unbelievably frustrating shopping experience at Lowe's yesterday

[tpsbmam]

My dishwasher crapped out and I was lucky enough to have the money saved to buy another. (I keep saving for a new TV as both of mine are old and crapping out --invariably, something like this happens. This'll soon be a no-TV house but I'll have clean/sanitized dishes!) A dishwasher is pretty important for me. I have failing kidneys and am incredibly prone to infection. I stave off a lot by good hand sanitization & doing things like using my dishwasher to sanitize dishes, glasses, sponges, etc.

I did lots of research before going to Lowe's and had the models I was interested in written down. My research was primarily for MADE IN AMERICA machines. Well, I bombed on finding one 100% made in America -- the best I could do was foreign parts and assembled at USA factories. Well, something was better than nothing.

So I got this total asshole salesman. First HUGE mistake was talking down to me. He saw a disabled woman who looks like she's in her late 50's, early 60s and thought that was a-okay. Then he made his fatal mistake: he rolled his eyes when I told him the models I'd selected online were the only I'd consider since they were made in America!!! HE FUCKING ROLLED HIS EYES! I couldn't believe it. I lit into him...."So, it's fine and dandy with you that most of our manufacturing is no longer done in America but has been outsourced to other countries? And it's fine and dandy with you that all of those jobs have been killed in America and shipped overseas? And it's okay with you that the whole tax base engendered by keeping manufacturing here is gone? You're just okey-dokey with our middle class being decimated in large part because of all of this?" He's standing there with a bemused look on his face and I want to run over him with the Lowe's electric cart I'm using!

I told him I wanted a salesperson with at least 1/2 a brain and rolled away. I got a great manager who actually further researched the models I'd selected -- wasn't sure if one was the actual model assembled here -- he came up with new info for me and totally agreed with me about buying made in America. Needless to say, I totally skewered the asshole salesperson.

I actually ended up with a Bosch -- German company but all appliances sold in the USA are made or at least assembled in the USA -- there's a factory right here in NC (the other is in TN). Whirlpool was my other choice, but after reading this Truthout article definitely demoted it to a distant second (model I selected is one of the few Whirlpool models still assembled in the USA). Told the manager I didn't give a damn whose CEO got richer off my purchase but I care a great deal about who employs US workers and, in balance, whether a corporation helps or harms communities and the country.

[Teamster Jeff]

1. Nice job! nt

[tsuki]

2. I did the same thing. I am really delighted that

you settled on a Bosch. I have similar problems, and the Bosch has worked for me. It takes a long time to wash, but the dishes are sanitized. I also use the recommended dish powder and amounts. I buy one box ever six months, unless I can find buy one-get one free.

[watercolors]

65. Very happy with my Bosh, wonderful product!

[NYC_SKP]

3. I think it would have been kind of you not to lecture him and to accept his shortcomings and move on

Last edited Sun Aug 5, 2012, 12:41 AM - Edit history (2)

Do you think that Lowe's employees are as savvy about domestic v imported items as you are?

Do you think this kid was even ALIVE when America had a manufacturing base?

It sounds to me like you went in there ready to lecture him if he didn't meet your expectations and you LET HIM HAVE IT!!!

And then you come here and brag about it?

Pathetic.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1067810

....

[NutmegYankee]

5. Sometimes people in the service industry bring it onto themselves.

Here's a general rule - don't treat your customers like garbage and they won't reciprocate.

[NYC_SKP]

7. OK then. Please watch this short video:

You never know what a person is going through in their personal life.

Expecting civil treatment as a condition of being civil yourself is doing it the wrong way.

...

[tpsbmam]

9. And they never know what their customers are going through....

why the fuck is this a one-way street in your book?

[NYC_SKP]

12. If you're even asking this question, it's doubtful I can explain to your satisfaction.

but it boils down to rising above it, being the first to be peaceful and the last one to be angry.

It's what good teachers and parents do: provide UNCONDITIONAL caring and respect, even in the face of disrespect.

You either "get it" or you don't.

[tpsbmam]

20. I "get it" and usually practice "it" but there's a time and place....

this guy had a tea bagger's reaction to my "made in America" rule.....he had the same reaction as a Republican 1%er I know when I happened to talk to her (rarely happens....she called about something else) and mentioned my dilemma....she scoffed at me.

Letting that go is a huge mistake IMO. I most certainly will confront it when I see or hear it. Could I have softened my response to him? Maybe. But frankly, I didn't want to at that point. And now that I'm more removed from the situation, I'd give him the same response today.

Sorry, but just because someone is in a "service" job doesn't make them immune to confrontation when they're being a jackass toward a customer.

[byeya]

29. Good for you for not putting up with the crapola from the Lowes salesperson. As for Bosch,

I am just about to buy a new dishwasher(here in NC by the way) and I had never heard of that brand and that's what I am going to get. Downstream, a poster mentions that they are very quiet and that's a big plus for me.

Thanks for the thread!

[Bertha Venation]

36. This is off-topic

but there's a humor website the folks on this thread might enjoy. Actually, anyone would probably enjoy it, no need to limit my recommendation to those who've had problems with the service industry.

www.notalwaysworking.com -- anecdotes about lousy/stupid customer service, bad bosses, etc.

(This made me think of it: "just because someone is in a "service" job doesn't make them immune to confrontation when they're being a jackass toward a customer.&quot

[smirkymonkey]

212. I checked it out, it's pretty funny!

got a little carried away there for a while!

[Bertha Venation]

213. Be sure to visit the sister site, all about customers

www.notalwaysright.com -- as in, the customer is not always right.

[crazyjoe]

179. I "get it" and usually practice "it".......ya right.

So now use words like "tea baggers reaction" and "republican 1%" in your post to attempt to belittle this person in our eyes, and justify your hideous behavior. So you really asked for a salesman with "half a brain?", wow...check you out. do you ever fell embarassed for yourself? I kinda fell embarassed for you.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

94. first to be peaceful, last to be angry: doesn't seem to explain why you attacked the OP in post #3.

[NYC_SKP]

95. Check post #3, pre-edit.

peaceful at first, became angry and edited after I saw 105 recs for this bullying post.

the edit came much later than the bulk of the replies to it.

"first to be peaceful, last to be angry"

Consistent, ain't I?!

[DisgustipatedinCA]

102. thanks for the clarification n/t

[MADem]

117. The customer is always right. I didn't think the "Made in USA" request was out of line in this

instance and the person who was wrong was the salesperson.

The kid shouldn't have been condescending to the customer. The disabled aspect is just icing on the cake. That worker needs retraining.

Even old Jesus got pissed off at the temple and at that fig tree. Sometimes, ya just don't need/shouldn't have to take a load of shit, particularly when you're at a store where the salesman will get a commission on the sale.

[NutmegYankee]

38. Cute video, doesn't address this scenario.

I learned after years of being bullied that you do not take shit from them, you fight back. Your feel good video doesn't change that reality.
This salesman chose to be condescending to this woman, and she stood up for herself. Good for her.

[NYC_SKP]

96. We only got her side of the story.

And she even admits to name calling:

He's standing there with a bemused look on his face and I want to run over him with the Lowe's electric cart I'm using!

I told him I wanted a salesperson with at least 1/2 a brain and rolled away.

Needless to say, I totally skewered the asshole salesperson.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

121. In addition to admitting her name calling in the OP, she expanded upon her name calling in post #12:

this guy had a tea bagger's reaction to my "made in America" rule.....he had the same reaction as a Republican 1%er

Her phrases when applied towards this worker have no objective meaning. Nobody can understand what her phrases mean except that they demonstrate her vitriol.

[NYC_SKP]

122. Very subjective...

...almost like an imaginary tale. Only her impressions of his actions. No examples of anything he said, and only her interpretation of mannerisms; his looking up toward the ceiling an eye-roll.

I'd have rolled my eyes too if a person came in to lecture me about global manufacturing and yada yada yada....

[Kalidurga]

40. Seriously....

Nearly everyone has to deal with their personal demons. 99% of people do this without being rude to other people. Especially people in the service industry who put up with a lot of crap. He was rude without provocation, but even if he had provocation this would be unwarranted. Sales people are trained to be and pride themselves in most cases on their professionalism. But, not this guy he is rude and obnoxious for no reason. You want to defend that fine. But, he was rude to someone just because he thought he could be and for no other reason. I hope he loses his job, there are plenty of other people out there looking for work who are nicer.

[midnight]

130. This is great! This is a great way to convey how fragile we all are at times...

[NYC_SKP]

134. Thank you. It's a universal lesson we should all remember.

One never, ever knows what the other is going through.

I'm glad you get it, midnight!

