Would you have been upset?
I never, ever post on Saturday nights, but I'm sort of irritated right now, and I'm curious to get my readers' input. So, here's my first ever Saturday evening post (boy, that has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it??).
Today we signed all the kids up for the library club, and when you do that, you get a coupon for a free kid's meal at Chik-Fil-A. So, we decided that we'd all just go there for dinner tonight. The kids ate completely free, plus my husband got a free milk shake (Chick-Fil-A was giving free milk shakes to dads in honor of Father's Day).
Anyways, afterwards we decided to stop in at Goodwill (a different one than my usual Goodwill) to browse around for fun. I found a pair of Union Bay bermuda shorts that were my size and were in fairly good used condition. All the shorts at this store are marked $3.25, and I'd have been happy to pay $3.25 for this pair except for the fact that they were missing an essential button: the one above the zipper. I figured I would probably be able to scrounge one up somewhere, so I walked over to the checkout counter, explained the problem, and asked the employee if she could possibly mark them down. At my regular Goodwill, the employees are very nice about this. If there's something wrong with the item, they've always been gracious enough to mark it down for me.
Not this employee. In a less-than-gracious voice she said, "No. You can buy a button anywhere." I thought maybe she was joking, but nope, she was dead serious.
I was a little taken aback, but after ascertaining that she was indeed not going to budge, I said that I didn't want to buy the shorts, hung them up, and walked out.
I know $3.25 isn't a lot to pay for shorts, but the thing is, it doesn't seem right to charge the same price for shorts that have all their buttons and for shorts that don't. You wouldn't expect to pay the same price for a picture frame with broken glass as you would for one with glass that was intact, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect some price lowering on a pair of shorts that is currently unwearable. I think I might have been less annoyed if she'd been nicer about it, but her manner left a lot to be desired.
I did like the shorts fairly well, so I will probably make a stop back in to that Goodwill sometime next week in hopes that the crabby employee will not be working. Or, if I happen to remember, I might stop back in on the last Saturday of the month (next Saturday) when all the clothing is 50% off.
Anyways, I'm wondering what you seasoned thrift store shoppers think about this. Maybe I'm overreacting because I'm a fairly new Goodwill shopper, and if I am, you can feel free to tell me. 😉
Edited to add: The shorts were a bit on the weathered end of things, and Iwasn't over the moon about how they fit me. If they'd been in really good shape or had been amazingly comfy, I probably would have been more prone to buy them anyways. But, since they were kinda faded and missing a button, I felt differently.
I think I would have just bought the shorts.
I think this is a case where you might have let your anger make things more difficult for you. If she had been really nice about it and said "I'm so sorry but we're not allowed to change the prices" you probably would have bought them (given that you're thinking about going back). Now you have to make another trip (which is time and money). I would have bought them though been equally as annoyed as you are.
The only time I walked out on a rude salesperson was in a furniture store (where they work on commission). I sneaked back in 5 minutes and grabbed another salesperson. Other than a commission place I would just grin and deal with the rude person.
I would not have bought the shorts. My store is the same though, they mark all the clothes the same regardless of condition and do not mark down for defects. I have always been jealous of people with good will stores who will mark down.
I never buy second hand goods that are defective unless I feel that I can repair it and still feel that I have saved money. Just becasue I shop used doesn't mean I buy junk. I have learned that over the years. I never shop where the sales people are rude no matter where I go. Why give me money somewhere I have been treated badly? Also, I would have spoken to the manager. Perhaps they would have marked it down, perhaps not, but at least you would have felt you had had some closure. It is helpful to note that the employees of Goodwill perhaps are not going to be the models of customer service as at regular retail stores. You get what you pay for 🙂
I wouldn't have bought the shorts but not really because she wasn't lower the price but because of her attitude. I refuse to shop in stores where employees are rude or nasty. I have left carts full of items because of nasty employees. I worked and managed retail stores and while everyone is human and has a bad day, they have no right to take it out on innocent shoppers. It doesn't matter if it's a $1 or a $1,000. Kindness can go a long way. You weren't nasty with her.
I think you are overreacting. The proceeds from the sale of items at goodwill go to fund programs that service the mentally challenged and provide job training skills for those who need them. Likely that the person you talked to was just rude and could use some assistance with her customer service skills. That being said the items for sale are there to help out this charitable organization. I am a 20 plus year goodwill shopper. I buy or do not buy, but I don't ask for discounts.
First of all, each store is probably under different management, and the employees may or may not have the authority to make a discount decision. Secondly, replacing a button on a pair of shorts is not an expensive, big deal unlike replacing glass in a picture frame. Lastly, remember that the second hand stores raise money for charity. It's not just about the good deal you get. It's also about the good dead the money earned is used for.
