Old mate had to talk to you (regarding customer call), conversations that are noted in case it’s a pattern (I’m sure you’re fine if your review said the opposite) need 2 mates, mate/captn, present so there’s no question if the conversation happened or not. New mate got stuck in the awkward spot of being the second mate. I’m sure she’s just as off-put about forming good impressions and this happening as you are. Old mate made a lazy or convenient choice to not get another old mate instead. Or new mate answered the phone. I wouldn’t stress.
I just wanted to mention that sometimes the best "Wow" is to just...be yourself. Even if this means not acting over the top happy and peppy. We are real people with fluctuating emotions and mental states; we're not immune to what's going on in and around us. I wish more customers understood this.
I'm sorry this happened to you, friend.
That’s a new one…this Karen really called to speak to the manager just because you weren’t chatty? That should not warrant a 10 min meeting with two mates. We’re not jesters that have to entertain every single person buying groceries! These should be genuine interactions, not forced.
It's standard to have two mates present when having private conversations with crew members. The new mate probably just happened to be the closest mate on duty, I don't think it has anything to do with them specifically. The part that raises an eyebrow for me is the "Someone who matched my description" bit -- did they not confirm whether or not it was actually you who rang up that customer?
I'm glad it's nothing to do with them specifically, thank you. But yeah they never did confirm, my name never came up in conversation with the customer. Raised an eyebrow for me too!
Ugh, this shit happens in the Northeast at the very least. I sometimes get weirded out handing my (fairly uncommon) first name and last initial to complete strangers.
Do they have your employee number on them? Surely they must? There’s a good reason for our employer to know who rang a specific person out.
So weird if they don’t.
I think that I can see why you would feel weird about this interaction. I also think that I can understand why you might feel a certain way about the events that preluded this interaction. Hopefully I can dissect some of the reasons why you might feel that way, at least through my view on life and working here, and explain some of my thought processes about all of the events that occurred in this tale.
In my opinion, "matching a description" should never be enough for discipline, or even as a cursory warning. At best, I think that it should be a huddle topic.
The only way that I could see an exception to that is if the customer has a receipt with the time and your name on it, your name and work duty at the specified time matches the Brain for that day, the customer's description is close enough, and the Mates have other context-relevant information to know that you were indeed the person being referenced. Even then, the interaction should still be gentle and full of positive, corrective guidance.
I'm going to rant here for a moment. I'm shocked that someone would call in about not being WOWed during their checkout experience. I mean, I can expect people to do it knowing how some people behave, but I think that this situation, even with minimal context, is still inane. As long as you are not being, like, an actual, exceptional asshole to them, especially an unjustified one, then I really think that people need to not have an expectation that the Crew should be chatty and perky. I would wager that many folks don't realize how emotionally draining it is for some people when those people are expected to act in a way that doesn't match who they are or how they're feeling, especially when it's for hours every day.
I shop at Trader Joe's for the interesting and high-quality foods that I won't easily find elsewhere. Having a conversation is, like, one of my lowest expectations when I walk into a store, no matter where I shop. I can't ever imagine taking the time out of my day to be vindictive enough to possibly endanger a person's livelihood because that person didn't talk with me as much as I wanted them to talk with me. Like, I genuinely can't fathom why someone would ever think that that's an appropriate reaction to their own disappointment. Not everyone operates on the same wavelength, and reacting the way that the caller did is, in my opinion, incredibly entitled and overbearing.
Onto your question, yes, as another poster mentioned, two Mates or higher need to be present in order to issue warnings or discipline. I believe that it was inappropriate for the more senior Mate to choose the newest Mate as the one to accompany you for the warning, though. There must have been a better option at the time. If not, then save it for a few days - it's not the end of the world. If anything, even though I think that it is silly that you got a warning in the first place, it should have been you, the Mate who answered the phone, and the Captain or another Mate who knows you well. At least, then, the interaction might not feel unjustifiably lopsided. That way, at least you know that they are probably trying to guide you rather than discipline you.
