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Would it kill the chain stores to employ people familiar with the area where they're working?

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taterguy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:12 PM
Original message
Would it kill the chain stores to employ people familiar with the area where they're working?
I just stopped at the local (deleted name of store that sells books and music)

What's with the blank stare when I ask for the new Chris Stamey / Peter Holsapple CD?

For Christ sakes, they grew up within 5 miles of this store. They used to work right around the corner.

And yes, I would have gone to the friendly local record store but they don't have those here anymore.

And if you're reading this and wondering who the hell Stamey / Holsapple are . . . don't make me go all music snob on you and ask why the hell you don't have decent taste in music.

:mad: :mad: :mad:
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vadawg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:14 PM
Response to Original message
1. who the feck is stamey/holsapple, sounds like a blood disorder in beagles.
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DJ13 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:14 PM
Response to Original message
2. Low wage workers with no career opportunities have no incentive to learn
These stores dont care because it would cost them money to hire better people.
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WI_DEM Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:47 PM
Response to Reply #2
16. That's a snobbish attitude. Not all people who work at chain stores have no career
Edited on Thu Jun-11-09 03:50 PM by WI_DEM
opportunities. They could very well be taking the only job they can get right now. I don't know if you noticed but the economy sucks. They could be students or older people who need extra money. Could be people who can't make it on one job so need to take a part time job to supplement there income. I don't know what store it is but I'm sure if they didn't know who the person was that the customer was requesting information on they have a computer system to look up the artist name and find out if they have it in stock or not. I'm sure if I were working in a music store I wouldn't know exactly who or where everybody is located and would have to look it up, too--on occasion.
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DJ13 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:59 PM
Response to Reply #16
20. Its not a "snobbish attitude"
I worked in retail all my life (since 1975), and its no longer a path towards a real career.

It used to be that adults could earn a good living in retail, but now its little more than a revolving door for low wage high school'ers and college kids.
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goclark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:15 PM
Response to Original message
3. I agree, it's everywhere even Target
Someone told me that stores like Target ( which I love) have workers that the State is paying at no expense to the Store.

So, if they don't work out after 1-2 weeks they are replaced with 5-*? more people that again don't have a clue and are still drawing a small paycheck.
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sandnsea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:37 PM
Response to Reply #3
13. That's where those welfare workers went
To state and federally funded job programs that give businesses money to hire people. Which is fine, but don't pretend we're saving money when we're giving it to the box stores and burger joints and not really training anybody for a career.
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FSogol Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:16 PM
Response to Original message
4. "We asked for Mojo Nixon," they said, "He don't work here"
- Dead Milkmen
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taterguy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:19 PM
Response to Reply #4
7. The Wurster kid from the Dead Milkmen song Stuart is on the Stamey / Holsapple CD
And I agree, that store could use some fixin!
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AndyA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:16 PM
Response to Original message
5. It's the Circuit City concept.
Hire the cheapest breathing humans you can find. Customers don't really expect good customer service.

It worked well for Circuit City... :)
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izquierdista Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:40 PM
Response to Reply #5
14. And yet, they can find cheaper workers
The customer, who now gets to become cashier and scan the barcodes into the automated checkout machine. If you are a union member, do you get paid for the time you spend checking yourself out at Albertson's and Home Depot?
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RoccoR5955 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:18 PM
Response to Original message
6. Heck, it's the same thing here.
In Poughkeepsie, about 10 miles north of the home of Pete Seeger, ask any of the young ones around here who he is, and some of the "smarter" ones answer, "Is he related to Bob Segar?" Pete has lived in the area for all of his 90 freakin' years, and the kids just don't listen to that type of music, I guess.
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CreekDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:21 PM
Response to Original message
8. Yes it would because that would reduce their profits 0.07% --in other words, the death knell
meanwhile, paying their CEO and executives hundreds of millions is perfectly acceptable. :eyes:
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ZombieHorde Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:21 PM
Response to Original message
9. If wanted an album by Chris Stamey / Peter Holsapple I would pay a deaf person to go into the
store for me to save myself from the deep embarrassment and profound shame which must come from purchasing one of their albums.
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salguine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:23 PM
Response to Original message
10. You're seeking out Stamey & Holsapple? taterguy, I salute you, brother.
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gratuitous Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:27 PM
Response to Original message
11. Steamy road apples?
Edited on Thu Jun-11-09 03:27 PM by gratuitous
Try the "Folk" section, hippie.

