Originally published on July 11, 2009.
It’s a very rare day that we complain about our customers. After all, without customers, Frankly Wines would just be a very expensive wine closet. But occasionally, a customer walks in that just rubs us the wrong way.
Now I can hear you out there, thinking “those wine snobs, making fun of poor, unsuspecting customers that come in and ask innocently silly questions. That’s why wine has such a bad rap as an elitist’s drink. That’s why I just stick to beer!”
Now I can’t speak for other stores, but at Frankly Wines, we like to talk about wine. What you may think of as a silly question, we think of as an opportunity to talk about wine. And it’s a very rare customer who can annoy us by talking about wine.
No, the rubbing the wrong way usually has very little to do with the specifics of wine retail. That Customer would likely annoy anyone working in any retail establishment, regardless of what they’re selling. That Customer would likely annoy anyone, period.
You really don’t want to be That Customer. It’s just not polite.With that background in place, the Frankly Wines blog will kick off a recurring feature about That Customer. It will do nothing to increase your wine knowledge or increase our sales. But it could help make the world a kinder, better place.
Here we go:
That Customer #1Customer #1 walks into the store. It’s a small store and there’s only one person manning (or in this case, wommaing) the shop. I greet the customer, asks if he needs any help. He doesn’t. The phone rings. It’s a customer checking on a delivery for later that afternoon. Our conversation takes less than a minute during which the word “delivery” is probably stated 10 times.
During this less-than-a-minute conversation, That Customer comes to the counter to ask a question. I try to give the universal “be right with you” sign, which he doesn’t notice. He doesn’t really seem to notice I’m on the phone. Clearly talking to another customer about a delivery. Not talking to my mother. Not talking to a friend. Not yapping away for an extended period of time, like, oh, more than 45 seconds. Not talking on a phantom blue tooth ear piece in which case I could just be crazy and not actually, clearly, obviously talking on the phone about a delivery.
Nope, he asks his question loudly. Then asks it again. Loudly. Sort of like my 5 year-old, who is, well, 5 years old. I smile, wrap up the last 5 seconds of my delivery conversation and answer his question, smiling, smiling, smiling.
Now I get it. It’s annoying if you’re in a store being ignored while the person behind the counter yaps away on the phone. But there’s perhaps a shade of difference between that situation and someone who greets you, asks if you need any help, and then has to take a 45-second phone call from another customer with a question.
Most customers notice the difference. Most customers have the patience to wait out a quick phone call. That Customer, not so much.
Please, don’t be That Customer.