Wife, at Mall, just bought extra box of dishes for upcoming holiday family meals: "May I leave this box with you for a few minutes? I can't carry it though the Mall, and I parked all the way over at [xxx store]."
Customer Service Rep (CSR) at retail store customer service desk: "I can ring you up over here."
Wife: "No, I already paid for it. Can you just hold it for me while I bring my car around?"
CSR: "I'm sorry, ma'am, but once you've bought it, it belongs to you. I can't be responsible for it."
Wife: "Ummm...OK. Then I'd like to return this, please. I'll be back to buy it again in 15 minutes, or not."
CSR: "Uh, I guess we can hold that for you."
[dialogue, although not verbatim, based on actual recent events :-)]
Policies often have a good reason for existing (e.g., what if someone broke or stole the package while it was being watched?), but as we approach the "shoppingest" time of the year around the holidays, let's not forget to apply a little common sense and treat one another like human beings.
If you're in customer service, think about what problem your customer is trying to solve and how you can be helpful. If you're a customer (or, in my business, a client) and you're not getting what you want, tell your merchant/vendor/professional and give them a chance to think about it and make it right.
[Flickr photo credit: George E. Adams' cake shop, Brisbane Arcade, Brisbane, c. 1938, by State Library Queensland, Australia]
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