rush, rush rush! go, go, go!

[Tenshi no Ai]

A mini-rant I must make after one too many times experiencing this at work... Why in the world are people SO impatient these days? Sure, technology has changed alot, but sometimes I really wonder....

Like today, ok a UPC sticker fell off of an item when the customer came to purchause it at my till. It happens. But it's not like I'm going to magically look up the code in some book of everything that may have a bar code missing to scan :/ No it takes a bit. You have to call the department and then they have to look for it or a similar item. Takes a bit of time. But no, the customer didn't want to be bothered by this time and decides not to buy it (and of course it's always right after they leave do I get a call back saying they found the number :/)

Like first, what do people expect? That it'll take 2 seconds or something? And like sometimes seriously, what's the rush? Sure, some people can be in a hurry to be somewhere, but I just get SO many people that just hate to be bothered to take maybe 5 minutes of their time to figure something out. It's really not that hard^^ For me, I get impatient, but like in other ways. When my old comp was being a piece of junk and sloooow, among other stupid things it did, I was pretty mad, but able to tolerate it. Sometimes though I get past the tolerance point where I just want to break the stupid thing >_< But those times are when things get to a VERY bad point :/

Seriously, people seem to just rush for no reason :/ And yeah people (aka customers) that have like ZERO patience like that can be hard to deal with :/ Maybe others in retail know how this is and can relate some?

*mini-rant end* :/

[Radical Dreamer]

I agree. Everyone these days is always rushing to do something or go somewhere, and there's never anytime to just sit and enjoy life. Patience is a virtue that's severely lacking these days.

[Puguni]

Road rage is a great example of how impatience is applied in every day life. |D People are too uptight, I think, because of money and the promise of faster and better technology. We just need to learn to chillax, else we turn into spoiled brats with a tendency to tantrum. ;1

[Joshua Christopher]

Dude that rant was TOO LONG you need to make them shorter I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ ALL THAT.

[Esoteric]

Two words, "Faster, faster!" ...Well okay, maybe that's just one word, but I hear it all the time.

[mitsuki lover]

Momentai as Terriermon would say.Take a deep breath and just let go for a few minutes.Any way that's why we have coffee,so that we can relax.

[EireWolf]

We live in the fast food age... People want everything IMMEDIATELY. And so many people are RUDE! It's like they don't see a person behind the counter, but a thing that's supposed to do something for them. Yes, it's a problem.... It's one of the reasons I refuse to work in retail anymore. I did my time.

[Syreth]

We live in the fast food age...

The MacDonaldization of western culture. XD

Yeah, almost all of my friends work in retail, and I probably will end up working retail sometime in the future as well. Maybe people are impatient because they just got off work themselves and they just want to get home and relax? It's actually hard to tell, but it seems like a good number of people might have high levels of stress in their life at any given time, and since retail workers only see them when they're trying to rush through the checkout line and get home or wherever they're headed next, we might think, "boy, they were sure rude." But we really don't know what's going on in their lives. Maybe they have a good reason to be stressed out? It's not an excuse for anyone to be rude, but if we understand the possibility, it might help us have patience.

[Mave]

You know, I can see ~myself~ as that customer. My current lifestyle can be quite fast-paced and I'm used to scrambling from one activity to another.

In such a case, I might be running late for another appointment. Typically, I would most likely come back to buy the book at another time (if I really want it) or not, if I don't. I'm pretty sure I've done this before and erm, I really don't think it's a big deal unless I was rude or mean. I mean, like you said, it's not your fault that the tag fell off. It happens.

Does a few minutes count? Yes. I can't tell you how many times I've missed a bus or train by missing out by half a minute (gah). If one thinks it's a poor time management issue, perhaps it could be. But some ppl just have way too many things going on in their schedules...

This is one point of view. I don't know...maybe some ppl could be just plain impatient.

[Zarn Ishtare]

Tenshi, I FEEL YOUR PAIN.


I feel it because I spent the last 5 1/2 months working retail, straight through the holiday seasons, working as a custodial worker (In reality, I was a janitor, a cashier, a salesperson, a dock worker, etc) and it was pure evil.


