Dear diary: Customer service is just so bad!

Yesterday I went out, I decided to go to the shops to buy a couple of gifts for my friend for her birthday this weekend. I wanted to create a little gift box for her, if you guys don’t know, I love making gifts and making it personal and just getting all artsy crafty, if that makes sense. Here’s a link of a gift idea I came up with if you want to check it out. http://lalalinee.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/nifty-gift-idea.html

I mean okay, I’m prepared to deal with rude people, like I know not everybody out there is going to be nice or treat customers or people in general the way they should be treated, maybe because they’ve had previous bad experiences with other customers but can I just say, not every customer is going to be rude. I mean, I feel like I blog about retailing all the time because I’m just so shocked with how bad customer service is. I get that you have a job to do but it takes 2 seconds to say hello when somebody walks into the store, you don’t even have to ask if I need help with anything but just greet me and then you can get back to doing whatever you have to do.

I think in retail it’s so important to be nice and not to judge, I mean at the end of the day, you’re trying to make a sale and trust me I walked out of so many stores yesterday because customer service was just that bad, I was all ready to pay for what I wanted, too bad they took too long talking to each other about their hair.

For me, it does bother me that people can just be so rude, but worse for them because I will never walk into those stores again and it just creates a bad image for them.

Too bad, so sad is all I can say.

I'd love to know is it just me or is customer service pretty bad?

Dear diary: When your phone breaks, turn to facebook..

.. or some type of social networking site.

People are really mean.

So today my phone broke and I’m going to blog about how I feel because I’m so frustrated right now.

I’ve only ever had 2 phones, my first one being a nokia 6610 and my recent one a nokia 6760. I’m not that type of person who needs a phone with all these apps or you can do this on this phone and you can do that, you can get how many gigabytes you want. I don’t care. To me a phone is a phone and as long as I can call people, text people and they can reach me and I can reach them it’s fine.

So today I dropped it and it’s not the first time it’s been dropped and with nokia phones, the backing usually just comes off along with the battery, the screen has never cracked on me. But being a slide phone, this time it slid open and smashed on the floor so the sliding is broken and the film that attaches the information together or whatever I don’t know, it just snapped so it’s broken and it won’t turn on.

I was like, I can fix it. NO I CANNOT! I literally don’t even know. So as soon as I got home I spent 3 hours going through all pre paid phones I had, to find that 4 out of 5 of them are all locked! So I went back to my nokia 6610 and the battery is literally dying, I’m not talking just charge it, it’ll be fine. NO! it’s that old that even if do charge it, the battery is going to die.

I thought that’s okay I can still get all my info from the sim card, oh guess what guys, it’s not SAVED ON MY SIM CARD!!!!! And then I was like oh wait it has a micro sd card, so maybe all the info is there. Spent half an hour calling up people asking if they had a card reader, thankyou for family for living close by, got it. So I managed to save some pics and videos and music but I have no peoples. I have none of my contacts saved on this sd card and I am so devastated because it’s all saved on my phone that doesn’t even turn on now, calendar dates, notes. IMPORTANT THINGS! And before anyone goes well you should of backed up your phone and update info daily onto your computer from your phone, just don’t. I already feel so poop inside and it doesn’t help when you go on google to find answers to fix the problem and you get smart comments like that. Alright why do people have to be so mean? A simple, try getting it repaired at a mobile repair shop or recommend a good place you can get it fixed, is fine. People need to calm down with the things they say sometimes. I don’t even know.

All I can say is thank you for social networking sites at least I can get some numbers off there.

Dear diary: People are so judgmental..

You know the days where you just don't feel like working and you're just so tired and your body just wants to sleep and never wake up, well not never but just rest up until you’re ready? I am so in that mood right now.

I think one thing that is hard to do is to be nice to people when you’re so tired and you’re having one of those please leave me alone moments. Something I’ve definitely worked on over the years and growing up helps.