Considering you probably could have just pulled a button off of a piece of your own clothing too worn to wear anymore, or that doesn't fit you or a family member anymore, I think you were just being a bit "cheap". After all, $3.25 for a nice pair of shorts that fit well is already a huge bargain!
My local thrift stores do mark down for defective merchandise if you ask. I bought a pair of pants at a consignment store last year that had a little stain on the side. I thought I could get out the stain but I figured I would ask for a discount. They were on the clearance rack for $2.00 and I was able to get them for $1.00. Another time, I was in a salvation army store and bought a shirt for my daughter that had a little pull. I got the item for $.50. Both times, I spoke to the owner or manager. At the salvation army store, the sales clerk asked the manager if the item could be discounted. He allowed the discount. Maybe at your Goodwill Store, the sales clerk was not allowed to take markdowns. I would have not bought the pair of shorts, either. The attitude of the sales clerk would have made me angry. Some people should not work in a customer service position, your sales clerk seems to be one of those who should be in another job. I would go back when you are in the area and talk to the manager about a markdown.
I would totally walk out - like you I would be annoyed and thinking about going back and trying a different sales person or just do without the shorts. If they can't give mark downs than she could have just said so politly, there is no reason for bad manners!
It depends how much I liked the shorts...I'd be annoyed at the rudeness, but might have bought them anyways if I really liked the item.
I think this has NOTHING to do with shorts or money. It has to do with rudeness. I do not deal with rude people...period! I would have done the same thing. I applaud you for making a point. HOWEVER, I believe that people like this sometimes don't care what anyone else thinks about them. I believe in the Golden Rule...and that kindness goes a long way. Rude people will have a higher power to report to some day...
Hmmm, lots of differing opinions so far! I can see the point of making another trip for something that you could have purchased tonight. But that would have shown the salesperson that her behavior was okay. Had you bought the shorts she simply would have thought (or said) "no discount really needed, you bought them anyway so why'd you even ask me?" Without the rudeness it's easy to say "oh well, I guess I'll take them anyway", but to buy the shorts in your situation would have merely shown a tolerance for rude people. For which I have none, so completely understand the Saturday night post!
I just returned a $2.99 item to my local Goodwill. When I went to the store the salesclerk (who had previously been very nice when I was buying other goods) was rather put out by the request. With some shortness she asked wouldn't I rather just find something else for $2.99 than do the return. I'm sorry the return meant she had to fill out a short form (most of the writing was me filling in name, address etc.), but that's what I was there for and she is in customer service, right?! Without the attitude behind the request I might have been more willing to take a quick peak around to see if there was anything else I could find and eliminate her having to do any actual work but it was in part the principle of the matter.
Kristen,
Keep in mind that Goodwill employs people with disabilities, some of which cannot be seen by the naked eye. Not everyone is gifted with the same abilities.
Katy
I think that you completely over reacted. A button takes about 30 seconds to hand sew back on. To replace a button really isn't that big of an issue. I understand the point that you make about not wanting to pay the same for a picture frame with glass versus one without, however, it is unreasonable for a store to mark down prices on damaged goods. It would really be nice if every time some one found some damaged goods, they could get a price markdown. One must remember that not every one in this world is an honest person with integrity. If stores marked down prices for ALL damaged goods, then certain individuals would damage merchandise themselves just to get a discount, especially if the merchandise's defect is one that could easily be remedied. while that works out good for the customer, it's REALLY bad for the store who in turn looses profits. A LOT of people could care less about store profits, but if the store doesn't make profits it will close down, then people like you would have to pay full price on Bermuda shorts, instead of the already low price the Goodwill was willing to sell them for.
Don't go back to the Goodwill where the clerk was rude! It's worth the gas and you never know if maybe it's that store's policy. Our Goodwill in West Virginia has the funky moth ball smell and the clerks aren't helpful! It's not about the shorts, it's about customer service...which they have none!! I wouldn't go back.
Ahh, that's good to remember that Goodwill is a charity. I kinda lost perspective on that, so thanks. 🙂
I guess I was just so taken aback because this was so different from the way things operate at my regular Goodwill. I wasn't at all expecting her to say no! lol
Calimama, at the Goodwills around here, you can't take anything back. Once you've bought it, you've bought it.
For the record, I was nice and polite to her...I didn't stomp out in an angry way or anything. I try really hard to be kind and polite to salespeople regardless of how they treat me.