[TheMadMonk]

137. A rude customer may just be an arsehole. A rude salesperson...

...damned well knows how (s)he SHOULD behave, is paid to behave with a certain minimum level of civility, and CHOOSES to do otherwise.

And it seems to me, the customer started out politely enough, just with a firm idea of what she had in mind. Salesman fired the first salvo, and got a full broadside in return.



Much to my mother's embarrassment, I'm one of the first to sotto voce comment on the behaviour of obnoxious customers in stores. AND I'm also perfectly capable of dropping several hundred dollars worth of stock I'd selected for purchase in the middle of the floor and walking out, with a very loud head count of staff, if those staff seem to find their conversation to be more important that ringing those purchases up. Or if they're young, and the audience is large enough, my other trick is to put a duck face in the middle of my 14 inches of beard, come up close (without invading personal space) and squeal: "Justin! OMG! He's just so totally hot."

[kellytore]

184. I really enjoyed this. Thanks!

[Pizz]

63. Just like Union Cops

Last edited Sun Aug 5, 2012, 03:31 AM - Edit history (1)

who continue to support republicans and their 1% leaders.
Don't these guys understand that these free economy shits want
to privatize police depts, get rid of the unions and destroy pension
funs?
They need yo wake the fuck up and stop beating up OWS protesters.
Jesus Christ, it pisses me off that they take their jobs and benefits
for granted!

[harmonicon]

113. If only that were true. (nt)

[midnight]

126. Nice rule.

[dsc]

6. I think this is quite different

She came in looking for a specific brand of dishwasher for a specific, well thought out reason. The salesman had no right to roll his eyes at her. This isn't going off for no reason, like that CFO did at chick fil a

[old soul]

46. "No right?!" You cannot read into someone's mind.

The person might have been rolling his eyes because of his own insecurities. The answer is not to go off on him/her--you can either ask for another associate or simply walk out. But a big box store is not high on customer service. It's like getting pissed at a Wal-Mart worker.

[JI7]

72. no, she didn't get angry at him for decisions made by corporations but his response to her

does Lowes tell their employees it's ok to treat customers this way ?

one shouldn't need to be told it's not ok to roll their eyes at customers for asking simple questions about products. it might be different if she came in being rude to him but she didn't. if he didn't know he could have just told her to wait while he gets someone else who can be more helpful.

[tpsbmam]

8. Totally disagree that it's a hard and fast rule in every instance....

I'm normally incredibly polite and thankful for the assistance provided by service personnel. I don't go out to eat often, but when I do, I'm a HUGE tipper.

But getting a condescending asshole as a salesperson who rolls his eyes when one says "made in America," means for me at least, that I no longer owe the individual the respect with which I treat ALL people until they completely and totally lose my respect.

So, in your book, his total disrespect of ME should have gone unanswered?

Screw that.

[lunasun]

18. It happens on both sides of the aisle IMO

Store would not have gotten my business

I am polite as a worker and customer
but often am treated like shit in both positions

I'll just say young older whatever race or sex there are a lot of rude folks out there
and that sucks
I think a lot of these over the top nasty TV reality shows do not help

you can roll your eyes over that comment becasue I can not see you so that is OK with me

If he had just thought to himself "whatever old lady" he is entitled to that thought but it was rude to outwardly roll his eyes imo

[Autumn]

49. Some one in the service industry rolls their eyes at me

I will go all out on them. I don't give a shit if anyone thinks I suck. SERVICE INDUSTRY, now to me that means if I want to buy something they need to please me to get me to buy it.

[NYC_SKP]

67. I hope you are kidding because it sounds like you're saying that you're better than them.

Last edited Sat Aug 4, 2012, 07:03 PM - Edit history (1)

SERVICE INDUSTRY, now to me that means if I want to buy something they need to please me to get me to buy it.

Um, they don't actually profit from you're buying it if they are a minimum wage employee trying to make ends meet.

You aren't better than them, and if, as is the case with the OP, you want the person to see your point of view about foreign made goods, then being mean isn't going to get anything across.


I am sad to read this

[Walk away]

88. I have to agree. I guess it feels good to get someone in trouble or even fired...

because they have poor people skills, disagree with you or are not getting what you are trying to tell them. I doubt if he'll ever buy American ever again if he's given a choice. It could have been a teaching situation.

[Lizzie Poppet]

90. Doesn't sound like that to me.

Sounds like someone who wouldn't just stand there and tolerate being condescended to. I certainly wouldn't...not from anyone, be they a minimum-wage customer service person or a CEO. I'm not a "turn the other cheek" kinda gal...not part of my belief system, thanks.

I make it a point to be polite and friendly to people in service jobs. Hell, I've been known to talk shit to people who give them a hard time without provocation. But if they're going to to be a condescending asshat to me just because I prefer not to support offshoring American manufacturing jobs, then they're going to hear about it. I'm not going to talk to their boss or try to get them fired...but I sure will tell them what I think of them. Having a shitty job isn't a license to be a dick to people who've done nothing to deserve it.

[NYC_SKP]

92. Just remember we are hearing just one side of the story, the one from the person who...

...person who wrote this, today:

So I got this total asshole salesman.

I lit into him...."So, it's fine and dandy with you that most of our manufacturing is no longer done in America but has been outsourced to other countries? And it's fine and dandy with you that all of those jobs have been killed in America and shipped overseas? And it's okay with you that the whole tax base engendered by keeping manufacturing here is gone?

He's standing there with a bemused look on his face and I want to run over him with the Lowe's electric cart I'm using!

I told him I wanted a salesperson with at least 1/2 a brain and rolled away.

Needless to say, I totally skewered the asshole salesperson.

If this is what the author is boasting about, to a progressive discussion board audience, I wonder what she's leaving out!

Hmmmph.