Today at work, I served this lady who looked quite tired and sick and in general, if you saw somebody like that on the street, you wouldn’t approach them. She was quite unusual and when speaking to her she was a bit slow with things. I’ve dealt with so many different people and this lady was so shocked at the way I treated her, she was surprised that I was so nice and I took the time to serve her and help her find the things she wanted, which when I thought about it, it really broke my heart especially when she started telling me that people around this area that I worked, would look at her weirdly and shudder when they saw her and didn’t want to serve her because of the way she looked. I just felt so bad because I know what it’s like to be treated like you’re not wanted at a store and people eyeing you down, making sure you don’t steal and it sucks and it’s such a shame that there are so many people out there still that just judge people. I think there is a huge difference in being genuinely scared to serve somebody and just being rude and 99% of the time I find, they’re just rude.

I talked to the lady about what she was telling me and we started talking about how being in your 20’s to 30’s would be the best part of your life before you started feeling unwell, your body starts slowing down and it just goes to show that you should never judge people and I’m so glad I didn’t because she really was such a wonderful lady who thought about her kids and her partner (as she was buying things for them) I even had another lady walk past and whisper to me that she wasn’t going to buy anything and that she had no money, well she bought $60 worth of stuff and maybe people should just be nicer, I know for one I wouldn’t spend my money in a place that didn’t give me good service, I’ve walked out of so many stores just because  they didn’t greet me and I was the only person in there, picked up a piece of jewellery  and wanted to buy it and because I didn’t get that service, they didn’t get my money.

Like I say, never judge people because you never know what somebody has been through.

All my love guys, will blog again soon. 

Dear diary: When customers are rude...

Dear world,

Who needs friends to vent to when you can just blog about it? I’m kidding! I love my friends but sometimes they’re busy and I need someone to talk to and I’m sad so I’m going to tell you all what happened today.

For anybody who works in retail, I’m sure you’ve dealt with this. Of course like any job it’s going to have its ups and downs but here’s the thing, I actually like retail despite what some people might think of it. I enjoy it, my customers are great especially the mature ones, great stories and I’m not being sarcastic.

Today really made me upset and I’m not going to lie, everybody’s temper is going to flare up here and there, but I was having a good day until this lady started giving me attitude.

It started off fine, I greeted her, I asked if she needed any help, I showed her 2 different sizes of clothing, which one would be a better fit for her daughter, it was going great until we got to the checkout. She decided to buy the 2 pieces of clothing and instead of being 2 for $15, which was for the children’s size, it was 2 for $20 (ladies size). I told her that because this is no longer a children’s size, the price is different.

She was fine with it and she was like “Oh okay next time I have to ask the price beforehand” and I was like okay, but the sign with the price on it was right there, she saw it that’s why she was confused with the change I gave her, instead of giving her $35 change I gave her $30 from a 50. I went off to do something else and within a few seconds I’m talking 10 seconds she totally just lost it on me.

She started from being calm and understanding to raising her voice and saying, “Excuse me, I thought it was 2 for $15 because then where I live I can go buy it for the same price and I don’t want to buy this from you and I want my money back, so I’m going to give it back to you and you give me my money!” I was like okay, nodding my head, yeah, bring it back (because her daughter took it somewhere) and I’ll give your money back.

She started walking off and mumbling to herself giving me a death stare may I just add.

Because that is such a HUGE problem she had to get THAT mad. My head hurts thinking about it.

I was so shocked because it was fine, I totally did not get where the attitude came from, I was fine with the whole refunding of the money but it was the way she said it. She could have just said, Oh sorry, I’ve changed my mind, is it alright if I can get a refund. Seriously it’s all about the delivery. If you don’t want people to be rude to you, then don’t be so rude to start off with.

I’m so proud of myself though, because I think if it was me 1 year ago, I would be yelling back at her because she started yelling at me, but I kept my cool and it’s just a real shame that people don’t understand that it doesn’t matter what job you have, you should treat everybody with respect and speak in a calm manner. I get that working in retail you are the customer, but I’m a human being too, I just might be a bit more lady like than you.

Okay I’m done venting now, thanks for reading guys, I feel better. =) Just remember, if you ever get a rude customer BE CALM (I know it’s hard) but it totally makes them second guess themselves and realise that they’re being really rude and if not, they’re most likely having a bad day.

And by the way, can we all just be a little bit nicer to one another. Dealing with negative people just makes me feel so bad about myself.

Dear diary: Are we too tech savvy to own a typewriter?

