The Energon Pub

If you were in a walmart and noticed an unopened box on a pallet marked deluxe Transformers would you open it up??

I am taking a poll

Yes, if nobody was looking.

Yes it it's Classics.
No if's it's movie figures.

Whats immoral about opening up a box meant to stock the shelves with?

Ofcourse I would, and actually, I have.

yep

That's how I got my real gear figures

ive opened like 7 or 9 boxes.. they are already scanned into the system and ready to be sold.. its not an issue of moral..

I definitely would NOT. I've worked retail before, and I know I'd have been incredibly pissed if I'd come back from showing a customer something to find that another one had been rummaging through the merch I was supposed to shelve. Shame on you guys.

But assuming that the box was already out on the floor, I would find a nearby associate and ask him/her to open the box for me.

Double post -- sorry!

Wes Crayon wrote:I definitely wouldn't. I've worked retail before, and I know I'd have been incredibly pissed if I'd come back from showing a customer something to find that another one had been rummaging through the merch I was supposed to shelve. Shame on you guys.

But assuming that the box was already out on the floor, I would find a nearby associate and ask him/her to open the box for me.

Why would you be pissed? If someone opens a box and takesomething out, it is one less thing for you to shelve.

Bonger wrote:Why would you be pissed? If someone opens a box and takesomething out, it is one less thing for you to shelve.

Well, for starters, I oftentimes did have to perform additional work after getting things out of the box -- sometimes scanning them for inventory or marking them off on a tally sheet (because sometimes boxes were missing and/or had different merch than they were supposed to), sometimes applying price stickers, etc. etc. -- so customers going into the box without me doing that would have made my job a lot more difficult.

But aside from that, it's just freaking rude. Is it really that hard to find an associate and ask -- or at least hover by the box until one shows up? Unless the box was filled with defective toys that had been recalled for decapitating babies with their action features, it's not like the associates would refuse.

Wes Crayon wrote:

Bonger wrote:Why would you be pissed? If someone opens a box and takesomething out, it is one less thing for you to shelve.

Well, for starters, I oftentimes did have to perform additional work after getting things out of the box -- sometimes scanning them for inventory or marking them off on a tally sheet (because sometimes boxes were missing and/or had different merch than they were supposed to), sometimes applying price stickers, etc. etc. -- so customers going into the box without me doing that would have made my job a lot more difficult.

But aside from that, it's just freaking rude. Is it really that hard to find an associate and ask -- or at least hover by the box until one shows up? Unless the box was filled with defective toys that had been recalled for decapitating babies with their action features, it's not like the associates would refuse.

I see your point. I personally have found all the employees at large retail chains to be more than disinterested in their jobs and helping people, and most of them around here act as if I am majorly inconveniencing them by asking for help. So I just avoid the situation by not dealing with them if I can avoid it.

i agree with wes crayon, but i'd be kinda of scared to leave the box to go look for someone to help me. lol. i'd be paranoid thinking what if they're being opened right now and being picked up by other customers. if by this point i found boxes like that i would probably open them, i've spent too much time, gas, and put up with rude workers at these stores (i'm not saying all of them are rude, but in my experiences a large percentage have been) to consider anything else besides me just getting what i need right away, especially something as hard to come by as deluxes.

Yeah, most store employees don't actually do any work.
Teh all hide in the games section.

So I open them up, find what I want, then close em again.

I did it last week, but the box was full of robot replicas

The Master Blaster wrote:Yeah, most store employees don't actually do any work.
Teh all hide in the games section.

So I open them up, find what I want, then close em again.

I would probably do the same if I had to work for 8 bucks an hour.

Wes Crayon wrote:I definitely would NOT. I've worked retail before, and I know I'd have been incredibly pissed if I'd come back from showing a customer something to find that another one had been rummaging through the merch I was supposed to shelve. Shame on you guys.

But assuming that the box was already out on the floor, I would find a nearby associate and ask him/her to open the box for me.

I work retail and dont give a rats ass if people look through the stuff. It just means I have less to stock if they look for it themselves. Besides, there is no moral issue. You didnt steal anything. I asked my friend who works assets protection for walmart and he said if it's in the store even if it's on the floor on a pallet they have to sell it to you.

Wes Crayon wrote:

Bonger wrote:Why would you be pissed? If someone opens a box and takesomething out, it is one less thing for you to shelve.