I'd like to hear the poor worker's side of this story.

~~~~~

[Lizzie Poppet]

93. Very true.

Two sides to every story...

[Autumn]

218. You can bet I'm serious.

Try reading, I never said I was better than them. When I make a purchase from some company if their salesperson want to talk down to me or roll their eyes at me, I will go off on them.

[Zalatix]

110. I don't care if it's a SERVICE WORKER or the CEO, you get rude with me and it's on. 100%.

I show no favoritism there.

[harmonicon]

116. They don't give two shits if you buy something from them.

If someone's paid hourly, what do they care what they sell to you?

[JI7]

144. it's one thing to not care, another to be rude and roll eyes

if you don't know or even if you don't want to help the person because you find them annoying or whatever tell them they will get someone else who can help.

[Sherman A1]

59. +1 Thought that looked like a familiar link...

Granted the description of the sales persons actions were hardly stellar, yet simply asking for a manager would have taken care of the issue. I found particularly disturbing the comment about using the electric cart as a weapon. This very thing happened a few weeks ago at the store where I work when a customer attempted to run over an 18 year old deli clerk whom he had previously berated verbally. The "gentleman" is well known through out the store as a bully is chronically abusive to the workers.

I understand if you are getting bad service, it does happen and too frequently, however bringing in a department or store manager usually solves the problem, protecting both your interests and the interests of all involved.

[demwing]

105. "I found particularly disturbing the comment about using the electric cart as a weapon."

Yeah, I'm sure that was particularly disturbing, especially since the OP never said she used the cart as a weapon. She said she wanted to, but it was obviously a figure of speech. jesus christ.,..

[Zalatix]

111. Yeah, let's bash the OPer for thought crime, not the person who was being incompetent and rude!

[Sherman A1]

168. Having known of it having actually occurred

and very recently was disturbing and no the OP didn't use it, however the OP indicated a significant level of anger and was the one that brought up the use of the cart. My feelings on that statement based upon recent experiences working in the Retail Sector causes me concern, if it does not bother you that is your opinion to which you are entitled and while they are most likely not particularly great weapon systems they could indeed do harm if someone was hit by one.

The use (or consideration of the use) of a weapon of any type against another in this type of situation is simply unacceptable behavior and I find it to be lacking civility.

I also find the entire episode of putting this sales clerk in his place lacking civility. If his service was bad (and as described it appeared to be, however we do not have his side of the story at all in this mix) then one only needed to speak with a manager or to shop somewhere else. Berating him won no prize and in my opinion made the OP look foolish, abusive and a bully.

[demwing]

104. Piss on THAT

When I spend my hard earned money in your store, if you and your staff can't be knowledgeable, you can at least be helpful. If you can't be helpful, you damn well better be sure that you at least avoid being rude, or you will get an earful from me - or just lose my business - and if you think that's asking too much, too fucking bad.

Too fucking bad...

[NYC_SKP]

106. Were you there?

Did you get the kid's side of the story or just the one who went in there on a mission and called the kid names after he (according to her) rolled his eyes.

What other terrible thing did this kid do, huh?

Huh?

Well, neither of us know because we only have one side of this story.

[Zalatix]

109. Like demwing said... PISS ON THAT.

Bad service is bad service and it deserves to be punished.

No further argument is necessary.

[NYC_SKP]

112. Fine.

These self-serving one-sided "I sure told them" stories are always fun.

And the OP admits to calling a name, yet nothing about anything inappropriate being said.

What if the OP went on for 25 minutes about this and that, and the kid got tired and didn't realize he looked up at the ceiling?

What about that possibility?

I say fuck that shit. One sided drama bullshit.

We can disagree on this one.

[tammywammy]

145. +1 n/t

[JI7]

147. well, we aren't discussing names , it's not like this is some trial or something

we are responding to the OP. she isn't giving his name or anything.

are we not to discuss any personal things because maybe it wasn't as the OP said ? with a "were you there" ????

maybe the OP made up the whole thing, she didn't even go to lowes, there was nobody who rolled his eyes at her, and she never actually went on some made in america speech. unelss we know for sure we shouldn't discuss this at alll ???????

[NYC_SKP]

151. Like anything else, if you hear just one person's side of an exchange...

...you don't get a full picture.

I see a lot of people shitting on this worker and it's all based on a on-sided story.

It's not a fair situation, that's all.

[JI7]

157. yeah, but what if there i no worker, what if she never went to Lowes ? maybe she has a mental proble

problem and instead of you defending a non existant worker you should try to get her some help.

[JI7]

146. it's not really a case of Bad SErvice either

bad service might be if a lot of mistakes are made. and in that case i would not be ok with treated the workers badly for it.

it's more of a case of the person just being rude to her for no reason. i can't believe some find fault with her for having model numbers and saying what she wanted. those in the service industry usually find that helpful so they can rule out certain things right away and not waste time.

it's not like she went in saying she only wanted someone of a certain race, age, sex etc. she was discussing a product that she wanted to buy from that store.

[Zalatix]

161. Try rolling your eyes at a customer back in a department store in the 1980s

and see if they call it bad service...

[harmonicon]

198. Whoa.... hold on here...

You have a time machine!?!?! Oh, man, I SO will go back in time, get a job at a department store and roll my eyes at a customer, if you let me use it for other things, or at least don't make me come back between shifts.

In my time trying to get that job at Sears (in my mind, it's Sears), I would start courting young 80's lady, and I would take her on a date to see Back to the Future on its opening night. Throughout the entire film, I'd softly mutter every single line. When questioned about this, I'd say, "I'm from the future, baby."

This would be about all I could do, since, as a kid in the 80's, I wouldn't actually remember much about current events to know what happened then, but the movie thing would be awesome. If it's ok with you, I'd like to hold the eye rolling off until after the movie, just in case the customer I roll my eyes at is like my date's mom or something, because then she might call the date off, and I'd have to start the whole process again, which is totally not worth it.

[Zalatix]

200. My point is, I worked in customer service back then. You didn't do that and keep your job.

What we call customer service now isn't anything as good as it was before.

[harmonicon]

201. Still, I'd like to try it for myself.

Can I please, please borrow the time machine?

[Zalatix]

202. Or you could just take the word of someone who worked retail back then?

[harmonicon]

220. I have no problem with that.

I just wanted to do the Back to the Future thing too (ok, more).

[Zalatix]

221. I wish I could go back in time.

Hooboy, the message I would give to people if I could show up in 1960.

[harmonicon]

222. Kill Hitler:

http://xkcd.com/1063/

[Zalatix]

107. You as a consumer have a GOD GIVEN RIGHT not to be treated like shit.

This employee treated the OPer like crap. She shot back.

Bad service is bad service is bad service.

End of story.

[NYC_SKP]

114. Please point out the bad service described in the OP.

All I see is her allegation of rolling his eyes. He might have looked up at the ceiling while she blabbered on. Rude? Maybe, or maybe this was getting to be too much but still he stood there and tried to listen, but she'd done the research and he was hired yesterday, possibly.

Maybe he should have gone for a manager to give her more thorough help.

Not great service, but not worthy of the half-brain comment.

I'm pretty sure that on this occasion a very adamant and determined customer went in with some anger and this poor kid drew the short straw.

[Zalatix]

118. When I was a teenager working at Good Guys, I rolled my eyes at a customer once.

Got a write-up for it, too.

Customer service standards aren't what they used to be.

And yes, I think they're woefully underpaid, too. Corporate management deserves an ass-whupping for what they're doing to the workers.

[NYC_SKP]

120. I blame the management, though I wouldn't want the kid fired over this.

It's a great idea, that workers in a big box store would be really knowledgeable about what they sell.

The truth is that they aren't usually. I can't blame them. That's why the OP, and you, and I, are wise to do our research online and then go with our list and make the best deal.

But does it really seem reasonable to you that one could go down to the big box store and successfully educate the worker, or expect them to know as much as we do about workers' conditions and NAFTA, etc.?

I just don't think so, Zalatix. I think it's unrealistic and was a little bit mean for the OP to put all that on the kid.

The kid shouldn't have rolled his eyes, and he should have said, "Ma'am, I just don't know that much about these things, maybe my manager can help you."

But he didn't, he screwed up. I blame Lowe's, I blame OSH and Home Depot and all the chains, and I shop at my local independent ACE whenever I can, even paying more for items, just to support that model.

I don't like what Lowe's did in this case, but I like what the OP did in this situation even less.

[JI7]

149. well, i have had people at Lowes, Home Depot who weren't able to help me

and they didn't roll their eyes like that. i don't think you can blame corporate for something like that. sometimes people are just assholes and truly shouldn't be working there or anywhere related to helping people.

[NYC_SKP]

153. How do you know they rolled their eyes?

I'm thinking while the OP went on about models and numbers the person looked away or up at the ceiling and the OP got pissed off and took it to be disrespectful.

I think there's a real possibility that it happened that way, but then I only have her side of the story. That he rolled his eyes.

She doesn't even quote anything he said, just a lot of subjective judgements about him and what she THINKS he was thinking.

A bunch of silly drama.

Poor kid.

[JI7]

156. i don't know, maybe the OP never went to lowes and made up the whole thing

