Am I invisible?

I've been waiting here twenty minutes now. Just me....no one else. There's three employees behind the deli-counter. One is slicing cold cuts and the other two are chatting to each other. I clear my throat....trying to get their attention. I even say excuse me and I'm totally ignored! What the F%*#! is going on? Do they NOT see me? It's like I don't exist!! Well after 5 more minutes......I decided to walk out. I did make it obvious that I was there! They even looked RIGHT at me! Anyone else ever have this problem?

[Edited on 09/08/2002 by MountainStar]

That has never happened to me, but if it did I would go nuts. Stuff like that makes me so mad. They clearly see that you are there, but they don't even do anything. If I was in that situation, I would have went behind the counter and got the meat myself. You WERE trying to get meat right?

oohh yeaa this has happened to me a few trimes as well....
Its almost like you inturupting there social life...
Makes me very mad,

Now if that happenes i just start shouting out my order.

Well, a nice sonic boom, Earth Shattering "EXCUSE MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" seems to do the trick with these kind of dolts.

I went to get my oil changed one day. There were 6 bays with only one car, leaving 5 empty bays. It wasn't busy at all. There were at least 5 employees. They were all attending the only car in the whole place. I drove past them and pulled into the parking lot. I walked past all the bays and went into the office area to look at the prices. There was no one in the office, they were all still at the only car in the place ! I waited for 5 minutes. Then 10 minutes. They kept looking towards the office, but no one came to see if I wanted their business. I could have taken the cash register if I was a thief. After 15 minutes, I stepped back out and a car pulled into the parking lot. Two of them walked over to the car and asked the driver to pull into the next available bay. I stared directly at the guy who spoke to the driver, and he actually looked away. I asked him wtf was up with that? No one responded. I was not irate until that moment. I had waited patiently for them to acknowledge my existence to no avail. Had I become invisible? To this day I wonder what exactly transpired that day. I went on to another oil changing establishment and they promptly greeted me as soon as I drove up. They got double the tip I would have given the other place.

We were at Applebee's one night and we sat for at least ten mins waiting for a waitress...
They were all sitting a table playing azs grab with eachother! I was getting irate sitting there waiting for menus and such, and still nothing, so we got up and left. That's the problem when you hire idiots to run your job. No skin off our backs. The restaurant just lost out on money, she lost out on a tip, we always tip graciously, so their loss, not ours.
But it really does piss me off!!

I wanted some freak'in popcorn chicken and a salad
BangorangRufio. Hell..... it was already made up too. It would have taken 2 seconds of their time.

i tend to become invisible in Home Depot especially when wearing jeans and t-shirt. I wonder if it is the location that is effecting my density. I could be right next the associate speaking and for some reason they don't see me or even hear me. I wonder if this would happen to me in all Home Depots or just this particular location....or could it be the clothes, because when i wear shorts to home depot...a few of them actually sees me....hmmmmmm.

seriously the # pisses me off.

Geez, that never happenned to me, and I'm damn glad it didn't. Else I would become a little paranoiac.

People tend to serve me right away. In fact, they seem to want to close the deal as soon as possible, so I can go away.Some even seem afraid to turn their back on me. Lol...

Maybe I scare people.
I bet the skin-head hair cut as something to do with it.

Not that Im an expert or anything, but the morons at male dominated places seem not to notice women untill thier husband comes along, because he knows what he wants. Not to say that any of you were at fault or wrong but I know why it happens (some times)! Last summer I worked at Canadian tire at the auto desk, the horrors of that job are too much to list. The problem SOME women and very few men have is that they don't LOOK like they know what they want! They would think I'd help them if they politely looked worried or confused, any time I did, they had no clue what they wanted or didn't have the info needed (paint codes, 4stroke or 2 stroke oil).

My advice would be to feel sure of what you want and make sure your face looks focused, not worriesom or confused. If no one comes to serve you, look them in the eye and stare, not in anger, but as if to say " Im done thinking, I need assistance".
I know you shouldn't need to act a certain way to get help, but being polite and waiting for assistance just doesn't work for some people anymore. Some places rely on friendly service to get people to come back and those places are new or are run by people not looking to make a quick buck.

Not everyone is as happy to be doing their job as you may be doing yours.

Often times, they get payed, regardless of if you get helped or not.

I have been in that situation... Worked at a pizza place, and it was hell.

So instead of helping people, I would just sit in the back and watch them come, and go, and ring the bell, and go "EXCUSE ME" all the while I contemplated crashing my car into the oven, blowing the place all to hell.

