Customer service...

...from hell.

Ya know, as bad as the economy is, you'd think that businesses would really push their employees to provide good customer service.

Evidently that's not the case...especially at the Sears store in Northwoods Mall.

During my lunch hour today, I stopped in to pick up a very expensive little item for da Zigster's birthday tomorrow. On my way through the store, I got distracted....

....Ooooo! Sparkly!

Ok, so I got hung up on some of the sales racks in the women's department. I grabbed a couple of good bargains and figured I'd check 'em out before heading downstairs to the hardware department.

I found the nearest checkout kiosk...it just happened to be in the men's department...and stood there. And stood there. Finally, an angry-looking woman came stomping up, grabbed the phone and paged for "So and So! Come to the men's checkout!"

Deciding that "so and so" wasn't gonna show up any time soon, and heaving a great sigh of disgust, she deigned to wait on me. No, "How are you today?" No, "Did you find everything ok?" Nothing. She said nothing.

Until I had trouble with the credit card swipe-thingy.

I swiped my card. The machine said, "Wait until purchases are totaled" or something to that effect. I stand there. She says in this totally disgusted voice, "SWIPE your CARD!"

Me: "I did. It says to wait until purchases are totaled."

The She-Beast: "It IS totaled! Swipe your card!"

At which point....honest ta gawd, this is what happened...

The She-Beast turns around to the other customer standing there, exclaims "JESUS!" loudly while shaking her head...and WAITS ON THEM...leaving me standing there in the middle of the transaction.

I mean...she just might as well have said, "Oh my gawd! This fucking woman is so totally ignorant. The stupid bitch can just stand there and wait!"

I was...flabbergasted. And immediately pissed. Like boiling. But I keep my mouth shut. Frankly, I was afraid to open it...I knew da Zigster was already at work and he'd have been pissed if he'd had to come bail me outa jail.

She turns back around, grabs my receipt from the register and shoves my purchases into a sack, hangers and all.

Now, I really hate it when they do that. I think it's just plain laziness on their part and I just don't need anymore hangers. I don't want anymore fuckin hangers.

So, I yank the mofo's outa the sack and slam 'em on the counter...and that fucking bitch starts....laughing.

I mean, this loud, fakey, derisive-type laughing.

And she kept laughing until I was half-way to the door.

Needless to say, Sears lost out on a big-ass sale today. It's obvious they don't need my business. So I'll go elsewhere.

Oh yea...when I got home, I checked my receipt for a store phone number. There is one...and I'll be callin the manager tomorrow.

I also discovered an online "feedback" site...that I definitely took advantage of. heh