Topic: Typical AAFES employee ignorance

[Clutch]

Question to AAFES:  Do you train your employees to just make up answers to customer questions?

Here's my latest example:  I was at the Vogelwegh Taco Bell on Wednesday and ordered a Chicken Fiesta Burrito plus sour cream.  I got a Chicken Fiesta Burrito with sour cream and Baja Sauce.  When I returned it, they told me "It's supposed to have Baja Sauce on it"  I quesitoned this, stating that I order these frequently and have never gotten one like that (Ramstein doesn't do it that way).  I was told by the 50-something year old worker that "They have always been like that, and I need to specify no Baja Sauce"

BULLSHIT! Read your menu cards, stupid!  I double checked with Taco Bell, and their response is "The Chicken Fiesta Burrito does not contain Baja Sauce"

[Disgruntled]

Sounds like the discussion I had with a TB manager the other day. Our prices are higher than in town and I asked for a match. His reply was to point at the 4-point fine print on one of the product signs and tell me they are allowed to have higher prices because the tiny prints says "Prices may vary."

Fine, but I was not aware of ANY AAFES policy that says our prices should be higher than in town. Popcorn and sodas at the theater are now just as expensive, even though the EOP says clearly that (especially for soda and candy), the prices cannot be any higher than they sell for in our other facilities. Yet they are selling a small soda for over $3 when in the shoppettes and the food court, that same soda is like $1.29.

And people wonder why sales are down all around...

[asshole]

i really hate brown noser the reason that i hate them so much is because they get away with any thing that they want for example i work at one of px's  and i work with this girl that suck up to all the managers and she doesn't get in trouble for any thing well one thing is that she told us that the Head manager was gay and blamed it one of the supervisor and of course the supervisor didn't get a chance to sayany thing and he got in trouble and she didn't get in any trouble at all because she is a brown noser
                     MORE TO COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                                                             ASSHOLE

[posgirl]

prices in all aafes facilities are supposed to be the same,, down to snack ave items to electronics. If there is a difference then price challenge,, AAFES policy if if there is a $10 difference they just give it to you

[Disgruntled]

Tell that to WR management. 

[Stop_Your_Crying]

Hey Disgruntled, which EOP and chapter on the soda/candy price do you base your statement. I like to go look up and if true, I wouldn't mind shake things up a bit!!!!!

[Disgruntled]

25-4, Food Activities, Chap. 2-14

Anything identical to an item sold in an exchange facility must be sold at the same price. Post-mix drinks and popcorn are figured differently. Part (f) says the prices for those should be at least 20% below averaged prices, but at a minimum of 10% below the LOWEST surveyed price. There's even a formula in the section telling how to set the prices.

What gets me is that our theater sells a kid's pack for $6.99 and all that entails is a 12oz drink and a XS popcorn with NO candy treat. Every freakin' theater complex in town sells a kid's pack for under $6 and they give the kid a regular checkout stand (not theater) size candy along with the drink and the popcorn. Yet, when I questioned it, I was told that I shouldn't be saying things like that where others can hear me.

Our food court is higher priced than in town, too. Taco Bell and Captain D's are the worst for overpricing. Again, I was given the "hush up!" warning. A manager even pointed to a tiny notice that said "prices may vary" and said that was enough for them to charge what they wanted. Never mind what the EOP says...

[Stop_Your_Crying]

Thanks Disgruntled for the info...........

[AAFESisaMAFIA]

PRICE MATCHING: AAFES has vendors change most of the stock numbers on equipment so that customers cannot use the price matching systems. They especially do this on items they plan to sell as one time buys or specials buys at a discounted price that they had already formally sold so that customers who have bought that item a day or 2 before cannot get back the money which is a system has in place I guess to only make themselves look good on paper.

[Disgruntled]

They cannot legally change bar codes. If they overlay, report them.

[SA84]

To AAFESisaMAFIA

As an aafes employee who worked in a position that delt with the price changing I disagree with this. On occasion we overlay upc's with new ones if by chance it is a duplicate UPC or a specific model made just for AAFES (yes electronic companies do do this). Alot of UPC are reused aftertime by certain companies on seasonal merchandise but failed to change in the stores system. This is more so with clothing. But on occasion it happens with things such as housewares and electronics. If you want to fight the particular store they cannot remove the original upc from the merchandise..so just carefully remove the overlay upc and prove that that piece of merchandise is in fact the same upc and model/style as the store you are price challenging with. If you still have a big hassle and hate aafes that much then screw it and just buy it where you saw it cheaper. Guess that way your not supporting the place you hate so much.....

As for the comment that that prices should all be the same in every aafes facility this is true but unfortunately each stores system is not always insync with other facilities. If this is the case and you notice different prices for hte same product you need to bring it to the stores attention so they can fix the problem. Some stores though have excess of merchandise so the individual store will sell it cheaper to get rid of it if its not selling very well. While the same merchandise is selling well at another store so they keep it at its regular price. This happens even with civilian stores.

Not trying to be an 'ignorant' employee because I indeed see things that are a load of retail crap. Just remember...AAFES is run by the government....It isnt going to be like your top notch civilian stores lol.

And for the thought that all employees pull answers out of there bums...I wouldnt doubt that it happens alot. I've only worked for 3 BX Facilities but I can truthfully say that a good chunk of them do not train there new employee's adequitly. They want someone to fill the position to bring in the money with the least amount of effort put into getting them there. Some supervisors/managers are definately hard workers but more so they are not. Lets just say I've worked my current position a month less than my supervisor has...she comes to me for answers on things when I should be the one going to her for answers!!

[Disgruntled]

Thoughtful answer, but it is against federal law to tamper with the bar codes for "avoidance".

That's what bugs the $hit out of me--that we put our own Fashion UPCs over branded UPCs (Nike, Liz Claiborn, etc.) to avoid price challenges--then require that the challenge has to be for the exact same model, size and color. The last two (size and color) are truly stupid because a (for example) Nike Whatever is going to come in a range of sizes/colors. I don't wear a size 6 or like chartreuse, so don't demand that I can only challenge the price if I am buying a size 6 in chartreuse. If the model number is XX1234 no matter if you are talking size 6 or 16, teal or chartreuse. That should never be happening.

[worked2death09]

  TRAINING    WHAT"S THAT!!   I've seen people dropped off in a dept and told when you have time read the books ...

[Disgruntled]

  TRAINING    WHAT"S THAT!!   I've seen people dropped off in a dept and told when you have time read the books ...

Actually, it's more like "sit down at this computer and log in". Then the supervisor/manager reads them the answers for the WBT training. Or, better yet, just hands the associates a training roster and tells them to sign it with nothing more than the name of the CLASS they SHOULD have taken.

Makes for an interesting time when the roster is pulled out after an associate screws up due to lack of training. 

[Insider1]

Oh no. The last time I mentioned this....Corporate U's Gary Burton had to send out a sad message that serious allegations had been made about the integrity of the training process and all managers needed to write back to let HQ know that this was completely untrue.

Of course that is how it works almost all the time.  There are so many mandatory meaningless WBT classes and the employees don't care, most supervisors and managers don't care..but the clones and goons at higher levels take great satisfaction in pretending all those training stats are something close to real. One might hope they were bright enough to know its not remotely close to true, but I think they have actually deluded themselves again.

Guess there will be a generic "tell us it isn't true" plea coming out from HQ to the field again shortly.