It was the 24th December, 2005, Christmas Eve. I was impressed with the array of products, display, discounts etc that Big Bazaar was offering. A visitor to the city and the mall, I had expectations. We were not dissappointed and got to shop alot at reasonable prices- all that was missing was the X’mas cheer, I had to wait while 3 attendants at the ladies section bickered and argued amongst themselves over shifts etc. I decided to stick it out & be patient- but, my resolve crumbled when I went to the gift wrapping counter. She looked at me all sullen faced, I put on my best ’christmas is here, ho-ho-ho’ smile, but it did not work- the next thing I knew, she dumped the packages and said- "Mein yahaan yeh karne ke liye nahin hun...waise bhi bahut zyada hain"- I was shocked, and before I could react, she was jabbering in Gujarati to her next in kin, across the counter! But, it was Christmas, and God sent me an angel, and he made sure I got it alright- but, the next time ure there- scrooge is lurking in the guise of a female attendant!
Training shop floor assistants is not just about 5-phrases in English, but, also about customer relations and dealing with stress- especially when you KNOW that a few days in the year WILL BE stressful.
Angeline