i'm responding based on what the OP said.

[demwing]

167. Why would the OP lie?

You're all over her "allegation" of his eye rolling, but you have no real reason to doubt her.

Do you run around DU challenging everyone who relates a personal anecdote? I bet you don't

So again, why would the OP lie?

[FlaGranny]

174. I think he must be

the Lowe's employee in question.

I deal with old people at work and sometimes I feel like running over them with my scooter, but they always get a smile, and a "what can I do for you today?"

Had one of them be very nasty to me once and I did tell him "Don't talk to me like that." I never roll my eyes at someone because I think they're being stupid. If I did I shouldn't be in a job where I have to deal with people.

My husband was looking for a light bulb once in a Walmart that he wasn't familiar with, so he went up to two Walmart employees who were talking and asked them where they were. As he was walking away he heard one say something like "Stupid old dude, can't find anything." If they had done that to me, they would have been VERY sorry indeed.

[demwing]

193. Oh yes, Stupid old Dude is about to find

your manager, and wonders if the rude Walmart associate will be able to find a new job tomorrow.

[NYC_SKP]

197. That's not fair.

I never suggested a lie. I'm suggesting a misinterpretation-- looking skyward to some might seem a petulant obvious eyeroll, maybe he was thinking "damn, my break is in one minute and I have to pee."

The narrative of the post reeks of emotional exaggeration, it's riddled with subjective assumptions, yet only one single mention of the other guy: his eye gesture.

Good lord, she should have just left the store.

[demwing]

208. What's not fair is all the negatives you attributed to the OP

you seem more interested in giving the clerk the benefit of the doubt than you are the OP

[AnotherMcIntosh]

119. Absolutely right.

IMO, there's too many bullies who are unable to comprehend on their own what they are doing.

[Angry Dragon]

127. poor attitude

[Duppers]

155. I've been on both sides of the sales counter

And no matter how bad my personal life, I'd never roll my eyes at a customer. Never.

Besides being very immature (classical ill-mannered teenager joke material), it's rudely showing great contempt and condescension for another human.

And on another note, a sales person could be fired for such a thing.

[appleannie1]

160. If you are going to work in sales, you learn your products. You never, and I mean NEVER, roll your

eyes or smirk at a customer. When I owned my own business if one of my employees had done that to a customer, they would be looking for a new job. I never shop at Lowes simply because they have poorly trained sales people but have completely remodeled my kitchen and bath with things my hubby and I bought at Home Depot because around here they treat their customers right.

[Tribetime]

164. I must go to a different Home Depot

when I try to return something I paid cash for with a receipt they have an attitude, like I have better things to do than wait on you. I'm sure it all depends on the person and what they are going thru that day. I too owned my own business with 15 employess but now I'm working third shift for min. wage with no benefits and 2 months behind on mortgage. Try not to judge no one works there unless they have no where else to turn..... unless you are in the same boat as them..are you?

[NYC_SKP]

196. I have two Home Depots, one sucks and the other doesn't.

And consistently so. I have no idea why.

I typically go to Lowe's, however, because of better selection in all things except hardware (among those things that I need).

That is, unless my local ACE has what I need.

[crazyjoe]

181. I posted a link there back to here.

[xmas74]

206. As someone who works in the service industry

I would normally agree with you, until I read about him rolling his eyes. That's not acceptable and no one in the industry would consider it to be so. No one. That's poor customer service and that's what gives all of us a bad name.

And, as a woman, I've had salesmen try to give me the run around, even when it's something I've researched. Maybe she shouldn't have done it in quite the way she did but getting a manager was acceptable.

[xxqqqzme]

207. Wow you could have save that.

I have been talked down to by smart ass salespersons - usually male - after I have researched a product. This is not an uncommon occurrence for a woman, even more so if you happen to be disabled. The only difference I can see here is, I don't lecture, I walk away and find another person to help me.

[lunatica]

4. You gave him plenty to digest

Good for you. If nothing else he'll be a lot more respectful of us smart old ladies.

[formercia]

10. Wally World emplys American workers.

I'm sure they would love to pay their employees Chinese wages though.

[kooljerk666]

11. My Dad worked for GE for approx. 40 years......

Last edited Sun Aug 5, 2012, 05:38 AM - Edit history (1)

and dishwasher, washer & dryer are all Bosch.

15-20 years old now & all function perfectly well.

Finish detergent for d/w is the best I have found yet, filthy old eggs & lasagna caked plates shine!!

I am not selling Finish, the following link is for the reviews, if u order it, I get nothing.

http://www.amazon.com/Finish-Powerball-Automatic-Dishwasher-68-1-Ounce/dp/B006PEY0BU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_1

has good reviews there................

[Doremus]

91. Are you an Amazon affiliate?

Either way, it's best to disclose it. Thanks.

[kooljerk666]

170. no, i am not

it was just a rec from me spending 15 years of trying different soaps.

I only put that in to show "finish" detergent had 9 recs of 5 stars.

I do sell amsoil american synthetic oil products but do not ship them as it would be cheaper
to bypass me.

That Finish stuff blows the doors off of every dishwasher detergent I have tried.

I also do most of my grocery shopping at dings & dents stores, then move up to regular grocery stores.

here are some epinion reviews..............

http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Reckitt_Benckiser_Electrasol_Quantum_Powerball_w_Jet_Dry_Shine_45_Capsules

[Pab Sungenis]

171. There was no affiliate code

in that link. But you are right that people using affiliate links should disclose.

[Ednahilda]

13. Bosch is a good brand.

But even if the product had been made in Germany, you can be sure that it was made by well-paid, union employees with good benefits.

I try to buy stuff made in the US, but sometimes I'm torn: is it better to buy something made by poorly-paid, non-union workers in a so-called right-to-work U.S. state, or buy the same product made by well-paid union workers in another country? In our house, we always try to buy union if it's possible.

[RebelOne]

14. I have never had a problem with Lowe's.

I have bought many appliances there and they were all American made. My last purchase was a refrigerator and I was quite happy because they came and installed the new refrigerator and hauled the old one away.

[RKP5637]

162. Yep, that's a great service, hauling the old one away for free. I just

had a dishwasher delivered from Lowe's, I do my own installs, etc., and they took the old one away for free, I just had it out front for them.

Can't complain about the old one, it lasted 28 years, was a GE Pot-Scrubber model. The new one is an Electrolux-Frigidaire, it met some specific requirements I had for height, etc.

[starroute]

15. Try Craigslist for a TV

My experience has been that so many people are trading up to super-duper-ultra-widescreen-HD-whatever that it's easy to find perfectly decent, late model sets on Craigslist for cheap. At any rate, have a look.

[lumberjack_jeff]

28. Here's a representative example of a good craigslist TV

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ele/3181332021.html

[The Second Stone]

16. I've been in the market too

and I've decided that when I do it, it will be Bosch because it is the superior product. I had thought pretty much all of them were made overseas, and my only criteria is that I will never buy GE because they actually shipped the jobs overseas from the US so that Jack Welch can reduce the American Standard of living for every GE employee and retiree except himself.

[Tikki]

22. Plus, GE products are just not worth the money...

Tikki

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. You'll be happy with it

The Bosc we have is 15 years old and still going.

[lady lib]

19. Perfect combination - German engineering, but made in the USA.

Good for you! And good for you standing up to that asshole.

[Tikki]

21. I wish I could have been there with you...You, he and me would have learned a lot.

BRAVO...you are my "Today's Hero"




Tikki

[MI_State_Too]

23. Bosch

My family went with a Bosch when our old one pooped out last year, too. The thing that I love about it most on a day-to-day basis is that it is MILES quieter than any other one I've ever encountered. Sometimes I have to look at the display to see if the thing is actually running.

[Tikki]

30. HI MI_State_Too....Welcome to DU...

These are interesting times, for sure...

Tikki

[12ZTR]

24. Can't buy..

Bosch. NC. & TN. are right to work RED states.

[jtuck004]

26. What's the alternative? n/t

[12ZTR]

223. Insanity

Continuing to do the same thing over & over & over.
There are absolutely no options.LOL

[gateley]

78. So buying something assembled by workers in China is preferable?

You're hurting the workers in those States, plenty of whom are probably Democrats.

Your reasoning leaves me sputtering.

[12ZTR]

224. ?

I just read my comment 3 times. I could not find where I said buying anything from China is preferable.
I'm glad the workers in those aren't hurting workers in other states.

[pampango]

177. If the alternative were buying a Bosch machine made in Germany by union labor vs. one made by

non-union (but American) labor in a right-to-work state - that would be a tougher decision. Some would prefer to buy American regardless of whether the workers are union or not; others would prefer to buy union regardless of where the union is.

The fact that right-to-work states have attracted (and continue to do so) many formerly union factories from the North, NorthEast and MidWest as well as almost all foreign firms that set up factories in the US, has weakened our unions. To the extent that we buy from (and strengthen the economies of) right-to-work states, we play into the hands of republican politicians in those states who tout the benefits of right-to-work laws. (But I'm sure you already know this. )

OTOH, if the alternative is buying a machine made buy union workers in the US or by non-union workers in another country, the decision should be a lot easier.

[12ZTR]

225. Well said pampango

I'm trying to boycott Republican businesses & it take constant research.
I've decided not to buy Chinese products unless it's absolutely necessary.
How can I do that, being an American ,when I must have everything I see? ROFLMAO

[Mira]

25. It up to us to slowly and surely sprinkle

