What's new vs. what's good

Just trying to get a feel as if my customers are the only ones that will walk in and say "What's new?" as opposed to "What's good?". This really irratates me. I could say "Glitter just came out and it is by far the worst movie I have seen in a while!" and they would still take it.  8O

[jayluft]

I soooooooo agree.  To avoid the opportunity of looking at my members in a negative way because of this question, we have recently began to post a weekly dispaly that shows what came out "this week".  So now it's much easier - now I get asked on every movie that comes out, if its any good.  Can't win....... :wallb:

[direct007]

Good point, I read a book on customer service and it drove home an interesting point.

When someone asks a question, you may want to think quickly as to what they are really wanting to know and then answer the question accordingly.

Using the "what's new" question as an example, what they are really wanting to know is "what's new and good that I haven't seen?"  So, assuming the question is asked today and for whatever reason, you need to suggest an alternate movie, you may answer:

"This week, Shark Tale and The Notebook were released, but if you really want to see a good movie that was recently released...(fill in the blank here_____________)"

The book I read was about Disney World.  They used the example of some kids running up to the security guard on Main Street and asking "What time does the 3 o'clock parade start?"  The security guard smiled and said, "the parade starts precisely at 3pm, but if you really want to get a good view, take a seat on the sidewalk around 2:30pm before the crowd starts forming"  The kids thanked the security guard and happily took their place on the sidewalk.


Now before I read that book, If I was in that security guard's position, I may have said "3 o'clock, that's why they call it the 3 O'clock parade, and have these kids pissed off at my condescending attitude.  So now I always try to read into the question and be nice and understanding.   (it can be a challenge at times)

[Hardcopy]

If it wasn't for them Glitter would never rent now would it? Especially with you behind the counter telling everyone it sucked.

[sungifts]

Why would you ever want to tell a customer that a movie was NOT good?  We have a policy that the employees CAN NOT say if a movie was good or not.  If asked, they can either say they have not seen it or, say something else to get around saying yes or no.  

And from my personal experience, our taste is not always the same as the customer's!!  For example,. Napolena Dynamite...I hated it, thought it was the worst movie I have ever seen, however, my customers must love it because we can't keep it on the shelf and had to go out and buy more copies.  

As a lady I once met said, If you can't stand it, they WILL buy it!!  (She owned a costume jewelry store and I was talking to her about getting into that type of business.)  She said she always buys more of the items she would never wear and they are the ones that sell the best.

[BeckyJo]

Our clerks use the "I haven't seen it" line a lot.  Another reply that works well for us is "Customers seem to like it."  For the regulars who rent a lot of movies, we are pretty honest with them.  We know their taste and want them to keep renting.  So on that basis, if a 60 year old woman who loves romantic comedies asked if Napoleon Dynamite was good, we would tell her that she "might" not like it even though it does rent well.  Some people will try a movie if they think it appeals to a more attractive demographic (example:  older person who wants to seem in tune with the younger crowd) and we've found that they will rent the movie anyway.

I didn't actually say that, but I did think it.  :twisted:

As far as telling a customer that I did not like a certain movie. Yes, I would. It is not what you say but how you say it and when you say it. If a customer asks me "What did you think of Gigli?". I will respond by saying "Well, I didn't actually like it that much BUT I have had some customers that did." That way I did express my true feelings on the movie and at the same time did give it a little positive.

My feelings on either recommending a movie or not is that what ever you do you should be honest. Too many times, before I owned my store, I would ask a clerk what they thought of a movie. Their responces was either they loved it or have not seen it. I, in turn, would rent the movie. Only to find out that it was a load of garbage.

Right now, I have customers that do not even look around when they enter my store. The simply ask "What have you got for me?" I ask them what they are in the mood for and find the appropriate movie. This is how you build trust with them.

And sure I like the people that rent the bad movies, but not when they ask me. I would rather be truthful. As a side note, even if I say that I did not care for a movie, they rent it anyways and come back and say they agree with me.  :wink:

[videogeek]

Im glad to see Im not the only one with this problem. I cant lie very well at all and feel really bad when I do, so when asked I sometimes say "I havent really got to see it outside of here yet so I cant fairly judge it" I let people read into that as much as they want(it really means I thought it was crap and had no desire to soil my house by bringing it home) or I give them the old "a lot of other customers have been telling me they liked it"
   Im probably not a fair judge because I watch them all and ofcoarse if you do that your taste is going to be very selective.
    I love it when Im brutally honest every now and then to people I know better and they reply "you really suck as a salesman, dont ya" Thats when I tell them "Im not here to sell you one movie, Im here to sell you many movies in the future" then they are quiet.
   People show their real ignorance when they ask me if something is good and I steer them to a movie I really did think was good then they turn it down and get the other movie. I dont take it personally but why did they ask?
   Someday I feel like the comic book store guy on the Simpsons..."worst movie ever"
    I guess what it boils down to is some people come and are loyal because they share the same movie taste as you and they like the feeling of never getting burned because you are honest, and some people ask because they are insecure and cant make any decisions on their own, those are the people who want a movie simply because its rented out and they cant have it, or because the front of the movie has some no name saying "this is the best movie ever"  I will not mock those people(to their face) but I will sometimes tell them, when they ask that I didnt personally care for the movie. When "Anchorman" came out I watched it, and people asked if it was good, I told them Will Ferrell wasnt Saturday Night Live Will in it and it had a few funny parts but overall it was pretty poor, some people got it anyway, and brought it back dissapointed, a few returned it an hour later and picked something else out, all I could say was, I warned you! But those same people will do it again and again, and thats their right, maybe thats why they rent movies because they kept buying bad movies and realised they were wasting money.
    I love it when someone comes in and rents a load of Steven Segal or Jean Claude Van Damme movies(I hate these movies), tells me how awesome they were and then later says something about how they think that they have the same taste in movies as me and wants me to recommend something, then when I do they take it back and tell me how they hated it.
   I find all these things very amusing and I may sound like Im complaining, Im not. Its always good for a laugh.

