Hi all! Yesterday was heck of a hair-raising Monday, which just left me gobsmacked... so might as well share it on Optiboard!
A little background: I work for a small, family-run chain. Usually, I am based at the smallest outlet, which is located at a mall; not inside the mall, but at one of the 'al fresco' lots on the mall's compound. The outlet is perhaps 500 square feet at most, located in a corner with both exterior walls being made of glass. Hours are 10 to 9, seven days a week (there are only two of us there, an optician and myself. We take turns to go off, and this country, opticians are licensed to refract). Due to space constraints we send out all our edging jobs. No meal breaks in our working times, and we just takeaway food to be eaten behind the counter.
So, on Sundays, my routine is to stay back after dimming the lights to prepare order forms, etc. for Monday morning. Given our relatively busy location, I typically stay back till about 10.30 or 11 p.m. Mall security knows this, and so do the officers at the police station down the road (no incidents, but I keep them informed). Two nights ago was no different, with about ten progressive lens orders to be rechecked before ordering, and the weekend's cash take to be recounted before banking in on Monday morning. Nothing noteworthy happened on Sunday night.
Monday morning comes. As my colleague is off visiting her hometown, this Monday was my eighth day in a row of working alone without a day off. So the morning started at 7.30+, when I drove to the local Luxottica office to pick up some spare parts for frames, and then headed to work. Banking in the weekend's take was not a problem, and I was on-site at work by about 9. Usually, when I arrive early to place orders, I'd mop the floor first, and take all the order forms into the examination room to place orders (by call or by sending cellphone pictures of the order form to the labs - we lack a fax machine). That way,. the floor can dry and my ordering gets done. About 9.50 a.m. I switch on the lights and open for the day.
During yesterday's ordering, the phone kept buzzing while I was on the line with the labs, indicating someone was trying to call in. Our phone doesn't have the hold option, and we weren't even officially open yet, so I thought nothing of it. All orders went through without any problems, save for one toric contact lens order (out of stock, delayed pickup by a week. They offered some loose lenses to compensate for the delay) and a Hoya edging job (was due on Wednesday, they called to inform me that they'd chipped a lens and could only send on Tuesday instead of Monday. Fair enough).
Opened shop at 9.55, and the following customers proceeded to appear over the course of the day. Not all together, and not in the order written (can't recall the sequence... you'll see) but spaced out evenly enough.
- Lady calls the shop, angrily asking what are our hours. When told that we open daily from 10 to 9, as displayed on our door, she gets upset and says the mall is open till 10, why aren't we? I politely tell her that since the outer lots are next to the main road, most of us barring the restaurants usually close at 9. She goes on to tell me that she was actually at our shop last night about 8.45, and it was already closed (I called B.S., since I was at work till past 10.30 and no one appeared). Goes on to tell me she'd been calling since 8.30 and that we open 'way too late'. Told her that our hours hadn't changed in the five years since we opened there, and asked what she needed help with. Hung up on me.
- Mother brings 13 y.o. daughter for instructions on how to handle contacts. I usually demo insertion/removal on one eyes, and get the patient to do the other. Just as I'm about to insert the lens into her eye, she stops me and asks me, "Don't you hate your job?" Proceeded to insert the lens, and told her she was lucky I didn't.
- The toric lens regular customer, who I'd called to inform her of her lenses being out of stock for a week, arrives at the shop as I'm finishing the contact lens instruction. Starts shouting at me that she's leaving town in three days for a week, and that she's run out of lenses. Reminded her that her lenses are biweekly (Oasys Toric), and that the supplier was compensating her with a loose pair while they shipped over the boxes. Insisted that the lenses couldn't last her that long, since they always dried out within 5 days (!). When asked why she'd never brought up this problem, even when asked if all was OK, she left in a huff.
- The Hoya customer (!) comes in, which is surprising, since I told him his glasses are due Wednesday - the lab delay should have been in the clear, since I was expecting his glasses on Tuesday. Tells me that he needs the glasses TODAY, no questions asked. I tell him the lab is still working on them, and he tells me that's not his problem, it's mine since I sold them to him. Reminding him of Wednesday being the agreed collection date led to him accusing me of sloppy service, and telling me that it would be the last time he patronised our business.
- Essilor lab calls up to inform me one of the progressives they were edging cracked in half in the edger (mild plus Rx, low cyl, 1.50, for a full frame mount). It happens, but given the customers today... a little bit of a headache.
- Customer comes in with a Silhouette whose washers are a bit worn out. In the middle of the washer change, a regular customer appears and request to be given four boxes of his usual Focus Dailies. Since I've got three washers left to change, and the Focus Dailies was a quick cash transaction, I asked the current customer to give me a few moments, passed him the contacts, and he left the cash at my counter (he clipped the cash to the credit card board). Whole thing took no longer than 10 seconds, but the Silhouette customer got upset and started chewing me out for not changing the remaining three washers before serving the contact lens customer. Offered her my apologies, finished up the job, charged for only two of the four replaced washers to placate her.
- 92 y.o. lady who collected a pair of flat tops comes by all upset since I hadn't given her the same type of lenses she was using previously. When I point out that she had reused her own frame, and that the original flat tops had even been returned to her, she takes out a DIFFERENT pair of glasses, which of course were progressives (AO Pro), and which hadn't been there during the initial consult. Gave her a chance since she's 92, negotiated with my lab for a redo (bless the manager for his understanding, he even laughed!).
