First off, the fellow broke the rules that anyone who has been through Management 101 knows.
“NEVER DISCiPLINE AN EMPLOYEE IN FRONT OF ANYONE!” Not other workers and Especially NOT in front of Customers.
This was pointed out in class as a sure way to turn your employees and customers antagonistic.
Reprimands were to be done in your office with the door closed.
I’ll throw my vote in with those here who suggest that you look elsewhere for a place to spend your hard earned money.
Scoot
I regret that I have caused you offence, Corey, I intended none. In the course that I teach to officers in the Canadian Armed Forces, one module is on professionalism. There are certain criteria that must be met for a body of people to be deemed professionals, and merely earning money at what one does is insufficient for the characterization. For example, physicians, engineers, accountants and lawyers who possess and apply specialized knowledge could all be shop owners as there is no special training or skill required to run a shop successfully, merely rudimentary accounting and arithmetic, marketing, and so on. It is not true that shop owners necessarily possess the skills to work as physicians…at least, it is so uncommon as to be neglectable for the purposes that you and I are discussing.
There is more, but I don’t want to side-track the thread. If you would like more information, please feel free to pm me or email me. I would welcome the opportunity to add to my position.
Respectfully,
-Crandell
I’m with Brakie on this. I know others have mentioned improving personal skills and being dsicrete with difficulties in front of customers. What it all comes down to is treating someone else the way you’d want to be treated.
I’ve had a few miscues in my working life, probably less than most. I’ll be glad to talk with you about it and take your suggestions seriously for improvement with the thought of doing better the next time. But if you’re just a bully, relying on your power over me, not your power to reason with me in discussing the matter, then yeah, it’s just bullying, whatever power is on your side at the moment.
Do that in front of the customer who made the order and I’ll most likely be looking to do business with the guy who tried to meet my needs – whatever shop he’s working for next. If you don’t need him or her right now, then eventually you will. It’s making customers happy that grows your business, not squeezing every cent out of every trasnaction.
I was in wholesale in a different sector and often visited retail locations, most of which were independent from us. You could really see who was going to be a winner and who a loser in five years – and it was mostly written on the face of the floor manager. The ones who could get along through any crisis seemed to last. The ones having a mental meltdown, well, where do you think that leads over time.
I’ve bounced around and know a lot of hobby shops. The one I do business with now is run by a down to earth gentleman who takes good care of his customers. He’s not the closest or the most expert or the one with the best dispaly or selection, but he’s the one who gets most of what little I can afford on trains. There’s a few mistakes, but we’re both gentlemen and he never lets me down, even when I’m asking for stuff like narrow gauge that he’s not really familiar with. I think we’ve both learned a little from each other. From what I can tell, the way he
I don’t know anout Texas, but it’s against the law in NJ!! A trip to the NJ Labor Board will get the employer a sizable fine, and is grounds for an employee to sue (suite?) I don’t know how someone like this has stayed in business for an apparently long time[?][}:)]
Reading loathar’s post, I thought he might frequent an LHS near me, but mine is in California. Some months ago, I went into this LHS, and had to use the restroom-bad! Well, I walked in on the Owner tearing his wife a new one! (about as subtle as a train wreck-pun intended) I went to one of the employees and asked to use the restroom. He directed me to it, but the wife was in there, crying her eyes out.
I think Zak Gardner might know the store.
I wouldn’t tolorate such crass and rude behavior. If I didn’t say any thing to the shop owner in person, I would write him a letter explaining to him what I witnessed and that I would not shop at his store for 3 or 6 months or whatever you felt was a good break, and that you would pass on your observations and feelings to anyone who cared. Some people (like one example mentioned above) can listen to reason and reform, but others, if they can’t see anything wrong with their behavior, then they need to understand that its going to hit them in their bottom line. I think like anything, good behavior can be rewarded with good business and profits. Bad behavior can be likewise “rewarded” with lack of patronage and hit him in the wallet. Sometime dollar signs are the only thing certain people can understand.