seeds under the snow. Everywhere we go we leave a few folks thinking new thoughts.
Some of them sprout. They really do.

[99Forever]

27. Excellent!

We all need to be doing this.

If that lunkhead Teabagger salesguy had half a brain, he'd realize that Made in America works for his benefit.


But he's a Teabagger and there is no fixing stupid.

[Bertha Venation]

33. How did the salesperson's condescension reveal him to be a Tea Party member?

If anything, Tea Partiers are rabid about the Made In The USA label. This guy seemed to think tbspmam was some kind of nut for demanding it.

[99Forever]

37. Did I offend Teabaggers?

Damn mean ol' me!

[old soul]

48. Wow...how contrite...

[old soul]

44. I think stoopidity is best defined

by those who make snap judgments based on diddly-squat and have biases which color every encounter they have.

There's no fixing that type, 99 Forever

[99Forever]

80. Really? What do you think of...

... of folks that can't even spell the label they are trying to hang on others?

Just asking.

Welcome to DU. Hope you enjoyed your stay, as brief as it was.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

128. You appear to spell your labels very well.

If that lunkhead Teabagger salesguy had half a brain, he'd realize that Made in America works for his benefit.

But he's a Teabagger and there is no fixing stupid.

Of course, there doesn't seem to be any objective basis for calling him a "lunkhead Teabagger," someone who doesn't even have half a brain, "he's a Teabagger," and has a condition of stupidity which cannot be fixed.

She claims that he rolled his eyes. Maybe he did, and maybe he didn't. But there is nothing that she described to justify the name calling. By her or by you.

There's certainly nothing to justify your posting with respect to the relatively new DUer:

Welcome to DU. Hope you enjoyed your stay, as brief as it was.

[99Forever]

136. Let me fix that for you friend.

"There's certainly nothing to justify your posting with respect to the relatively new returning troll, that was banned before I even replied to it"

Always happy to help.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

139. On what factual basis do you claim that he is a "relatively new returning troll"?

Do you have any factual basis for that?

Or did you just make that up because the poster, who is relatively new to DU, disagreed with your act of calling the employee a "lunkhead Teabagger" without any factual basis?

[99Forever]

140. You just backed a banned troll buddy...

...and you think I'm going get into a fucking pissing match with you? Dream on.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

141. If you had any factual basis for saying that he is a "banned troll," you would post it.

You haven't.

[99Forever]

143. You can thank me later.

Posting Privileges Revoked
Revoked on Reason Revoked by
Aug 4, 2012 Returning troll
For more information see Terms of Service
hlthe2b
(Malicious Intruder Removal Team)
Member Feedback

Number of Star members ignoring old soul: 1
Number of Star members blocking mail from old soul (including members ignoring): 2

[AnotherMcIntosh]

148. Interesting. Thank you for the information.

[99Forever]

195. Now, McIntosh...

.. that I have educated you regarding your blind support of a returning troll, would you care to adjust any part of this ^^screed^^?

Does it bother you that I might have denigrated Teabaggers with less than factual allegations about them? You know those that are such sticklers for accuracy? You know, those same Teabaggers that call our President a Socialist, Communist, Nazi, radical Muslim, terrorist, dictator, born in Kenya? Those Teabaggers? Are you looking for me to apologize to them? I wouldn't recommend holding your breath waiting for that to happen.

Or perhaps, you think, like the "salesguy" that the death of manufacturing in our Nation is no big deal? If that is true... well, I'll just let that stand on it's own.

Or perhaps you think your fellow DUer, an older, disabled lady is a liar to be castigated for having unmitigated gall to prefer her meager monies be spent on a product that provides employment for American workers? These are your words: She claims that he rolled his eyes. Maybe he did, and maybe he didn't. That sir, is one nasty thing to say about some one you claim to share a political view with. You could and should man up and apologize to her, but somehow I doubt you will.

Or perhaps, you just have a hardon for me. I can't guess as to why, as I don't think I've ever conversed with you before. Or more likely, you simply were shopping for a pissing match and you thought I looked like a good target. I've got a pretty thick hide, so sling all of the arrows at me you want, I won't be posing back to you anymore. You had the opportunity to do the right thing and didn't, more than once. So I don't expect you will now.

Have a nice life.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

205. 1. You didn't denigrate teabaggers. You denigrated a minimum-wage worker who allegedly "rolled his

eyes," according to the OP, by calling him a teabagger. Even if the OP's allegation regarding the alleged "rolled eyes" is true, you have no factual basis for calling the minimum-wage worker a teabagger. None.

2. You didn't educate anyone regarding regarding an alleged "blind support of a returning troll," and you certainly didn't educate me regarding an alleged "blind support of a returning troll." I simply supported a poster whose alleged status (according to you) may or may not be "a returning troll." All that is known according to his profile is that with respect to him: "Posting privileges revoked." There is nothing to support your claim that he is a "troll" or a "returning troll."

I did not support a "troll" or a "returning troll." I supported a voice of reason over a name caller. You began this sub-string when (a) you went beyond the origional post by the OP and called the minimum-wage worker a "lunkhead Teabagger" and (b) you said, "But he's a Teabagger and there is no fixing stupid."

The new poster whose "Posting privileges" are now revoked for some unknown reason challenged those factually unsupported statements, and apparently for irony referred to your word "stupid" misspelled "stupidity" by saying,

I think stoopidity is best defined by those who make snap judgments based on diddly-squat and have biases which color every encounter they have.

There's no fixing that type, 99 Forever

There is nothing to indicate from his words that he is a "troll," a "returning troll," or a teabagger, or any other name that you might want to call him.

3. Your representation that the American minimum-wage worker, a "salesguy," believes "that the death of manufacturing in our Nation is no big deal" is not supported by the facts. There are no objective facts to support an allegation that he holds such a belief.

4. You said, "I won't be posing back to you anymore." (I think that you meant to say "posting".)

Is that a promise? Somehow, I don't believe you. Excuse me, but I think that is as untruthful as your calling the minimum-wage worker a teabagger (a "lunkhead Teabagger&quot . And I think that it is as untruthful as your calling the new poster a troll (a "returning troll&quot . I also think that it is as untruthful as your factually-deficient personal attacks on me and your false claim that I have provided "blind support of a returning troll."

If you truly don't want to post back anymore, then you can easily refrain from doing so.

[Light worker on duty]

211. Hi, stranger!

Thanks for welcoming me!

In any case, STOOPID is spelled that way on purpose. But I didn't expect you to get it.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

124. Absolutely right.

[enlightenment]

31. I appreciate your position,

but have a little trouble understanding why this was "incredibly frustrating" for you.

You lit in to someone for rolling their eyes at you - told them (essentially) that they were an idiot and left them standing while you sought out and found someone more to your liking. In the end, you got what you wanted and left the store happy, presumably.

The ONLY thing the original person did was roll their eyes, correct? They didn't try to talk you out of your decision. They didn't tell you that your decision was wrong. They 'talked down' to you and then made an unspoken comment that you caught; so you ripped them a new one - and then told their manager about their poor customer service.

Seems to me that you not only got what you went shopping for, you also got the opportunity to tell someone off and, possibly, put their job (a US worker at a US job, by the way) in jeopardy, because they 'talked down' to you and rolled their eyes when you demanded something that is usually - not always, but usually - a requirement from the far-right fringe.

Sounds like you went into the store looking for a debate.

I'm glad you found a new dishwasher.

[Curmudgeoness]

42. I think that a salesperson should accomodate the customer,

and not treat them like they are idiots. I would have done the same thing in this situation. I absolutely would not deal with this employee, and if my finding another salesperson who would work with me puts that person in jeopardy of losing their job, it is not my fault. I have done the same thing---I will not give a commission to someone who does not do their job in a professional and at least civil manner.

She was lucky to find someone who cared about her business and what she wanted. And she was smart not to be bullied. If this causes the employee to lose their job, then that in not on her. We should be able to expect some measure of decency from people who have chosen the job of customer service. And if Made In America is important to us (and it should be to every American), then a smart salesman will work with us.

[old soul]

45. You don't act in a rude manner

towards those you feel are not serving you properly.

[Curmudgeoness]

51. Trying to educate someone is rude now?

Asking for a different salesperson is rude? Not allowing someone to piss on you is rude?

My bad.

[Lex]

55. I think that one

dines on pizza soon.

[enlightenment]

56. I think you're reading a lot into the situation

that may or may not be the case. The OP is not very specific about the lack of accommodation from the salesperson - beyond "talking down" (without specific examples of what that means) and "rolling eyes", which yes, is immature and rude . . . but that was only the last straw. The real issue seems to have been the talking down to the OP; the rolling eyes was the trigger that launched the diatribe and report.

We don't know anything beyond that.

You draw from that a situation in which the OP was treated like an idiot and bullied by a horrible, unprofessional salesperson.

I didn't. Actually, I believe that suggesting bullying was going on is really over the top - the OP didn't even go there.

I think those kind of situations are rarely completely one-sided, even if all we ever know about is one side of the issue.

[Curmudgeoness]

57. It is true we only have one side.

