![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
customers and spacial navigation
Dec. 16th, 2002 11:32 pmOr rather, what happened today and how much it caused me to think about stuff.
Okay, for those of you who don't know, I'm currently working in Virgin Megastore, pimping cds and dvds to hapless customers, and dashing all over the store for them. Am also often used for floorwalking, which basically consists of asking people if they need help, general tidying and re-stocking, and finding things for customers, as am damn good at customer service. Which my manager has said to my face.
This morning, I was on the till, dealing with the queue of about three people, when this woman walked right to the front of the queue and asked for help. First reaction? "Excuse me, but there's a queue, and I'm trying to serve them too."
Customer : "I'm looking for the Lord of the Rings on dvd?"
Me, sighing. "Up the stairs for dvd and -" Then I notice. I'd seen she had one lens of her glasses fogged out, but that was when I saw the white stick. Oooops. Backtrack attitude, apologise profusely and yell for Rob to take the queue.
Got out from behind the counter, took her hand for a basic guide - careful leading to the stairs and telling her when to step round, that kind of thing. Plus "Stairs turning right here", that kind of thing, then customer service bit of which version she wanted before taking her to the games counter, Stuart telling me he'd take her downstairs after I explained.
This whole episode? Brought home to me just how bloody cluttered the floor and way round Virgin Megastore is for anyone who can't see to step or wheel themselves round things. I'm used to seeing blind people round in the street, with dogs or sticks, and on the bus, but then the way's pretty clear and people step round them.. There aren't any bloody obstacles in the way. Virgin's known for being wheelchair and pushchair and problems with legs unfriendly, by having the virtue of one big metal staircase the only way up to everything that isn't sales, chart or r'n'b/urban and dance. The wheelchair users have no problem unless it's upstairs or hard to reach - had to confirm it for a customer who was coming in to investigate for his mate who'd be in town later that the CD he'd be looking for was at a level the guy'd be able to reach last week. Deaf - well, get them occasionally, and my infants and junior school was the town's school for integration of those who were on hearing aid level. Not needing sign language, at any rate. When I found out that other schools didn't have deaf units and at least one deaf person per class I thought it was seriously odd. Guess my view of the proportion of the population that was deaf had been pretty skewed by that. :g:
Oh, and I would like to point out that the next time I get whined at about why we don't price match like supermarkets I will not be responsible for my actions.
Okay, for those of you who don't know, I'm currently working in Virgin Megastore, pimping cds and dvds to hapless customers, and dashing all over the store for them. Am also often used for floorwalking, which basically consists of asking people if they need help, general tidying and re-stocking, and finding things for customers, as am damn good at customer service. Which my manager has said to my face.
This morning, I was on the till, dealing with the queue of about three people, when this woman walked right to the front of the queue and asked for help. First reaction? "Excuse me, but there's a queue, and I'm trying to serve them too."
Customer : "I'm looking for the Lord of the Rings on dvd?"
Me, sighing. "Up the stairs for dvd and -" Then I notice. I'd seen she had one lens of her glasses fogged out, but that was when I saw the white stick. Oooops. Backtrack attitude, apologise profusely and yell for Rob to take the queue.
Got out from behind the counter, took her hand for a basic guide - careful leading to the stairs and telling her when to step round, that kind of thing. Plus "Stairs turning right here", that kind of thing, then customer service bit of which version she wanted before taking her to the games counter, Stuart telling me he'd take her downstairs after I explained.
This whole episode? Brought home to me just how bloody cluttered the floor and way round Virgin Megastore is for anyone who can't see to step or wheel themselves round things. I'm used to seeing blind people round in the street, with dogs or sticks, and on the bus, but then the way's pretty clear and people step round them.. There aren't any bloody obstacles in the way. Virgin's known for being wheelchair and pushchair and problems with legs unfriendly, by having the virtue of one big metal staircase the only way up to everything that isn't sales, chart or r'n'b/urban and dance. The wheelchair users have no problem unless it's upstairs or hard to reach - had to confirm it for a customer who was coming in to investigate for his mate who'd be in town later that the CD he'd be looking for was at a level the guy'd be able to reach last week. Deaf - well, get them occasionally, and my infants and junior school was the town's school for integration of those who were on hearing aid level. Not needing sign language, at any rate. When I found out that other schools didn't have deaf units and at least one deaf person per class I thought it was seriously odd. Guess my view of the proportion of the population that was deaf had been pretty skewed by that. :g:
Oh, and I would like to point out that the next time I get whined at about why we don't price match like supermarkets I will not be responsible for my actions.