As many know, there are plenty of other ways to get your toys. My LHS dinged me by purposefully refusing to sell trains on consignment for me. This after I had sold numerous items, everything I consigned sold in a matter or weeks or a few months and I used the profits to buy more stuff at the hobby shop. But because my LHS owner didn’t like the idea that I mailed ordered some of my stuff, he got mad and decided to refuse consigning for me. Guess what? I have plenty of other sources who are happy to do business for me. I tend to spend even less at my LHS and well, its too bad. Oh well…&
Folks,
May I present a different problem with one of the LHS here in south Texas… This store is large, and is jam packed with train stuff - more than you can imagine. There is a lot of old stock (probably bought from HS that went out of business) and a lot of new stuff too!
The owner is extremely model train literate, and almost always has the answer to your questions or the item you need (or will order it for you). So what’s the problem you ask…
Well, the owner is the ONLY employee, and frankly can be extremely slow about whatever he does. And, you never know who will be behind the counter when you get there - either slow talking helpful proprietor, or non-talking non-helpful proprietor.
Also, there are huge piles of train stuff all over the aisles and entryway floor area. Now this is not an exaggeration, for the piles have been there for years and continue to grow. And when I say piles, I do not mean stacks of boxes - I mean stuff just dumped on top of one another. Frankly, it is upsetting to see all this good stuff just casually strewn around.
I cannot figure out how the store manages to stay in business. While there may be some internet sales, I tend to doubt it. As a long time customer, I have thought about speaking to him about the situation, but suspect that would get me banned from the store.
In any case, it is really sad…
Mobilman44
There’s a phrase I picked up during USAF leadership training. It’s simple, and it’s stuck with me:
“Praise in public, punish in private.”
This idiot sounds like he could be one of the NCOICs I had in the Air Force; one of the cardinal rules of management - and this was stressed very strongly in the Air Force - is that you never discipline an employee in front of that employee’s peers and most certainly in a retail establishment you never do it in front of customers. If this is reflective behavior on this proprietor’s behalf then he must have a pretty good turnover of personnel.
On the other hand I will share a humorous story involving my favorite hobby shop.
I have, for the past ten days, been making frequent telephone enquiries about Walther’s new N Scale catalog; today I had to go in that direction on other business so I stopped in and the catalogs were still not in. I bought the new N Scale Railroading magazine and left and came home. I hadn’t been in the door fifteen minutes and the phone rang and my Caller ID returned the hobby shop name. It was the clerk informing me that I hadn’t been out of sight when UPS showed up with six boxes of Walther’s N Scale catalogs. He didn’t have to call me; he just did it as a courtesy because I had personally come in this afternoon.
And that is all it ever has to be, in my view, R.T. In fact, if I dare say it these days, the Golden Rule makes so much sense. Your friendly clerk will get his reward many times over.
Good story to hear.
-Crandell
Most people seem to get upset with employees for petty reasons because something else in life upsets them. This forum shows good thoughts of people and ethics. I would never yell at a employee in front of others or alone. It is best to discuss the situation for next time and then follow up with discpline if the employee does not follow policy the next time around. The work place needs to have leaders and those who wish to be leaders. The Manager or owners job with employees is education and to assist the individual to better themselves and the business. The company I work for is very strict. One major rule at my work is: Keep it human. We all make mistakes and we all fail to follow instructions in life and in work. It is best to create a learning tool then to yell. The employee will develop a negative attitude and not help themselves or the customer if they are yelled at. I guess this is my [2c]
I’m a pretty simple guy. I go places I like, and avoid places I don’t. Same goes for people and manufacturers.
Life’s too short, have it your way or die trying.
