Way to Russia Talk Lounge

vladimirefl · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:04 pm Post subject: Russian sales assistants

Advantages to being a Russian sales assistant

There a lot of things that a sales assistant in Russia can do while on the job at a typical grocery store that their American equivalent probably wouldn’t get away with. For example:

She can read newspapers and novels as much as she wants.
She can close her counter for a while to go and talk to another cashier.
She can talk to her boyfriend over the counter, sometimes ignoring waiting customers.
She can put a “Back in fifteen minutes” sign up at her register and return forty-five minutes later.
She can take a minimum of three tea breaks during one shift.
She can go home exactly at closing time.
People call her “girl,” even if she is fifty years-old.
She can demand exact change for a purchase and refuse service if the customer can’t produce the required sum.
She can give a surprising amount of good advice about which items to buy.
She can actually tell the customers which items not to buy, according to their freshness and taste.
She can close the register for inventory and accounting during store hours.
She can frown at customers if she feels like it.
During slow evening hours, she can hop over the counter to play the
automatic gambling machines.
She can be totally unaware of how to contact a manager to handle customer complaints.
She can answer rather abruptly when a customer asks for an out-of-stock item, so much so that the absence of the item is made to seem like the customer’s fault and not the stores’.
She can shout unruly customers out of the store without calling security.
She can memorize the exact location and price of the items on the shelves behind her.
She can work long hours for low pay.

American and Russian store assistants may have the last point in common, but just imagine how long one of these Russian store assistants would last as a new employee at Wal-Mart. At many American chain stores, the soul-crushing element of the customer service industry is experienced only by its employees, while their counterparts over in Russia often generously share their experience with their store patrons as well. At this point, which approach would be preferable for me personally seems less important than avoiding getting stuck in a uniform and nametag behind a counter all day.

mediashark · Moderator Joined: 04 Nov 2004 Posts: 1601

Prodavschitsia Climacteria
Produkty Store Clerk

Distinguishing features: 30 year old woman who looks 60; fat, angry face, gingivitis; heavy makeup; ugly mole; hair bleached three months ago; frilly apron; permanent scowl.

Habitat: Behind counters and cashier windows of any establishment where cash changes hands; prevalent where food, vodka, Chinese electronics, and other necessities are available.

Danger if Provoked: Medium. If you do not have exact change, Prodavschitsia Climacteria will often refuse to accept your money or force you to buy cheap candy to cover the difference.

Mortal Weaknesses: Still dreaming of a prince on a white horse who will carry her away from the produkty.

Comments: Like crows and pigeons, Prodavschitsia Climacteria is a highly adaptable, essential part of the harsh Moscow ecosystem. Thanks to conservation efforts, she will continue to thrive.[/img]