[jayluft]

Why would you ever want to tell a customer that a movie was NOT good? We have a policy that the employees CAN NOT say if a movie was good or not. If asked, they can either say they have not seen it or, say something else to get around saying yes or no.

I couldn't disagree more!!  I truely believe that one of things that separates many of IVR's that we make an effort to watch many of the movies that come in (personally, I have not put a movie on the shelf since we opened last year, that I haven't watched) so that we present ourselves as prepared and passionate about why we are an independent and in business.  If someone asks me about a movie, I tell them how "I" felt about it.  Does it hurt some rentals, absolutley, BUT I've never lost a single rental because of it.  They just go pick up something else or rent it anyway.  I have many, many customers that now ask on a regular basis and tell me that's one very specific reason they come back.

Don't get me wrong, I'll rent a Gigli without hesitation, but if they ask how it was, I give them "my" take on it.  I make sure they understand that it is my opionon also.

I truely believe that if we present ourselves as uneducated about the movies in our store, we have not separated ourselves from the BB's and HV's of the world.  Part of customer service is showing passion about what you do and having the answers to the questions that our members/customers have.  Giving them a "I don't know, I didn't watch it" approach, is not separating us in anyway from the ring through the lip employee that works at the competitor.  I need to take advantage of every opportunity I can to convince them why they NEED to shop at my store.

[schild=11 fontcolor=000000 shadowcolor=C0C0C0 shieldshadow=1]I'm off my rant now![/schild]

[direct007]

Here's a good comeback...ask "what are a few movies that you have seen that you really liked"?  That will give you the idea of the customer's tastes or lack of.   Then you can recommend movies based on other customer's who have like tastes.

One of my favorite examples of a movie that if you asked 10 people if they liked, 5 would say loved it and 5 hated it.  

The Royal Tannenbaum's...  So it never makes any sense to use your personal tastes to recommend a movie, let the customer tell you the types of movies they like and just run with that.

[direct007]

This whole thread makes me wish I was just in the porn business.  My porn customers just come in, make a selection and leave. No questions, no intellectual commentary or the artistic value of the movie. They just rent and rent and rent.  

[jayluft]

Direct, I guess that would give a whole new meaning to "DARN RIGHT, I WATCH EVERY MOVIE !

[mcmarc]

I'm a firm believer in honesty being the best policy.  Customers will soon be able to read into the "I haven't seen it," after awhile.  I joke with them that I don't give opinions after they've rented about four or five times!  You know what though... even if you flat out told them that a movie sucks, like I have with VAN HELSING or JERSEY GIRL, they rent it anyway.  When they come back agreeing with you, you've made a loyal customer.  One woman rents the opposite of what I like or dislike, and it works.  Be yourself.


marc
orbit dvd

[Kerry]

(personally, I have not put a movie on the shelf since we opened last year, that I haven't watched)


Geez, when do you find the time?  I'd love to have the time be able to watch just the ones I really want to, let alone everything I put on the shelf.  I try to get to the theater on Sundays, just to have that one less movie I'll have to try to get in when it hits our store, but it's still really hard to fit in just a few movies a week and work too.

This is a great thread, though-I'm glad to know I'm not the only one most of these things have happened to.  I tend to like twisted comedy so I know not to rave to most people about my personal favorites (I loved Napoleon Dynamite, by the way).  I do try to be honest and say if I liked one or not.  There are a few people that take it personally if I say I liked something they totally hated and they just go on and on about that,  and to avoid that I'll sometimes tell just those people, if they ask about particular titles, that I haven't seen the movie.  It just avoids a lot of contention.  

I once made the mistake of raving to a good customer about a movie I loved which had just come on video, and she and I usually liked the same kinds of movies.  (The movie was "Chicago", and I had seen it 4 times at the theater.)  She picked one up, and a couple of other people standing within earshot came over and picked up copies too.  Suddenly, in through the door walked a man, returning Chicago,  who very loudly stated that "that was the worst most hyped piece of crap he'd ever seen."  All the customers put them back, and the woman said to me "I never thought you'd lie to me just to sell a movie" and left.  She didn't come back for several months.

Now I just keep my mouth shut as a general rule.

[sungifts]

I agree with Coxvideo that it is not what but how you say it.  And that is exactly what we explained to our employees about "rating" a movie.

Our policy derived from one employee complaining that another employee was always going too far into detail about a movie she did not like, therefore steering the customer away from renting it.  She would even go as far as telling them not to rent it "because it sucked and they would not like it".

We do feel that honesty is the best policy and have told our employees to handle the good or bad question in a way that they feel comfortable - be tactful about with your answer and don’t try to steer the customer one way or the other.  Sometimes it is just best to keep your opinions to yourself!  We do want to run a reputable business, however, business is business, and as I said before, just because I did not like the movie does not mean that someone else wouldn't.  

Like it or not, your interpretation of a product, movie, etc is a great influence on others.  I know that my decision to buy certain products have sometimes been  based on others’ experiences.  I think that the same theory holds true with movie renting.  Before we bought the video store, we were movie watchers for sure, but if someone would say a movie was not good, the chances of me seeing it dropped - a lot.