How about another twist…an elderly employee at the LHS I do business at berating me for the railroad I choose to model. The LHS I have been going to for the last several years has a few older gentlemen, mostly ex-railroaders, who are always about, and the owner treats them as employees. If the owner is busy they will go back behind the counters and get you what you need, or answer any questions you may have if they know the answers, which they usually do. Well, a few months ago I saw some CSX P2K SD50s in the Dark Future scheme that I hadn’t noticed on earlier trips to the store. On that visit I didn’t have the ‘permission’ from the boss (my significant other) to go out buying more engines for the layout. Only after receiving that permission did I return back to the shop to get the engines. Well, when I got there and asked one of these elderly men where they were (they had been moved since the last visit) he very rudely told me that CSX was corrupt, no good, and no one in their right mind would waste their time modeling them. He then proceeded to show me what I should model instead of CSX…the Pennsylvania and Penn Central. At this point I was agitated, but had not lost my cool. I politely said that the PRR and Penn Central were a bit out of my era and that I would like to get the CSX P2K SD50s I had seen on the earlier trip. At this he threw up his arms, turned around, and muttered “idiot” under his breath as he walked away. Instead of chasing after him and losing my cool I just turned around and started browsing the aisles, picking out some rollingstock I had intended to pick up as well. When I was done with that I walked up to the front and spoke with the owner, who knows me quite well. After explaining to him what had transpired between myself and the elderly gentleman, and reminding him that I have been a very loyal customer of his shop having spent many thousands of dollars in there over the
Failure of equiptment in the workplace is the source of much yelling. If I happen to be the operator of this equiptment and it failed. The yelling is directed at me. I simply shrug my shoulders and remind the boss that he has a “Jump truck” (and a full time worker that drives it) that has the mission of getting the equiptment running and IT IS NOT MY PROBLEM. Let em yell. If they are that stressed and need yelling at some other employee… they need to take a week off and go to the beach or something.
Mobilman44,I can understand what you are saying…I know several hobby shop owners you got to drive stakes in the floor to see if they are moving or not.But,these are older chaps and they been in business for years…Years ago in Columbus,Ohio there was a hobby shop in the basement of Frank P. Halls hardware…Old Charlie didn’t have a system and had stock here,there and yonder behind the counter but,ask him for a certain item and he knew exactly where it was located.
Zee,I knew a hobby shop owner like that…His main problem was,as a modeler he didn’t like any modern road and his stock showed it…You could look in vain for any freight car or locomotive beyond 1980.
BigZee-A grumpy Pennsy modeler called you an idiot?!? [:O]Shrug it off and consider the source…
[:-^]
BigZee: You did the same thing I would have done. Now twenty years ago I probably would have invited him to step outside, but I’ve become a non-confrontational person since then.
Ouch![B)][swg]
I’m sorry to read people have witnessed managers/owners chew out their employees. You just don’t do some things – at least, that’s what I always thought. I have a good story for you that’s in a similar vein:
I went to the LHS last weekend to try and order some more Atlas freight cars for my new N scale railroad. This particular store has an insanely high staff turnover rate, and most of the employees tend to be high school and college kids.
I asked a couple of the guys who work there on weekends, and who have been there for years and who know me, if they could order a few cars. Instead of helping, they told me to look on the store’s website, and maybe I can order it that way; they didn’t want to bother ordering it through the store! They then walked away. Then one of the 20-ish sales guys asked if he could help. The problem is, he didn’t know what I was asking for, and the computer gave him problems when he tried to look it up. Understandably, he called back to the boss on the intercom. The owner started giving the employee a ration for not knowing what he was doing. Then, once he found out the customer had gotten the numbers out of the most recent Walthers catalog, he started barking at me! “Don’t you realize those cars sold out two or three years ago? You’re a moron if you think I can order that for you.” And on, and on, and on. I said the info was right out of the new catalog that was on his counter, but he then said I’m stupid and an idiot to think he can still order Atlas cars that are in the catalog. I finally said, whatever. The kid at the counter apologized. I told him it was okay, and left. I don’t plan to give that store any more money.
It’s one thing to embarrass your staff in front of customers, and something el
Quite.
I’ll be a contrarian (again) on the original incident. Although it might be somewhat disturbing to witness, it apparently wasn’t directed at the customer nor did it affect what the customer bought or paid. It’s akin to saying that you won’t shop at a store because the owner only pays minimum wage, doesn’t give an employee discount, and won’t offer health insurance. In other words, MYOB.
The case balearic mentioned is quite a different matter, and would result in me avoiding the place until the inevitable going out of business sale.
KL