through the racks. I just mind "rude" service.

That's how I feel. I actually prefer stores with 'mean' clerks. I don't like them going up to me every 5 minutes, making sure everything is alright. Or the ones who start discussions about some band I've never listened to that must, by law, be connected to a CD I bought. Perhaps I'm just anti-social when it comes to people I have no interest in getting to know.

theres your answer

See, the other store I go to, and the only other record store in town, is the opposite way. Too friendly. Always telling me I NEED to hear this or that. It's usually same sugary daft indie-pop crap, or else something totally out of left field like French cabaret. I feel like I can't just "hang." At least at the smug store, I can hang.

i used to work in a record shop and i was always friendly and helpful to the customers

what you need to do is get over yourself. these people are at work, and if you take sometimes "bad" service all personally, you are only asking, if not begging for even WORSE service. be cool, like 40-fonzerelli.

french cabaret is the shit

Yeah, I know. I was over it the minute I walked out the door. I just wanted to check in with my SY crew on the deal, ya know?

thaz what they keep telling me. I still don't buy it, though.

What you need to do is get over yourself. He is a man on a message board in the world, and if he doesn't like bad service, than he doesn't desire or request worse service. Be cool, like 40-fonzerelli.

What everyone needs to realise is that working at a record store does not necessarily make you cooler than anyone. It just lets you think you are.