If you are pissed off that someone isnt doing their job, just call the manager/come in the next day to talk to the manager.. No one ever called on me, but im sure you can get some free stuff/someone fired, if that what you want.


*shrug*

I've got plenty of lifetime in customer service work of various sorts, so I suppose you could call me, for want of a better word, a "lifer", so in a way I consider that I've earned my doctorate in customer service lol.

The thing is. There IS no excuse for out and out blatant ignoring a customer. Ever. If this is indeed what those people were doing. You take the job you are hired for. And that in HUGE part is placating the customer and pretty much putting on a gigantic act. As if you are an actor/actress on a stage. Most physical work in customer service work is nothing. I think most of us who do this work would agree that it's the emotional mental that takes the toll. It's not always easy to set aside personal problems and what not when you're at work, but what makes it doable for me is to remember that when I'm up there on the front line, I'm on a stage and while I am naturally an outgoing and friendly person, sometimes it really DOES have to become an act. Like if I have PMS or whatever.

Most customers are a pleasure to serve, but there are those that you want to seriously bitch-slap out the door and these are the ones where it becomes really hard to keep that fake smile plastered on.

But on the whole, I would say that your average customer who needs to be waited on and taken care of doesn't deserve to be ignored. Ever. You do the best you can because it does YOU good to know that you did your best. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. Yeh, I know it's a cliche, but it is SO true.

To the topic at hand though: If those girls who you say were chatting and ignoring you were genuinely ignoring you, I can understand your ire. I've never ignored ANYBODY who's walked into the places I've worked.

BUT....I have been in the middle of conversations about work, and stuff that needed to be done when someone has walked in and immediately demanded we stop our needless "chitchat" and insist on being served two nanoseconds after they've walked in the door. THIS is rude on the customers part, as most customers I've found don't understand that we have OTHER things to do to keep the place of business open, that don't involve actually serving them. IE. prep work, paperwork etc.

Solution:

Ask to speak to the manager, in a FIRM but unemotional tone. When the manager comes explain the situation in a calm, firm voice and speak of the terrible service you received and that you are a regular customer(even if you are not), and that you have always received stellar treatment in the past(managers feel guilty if you are a previously satisfied customer and didn't get consistent treatment) You will end up getting star treatment and free stuff and whenever you go back the employees will know to acknowledge you. Works EVERY time.


[Edited on 5-6-2004 by Narnia]

Yeah, that will work too Narnia, but why try to teach a greedy money loving biz a new trick (other then getting free stuff-lol).

Half the time its the way CDN tire was set up and the MANY responsiblitys and lazy/bitter co-workers that were the problem. Then theres the paging system button: customer assistance to (LONG pause) automotive... it repeats this again in a some what forced perky female voice the 2nd time as well.....arrrrrgh!

BTW KayEm, I love the JasonX A.I. avatar, its just something about the smile and the rest of the latex warrior image burned in my mind!

Thanks XL...yeh..I think KayEm is one of the coolest movie characters around

Hey , you guys need to check out this thread

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I think I became tempoarily invisible today. I was waiting at the counter at my local woolworths, and the girl behind the counter finished serving the man in front of me. When he walked away, she looked straight at me , looked me in the eye, and as I opened my mouth to speak, she turned round and started chatting to this other girl behind the counter. I would have called after her, but I was dumbstruck! after a very short while another girl came and served me.
I just don't get some people.
i work in a shop myself, and I will practically jump through hoops to make each customer feel valued.
Was I invisible to her or was she just downright rude I wonder??

Ive worked at your run of the mill minimum wage jobs, and I understand the frustration but also what causes it.

When your nerves are worn down by constant bitching by old people (if you work at Boston Market), you come to loathe the customer.

If they're ignoring me, I get pretty aggressive in my attention-getting. If they're deep in personal conversation and ignoring me, I listen for a moment and jump right in, then when they look at me like "Oh no you di-int!" I say that since they weren't getting into my business I figured I'd take a moment to get into theirs. *L*

Wish I could say it's young people or old people or women, etc... but it seems to be in just about any job that requires waiting on/helping someone. I wonder if it's a pay issue....

Its not a pay issue, most times its ethier a rudness issue or an I hate my job or I don't care that does it.

Just gotta get all up in that ass, so to speak. Yo you going to take my order or what meng?

I don't give a # if they are getting payed in dog feces, do your damn job before I cut your head off and call it art.