I have this fascination with vintage things, whether it is clothing, tea sets, anything really. The weird thing about me is I appreciate a lot of vintage stuff but at the same time I would never wear vintage clothing well if it was a hat then I would ( my love of hats, a whole different story)

Everytime I would shop with my best friend she would take me to these awesome vintage shops that she knew of and we would spend AGES in the store and just get to know the owner and the history of their accessories and whatever they had in there.

Okay so we all know by now I like writing. And computers yayyy! You’ve been so great to me except when this wireless keyboard spazzes out on me and viruses etc etc, but what I’ve wanted for a really long time now is a typewriter. You know? The really old school ones and where you have to move the paper and not make a mistake because then you’ve got to start again. I LOVE!  There’s something so personal about writing out a letter to somebody on a typewriter as opposed to a computer because then you just email it, whereas a typewriter, you can send it to someone by snail mail or really personalize it as a part of a gift to somebody.

I don’t know guys I just really want one and start clicking away on it. 


Maybe something like this..

LOVE this typewriter!

Dear diary: I'm writing a book!

Soo yeah did I tell you guys I’m writing a book?

I have absolutely no idea where this year is taking me, last year I was studying I had work experience in films and photo shoots, I travelled to LA last year for IMATS there, special workshops learning from the best and the experienced, it was also the first time I went overseas. Last year was a great year for me, I was busy I was studying and practicing something that I loved.

This year though, I felt a lot was going to change, it was the year that my life would sort of get started if you get me. This year has definitely been about growing up and figuring out what I really want to do and make some serious decisions that would affect the rest of my life.

I had absolutely no idea that this blog would be doing this well, or the fact that I was even going to start blogging, a huge surprise for me and a happy one too. It’s something I definitely look forward doing, chucking my thoughts out there and sharing some makeup and beauty tips we all love and of course this crazy world we call life in there as well.

So as a part of wanting to become not just a good makeup artist, or a great one, not just an ordinary one but I want to be amazing. I feel even though yeah okay I have my certificate I’m qualified to do make up, but I was only taught basics and I think there is a huge difference between getting your certificate in makeup and being a makeup artist.

A makeup artist puts in that effort, they give that bit more,  I’m not talking you just do amazing makeup I’m talking about everything, the whole deal.Skin care, skin prepping, knowing your skin types, knowing what products suit what person, how to deal with contra-indications, recognizing every contra-indication there is out there, the ingredients found in makeup and beauty products, what is it made of or what is it in general, understanding the skin’s pH balance, oil and water based products, face shapes, corrective work, eye shapes, the use of lighting and how it will affect your makeup, black and white photography, seriously I could go on.

 There’s so much we need to know about makeup, it’s not as simple as slapping on concealer and foundation, it’s about what products can we use to get that makeup to last longer to work for you. I think that’s why I was definitely turned off doing makeup on film sets, people are really mean and they treated makeup artists like we were nothing, that we’re all about being pretty and if only people could see what I see and that is every element in a film set needs to work harmoniously with one another and it’s a shame, it was great experience, but it was shocking, I know rude but that took rude to another level. You’d be surprised at how bad that would make you feel.

I want to be that makeup artist where people ask me anything and I’ll have an answer for them right away. I want to be able to fix problems on the spot and not to be afraid of what if they don’t like the look I do for them. So yeah because of ALL that (sorry about the rant, couldn’t help myself) I’m writing a makeup guide book, everything you need to know and more. Another project for me but it all works to becoming an extraordinary makeup artist, that and even if it doesn’t get anywhere it’s my makeup guide, I’ve put a lot of effort into it and learnt so much along the way.

Right now I’m still on chapter 1, all about skin care, there is a lot to it but I feel like I know even more now. 

Dear diary: Compliments go a long way

I think no matter who you are, compliments go a long way.  You could be the most confident person out there or even the shyest, but we all love receiving that little bit of attention which can make you just feel great about yourself.

It doesn’t matter what they compliment you on, it could be what you’re wearing or your makeup or your new hairdo, it gives you that instant pick me up and makes you feel great about yourself.

So I think ladies, give someone a compliment every day it could just be your mum or sister, a friend, a stranger if you’re working in retail like me, little things like that can really make a difference to somebody.

You never know.

Dedicated to my beautiful friend who’s been dealing with depression. Just know that things will get better.

I talk about my hair again.. and PPS root lift hair volumiser

I feel like all I talk about right now is my hair.