- Initial wearer for progressives comes by to collect her glasses (fitted Sola One HD), notices blur at the sides. Looked at her record and reminded her that we'd already discussed the differences between a blended bifocal and a progressive, and she'd still opted for the progressive. Comes back three HOURS later, all upset since the blur is unacceptable to her. I was in the middle of serving another customer, who thankfully sat quietly while she started telling me since her mother tongue is French, she couldn't understand my explanations, etc., to which I politely told her that I doubted it since she'd been our customer for over a year and always spoke fluent English. And that in any case, I refuse to classify a person as a non-adapt until at least three DAYS of progressive wear. She storms off after telling the other customer that this is the level of service that could be expected from me. Fortunately, the other customer was an experienced progressive wearer, and told me, "That woman is so b****y! She thinks progressives are instant, like coffee?". Gave her a sizable discount on her Nikon progressives for that.
- Initial wearer for blended bifocals who collected last week comes by, insisting I gave him round-segs. Showed him the same sample uncut lenses for round-segs and blended bifocals I'd shown him two weeks ago, which he insists are the same thing. Offered to redo in two pairs SV, he accepts and goes off.
ALL THIS BEFORE LUNCH. I think.
- Rushed over to the nearby diner to takeaway a quick lunch to be eaten at work, get a phone call. Someone is at the door, and called using the number on the sign which is provided for urgent cases. Turns out to be some woman who just wants to take a look, and who finally doesn't buy anything since my range is 'boring'.
- Halfway through lunch, am asked to do a nylon restringing. And halfway through that, another customer appears asking for a nosepad adjustment. When told she'd have to wait, just sneers and tells me any idiot can do it, so hand her the pliers for some DIY. Warned her it's at her own risk, and she snaps off the whole nosepad at the wire. Tries blaming me for giving her the wrong tools, so I take the same plier, adjust the nylon frame's nosepads, and return them to their owner, who is trying not to laugh.
- Man comes by asking for his bifocals (in a half-frame nylon mount) to be refitted into another frame. When told I lack the machinery on site to do that, but overnight is OK, he accuses me of being a cheapskate who won't invest in what he considers 'affordable' equipment. Walked after I told him to write me a cheque so I could order some of that 'affordable' equipment.
- Our floor is white tile, and was a bit grimy thanks to the unexpectedly heavy Monday traffic. Was mopping, put the Back in 10 Mins sign, and some woman tries to break down my front door. When I ask if she needs help, she just comes in and starts looking at frames, apparently not noticing the mop and bucket. After tracking a whole new set of footprints over the wet floor, she leaves without buying anything, and after remarking that my range is lacking.
- Get informed by Zeiss that one of my lens orders got detained by customs. ETA is right on the delivery date agreed on with the customer. Thank goodness for the safety buffer!
- Old man brings his own glasses for a lens quotation. Opens case himself, glasses drop out and the lenses shatter on the floor - glass, naturally. Tells me I should have carpeted the floor around my dispensing table, and tried to get free lenses from me. No go, and he walked, leaving behind his broken lenses.
- Seiko lab sends me a finished pair of progressives in an IC Berlin frame, and both lenses are badly scratched at the bottom (presumably scratched during insertion). Lab manager accepted the redo request, but the customer was very unhappy with the one-week delay. Got chewed out on the phone for a bit.
- About 4, got an angry phone call from a nearby ophthalmologist. Apparently, a case I referred over for a brown patch on his right cornea which caused persistent blurring of vision was a waste of his time since it was nothing more than dry eyes. Told him if dry eyes that bad did not warrant medical attention, I'd surrender my license. He was starting to chew on optometrists, and I finally managed to shut him up by offering to call his former mentor for a second opinion - a VERY senior professor of ophthalmology, and also one of my former lecturers at university.
- Old lady comes in asking for progressives which do not need downgaze for reading, just like what she is wearing currently (turned out to be a pair of Multigressiv). Was not happy when she could not read my near chart at eye level, and claimed my chart was defective. Walked.
- Teenagers come in, looking at the 2000+ frames/sunglasses on display, and asking, "Do you sell glasses here?"
- Woman comes in asking for a quote on B&L contact lenses. Goes ballistic when I quote her a price, and tells me she gets them at a way lower price elsewhere (which is already below my cost). Shut her up by showing her an invoice I had from B&L, which showed the cost of the lenses she was enquiring about. Walked after accusing me of profiteering (whatever that means in her book).
... mercifully people were busy eating during dinner time and didn't come by. No appetite after the madness of the morning and afternoon, so ate some biscuits (maybe that's why I'm just about 6' and weigh 140 lbs). Managed to do some paperwork that had arrived, fill in order forms, and... it continued a bit.
- Woman comes in trying to claim a manufacturer's warranty on a Swissflex frame. Temples snapped off at the hinges, nosepad missing. When asked, reason for damage was 'kids will be kids'. Informed her that 'kids will be kids' is not a manufacturing defect, although repairs were possible, and if not, a discount was not out of the question. Walked after telling me I'd understand if I had kids.
- Lastly, 5 mins before closing (8.55 p.m.), two women come by and start browsing. End up leaving about 9.30 after not buying anything and telling me my range is 'not funky enough'.
Bummer, and ALL THIS on my eighth consecutive day of manning the bloody shop unassisted! :giggle: Am baffled at how amidst the chaos, I somehow managed to close two pairs of progressives (Nikon and Zeiss), some SV, and some contacts...
... that pint of Guinness after work possibly helped, as well. Hopefully that'll tide me over till... Wednesday, I think my next day off is.
Just another manic Monday? :eek: