How's this for customer service?

[muscati]

We were in City Center yesterday and we decided to go into Carrefour to check out the deals. While we there we decided to get our weekly magazine supply. I was flicking through Time magazine when a guy in a tie came up to me and told me that I'm not allowed to read. I told him that I'm buying, I just wanted to see inside the magazine. He repeats that I'm not allowed to read. I pointed at my wife and said "do you see how many magazines she has in her hand, we're not here just to browse." The guy says "can't you see it's written that you can't read the magazines". I said if you don't let me browse the magazine before I buy it then we won't buy anything, and he just looked at me coldly and said "as you like". So I told my wife to return all her magazines. He just went about doing his work as if nothing had happened while she returned them.

How's this for great customer service?

Usually, if the sign is there, I dont flick through. I wouldn't blame him for telling you to respect their policies (or follow their 'rules') but I would blame those who came up with the stupid policy. Why do they do that anyway?

[Dabdoob_Al_Helwa]

Well i havent experienced any such thing as of yet! I usually am good at getting my own way anyways <img src="/threads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[vagabond]

The staff got message through. May be , he could have done it differently.

There must be a zilion people who browse and leave the magazines. This policy is made for all because of these zillion people. If you are going to buy, why not buy and browse to your heart's content on a sofa in the aisle.

I think if you run a shop, you will also have the same policy, I am sure. Otherwise, let it be a free library and forget about making profit.

[Nomad]

Muscati,

I was there yesterday on my way to buy a portable CD player. I saw the guy and asked him how much it costs coz the price wasnt in the display. I wasn't wearing a dishdasha, (might sound insignificant) so he ignored me and looked around. I thought, wtf!? I asked him again, and he wasn't even paying attention so I asked again and the same result. I thought F$c$ being nice, I grabbed him by the shirt, pulled him to the diplay and asked in Arabic, how much is this? He said 45. I then asked him, was that hard? He looked at me with a blank stare...I said, I asked you three times already but you were ignoring me, now I want to buy this so get it for me and don't waste my time. He then gave it to the lady at the electronic Items counter and she scanned it and said 45 rials. I gave her my debit card and she was like, are you buying this? I said No...she looked confused. I said, its for that guy (random person standing next to the counter). She looked even more confused.

I mean would I be giving you a card if it wasnt for me? Hello! Anybody Home?!

I mean I bought it in the end. I would have given the manager so much S$it, but I was in a rush. One place that NEEDS customer services is Carrefoure!

[muscati]

Vagabond, I wasn't writing about the policy of not allowing people to browse through magazines before buying them. What I wrote was about the employee's attitude and rudeness. But if you want to discuss the issue of magazine and/or book browsing then you should look at the example of Barnes Noble stores in the US which started a trend that all book stores are following around the world. Barnes Noble (BN) built mega book stores which have a huge selection of books and magazines. The stores have comfortable chairs all around as well as Starbucks coffeeshops. You are allowed to browse any book or magazine you like and no one will ever ask you if you are going to buy it. In fact they say they don't mind it even if you come in and read a whole book in their store. The result: book sales increased.

Carrefour isn't a bookstore of course. I know the face problems with people who come in with no intention of buying magazines and just abuse them to the point that they become crumpled and then no one wants to buy them. I understand why they have a no browsing policy. But you can't be the same with all your customers. Someone who is just flipping through the pages of magazine just to see its contents isn't the same as someone who's holding a magazine with a tight clench wrinkling the page.

Anyhow, I wish this was my only bad experience at Carrefour Muscat, but it isn't. I've had three or four different bad experiences. The replies that we had in this topic which disappeared when the server crashed showed that others agree that the customer service is lacking in this hypermarket. It's sad. And even sadder that the management don't care and nothing will be done to change it.