It's out the door, turn left and keep going for 40 years.
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Taitertots Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:30 PM
Response to Original message
12. Why should they?
Do you really expect everyone at a record store to memorize the name of and location of every record in the building?
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leftstreet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:48 PM
Response to Reply #12
18. +1
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WI_DEM Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:48 PM
Response to Reply #12
19. I was just thinking the same thing. I'm sure they had a computer to look up if it's in stock and if
so where it is. I love certain types of music too but I'd doubt if I'd know who every single artist is and where exactly it's located.
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BuelahWitch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 05:58 PM
Response to Reply #12
27. You shouldn't talk to your father that way
Especially not on a public message board!
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LostInAnomie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:42 PM
Response to Original message
15. You ever worked for minimum wage in a chain store?
It's about all you can do sometimes to keep from telling customers to "fuck off", let alone give a shit about some obscure music.
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Common Sense Party Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 03:47 PM
Response to Original message
17. And how old was this minimum-wage retail serf?
It might have something to do with the fact that those two artistes haven't had a popular album since before the chain-store worker was born.
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taterguy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 04:06 PM
Response to Reply #17
22. When have they ever had a popular album?
The point is that they should at least be familiar with the area where they're working.

The Five Royales broke up long before I was born, but I wouldn't look at someone with a blank stare if I was asked about them; and I was working in their hometown.

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MineralMan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 04:04 PM
Response to Original message
21. It may be a little much to expect that a national chain
store would carry rather obscure music. It's not their bag at all.

For myself, if I were looking for something like that, I'd head straight for the locally-owned shop. They'd have it, especially if the musicians were local, and they'd love your business.

Or, if I were exceptionally lazy, I'd just buy it online.

I think you're expecting a bit much.
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taterguy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 04:08 PM
Response to Reply #21
23. Did you read the OP?
I'd have to drive 100 miles to get to a "locally-owned" shop
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teenagebambam Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 04:35 PM
Response to Reply #21
24. Online is lazy?
Even with shipping almost everything is cheaper than walking into a box store, plus I don't have to deal with walking into a box store, plus I can suit all my obscure tastes!
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taterguy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 05:23 PM
Response to Reply #24
26. Get off my lawn Teenager
Can you walk into an "online" record store and ask the clerk

'What's good today'?

And since the clerk is highly knowledgeable about music and remembers what you've bought in the past; can they direct you to an album, yes album, that will change your life?

That's what life was like back in the dark ages.

Before online retailers and giant chains fucked everything up.

It cost a little more.

But it was worth it.
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MineralMan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-12-09 08:30 AM
Response to Reply #26
30. My point is that your expectations of a chain retailer
are unrealistic. It's not the clerks. It's the chain. They don't care about your local, obscure group. They don't stock it. They'll never stock it.

As for asking the guy in the store what's good, well that's not going to happen in any chain store. Even if you did get an answer, it'd be the one the store told him to push.

In your case, you knew what you wanted, and could have simply purchased it online. Still, if you're looking for something to be poutraged about, going to a chain retailer and asking for an obscure item is a sure way to feed it.
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Taitertots Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jun-13-09 03:03 PM
Response to Reply #26
31. Ok Grandpa Tater...
How many decades ago was that?


Now you can listen to the music free to sample it all from your home or Mobile device. You can read message boards or other internet social networking sites to find out about music a local store would have no knowledge about.
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david13 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 04:38 PM
Response to Original message
25. Hey hey hey what do you expect for minimum wage?
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Warren DeMontague Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 06:02 PM
Response to Original message
28. It's probably more generational than regional.
As for the Stamey/Holsapple CD, thanks for the heads up. Right up this geezer's alley.. :thumbsup:
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BuelahWitch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 06:06 PM
Response to Original message
29. Didn't used to be that way
There was a National Record Mart in the mall where my mother worked in the '70s. The people employed there were always helpful when Mom went in looking for something I wanted when a holiday or birthday was imminent. It was still a chain, but at least at that time their employees were expected to know something about music.
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