@ Shane – Duly noted. Come back next week to have your online-shopping-loving mind blown.

@ Susan – See response to Shane. Monday, baby.

@ Brandon – If for no other reason (and there are other reasons) than the already-read factor, I love what you’re saying here. Because I am a bad mother, I let the baby eat everything I own, including my books. Far better he eat a used book than one bought at full price.

@ Christine a.k.a. Can’t Vs. Won’t Vigilante Extraordinaire – I’m so with you. One of my favorite expressions is, “They can put a man on the moon but they can’t…” [insert recent annoying phenomenon, generally referring to consumer electronics.] You rule.

@ Jason – You’re so right! I completely forgot about that! They used to have fantastic chairs and now they’re made of wood and CHAINED TOGETHER!!! Nothing says pleasant buying experience like chains. Mm, mm, comfy.

@ Margie – I am strongly considering quitting my job and hiring you to do it for me. Um, yes. To everything you said. And the stupidest thing is, and I may have ranted about this before, I DON’T CARE IF YOU GIVE ME A DISCOUNT!!! I just want you to not call me a liar.

@ James – Right on, as usual. And the worst thing is, because I like trashy books at the bottom of the brain scale, I can buy a huge percentage of my books at Wal-Mart or Zellers at the American price now. Oprah magazine costs me $6 at Chapters (which is an extra bus ride) or $4.50 at Wal-Mart where I was buying diapers anyway. While I hate the lame customer service and the crappy prices, some part of me wants to go to them and say “Do you even know what you’re doing to your customer base here?” I want to help them with their marketing as a charity effort alone.

Amazon isn’t advantageous for Canadian shoppers, Naomi. I’ve done pricing comparisons many times – no matter how I cut it, the shipping costs of Amazon cost me the same that it would to shop at Chapters. I save nothing.

Besides, I like shopping Canadian.

Had I been in your shoes, I would’ve smiled and politely asked to speak to the manager. And then that person’s manager. And that person’s manager. And so on. If I hit a brick wall, I would’ve dumped everything and walked out. I would’ve written a letter to the Chapters head office about the situation and asked for something to compensate for the problem.

Get mad, sure. But don’t give up.

Lately I have been thinking about the employees who are left to defend these bizarre policies and how they often get defensive, leaving the customer to feel as you did … the employees become stern teachers, lecturing the customer from their slightly elevated check out platform, explaining how the customer should feel guilty for wanting purchases to be logical instead of policy compliant. It is the poor employees way of dealing with the stress of being paid minimal dollars per hour for a job that used to involve ringing up purchases and being helpful on the floor of a shop, but now thanks to our big box culture also means they have to have a JD in corporate policy interpretation. So they dig in their heels and blow off steam later in the break room while ranting about how people are so stupid, but subconsciously everyone knows something is wrong here.

Here’s what I do in that situation: I will say – yes you can, you just won’t give me the discount. If they insist that they “can’t” I will say something like – “you mean to tell me that they have managed to send rovers to Mars, and satellites into space, yet you do not have the capability to give me the discount?” When they finally agree that they can, but are refusing to give me the discount, I ask them why.

Why would someone do this?

They heard this from a manager and are afraid to break the rules
They are on some type of power trip
They don’t know how to do it and don’t want to take the time to go ask

Usually, exposing this ridiculous logic is enough – if not for the employee, for the manager that eventually gets involved.

:)

I’m starting to forget what books look like because everytime I log in to Amazon to browse books, I wind up checking out with a video game. What a sad commentary on the deterioration of my mental state.

We have done all Christmas / Hanukkah shopping online for 5 years now and consistently find it ridiculously pleasant.

Highly recommend it. You’ll never go back.

If they still didn’t relent, then give ‘em the finger and your web address while you eviscerate them in your blog. Then go to Amazon and get everything with free shipping and no tax.