This Goodwill is actually only about a mile from my house, but the reason I go to another one is that it's right next to Aldi. So, making another stop at this particular Goodwill is going to cost almost nothing in terms of gas.
Thanks for all your input. 🙂
@Katy Wolk-Stanley
That's a good point, Katy. I hadn't thought of that. Nothing was visibly different about her, but perhaps it was something that I couldn't see.
Know what's weird? I just remembered that at another time when I'd been in that Goodwill, an employee told me to always ask for a price reduction if something was defective or if it had been there for a while. That's the same Goodwill where I bought my nightstands. I got a reduction on the one nightstand because the drawer wasn't working properly (the other nightstand had two functioning drawers).
I'm thinking it must just depend on the employee you get...some are willing to mark things down and some are not. If there was a policy against reductions at that store, I wouldn't have gotten a reduction on the night stands.
I wouldn't have paid full price for a defective item.
My husband has worked in retail for 24 years and my parents owned a service business where I worked for 16 years---so trust me when I say that good customer service is VERY important to us. I have walked out of places where I was treated rudely. I choose to spend our hard-earned money in places where my patronage is appreciated. I would not have bought the shorts simply on principle, because rudeness should not be tolerated or rewarded. It doesn't matter whether the store sells for charity or not, their employees should be held to a standard of decency. And if that clerk does have some sort of disability that precludes her being polite with people (gosh, unfortunately 75% of the world seems to have that disability then!!), she should be given a job in the back room where she will not encounter paying customers.
I can see being affronted at being treated rudely; I really can. However, Goodwill also isn't a giant mega-corporation whom I would not want to support for bad customer service. In the end it is a charity and I think that's the more important bigger picture than what one employee says or does. I strongly disagree with Julia above me. Withholding two dollars from a charitable enterprise does no one any good except to make the withholder feel somehow vindicated and superior (not saying that's what YOU did, K). Spending the money at the Goodwill does not "reward" the clerk with the people skills problem. I'm quite sure he/she does not work on commission and his/her paycheck is probably not enough to make a lot of people's car payments, let alone anything else! So, yeah, not a whole lot of "reward" there. I just can't get my head around punishing an entire, nationwide charitable organization because of one person way down in the chain of command. (Though I DO understand how you could be taken aback and make a snap decision to leave the store. I've done similar things, myself...I just needed some time to process the situation and figure out the right course of action, as you are doing right now.)
Also, I don't know....you know me, Kristen, so probably I'm not the best one to speak to the frugality aspect of the situation. 😉 But, really...what kind of discount would they have given? A dollar? I guess I'm not seeing the big deal about that small amount. It's like the people who drive me nuts by coming to my yard sales and taking a near-perfect-condition item that I have marked at $1 and asking if they can have it for fifty cents. My opinion would be if you are at the Goodwill you have ridden the bargain train as far as it's going to go. But, on the other hand, I can see your point that it's the principle of the thing. I do think that the previous commenter who mentioned that, if stores always made a policy of discounting damaged merchandise, people would take advantage of that and start damaging things themselves to save money.
I would have left, but then regretted it. I don't like rude or unkind sales people, no matter where you're shopping. Here's something to make you smile... I have something for you over at my blog.
mommyhastowork.blogspot.com
keep up the good work.
Mary, the discount thing depends on the employee. I'm probably going to post about this later in the week, but recently an employee marked a $4.50 item down to $.50 because it had a paint mark on it (the $.50 was her idea... I wasn't imagining such a steep discount). So, it can be very worth your while to ask.
And as I mentioned in a comment above, if I wasn't so accustomed to getting discounts on defective merchandise at Goodwill, I wouldn't have been surprised. But, it seems to be a fairly normal, routine thing to do around here, and as I mentioned, another employee encouraged me to ask.
I certainly will keep shopping at Goodwill...no worries there. 🙂 But I know not to approach that employee with anything less than full price.
Had I had time to think about it, I might have bought the shorts anyways, but I was so surprised, I couldn't think of anything to say except that I didn't want them! lol
I would not have bought them just based on the reaction of the employee. If she had taken a nicer approach, I probably would have thought about it and bought them if I liked them enough (3.25 is still 3.25)
I've noticed as the economy has tanked, so has customer relations. I won't shop at stores with rude employees. I so know how you feel with being shocked and simply walking out. I've done the same thing.
I understand we never know what another's "story" is or what they've been through that day, but I am a big believer in treating everyone with respect and dignity. We are all children of God and as such are divine and deserve to give and get respect and consideration
I find inconsistencies in our Goodwill as well. It's frustrating. Sometimes, I'll get a discount for broken furniture, but I have never gotten a discount for clothing items. In the past, I didn't even have to ask, I was just given the discount!