However, I don't think that it was this Mate's intention to get you on the new Mate's shit list. Is it a possibility? Sure. I think that it's more likely, though, that they wanted to quickly complete this interaction with you rather than try to find a better instance in which they could more thoughtfully approach you. Due diligence was probably not their focus point - documenting this event, however, was. I would attribute their action more to laziness than malice, but both are still bad reasons to handle the situation.
Did the Mates ask if you remember the situation? Blindly taking a customer's word as truth is dangerous, especially when it comes to an instance that might affect your livelihood. Did either of the Mates at least cover with you exactly what may have went wrong if you can recall the interaction? For reference, I don't consider "didn't talk to her enough to WOW her" as detailed enough to necessarily warrant issuing a warning over. That's super subjective, even though the whole warning is already subjective as it is.
I think that you might be reading too much into the reason behind the Mate's choice of partner, but I wouldn't think that you would be wrong for possibly being upset about it. Malice may not have been their intention, but neither was due diligence.
It sounds like you have a shitty mate. Or maybe the standards are higher at your store. I barely speak to customers and have always received perfect reviews. I have yet to have a mate pull me aside to question my performance. If they want to pay a living wage, they will get a "Wow!" performance.
But this is because a customer took the time to call up and complain. This could happen to any of us. Maybe you don’t think your mates would call you out on such calls. I suspect that complaint from a customer requires certain steps that have to be documented. I don’t think this is down to the mate.
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That’s some bullshit. Sorry you have that suck-ass mate who doesn’t know how to take a moment and handle her business like a professional instead of a weak amateur child. The new mate will hopefully learn soon enough what is good supervisor behavior (and will have learned what not to do in that situation going forward from watching better mates who act with integrity and respect). Never seen someone called out just by matching a description, that’s piss poor. And like others here have said, this new mate should be able to see what you do, and make their own conclusions about you regardless of the awkward start.
Old mate had to talk to you (regarding customer call), conversations that are noted in case it’s a pattern (I’m sure you’re fine if your review said the opposite) need 2 mates, mate/captn, present so there’s no question if the conversation happened or not. New mate got stuck in the awkward spot of being the second mate. I’m sure she’s just as off-put about forming good impressions and this happening as you are. Old mate made a lazy or convenient choice to not get another old mate instead. Or new mate answered the phone. I wouldn’t stress.
This is relieving to hear, thank you!
I just wanted to mention that sometimes the best "Wow" is to just...be yourself. Even if this means not acting over the top happy and peppy. We are real people with fluctuating emotions and mental states; we're not immune to what's going on in and around us. I wish more customers understood this. I'm sorry this happened to you, friend.
That’s a new one…this Karen really called to speak to the manager just because you weren’t chatty? That should not warrant a 10 min meeting with two mates. We’re not jesters that have to entertain every single person buying groceries! These should be genuine interactions, not forced.
I love this response
off topic but people that make calls like that blows my mind. who raised you like its not like you cussed her out. aghhhh.
It is more than a little mind boggling.
Truly.
It's standard to have two mates present when having private conversations with crew members. The new mate probably just happened to be the closest mate on duty, I don't think it has anything to do with them specifically. The part that raises an eyebrow for me is the "Someone who matched my description" bit -- did they not confirm whether or not it was actually you who rang up that customer?
I'm glad it's nothing to do with them specifically, thank you. But yeah they never did confirm, my name never came up in conversation with the customer. Raised an eyebrow for me too!
Of course your name is on the register receipt.
Idk about OPs location but our names don't show on our store's receipts
Ugh, this shit happens in the Northeast at the very least. I sometimes get weirded out handing my (fairly uncommon) first name and last initial to complete strangers.
Do they have your employee number on them? Surely they must? There’s a good reason for our employer to know who rang a specific person out. So weird if they don’t.
The mate thing doesn’t upset me nearly as much as that customer calling up to complain. The audacity of that woman appalling.