But I have been in this same type of situation, where a salesperson will belittle me and treat my concerns with disregard. Maybe I was reading too much into the OP, and maybe I was acting on the frustrations that I have personally encountered. But I also know that people who are good at customer service know that the actions this salesman made were out of line.

My bet---there is a bigger commission on a certain model or brand that they are pushing and he was determined to push all his customers to that one.

[Honeycombe8]

71. Ditto. He's one of the workers the customer professes to care about.

She should cut the guy some slack. He's just a working stiff trying to sell a washer, and who deals with the public all day. So he rolled his eyes. Big deal. He didn't want to get into a political discussion. He's just there to sell appliances.

I've had salesmen be rude to me on occasion. It happens. No big deal. He deals with some pretty rude customers all day. Sometimes it get to 'em, I'm sure.

[JI7]

150. he rolled his eyes before she got into the politics of it

[Honeycombe8]

187. Her comment that she was only buying American was a political statement of itself.

No reason for her to state to the salesman WHY she had decided on those models from her online research.

I've done this countless times. Done my research ahead of time, then gone in with my printouts. I've never discussed with the salesman WHY I decided on those several models. Why would I? He doesn't care, and I don't care if he cares. He's there to show me appliances, and I'm there simply to buy one of the ones I've narrowed my choices down to. In fact, I don't need a salesman at all, except to explain delivery, ring it up, etc.

[JI7]

214. she was talking about a product she wanted to buy, i twas after he rolled his eyes

that she got into all the reasons for it. before she was just telling him what she wanted .

[Honeycombe8]

216. I don't wanna argue about this. Doesn't matter. But OP says he rolled his eyes when she told him

she narrowed her choices down to ONLY those because she wanted ONLY those that are made in America, and she went on how some were made elsewhere but assembled here, etc.

TMI. The guy's just there to ring up a sale, lady. He may have thought nothing at all about WHY she had narrowed her choices down...just that here was another lonely woman rambling on and on about things except which one she wanted.

I guess I'm just empathetic and considerate with sales people. They represent all the products in their store. They can't and won't say anything bad about any of them. That's his job. He's not there to chat with me, or me with him...we're not there to strike up a relationship. He's there to ring up a sale, and I'm there to buy something that I've researched beforehand. Sometimes I will ramble on, because I'm naturally chatty, but I try to watch that.

I try to think that...if I'm TRULY busy and in a hurry, and if I have things to do...I wouldn't be standing here in the Home Depot appliance department trying to have a discussion with a salesman on why I like or don't like certain things. HE DOESN'T CARE! HE DOESN'T KNOW ME! Just like I don't care what his likes and dislikes are. Leave the guy alone, and just pick a frickin' appliance and pay for it.

[JI7]

217. i have worked in sales for low wage also that's why i have no sympathy for this guy

she didn't ask him to say anything bad. you listen to what the customer wants and then show it or get it or whatever. she didn't ask him to say anything bad about anything.

[Bertha Venation]

32. Well done, tpsbmam!

I'm sorry that salesperson was such a jerk, sorry you had to put up with that.

(We bought a Bosch a couple of months ago. It took a large chunk out of our savings, but we had to have it. We made a good choice.)

[DrewFlorida]

34. Good job, and good for you for dumping the ignorant arrogant person!

You get a pat on the back for a job well done and an inspiration to us all.

Thanks.

[Ilsa]

35. You are awesome! Good luck! nt

[own your story]

39. Wow, you "totally skewered the asshole salesperson"

Go, you...

Funny, but you sound like you couldn't wait for the opportunity. Isn't Lowe's a big box like Menard's? If so, the salespeople likely DO NOT receive commissions as they used to with the department chains. So this "asshole" is likely making $8.85 an hour and may not be an expert in what he's selling. His rolling his eyes may not have been a swipe at you, per se, but more of a feeling that he didn't know enough about the product, it might have made him look inept, etc.

I sometimes encounter less-than-solicitous folk when I am out and about on a shopping trip. Having worked retail myself (for little more than minimum wage), I know that the public can be utterly vicious when dealing with clerks. Even when sales people try to help customers, there are inevitably going to be ones who are problem personalities and will get upset if the clerk doesn't give them their full attention for unlimited time, even when other customers are in need of service.

Calling names is never appropriate.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

129. Well said.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

41. Keep in mind that something assembled here might be done by prison labor.

The federal prison industry produces 100% of all military helmets, ammunition, belts, bullet proof vests, ID tags, shirts, pants, tents, bags, and canteens... 98% of the entire market for equipment assembly services; 93% of paints and paintbrushes; 92% of stove assembly; 46% of body armor; 36% of home appliances; 30% of headphones/microphones/speakers; and 21% of office furniture.

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/uwp/journal/2009/Ramm_E3.html

[progressivebydesign]

64. they get paid, and frankly they SHOULD be working in prison.

I'm kind of tired of the idea that people go to prison to lift weights, belong to gangs, and watch tv. It's good for them to work if it's available.. keep some shred of human productivity and dignity.

If we brought back labor in prison, we'd see a lot less people in prison.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

69. "If we brought back labor in prison, we'd see a lot less people in prison."

Look at the link and then look at this:

[img][/img]

Then consider the crime rate has fallen.

There's a real incentive to boost that labor force.

Money.

We now have more people per capita in prison than the old Soviet Union did at the height of it's oppression.

[eridani]

86. Prison labor wages are on the level of wages in China

Either way you are advocating the decimation of American family wage jobs.

[SoutherDem]

43. Congratulations!!

With any luck he got fired! Yeah, another American out of work. Good Job.

[old soul]

47. LOL

Like the OP, I get annoyed when I don't feel respected by a clerk but I have to put myself in their shoes and realize that at minimum wage, it's hard to be all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

[SoutherDem]

50. I feel a prerequisite to life should be

working in retail and/or food service.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

53. So you don't believe he was being rude to her?

[shawn703]

62. Chances are

The employee will only be warned by his manager, unless he has a previous pattern of this sort of behavior. I've never seen someone let go based on the complaint of one customer, since the customer could have an agenda or could just be in a bad mood themselves. While I have sympathy for people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own (layoffs, business closings, etc.,) failing to meet the requirements of the position is an acceptable reason for a business to part ways with an employee. Anyone who has worked in the customer service industry before knows that the chance for repeat business by a customer has a greater chance of being affected by bad customer service than good customer service. Same goes for word of mouth advertising. The business itself, and by extension every other employee of that business, can be hurt by allowing someone who is not qualified for their position to continue working it just for the sake of not wanting to let somebody go. If he does need to be let go, the company will most likely hire someone to replace him. Another American who was previously out of work, but now is not, and hopefully is a better fit for the position. The former employee will hopefully learn from the experience and not repeat it in the future.

[Robb]

52. Well, you sure told him, eh?

Wonder how many hours he has to work to earn the price tag on your new Bosch?

Some people's children.

[patrice]

54. GOOD work!!

[calimary]

58. Magnificent!!!

Brava!!!!!

[cottonseed]

60. The sales person is an "american product" and you shit on him.

and apparently your next move was to purchase a product from a overseas based corporation.

[jamesatemple]

61. Now, that's the ticket!

You, ma'am, are an educator...and a good one in my opinion. What would the salesman have learned if you had thanked him for his help and politely moved elsewhere in the store for assistance from someone else? Absolutely nothing! Had it not been for your teaching experience, the poor fellow might have continued for some short period alienating other customers, engendering poor recommendations for the store through word-of-mouth condemnation, risking demotion or firing, ultimately flipping hamburgers while rolling his eyes at the grill.

Now, that's not to say my suggested result won't be the fate of that particular fellow anyway. Some folks seem never to learn from experience, repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Why, I know of folks here in Texas that vote for Republicans...over and over again. I've come to believe that wisdom is the ability to recognize a mistake about the third or fourth time you make it. With any luck, you may have provided a real opportunity for the eye-roller to take your teaching experience and use it as a stepping stone to a better life for him and his future customers.

I'll nominate you for "teacher of the year". Good job!

[Cognitive_Resonance]

66. We really like our Bosch dishwasher. Quiet, efficient, does a nice job. nt

[adamuu]

68. It sounds like you had simple and clearly defined preferences,

And you were actually flexible about it, considering the limitations of the selection. That should be a salesperson's dream. It should have been easy for any decent sales person to hook you up with something. I'm glad the manager took over. Hopefully he served as an example for the junior salesperson.

[Honeycombe8]

70. Give the guy a break. He's just a working stiff trying to make a buck.

He deals with customers all day who are persnickety about this or that. And now he has one that wants only those dishwashers that are made in the USA. He is one of the middle class workers that you profess to care about.

Yeah, he was rude. But cut him some slack. It's rough dealing with the public all day. Sometimes they forget to smile, and sometimes they roll their eyes.

[JI7]

