Letter to DICK'S
I'm writing to share a recent experience at the Augusta Mall location, in Augusta, Georgia; wherein, I and my companions, were verbally assaulted, by a sales associate.
On Sunday, April 8, 2018, my companion, son, and his companion, arrive at Dick's Sporting Goods, Augusta Mall location.
I inquired with the young lady behind the service desk/register, the location of the inversion tables. She did not necessarily answer but instead looked hesitantly at the other cashier when she bopped up, and explained that they have to use locks so we wouldn't be able to actually hang. I said thank you, I understood, and asked again, where they were located. She finally pointed, and, off we went to look.
We arrive at the section where three inversion table models are displayed. My group is looking them over when a male sales associate, in a light purple shirt, comes out from the back, and asks if we need any help. I looked at him, and said, "We are definitely buying an inversion table. At the moment, we are deciding which model, so at this moment, I do not believe we need help but when we make our decision, just be around then so you can pull it, and we can get on out of here." He nodded his head, agreed with me, laughed, and said, "Let me know if you have any questions."
In hind sight, this where I should have asked, "Which models do you have in stock?" But, I didn't because, well, gosh darn, Dick's is a pretty major retail store. I honestly didn't think that stock would be an issue. And, at this point, begs the question, why didn't the sales associate actually do his job and go check which were in stock for the customer to purchase when the customer flat out told him exactly what they were looking for upon initial contact?
To continue with the story, we spend ten, fifteen minutes discussing, and we decide we wanted the more expensive Teeter model, for $399 and change. We look around to locate the sales associate, he's no where to be found. We search, we ask, we ask, we search. At this point, no one is helping us. Finally, he bops back around, I smile and tell him the model we've decided upon, joking that they've selected the most expensive. He walks over to it, looks at the tag, looks back at me and says, "Let me check to see if we have it in stock." I looked at him, and said okay. Admittedly, a bit irritated that he didn't take the time before to look what he had in stock, if there was a possibility of a stock issue. He takes leave, we wait, and wait. The sales associate comes back, and informs us that he doesn't have two of the three models in stock. TWO of the three models NOT in stock.
I then ask my one and only, very reasonable question, "When will you have them in stock?" His answer was, "I don't know." And, said it, with a very lackadaisical, mocking, laughing tone in his voice. At that point, "I turned and said, "Well, you're useless." And, walked to the front of the store.
Having trained in customer service for over 30 years (Fortune 100), the one answer that is overwhelmingly unacceptable in any given sales opportunity, is the response, "I don't know." It is an absolutely inappropriate response. His response should have been, "Let me check", but it wasn't. For me, that sales associate had become useless. I was there to purchase an inversion table, and HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO HELP ME, was unable OR UNWILLING to answer my ONE question.
As I was walking out, I stopped at the register of the only associate that appeared to know anything, the same one that directed us to the inversion table display area, and explained to her what had just happened. The male sales associate literally CHASES me down, and starts yelling at me! Screaming at me, shouting over me and the other female sales associate, "I asked you if you had any questions. You should have asked me your questions when I asked you if you had any?" SCREAMING at me, physically posturing his body, raising his hands over his head YELLING, and conducting himself in a HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE AND UNCALLED FOR MANNER, "Have a blessed day." No less than a dozen times. Literally, shouting me down, my companions down, overtalking the poor little female sales associate.
He became UNGLUED, PHYSICALLY AND VERBALLY AGGRESSIVE with a female customer, and your other female employees. It was the worst display of misogynistic, religiosity driven behavior I've ever witnessed.
So, this sales associates, instead of doing his job, treats a customer who has made it clear that they are buying, no actual sales skills needed, just the stock to actually purchase an item ends up getting chased out of the store by a screaming sales associate????
I called the store yesterday, Monday, April 9th, early morning, and did speak with a young man that identified himself as Corey. Considering how upset I was when I spoke with him, he handled himself quite well. read more