Well, for starters, I oftentimes did have to perform additional work after getting things out of the box -- sometimes scanning them for inventory or marking them off on a tally sheet (because sometimes boxes were missing and/or had different merch than they were supposed to), sometimes applying price stickers, etc. etc. -- so customers going into the box without me doing that would have made my job a lot more difficult.

But aside from that, it's just freaking rude. Is it really that hard to find an associate and ask -- or at least hover by the box until one shows up? Unless the box was filled with defective toys that had been recalled for decapitating babies with their action features, it's not like the associates would refuse.

People don't ask employees because they fear rejection. And most employees are asses. I know I am. Except when it comes to toys. I always help out a collector. But I ignore scalpers.

What are the chances that Solid Snake will be hiding in the cardboard box? ...Better check just incase

Craven Knight wrote:What are the chances that Solid Snake will be hiding in the cardboard box? ...Better check just incase

Thats right Craven lol, it's a public service right?

If it was a box of Classics, I'd open it with my teeth.

G1Blaster wrote:If it was a box of Classics, I'd open it with my teeth.

Shizzles, if it was a box of Classics, I wouldn't even bother opening it. I'd just pick up the case and walk to the register.

You mean the new classics right? Cuz none of the first classics was rare.....

I have opened cases in the past. Now, I ask for assistance. I usually get turned down by the toy associate, because she's a total and complete rude bitch. (No, I'm not saying that in the venting, angry customer vein. She really is one.) I have to wait until she heads to her break around 2:00-2:15 AM and ask some unassuming stockperson walking by to open them for me.

"Well, I really shouldn't. The toy associate will help you."
Me- "Oh, she went on break apparently. I can't find her."
"Oh. Okay. No problem."

It gets opened, I pick out what I want and move onto the register.

Yeah, it's a nuisance to open their cases and take only one or two figures, but when you look at me pointblank and lie to me and say things such as "We're not even supposed to have those." or "We stopped carrying them." (mind you, the case is sitting right behind her head on the pallet, in plain view...) and my personal favorite "There's no room to put them out, there's also no place on the pegs or shelves for them either." (yes, there is. That's what the reset is for, not to mention the empty pegs and spaces where the Deluxe Class figures are supposed to go.) I tend to get a little pissy and say "Fine. I'll come back later." and I do...during their break.

In my old hometown, I used to open cases all the time, but here? They actually told me they could have me removed from the store for doing it. Once I got that warning, I haven't done it since. Oh hell no. This is why I ask first, and then if accommodations aren't met....off I go to the next lowest spot on the Totem Pole. (Works 100% of the time!)

If they truly have no shelf space, that's one thing. Because once a case is opened, and one or two figures are sold from it, the rest must go in the back without anywhere to go and it clogs up the storage area, plus they get lost in the shuffle and won't sell later on, once found. Otherwise, if it's just opened, but everything's still intact, they can just retape it and send it back to the stockroom. No harm, no foul.

If they were genuinely respectful and honest about it, and it really was a problem...I'd completely understand and comply with their wishes. (You can always come back later.)

But they're not, and generally they've got plenty of space for the figures, they just don't feel like catering to a single customer, or any for that matter. (The toy department here is less than stellar in terms of quality.)

I'm willing to work with them, meet them half way, they're just absolutely unwilling to even try.

So no, I have no problem popping open a case (one way or the other). I mean, you're paying for the item, it's not being stolen, so acting like someone just killed your dog because they asked your assistance will get you nowhere, except maybe having a little more work to do because I got it ganked to the register.

One of these days, I think I'm just going to say "Screw it!" and pull the damned case off of the pallet and buy the whole thing. I swear, the next time they treat me like this, I'm buyin' the case, keeping what I want and returning the rest. (Yes, I am that much of a prick.)

I know I sound like a complete and total asshole, I realize it sounds like I'm being insensitive to their needs, etc. Well to a certain extent, I am, I fully admit it. I was a cashier at Wal-Mart though, I know how it works, and if I had to be polite to the customers (9 times out of 10, it was fully genuine too) because they were my paycheck, (bitching at them would only make me suffer!) these employees need to do so as well.

Other employees do their job satisfactorily and continue to do so...there's no need for some of these people to feel they're above everyone else.

If all else fails, ask the janitor.