I had a small complaint about our local Goodwill about a month ago. I found a piece of furniture I wanted. I was willing to buy it immediately, but had to go home to get my truck to pick it up. I live 10 minutes from the Goodwill. When I asked if I could buy it and have them hold it for 15 minutes, I was told that they absolutely will not hold items, even if I paid in full for it. I know I have seen many items with "sold" signs on them in the past. I know the sign was on the items for more than 15 minutes too. I was so surprised, that I just left refusing to buy the item. Like you, I wasn't rude, I just said, "well, I guess I can't buy it then" and left. I could have came back with the truck, but the sales lady wasn't exactly nice about it, so I didn't bother.
I agree, good customer service goes a long way. Nicely explaining that he/she cannot do this due to policy or policy change goes further than exclaiming, "no, you can find a button anywhere".
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Goodwill employees working there as part of job training? In that regard, saying something to the manager would definitely be in both your and the employee's interest - you, because it gives you a chance to deal with the issue rather than just walk out in a huff, and the employee because this would be a clear-cut example for her of what it means to be a bad vs. good salesperson - direct feedback on a crummy attitude.
As for whether or not I would buy the shorts... I intensely dislike poor customer service, so I probably would have done what you did - walked out.
Our Goodwill does not allow discounts nor returns. They have the worst customer service as well. One time they literally kicked me out of the store at 5:40pm when they close at 6:00pm.
If GW is training people w/disabilities or people who need work experience, they are doing a horrible job in my area.
Why do I go? Because I can find quality clothing for super cheap. It's amazing (to myself, anyway), what I will put up with for cheap clothing. If I were paying full price, no way would I put up with the rudeness.
Don't buy those shorts, but wait and see what comes along next week. Maybe an exact same pair will come along w/a button!
What you described is normal for my local Goodwill: a lot of defective goods at the same price as the fully functioning ones, and rude personnel who seem to think you're there to do their jobs. There's a reason I almost never shop there and why I donate elsewhere when possible.
I do not mind that defective good are priced the same as fully functioning because I do not expect the staff to be able to examine each item thoroughly before putting it out. I do mind that when a customer finds a defect, my Goodwill doesn't discount. Some defects are small (I put the missing button in this category), some are large (such as the sifter with a torn screen, making it 100% unusable).
I mind rudeness even more. What is the possible excuse for being rude? In my experience, rudeness goes down when the economy tanks because more qualified people are pushed into low-level service jobs. It's when the economy is booming that these jobs are filled by scraping the bottom of the competency barrel. Further, politeness is practical: one gets more or goes further by being pleasant than by being rude. (At least to start with. As with most things, there's a time and place for rudeness and forceful conversation. But the opening sentence is not it.)
I did buy that sifter at my Goodwill - it was to be a child's toy rather than a functioning tool - and I've felt like a sap ever since. I won't make that mistake again.
It seems to me that the problem wasn't with the store policy, but with the rude employee. I imagine that if the employee had politely explained that this particular Goodwill prices each item according to its condition, and had therefore already priced it lower due to the missing button, you would have been fine with it.
It also seems to me that, although Goodwill is giving jobs to people with various disabilities--seen or unseen, an employee who comes into such constant contact with customers (as opposed to one who restocks shelves) ought to be able to conduct themselves appropriately. Our Goodwill has many workers who are still learning English, yet they are polite and pleasant. Even those who have obvious physical or mental limitations are still polite.
I think it's reasonable to ask for a discount on a damaged item (after all, you have to add in the price of the button and also the time it will take to locate the button and sew it on). And I also think it's reasonable to expect courteous service.
If you're regretting that you didn't buy the shorts, then you should probably go back and get them, or at least look if they're still there. And perhaps you could quietly ask to speak with the manager and briefly and calmly discuss the rude employee with her/him.
I love Goodwill and have been shopping thrift stores since I was 14 and my Queen of the Thrift Stores Aunt gave me 2 solid weeks of training. Best Vacation Ever.
I don't buy items that need repairing. I know I will never repair the item. There are plenty of items in perfect shape for me to buy. There are exceptions to this rule if I am building a costume or something then I will do repairs as part of the construction.
I don't pay for bad service. Period. If an employee is rude to me, I excuse myself too. It never hurts to ask if you think a price is too high, either.
I think you over-reacted. Goodwill hires many employees who have disabilities that are not always visible. For instance, my grandson has a form of Asperger's syndrome which makes social interaction difficult for him. He says things that seem harsh to me but he thinks he is engaging in a joking conversation. He doesn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, he just isn't able to put the right inflection in his words to make them come out funny. Perhaps this employee didn't realize she was being rude.