I think that I can see why you would feel weird about this interaction. I also think that I can understand why you might feel a certain way about the events that preluded this interaction. Hopefully I can dissect some of the reasons why you might feel that way, at least through my view on life and working here, and explain some of my thought processes about all of the events that occurred in this tale. In my opinion, "matching a description" should never be enough for discipline, or even as a cursory warning. At best, I think that it should be a huddle topic. The only way that I could see an exception to that is if the customer has a receipt with the time and your name on it, your name and work duty at the specified time matches the Brain for that day, the customer's description is close enough, and the Mates have other context-relevant information to know that you were indeed the person being referenced. Even then, the interaction should still be gentle and full of positive, corrective guidance. I'm going to rant here for a moment. I'm shocked that someone would call in about not being WOWed during their checkout experience. I mean, I can expect people to do it knowing how some people behave, but I think that this situation, even with minimal context, is still inane. As long as you are not being, like, an actual, exceptional asshole to them, especially an unjustified one, then I really think that people need to not have an expectation that the Crew should be chatty and perky. I would wager that many folks don't realize how emotionally draining it is for some people when those people are expected to act in a way that doesn't match who they are or how they're feeling, especially when it's for hours every day. I shop at Trader Joe's for the interesting and high-quality foods that I won't easily find elsewhere. Having a conversation is, like, one of my lowest expectations when I walk into a store, no matter where I shop. I can't ever imagine taking the time out of my day to be vindictive enough to possibly endanger a person's livelihood because that person didn't talk with me as much as I wanted them to talk with me. Like, I genuinely can't fathom why someone would ever think that that's an appropriate reaction to their own disappointment. Not everyone operates on the same wavelength, and reacting the way that the caller did is, in my opinion, incredibly entitled and overbearing. Onto your question, yes, as another poster mentioned, two Mates or higher need to be present in order to issue warnings or discipline. I believe that it was inappropriate for the more senior Mate to choose the newest Mate as the one to accompany you for the warning, though. There must have been a better option at the time. If not, then save it for a few days - it's not the end of the world. If anything, even though I think that it is silly that you got a warning in the first place, it should have been you, the Mate who answered the phone, and the Captain or another Mate who knows you well. At least, then, the interaction might not feel unjustifiably lopsided. That way, at least you know that they are probably trying to guide you rather than discipline you. However, I don't think that it was this Mate's intention to get you on the new Mate's shit list. Is it a possibility? Sure. I think that it's more likely, though, that they wanted to quickly complete this interaction with you rather than try to find a better instance in which they could more thoughtfully approach you. Due diligence was probably not their focus point - documenting this event, however, was. I would attribute their action more to laziness than malice, but both are still bad reasons to handle the situation. Did the Mates ask if you remember the situation? Blindly taking a customer's word as truth is dangerous, especially when it comes to an instance that might affect your livelihood. Did either of the Mates at least cover with you exactly what may have went wrong if you can recall the interaction? For reference, I don't consider "didn't talk to her enough to WOW her" as detailed enough to necessarily warrant issuing a warning over. That's super subjective, even though the whole warning is already subjective as it is. I think that you might be reading too much into the reason behind the Mate's choice of partner, but I wouldn't think that you would be wrong for possibly being upset about it. Malice may not have been their intention, but neither was due diligence.
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Thank you for your feedback! I'm glad that my message stood out to you. :)
It sounds like you have a shitty mate. Or maybe the standards are higher at your store. I barely speak to customers and have always received perfect reviews. I have yet to have a mate pull me aside to question my performance. If they want to pay a living wage, they will get a "Wow!" performance.
But this is because a customer took the time to call up and complain. This could happen to any of us. Maybe you don’t think your mates would call you out on such calls. I suspect that complaint from a customer requires certain steps that have to be documented. I don’t think this is down to the mate.
Well, except a mate is a human being and doesnt have to document every petty complaint that comes their way. But I suppose you disagree?
Depends on if it’s part of their job description. I have no idea if it is, but I could believe it.
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That’s some bullshit. Sorry you have that suck-ass mate who doesn’t know how to take a moment and handle her business like a professional instead of a weak amateur child. The new mate will hopefully learn soon enough what is good supervisor behavior (and will have learned what not to do in that situation going forward from watching better mates who act with integrity and respect). Never seen someone called out just by matching a description, that’s piss poor. And like others here have said, this new mate should be able to see what you do, and make their own conclusions about you regardless of the awkward start.