So I got a nice job as a bike and furniture technician. It pays less, but the hours rock, and I don't have to deal with annoying customers anymore. Yay.

[Dante]

With respect to annoying customers, you have to realize something, they are not obligated to wait. Five minutes is worth what, 50 cents? A dollar? Even more depending on what they do for a profession. Yet you would be mortified if asked to pay them for their time. It's not that there is this one rare istance either that they must wait, everywheres we go there are constant delays, nothing ever works properly on time... and the thing is, you may think that they should be more patient and give more time, but in reality, they don't have time to give, and they are expected to meet deadlines too. Every consumer is also a worker (they have to get the money from someplace) and those items have their own deadlines, thus they don't like to live on a shorter deadline just to wait around for a product.

Overall, there is nothing you can do, it's not your job to keep the customers if the UPC codes fall off. That job belongs to the person who designed your job, and they should have a simple search list that you can access to allow you to find the item... But seeing as they don't, it's their fault for losing the customer, you're just doing your job with the resources provided. Perhaps the blame even lies in whomever failed to properly add the UPC code, or on some dumb customer who removed it... who knows.

Point is, customers are people too, and we known darn well that you still get paid the same amount per hour depending on whether we stay or go... but the only way to improve the system is to punish it when it fails to comply. That is simply how we are treated when we fail, what would happen to you if you showed up what? 5, 10 minutes late for work every day? Would you expect your boss to say, "Oh don't worry about being late, in fact, sleep in an extra half hour, I need to improve my patience and your just the blessing for me." or would you expect something along the lines of a long rant about how incompetant you are and how you need to get yourself together and show up on time? It's the latter isn't it? The same goes for consumers, so basically don't expect them to try anything else. In the end, that store has actually wasted a greater amount of their time because they had to find the product, drive there and back (which also costs money) and when they get it, the store fails to deliver... That's a sizable investment of energy, money and time to go and pay your store money. They'd better be there to deliver when the time comes, or else the customers will just have to find someplace that is more reliable.

But once again, that's not your fault, that's some other worthless incompetants fault. He should be fired... Yesterday.

-Pascal

End Rant

[Sammy Boy]

Tenshi no Ai - I think people can also be demanding for quick responses out of ignorance.

They may not know how long something actually takes before it can be completed and they demand an unreasonable timeframe.

It would be fun to not do anything and say to them "Do you know what I am doing? I am wasting your time. Look, the clock is ticking by slowly as you continue to exist in an angry state. Don't stay angry for long, or you may pop a vein. Have a cup of water while I continue to waste your time and do nothing. "

But I know that would most likely get you into trouble...

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I am reminded by the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. That alone changed my entire outlook on life

*Calvin is holding a frozen microwave TV dinner package*
'SIX MINUTES? I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR SIX MINUTES!"

[EireWolf]

With respect to annoying customers, you have to realize something, they are not obligated to wait. Five minutes is worth what, 50 cents? A dollar? Even more depending on what they do for a profession. Yet you would be mortified if asked to pay them for their time.

That happened to me once, actually... in a Christian bookstore. We didn't have the customer's special order yet (and he didn't CALL to see if it was in yet before driving to the store), and he proceeded to rant to me about how I was wasting his time and he should send me a bill, because he was a doctor and his time was valuable blah blah blah.... "Yes, Doctor, I can see that your precious time is far more valuable than my worth as a human being, because you just cut me down to nothing." Did I mention this was a Christian bookstore?

I understand that people's time is worth something. I, too, am irritated when I take time to try to buy something, and they don't have what I want. But we all need to take a deep breath and realize that we're talking to a human being behind that counter, not a machine that is programmed to do our bidding. It isn't like (most) people go out of their way to inconvenience me.

Of course, there are those workers who could stand to lift a finger to at least pretend to care about wanting to help me, but that is a separate rant.

[Dante]

Yes, but machines are worse... I've got a whole section about fantasizing on beating up soda and chip machines with a large baseball bat/nuclear missile... which ever is closest really. And of course, they take up even more time, but then customers go and scream at the manager instead a person behind a counter... it's far more satisfying to level a person in charge of a store, we're really not after the poor employees, but we'd really love to get our hands on the people at the top. Then I could implement socialism and your time and the doctors would truly have equal value! Hail TEMULIN! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN! Ahem... yes, back to your rantings.

[Hakaii]

Five minutes is worth what, 50 cents? A dollar?

I agree. My time is worth too much to just sit around while someone remedies a problem that I could do myself much faster. Seriously, if someone/something cannot competantly do what I am paying them for. Then why should I be wasting my time and money with their buisness. I can understand how this can be offending to some. However, I really don't care. If I am in a hurry and hurt someone's feelings by not waiting for them to keep up with me. Then it's their problem to taking it too personally. Honestly, think about how many people are in existance at this very moment. Do you really expect everyone to be in a good mood when they are around you? It's just not going to happen. Sure I'll wait for something thats worth my while. But other than my family, there aren't a lot a things/people that fall into that category.

[meboeck]

I agree. My time is worth too much to just sit around while someone remedies a problem that I could do myself much faster. Seriously, if someone/something cannot competantly do what I am paying them for. Then why should I be wasting my time and money with their buisness.

That's fine in some situations, but what about the situations where it's not the person's fault? Like EireWolf's situation for example. If you get frustrated with the person you're doing nothing. I work at the airport and all day long I see customers getting frustrated with customer service agents for things they either didn't do or have no control over. It's amazing how many people will get mad that their flight is delayed two hours despite the fact that they just drove to the airport in a thunderstorm or snow storm. Then they yell at the employees. That's not incompetence; that's weather. Sometimes, if you have to wait, you just deal with it.

[Radical Dreamer]

I agree. My time is worth too much to just sit around while someone remedies a problem that I could do myself much faster. Seriously, if someone/something cannot competantly do what I am paying them for. Then why should I be wasting my time and money with their buisness. I can understand how this can be offending to some. However, I really don't care. If I am in a hurry and hurt someone's feelings by not waiting for them to keep up with me. Then it's their problem to taking it too personally. Honestly, think about how many people are in existance at this very moment. Do you really expect everyone to be in a good mood when they are around you? It's just not going to happen. Sure I'll wait for something thats worth my while. But other than my family, there aren't a lot a things/people that fall into that category.

I think there's something to be said here for patience and not treating other people like they're just machines that are there to do your every bidding. The people behind the counter are just as human as you, and they might be just as frustrated with your impatience as you might be with something they haven't done "fast enough", or don't have control over. Living life in the fast lane is not all it's cracked up to be; people need to learn how to slow down and take it easy.

[Jack Bond]

Momentai as Terriermon would say.Take a deep breath and just let go for a few minutes.Any way that's why we have coffee,so that we can relax.

I seriously suggest a swimming pool and put some sort of pillow on the edge so you can put your head there and let your body float. You could take a nap that way. I tell ya, that is really relaxing...

[Tenshi no Ai]

Oh one thing I just remembered that I thought was quite interesting. I heard about a store where apparently you can purchause your items YOURSELF. You can ring it through and pay some machine and do it all on your own. Quite a debateable process as it's yet another one of those "machines taking yet another person out of a job" things, yet at the same time, if somethign goes wrong, who's the customer going to complain to? The machine if it breaks? It is interesting how soooo many things are relied on machines, but of course sometimes people still have to complain to someone. Can't imagine how stressful the world would be if Y2K wasn't just a hoax^^

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I agree. My time is worth too much to just sit around while someone remedies a problem that I could do myself much faster.

I'm sure you would be much faster than the guy at Wendy's that has to make sandwiches, cook the fries, AND take orders at the same time late at night.

Listen buddy. Nobody is perfect, some people are new at what they do. And other times, too many things are going on at once, and those times cannot be helped. And I know, without a doubt, you would not appreciate it when you got an angry man at the front counter yelling for his food with you got 8 cars lined up in the drive-thru. Oh and add the fact that your manager is sick inside the office so he can't help much.

So stop thinking for yourself. You need to be more patient and understanding, and look at things through a different perspective. Because yours doesn't see the 10 cars lined up in drive-thru with the sick manager laying down in the office. Yours is behind the front-counter, unable to see anything but the outside, demanding to have your stomach filled.

[meboeck]

Oh one thing I just remembered that I thought was quite interesting. I heard about a store where apparently you can purchause your items YOURSELF. You can ring it through and pay some machine and do it all on your own. Quite a debateable process as it's yet another one of those "machines taking yet another person out of a job" things, yet at the same time, if somethign goes wrong, who's the customer going to complain to? The machine if it breaks? It is interesting how soooo many things are relied on machines, but of course sometimes people still have to complain to someone. Can't imagine how stressful the world would be if Y2K wasn't just a hoax^^

We have various places in my area that have a few of these machines set up. And of course all the airlines have their self check-in kiosks now. But when there's an error and/or there is assistance needed, customers get all mad because they were supposed to be able to do it themselves. Or people walk up to the kiosk, stare blankly, and 30 seconds later ask for assistance because they don't read the directions. So in that last case, sometimes even the customer can be incompetent.

[Kai Robin]

I'd just like to say.....I agree with everything everyone said.....and Reki is totally hawt.....therefore I give uber-kudos to the topic starter's avatar.

[Hakaii]

Then they yell at the employees. That's not incompetence; that's weather. Sometimes, if you have to wait, you just deal with it.

Hey I didn't condone yelling at someone. I pointed out that my time is too important to wait for something or someone if it's not required that I must wait. For example, I'll wait for a doctor to see my wife. However, if I need to wait to buy a simple DVD, then forget it. Its not worth it.

I'm sure you would be much faster than the guy at Wendy's that has to make sandwiches, cook the fries, AND take orders at the same time late at night.

Listen buddy. Nobody is perfect, some people are new at what they do. And other times, too many things are going on at once, and those times cannot be helped. And I know, without a doubt, you would not appreciate it when you got an angry man at the front counter yelling for his food with you got 8 cars lined up in the drive-thru. Oh and add the fact that your manager is sick inside the office so he can't help much.

So stop thinking for yourself. You need to be more patient and understanding, and look at things through a different perspective. Because yours doesn't see the 10 cars lined up in drive-thru with the sick manager laying down in the office. Yours is behind the front-counter, unable to see anything but the outside, demanding to have your stomach filled.

Again, your making it personal. If I see 10 cars lined up, then I go to another fast food place. I don't complain to the person slowing me down. That would defeat the purpose. You see, it's not personal, it's just buisness.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

If your time is so important, why is getting fast food even on your list of to-do things anyway?

[Hakaii]

If your time is so important, why is getting fast food even on your list of to-do things anyway?

Well, call me a sentimental old fool, but people sometimes need to eat food.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Well, call me a sentimental old fool, but people sometimes need to eat food.

And I suppose you're too busy (or impatient) to cook yourself?

[meboeck]

And I suppose you're too busy (or impatient) to cook yourself?

Sometimes if you're out doing things you don't have time to go to your house to cook. Let's drop this tangent, Ryan.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Sometimes if you're out doing things you don't have time to go to your house to cook. Let's drop this tangent, Ryan.

Keyword: "Sometimes"

Edit: I find patience to be a virtue. Even at times where you are not obligated to be patient. I think that's one thing that separates mature people from immature people. If I'm at Suncoast and they are doing their best to find a DVD which they are having difficulty to find, I perfectly understand that. "Okay, it's a DVD that I want. They are checking to see if they have it. I can wait. It would be rude to just ditch them when they are simply doing their job to their best effort."

Unless it's a dire circumstance, like my mom is dying or something. But if that's the case, why do I even bother with getting it at that moment?

I think impatience is a sign of immaturity and shows a lack of compassion.

[Hakaii]

I think impatience is a sign of maturity

I'm glad to see your coming around. LOL (yes I'm sure that was just a typo, but still... the Irony!)

But really, is a single DVD really worth waiting for? Perhaps a basket full of groceries. But a single item?