If you thought they were a good buy, you should have bought them. A button is an easy thing to replace. My grandson would have said "so, find a button and sew it on yourself", thinking he had made a great joke on Grandma, but his words would have been flat and harsh. I understand it but not everyone does.
Love your blog and have used many of your recipes. Keep up the good work.
SO many different reactions! Wow, cool discussion item! Having worked retail, I would definitely NOT buy the shorts from that employee, but would have asked another employee if I could speak with the manager. A manager can't fix what they don't know is broken... be it a pair of shorts price adjustment or an employee who needs training, a break or job re-assignment. Yes, Goodwill is a charity, but I am not aware of a "disability" where rudeness is insurmountable, and if there is one, that employee should not be interacting with customers. I don't think I would let it upset me, and I would see a manager when you go back...if just to let them know that different employees are giving contradictory informationm and to see if she will discount the shorts if they are still there are you like them enough to buy them with a missing button.
I am in Nashville, TN and have never been to a Goodwill where anyone working there was the least bit pleasant! I know that there is some sort of disability involved but grumpy is NOT a disability - there are a lot of people without jobs right now who would be pleased as punch to have that job! I bought my husband shorts last week without a button - there was no way in heck I was gonna ask someone working there for a discount!
Oh, and I am SOOOO glad I am not the only one who gets worked up over a few bucks!
I would have bought them anyway.
We do not specific charities that we give to on a regular basis anymore now that I am only working part-time to raise our 2 babies, so I see my donations and shopping at Goodwill as a large portion of our "giving back" what little we can. I have paid $1 more for a Old Navy t-shirt I liked because the the cashier considered it a "blouse" for $3.99 instead of a "t-shirt" for $2.99. Goodwill employs people, they are a non-profit organization, and I totally love finding the "diamond in the rough" items, like new Ann Taylor or almost-new Gap items, for only a few bucks. And when you are losing "baby-weight" like me and NEED "new" clothes to wear, you cannot beat Goodwill selection and prices.
Also, I recently made 2 pairs of pants into knee-length skirts b/c I liked the pockets/material but did not like the fit, and 1 pair into bermuda shorts b/c I did not like the length of the original capris. So even if I do not find exactly what I want, it's worth the extra time to sew/make it into something I do want/need. Hence, I would have bought the shorts if I liked them and found a button in my bags-o-scrap-buttons to make the shorts "my own".
Here is a general observation about Goodwill:
Where I live, in Northern CA, we have a chain called Thrifttown. Very friendly checkers who know my sons names, lol. Most clothes are $1.99, and they constantly have sales. They put "get 3 dollars off a 10 dollar purchase" coupons in the mail all the time, and believe me, I always use them!
We also have Goodwill, but I never go there because the prices are significantly higher (4 or 5 bucks per item, and no opportunities to save that I know of). Both stores benefit developmentally disabled adults, but Thrifttown is always jam-packed but Goodwill seems empty.
This is just a comment coming from the other side of the counter. Yes, the clerk was rude. No, she shouldn't have been so short and abrubt. But you don't know how many people have yelled at her, thrown things at her or even poked or kicked her today while she's just trying to do her job. She may have been short and abrubt to end the conversation before someone else abused her. Working at places like goodwill subject you to all kinds of people, including some who see nothing wrong with any of the above mentioned behaviors. And before you say these things don't happen, I've had all of them happen to me while working a big box store. I've been yelled at when things aren't available, had things thrown at me when I didn't have a cart to give them and been kicked to get my attention while on my knees with my head in a shelf stocking the lowest level of racking. We're all human; cut her a bit of slack too.
I'll shop at any charity store BUT goodwill.The one in my area of NJ has a policy of not letting you buy anything that has the price tag missing.Is it so hard to keep the prices on?And the rude cashier telling me I cant purchase 3 items ,out of 6 items,after I've waited in line to pay. A sign about their rules is to much?This happened last year and I haven't stepped in to a GW since. Plenty of other better run thrift stores around.While it is admirable they employ the disabled ,the management needs to watch whats going on on the floor. I wont shop at GW any more.
I know I'm super late in the game, but my opinion is that it's not just about the button -- it's about the time that it takes you to find a button that will fit the hole, find the thread that will match the shorts and actually sew the button on. There definitely should have been a discount. Like you, I would have been surprised and probably left without buying them too...
At my Goodwill I found a small vintage suitcase without a key. They knocked the price down for me from $10 to $4! I loved the suitcase and bought it anyways.