Anyone found a way to stop talking to people in public?

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sly279
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11 Oct 2018, 12:46 pm

I desire to socialize but I suck as I’m aspie so I mess up and end up feeling horrible.
I wish I knew how to not talk to people.
Today I’m going try harder to just keep silent and Ignore customers.



Fnord
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11 Oct 2018, 12:52 pm

I got a job where I don't have to interact with the public, or with more than two or three people in the office.



serpentari
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11 Oct 2018, 1:22 pm

well sly, if u are working with some customers, u cant ignore them. also, i really dont have an answer for u, because all my life i have been learning the opposite - how to do casual contact with minimal energy expense and maximum pass-for-NT. usually i do eye contact, smile, exchange a few words on weather, or some relevant topic, if its a repeated contact. it helps busying myself with something after initial eye contact. like dressing my kid, packing my food (in a store) or well, something, to hide my eyes with a good alibi). if they are telling me something important with more than a few words, i'd lean a bit towards them and meet their eyes again to show im listening. confirm that i got it. ask a question if its warranted, or say good bye and go. its easy, when its a routine scenario. i dont do more than i have to, but i dont ignore people either, and interact with them in a minimalistically efficient way.


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sly279
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11 Oct 2018, 1:39 pm

Lot of the other workers just Ignore customers.
But stupid social wanting sly goes up and asks them if they need help. :cry:



serpentari
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11 Oct 2018, 2:01 pm

it sounds like a right thing to do


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Fnord
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11 Oct 2018, 3:08 pm

sly279 wrote:
Lot of the other workers just Ignore customers. But stupid social wanting sly goes up and asks them if they need help.
Getting grief for wanting to help people and maybe brighten their day? You and me both, Sly. You and me both...

:x <-- Angry Face



serpentari
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11 Oct 2018, 3:16 pm

im doing my best to remind myself that other person had not meant harm to me, even if something they do looks bad. and to minimize my agressive responses. i have a problem with that. trying to solve it. trying to help others too. wonder if my efforts are taken for something else)


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XFilesGeek
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11 Oct 2018, 3:42 pm

Okay, I'll bite:

How exactly is it you're "messing up?"


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sly279
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11 Oct 2018, 4:11 pm

XFilesGeek wrote:
Okay, I'll bite:

How exactly is it you're "messing up?"


I was giving wrong information to customers.
Gun counter people think I’m idiot , I neber claimed to be expert on every single round ever made. Perhaps I should quit. I own guns and I shoot, but I don’t hunt, and I only own few of the popular rounds,i dont know how the gun counter people know all these different old obsolete rounds. I thought when he said I have a 250 savage rifle. He meant a rifle made by savage. I have a savage mode mark2 rifle. I didn’t know he meant a round :(
Some customers think I’m stupid too and said so.
I’m going try really hard not to help customers today.
I, not a hunting expert, I’m nit a gun expert, I just enjoy guns and learning about guns. But there are thousands of one off rounds out there.
Like I know about .338 lupa but apparently everyone and their uncle makes a 338
So there’s .338 feeders, .338 win. .338 whetherby. And if a customer ask for 338 I’m just suppose to know which they mean or if they ask for a round I’ve never heard of I’m just suppose to know about all 10,000 odd ball rounds.
And the which round works best with my rifle for hunting this animal. I dont know i dont know what their rifling is or what grain works best with it and I certainly have no idea o interest in known what grain is best at killing poor animals.



XFilesGeek
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12 Oct 2018, 11:14 am

Ah, I see.

Many customers are entitled a***holes. Next time you don't know an answer to a question, just smile and say, "I don't know the answer to that question, but I'll happily help you find someone who does!" And I believe you mentioned you work at Cabela's, so I imagine there are a lot of redneck alpha-types who come through.

The problem with customer service is you have to be "on" all the time and exude empathy with a permanent smile. I can't do those kinds of jobs, which is why I get stuck working nasty janitorial positions.


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fluffysaurus
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12 Oct 2018, 3:21 pm

I get you. Customers think whatever they do/have is the main thing. They have no idea how much stock there is

available. When I worked in a book shop we sold some stationary inc printer inks I would regularly have this

conversation.

customer "I'd like an HP cartridge, black and white"

Me "do you know the picture on the front or the code"

customer (with sigh) "It's an HP printer"

Me "Yes, do you remember the picture on the front"

customer (looks annoyed) "No but IT'S THE HP"

Me "HP have a lot of different inks"

customer "IT'S THE BLACK AND WHITE"

Me "do you know the model of the printer?"

customer "It's an HP, there must be someone here who knows which cartridge fits an HP printer or is intelligent

enough to look it up, this is a stationers"

I get out the catalog and show customer pages and pages of different black cartridges for HP.

customer suddenly remembers picture on front, I know the code by heart.

I haven't been in my new job long enough to be familiar with all the stock yet and we have a big range but

customers expect you to know everything. I get asked electrical questions, plumbing, craft, and whether clothes will

fit their child. How the hell should I know.

Smile and nod Sly, and send them in the direction of someone else. I'm on front till, I tell people all the time that

the lady on the back till knows everything, and she does.



886
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13 Oct 2018, 12:40 am

you're also working with people who most likely know their stuff

the gun nuts i know.. they know EVERYTHING about their gun, or the gun they want


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BTDT
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13 Oct 2018, 8:54 am

It sounds like you want to be promoted to of the knowledgeable gun counter people, instead of being stuck where you are. Maybe you could listen in to learn the questions and answers? You could even study up on good questions when you get home by looking stuff up on the internet. If you can recite what the popular opinion is on the internet that is usually good enough for most customers. Most customers just want to be reassured that their decision is the right one. Or just get a chance to rant or vent for five minutes.



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13 Oct 2018, 8:59 am

Never second guess a customer if you don't have all the facts


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TW1ZTY
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13 Oct 2018, 12:52 pm

I put my earphones on, play some music on my smartphone, and ignore everybody around me. :thumright:



hurtloam
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13 Oct 2018, 3:00 pm

You don't have to bluff. If you don't know the answer to the question don't pretend that you do. I can understand why the customer would be irritated. Why give them the wrong advice.?

Just say, "I'm not sure about that, let me take you to the gun counter and they can help you there." That would be good customer service. That would be giving them what they want.

I've worked with customers. If I didn't know the answer to a question I didn't just bluff it, I'd take them to someone who could help.