73. it would be different if he made a mistake, but this was his overall attitude towards someone

[Honeycombe8]

185. That's just how I think of it. I was a waitress for a while.

Dealing with the public can be extremely stressful, and you have to put up with a lot. I never was rude or "broke." But I can see where if you do it for years, and there you are a grown man cowtowing to the persnickiness of the general public, you might be rude on occasion. To me, it's no big deal. I cut them slack.

"No, I only want red dishwashers." "No, I only want washing machines that open to the left." "No, I only want fridges that are 35 1/4 inches wide." "No, I only want fridges that are made in Kentucky." "No, I only want vacuum cleaners that use no more than 10 amps." "No, I only want ...."

It's their job, for sure. But I can see where it might get to some of them sometimes. No big deal. They're just venting for a sec, and then they proceed to do their job.

[NYC_SKP]

77. The OP went in there with a foreign-made-goods chip on her shoulder, ready to fight.

IMHO, the poor kid saw that and, yes it was wrong, rolled his eyes.

I might have, too, back when I was a youngster working low-pay jobs if somebody came onto me like that.

In any event, the right thing to do would have been to either let it go or, better still, take a moment to enlighten the lad, who probably doesn't read much news, and who probably wasn't born back when America had a manufacturing base.

I'm with you, Honeycombe8.

[AngryOldDem]

79. I see it as one more self-congratulatory "I-put-a-Freeper-in-his-place" post.

Second one of these I've read today.

But if it makes her feel like she's taught the guy a lesson, good on her.

[NYC_SKP]

81. Yeah, I saw that other one. Too bad that this kid didn't learn a thing.

When you insult someone they immediately shut down any ability to appreciate what you're saying, if indeed there's anything being said worth listening to.

The OP wrote:

I told him I wanted a salesperson with at least 1/2 a brain and rolled away.... ... Needless to say, I totally skewered the asshole salesperson.

So I see it as bullying. Poor kid.

It could have been a teachable moment.

[Honeycombe8]

188. Except she didn't say he was a kid. Most appliance salesmen I've dealt with have been older. nt

[Honeycombe8]

186. The "buy 'Murican" is the freeper position, usually. That's what's ironic. nt

[RKP5637]

135. That's what I think, was the kid had absolutely no idea about American

"versus" foreign made products ... and grew up not thinking about this at all, and just glad to have a job.

[Honeycombe8]

189. True enough. Except she didn't say he was a kid. Most appliance salesman I've dealt with have been

older men.

[RKP5637]

192. She didn't did she. Somehow kid crept into the replies. Yep, same here,

"Most appliance salesman I've dealt with have been older men." Interesting, just thinking, funny, I have never had a woman sell me an appliance, I've never even seen a woman as an appliance salesperson. ... just started thinking about that ...

[jillan]

108. You put the nail on the head what is wrong with businesses these days. I always worked in customer

service and we were trained to treat each and every customer like they were the most important customer of the day.

Now being rude to customers is okay??

I am old enough to remember when you could walk into a business and receive good customer service.
Now employees act like they are doing you a favor when they help you.

[heaven05]

74. great job

kids today are dumbed down to frightening degree. Most have no social responsibility or conscience. great job though

[AverageJoe90]

101. We younger folks deserve more credit than that........

Yes, many are indeed dumbed down....but there's a lot more people who are socially responsible than you might think.

[JI7]

75. i bet he wouldn't have rolled his eyes if someone had asked the Same Question

but they were not a disabled older female.

and for those trying to make this into some treat customer service workers well thing. the customer did treat him well. she went in asking about a product she was interested in buying from there. it's not like she went in asking about something that had nothing to do with what they sold. it's not like she was asking in a rude manner either.

the guy might have assumed she wasn't going to buy anything because of those 3 characteristics i mentioned at the top. so didn't want to deal with it. that makes him the one who is wrong.

[BadGimp]

76. Proud of you TPS!

Good ON YOU!

[mainer]

82. I searched for US-made products to bring as gifts to China...

and could hardly find a thing, because everything was made in China.

[SheilaT]

83. So rolling his eyes is such a hugely awful thing to do

that it justifies your flying off the handle and giving this person a lecture.

Have you EVER worked retail?

Try it.

Yeah, rolling the eyes at a customer is someone less than sterling customer service, but having had more than my share of jobs waiting on the public, rude customers far outnumber rude service clerks.

Something about two wrongs, but I just can't quite figure out the rest of it.

[progree]

87. Yes it is. I'm nearly 60 and have never had a salesperson / customer service type roll their eyes

me or be demeaning in any way. And you assume Sheila T was a rude customer by simply saying the only models she will consider are those made in America and got an eyes roll in response??????? (After the eyes roll response, then her full blast lecture was fitting, and her full blast lecture was proper).

[SheilaT]

98. I am over 60 myself, and I have never gotten an eye roll response

when I've told a salesperson exactly what I want.

Quite frankly, the way the OP is written, she went off IMMEDIATELY and in such a way, that it quite frankly sounds to me like a bit of a rude customer. You walk in (or wheelchair in as in this case) and start off by being demanding and rude, an eye roll response isn't that bad.

I'm thinking of another saying about sugar and honey. How does that one go?

Yeah, sometimes the salespeople are less than helpful, sometimes they are rude themselves, but again, being that rude back (and it does sound like rudeness to me) is hardly the best way to get good customer service.

I will note that on the genuinely positive side, a manager did everything she wanted and she wound up with the appliance she wanted.

[progree]

99. I don't agree that she started out wrong - she might have, but I don't see that in the OP

Last edited Sat Aug 4, 2012, 11:22 PM - Edit history (1)

I still don't get what's even the slightest bit rude and demanding about asking for something Made In America.

I have never gotten an eye roll response when I've told a salesperson exactly what I want.

Good for you. Have you ever gotten an eye roll response when you don't quite know what you want (the usual case when one needs help from a salesperson)? I haven't either way. Is wanting something made in America not knowing exactly what one wants and therefore worthy of an eye roll? I'm confused.

[SheilaT]

138. She got an eye roll response and jumped all over the salesperson.

Strikes me as something of an overreaction.

[progree]

190. I don't agree. Sorry. Like I said, I never have gotten an eye roll response or any such nt

[BlueJazz]

84. If the worker at Lowes doesn't know the requirements of the job, maybe he should...

...look for work elsewhere as he obviously can't perform in the service industry. It's too complicated for him.

I stand with you tpsbmam

[cstanleytech]

85. If you had already done your research why hadnt you gone online and have them

ship it to your house?

[JI7]

97. high shipping cost ?

maybe op wants to see it in person or talk to sales people about it ?

[cstanleytech]

142. Nope, they ship the items to the stores then delivery them for free or atleast they did when

we bought one last year and I just checked and they still have free shipping.

[JI7]

152. she said she is disabled so maybe wants to see in person whether

it would be something she could use easily.

[cstanleytech]

166. I guess that could be it though its odd since dishwashers are pretty much the same in fuction

and design with the biggest difference between them being the materials used in the construction.

[knitter4democracy]

89. So, you chose a German company instead of the Michigan company.

Um, yeah. The emergency manager law is from the MI GOP and the fascist governor, not Whirlpool. Whirlpool has closed almost all of its plants and has been moving production to Mexico, but you had the chance to buy one at least assembled in Michigan and whose management is in Michigan (forget the CEO, I agree, but it's not like upper management consists entirely of 1%ers).

As a Michigander, let me just say that I'm nonplussed (I'd cuss you out, but that's not polite). We're trying to survive up here after a massive manufacturing sector meltdown, you say you're pro-union and pro-made-in-the-u.s. and then buy a German dishwasher because it was made in the south in a non-union shop. Whatever.

[mountain grammy]

100. so many of us have held some kind of service job a good part of our lives.

Face it, most jobs now are service jobs from minimum wage on up the scale. Walmart is the largest employer, oops, job creator in the country. I know people with college degrees flipping burgers. The economy is the great eqalizer of the 99%. It's the giant, multinational corporations who set the standard, rather lack of standard, for wages, benefits, and working conditions, and they're not really interested in a smaller bottom line so the workers at the bottom can maintain a decent standard of living. The clerk's rudness was wrong, but glad you came out satisfied, and good on you for trying to buy American. That's work these days.

[Digit]

103. I am with you on this

I actually enjoy sales. I have been in sales for a very, very long time and some people are just lousy dealing with people. There are other types of jobs they would be more suited for that do not involve customer service. I would not tolerate a salesperson with a condescending attitude towards me and one rolling their eyes would be over the top.
I would have left and made my purchase elsewhere.

[jillan]

115. I know that this is only a small part of what happened but Lowes has a reputation for being

rude to women.

I am a DIYer, in my mid-50s and I feel like I am invisible in Lowes. Or talked down to. It's so frustrating because I enjoy home improvement projects & know more than my soon-to-be-ex does - but he's a guy.

Out of frustration one day I brought this up to some other women and could not believe they felt the same way.

I go to Home Depot or Ace whenever I can. At least there I am treated like a customer, not some stupid old woman.


Hugs to you - you gave that guy something to think about.

[MyTwoSense]

123. And people complain about Walmart...

If you want specialty, why go to a big box store? Lowes and Home Depot may have a lot of items, but not a lot of variety in a particular line of items. If I had a specific list of requirements, I'd go to a specialty appliance store. Sure you can get paint at Home Depot. But if you've got specific needs, why not take the time to go to a Rodda or Sherman-Williams store? Would have saved a lot of angst.

