Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Costco employee says, Don't bother me


Customers rushed to purchase water and other items on Oct. 29 before flood waters from Hurricane Sandy forced the Costco Wholesale in Hackensack to close early.



This past Sunday, I encountered the same Costco Wholesale employee I had seen several weeks ago walking the floor of the Hackensack warehouse store -- again with his identification badge turned over, concealing his name.

Pointing to his badge, I asked why he was wearing it that way.

"First of all, don't point at me," he said, as he ate something, perhaps one of the free samples the store gives out to promote products

Then, he explained, he was on a break and didn't want to be "bothered."

I asked who would bother him, and he replied, "The public."

I said I had seen him on another occasion wearing a badge with only a bar code showing, and had asked for his help finding Della-brand Long Grain Organic Brown Rice.

He was eating something that time, too. He sent me to the "rice aisle," which, of course, I had already visited in search of the product.  

I called to complain about this worker the last time, but couldn't tell the manager his name. 

I would describe him as a tall, well-built African-American male of medium complexion, with a shaved head. 

The last time, he wasn't the only worker I saw who had turned his name badge around, and the other employee was Asian, possibly Filipino. 



One Costco Wholesale customer buys antibiotic-filled chicken and conventional eggs, left, while another goes organic for whole eggs, salad mix and carrot juice, right.


Different store, same story 

Employees with attitude seem to be everywhere, so I'm wondering how they held onto their jobs when so many others lost theirs in recent years.

At the Paramus ShopRite this morning, I was looking for organic beef from Australia, and asked an employee who was stocking the shelves with poultry.

"Right here," she said, gesturing to packages of beef next to the area where she was working.

As I examined the labels, I noticed she stopped working.

"Am I in the way?"

"Yes," she said.

I ignored her until I found the cut of beef I wanted.

At checkout, I placed my hand basket loaded with two Golden Pineapples, two half-gallons of lactose-free milk, a bag of onions and bottom round roast on the conveyor belt.

The cashier started to lift one side of the basket to dump everything on the counter, but I stopped her and said I would remove the items myself.

By the way, the pineapples were only $1.99 each, compared to $2.99 at Costco in Hackensack.

But even a low price isn't an excuse for low-quality service.

The Paramus ShopRite is my least favorite, but it is on the way home from the gym, so it's convenient and helps me conserve gasoline. 


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4 comments:

  1. So don't bother him. Why do you have to antagonize him? You know he's not helpful, find someone who is. Is it really that hard?

    ReplyDelete
  2. What's hard is finding someone who is doing their job, without complaint, while millions of others don't have work.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Get over it. Why let a no-name kid at Costco bother you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He was no "kid." He was an adult, guessing mid-30s. He shold know better. Don't you have anything else to do? Are you his father, uncle, co-worker?

      Delete

Please try to stay on topic.