[midnight]

125. You bring up some really good tips about shopping.... I'm sorry to hear about this salesperson's

inability to provide better communication-rolling of the eyes-yikes..... But you did the right thing by looking for someone else to assist you.... But I specially like your input about which CEO employees US workers....

[apples and oranges]

131. Poor guy might have been having a bad day, but with any luck, he's fired now

On another note, how is this display different from the Chic Fil A incident? Is it because the CFA worker smiled while being lectured and talked down to instead of rolling her eyes?

[JI7]

154. in the chick fila case the guy started it, so even if she had been rude to him after he started it

i would probably defend her.plus this guy was trying to talk to her about something that has nothing to dowith her job.

in the case of the OP , the guy was being rude to her for discussing something related to his job. she didn't go in and demand someone who was older/younger, different race, dressed different or anything else that has nothing to do with his job. she discussed a product she wanted to buy from that business. no excuse for what he did. i don't care if he was having a bad day.

i have worked for low wage in service industry and it's not even about customer service as just not being an asshole.

[snooper2]

132. oh, you're one of those people

[RKP5637]

133. Sorry to hear you had a rough time at Lowe's. I recently bought a

dishwasher there and had good results with the sales guy. I needed one with a specific clearance for a low counter. He did a lot of searching, made some phone calls to the supply house and located one. Bosch makes a good dishwasher from what I've heard.

[Tribetime]

158. He's probably making minimum wage with no benefits

not to excuse his behavior ..the customer is always right. I'm sure his life isn't a walk in the park either.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

159. Preaches about supporting American workers.

Then treats American workers like shit.....

How progressive of you.

You went in looking for a fight at the expense of a retail worker making 9 bucks an hour. Find someone else to take your aggression out on.

[JI7]

163. being an American Worker doesn't excuse one for being an asshole

[ForgoTheConsequence]

165. You're right.

But neither does being the consumer, which is a far more prevalent problem in this country. Entitlement has lead to rudeness.

[pacalo]

169. More American consumers need to have your resolve -- props to you!

[B Calm]

172. These are the kind of stories I like

to hear! Bravo tpsbmam, you sound a lot like me!!!

[alphafemale]

173. You went into an Ayn Rand style monologue against a wage slave? Nice Job!

If you did all the research you claim you did why didn't you just find a store that had the model you were looking for and go pick it up?

That's what I do with every major purchase.

Every major store has a web site. If the store sells the model but it is not in stock they can have it in a few days.

Saves aggravation for everybody.

[sendero]

175. I don't think a salesperson..

... should be rude. However, I do not take the actions of one low level employee as indicative of the whole company's attitude either.

We buy a LOT of stuff at Lowes. They mess up on occassion. Recently, we had ordered some tile and grout for our contractor to pick up the next day. It was supposed to be ready at 10:00 AM. Our guy arrived at noon and the order wasn't ready. He had to wait an hour for them to pull it. Not good, but what came after was even worse. We had ordered 4 bags of grout of a particular color. Well, they pulled one bag of the wrong color, and guess what, that was the first bag our tile installer used. So he's laid 300 feet of tile with the wrong color grout.

We were livid. My wife went to Lowes and asked to talk to a manager. She politely but firmly told them that they screwed up and that their screwup was costing us money. Long story short, we got all our grout for free plus $150 (in cash) as compensation for our labor costs.

Lowes is not perfect and certainly any store that you do a lot biz with will mess up from time to time. They made is as right as possible and the funny thing is we would up liking the "mistake" grout color better anyway

[Iggy]

176. The Customer is Always Wrong

My GF and I have had so many piss poor experiences with customer service the last
few months it's beyong astonishing:

1.) being served warm beer in a restaurant, telling the waitress, & being told by
her, "well, the other customers like it". code for: the other customers didn't have
the balls to complain

2.) being served a hamburger (originally ordered cooked medium) so over cooked
it resembled a piece of shoe leather.

corporations bitch and moan about high taxes, blah, blah, blah... I wonder if they
focused on customer service, their business would grow considerably-- because
almost nobody gives a crap about this any more

[Warren Stupidity]

178. Bosh makes good stuff.

I didn't know they assembled here.

Eventually our wage structure will sink to equivalence with asia's, and then some manufacturing will return here, but basically under the current system we are done as a manufacturing base for the global market. The process that started in the 70s is reaching its end.

[earthbone]

180. Bosch dishwasher

I got a Bosch dishwasher only because they make excellent car parts.What a mistake.
[A] it has a smell that wont go away.It smells like a dumpster and i have tried everything to eliminate it.
the silverware tray is top heavy it will fall over no mater what is in it, even empty.
[C] The bottom tray has no stop.if you pull too hard the tray will roll right out onto the floor.it is constantly falling off its track.
[D]The top tray has all these little extra dividers and such but they do nothing but get in the way.
Bosch should stick with car parts cause their dishwasher is a pile of junk.

[Violet_Crumble]

182. I'd suggest you do all yr purchasing online and do an anger management course...

Reading what you posted, you need the latter, and purchasing online would save any other shop assistants from bullying...

'He's standing there with a bemused look on his face and I want to run over him with the Lowe's electric cart I'm using!
I told him I wanted a salesperson with at least 1/2 a brain and rolled away.
Needless to say, I totally skewered the asshole salesperson.'

My father was verbally abusive when I was a kid. He mainly stuck to aiming it at my mother, but his other target was salespeople. He'd tell them they were stupid and had no brains when they didn't give him the answer he wanted when he wanted it. Please don't be like him. A far more civil and constructive way to deal with a situation where you or the other person is getting frustrated is to ask politely to speak to a manager. Just do that and give the abusing the salesperson and wanting to run them over bit a big miss. That's the mature thing to do...

[JVS]

183. You were right to go to the manager. I've been in sales and we all know that being rude is...

a great way to lose a sale and the commission that goes with it.

[Iggo]

191. Doesn't matter if they agree with you or not.

If you want the American made model, it's their job to bust their ass getting it for you.

[txwhitedove]

194. Hope you didn't tell him you are a Democrat. Perhaps your own computer searches BEFORE

shopping would have helped. I love and stand by Lowe's as a contributor to democratic candidates. Hard to find appliances totally "made" in USA because that means even the parts have to be made in USA and not just assembled.

Fridgedaire 24" built-in: "Built with American Pride. Appliances that are high-performing, more accessible, and more innovative than ever—designed, built, and engineered in the U.S.A." But that isn't even all Fridgedaires. I'll bet even the average Joe salesperson would have to look all that up.

Kudos to you for shopping "made in USA", but an F in behaviour.

[MyTwoSense]

199. About that television...

Can't wait for the next scintillating episode of "Service People Need To Please Me" as our shopper attempts to finally replace her crapped out television with an American-made one.

[WCIL]

209. I have been the victim of the "get me someone with a brain" request

What the general public needs to understand about places like Lowe's, Penneys, Target, Kohls, etc. is that no one knows anything about the merchandise we sell. The company is not going to waste $7.50 and hour teaching us in the back about the different models. They teach us how to run the cash register and how to push you to get the real product we sell - credit cards.

There is no excuse for a customer to roll their eyes at you, and I won't offer one. Asking for someone with at least 1/2 a brain was not very kind on your part, either. Most salespeople want sincerely to help you, but we can't give you knowledge we were never given in the first place.

[Light worker on duty]

210. The more I think about it

the more appalling it is.

Inconvenient truth #1: You wanted to "buy American" at a big box store. WTF is up with that?! Big boxes are like Wal-Mart--how in bloody hell do you think they can offer such rock-bottom prices, honey?

Inconvenient truth #2: You lectured the (most likely) minimum-wage salesperson about American-made goods on the floor of a big box! I don't blame him for rolling his eyes at you! You're obviously a piece of work!

Inconvenient truth #3: You ASSumed all this crap about what he saw when he looked at you: "disabled," "woman," "50s or 60s."

Inconvenient truth #4: You proceeded to insult him. You had no actual proof that he was dissing you but you went ahead and ASSumed the worst.

Now who was acting like an asshole again?

[demwing]

215. Not sure, but why

would poster old soul, with only 12 posts, need to create you as a sock puppet?

[NYC_SKP]

219. both identities are PPRed.

But I TOTALLY agree with Light worker on duty's last post #210.

They NAILED it!

[ohsayusa]

226. Gap Stores

I did something similar at the Gap and other clothing places. I've been walking in asking to see everything available Made in the USA. The salesperson always gives me a shocked expression and freezes. When I'm been asked about it I explain the list of reasons, job creation, quality control for products etc.

There seems to be a big gap in knowledge for people under 35. They do not remember anything being Made in the USA nor understand why it matters. It's the 40+ group that seems to care and that makes it harder to explain since it is typical to "not listen to adults."

I don't have answers that will change the attitude of the youth other than making America "cool." If the young designers keep their products in the USA and promote that fact the association will creep back into the youth consciousnesses.

--Sherry Holdridge, CEO
http://www.ohsayusa.com