I’m sorry, it happens okay. Sometimes I’ll talk about makeup and beauty products and then it’s just only because I got a haircut in case you haven’t read. I mean how could you miss all those blogs.

( These hair blogs are up on my wordpress blog - lalalinee.wordpress.com)

I really wanted some volume through my hair, especially at the roots as my hair is pretty thick and has volume everywhere else but the roots.

Over the weekend I spent a lot of time in an area where every corner you turn there is a hair salon or hair supply shop and I’m not complaining, I love it and discount prices on products and friendly service (only if you buy something) I mean how could you not love being some place like that.

No but in all seriousness, this hair supply shop I went into were really lovely, they had a new worker who was from america and I could not concentrate on what she was saying because if you have an accent and you talk to me I just get lost because I love accents and my mind totally goes MIA, especially if you have an american or english accent, seriously I’ll dear diary blog on accents and how much I love them.

Regardless, I talked to her for a good 15 minutes about america and where I stayed when I was over there last year and how she was in australia for 2 months already and how homesick she was and now back to what I went in there for. So i asked her if there was anything for my hair that would give me some good volume and just make it look all fluffy and bouncy and full of volume basically.

So they recommended this for me.

PPS root lift volumiser

If you were wondering, I purchased this for $16.95

A mousse  and the nozzle on this thing is INSANE! you can definitely tell that this was designed just for your roots.

         Initial thought -  I sprayed this through the roots of my hair and it was amazing!  The amount of volume I had up there made it feel like I just had an awesome blow dry. The only thing was I did spray a lot through my hair but that could be just me as my hair is thick.

I used this the next day and I didn’t spray as much as i did the day before so my hair went back to flat again by not even midday.

Overall, I like this product a lot, wouldn’t say love just yet, it’s only the second time I’ve used it but on the plus side, the amount I did spray stayed in my hair for the whole day and what I do like about it the most is the fact that you can just scrunch your hair and the product is still there.

The nozzle on this thing, definitely aims at
your roots.

 

Walking with line - asleep or awake?

The other night, I couldn’t get to sleep. I was literally laying around for 3 hours before I fell asleep. Starting up this blog, I love it. I love putting ideas up and creating new posts, reviewing products and sharing my makeup knowledge with all of you.

The weirdest thing is, I don’t sleep walk or at least I don’t think I do. However, I woke up at 4 in the morning and found that my computer was turned on. I don’t know how it turned on though, my door is always closed when I’m asleep and no one in my family turned it on. Funny thing is, I was actually dreaming about writing up a new blog. So my conclusion is that I’m so obsessed with this blog that I must have turned on my computer thinking I was awake.

I woke up and was so confused, had absolutely no idea what happened because when I did wake up I was in my bed.

I hope I wasn’t sleep walking, but what other explanation is there. I don’t remember a thing.

Walking with line - what weird animals do your neighbours have?

I recently had some new neighbours that moved in next door. We went over, said hello, introduced ourselves etc etc like good neighbours do. I don’t live in the countryside, actually I live absolutely NOWHERE near the countryside. This is what I find weird.

I’m used to dogs, kitties maybe guinea pigs as a family pet. But to have a rooster????? I wake up literally every morning at 3:30 because it’s crowing or whatever roosters do. I’m not done. To add to that, they have at least 4 massive chickens that smell! Their poop is so bad I actually found a HUGE dead mouse near my fence one time. I’m also pretty sure, they’ve added a duck, because I swore I heard a quack the other day. At first, it was okay but the rooster doesn’t just crow at “dawn”, it’s so confused! It’s not dawn, it’s just cloudy and it just crows and crows and won’t shut up.

Trying to get to sleep is the worst, I just end up laying in bed for 4 hours until I have to get up.

Let me know guys, what’s the weirdest animal your neighbours have? Maybe they have goat? OMG what if they DO have a goat?

Walking with Line – What you do when you’re bored

You go annoy your siblings and see what they’re up too, they’re doing homework. BORING!

You walk from one end of the house to another looking for something to do, then you decide to sit on the couch to watch some tv, turn it on, flick through all the channels, turn it off. Nothing’s on.

Now you’re hungry, you go to look for food, open the fridge, close it. There’s no food. There’s never food. Why do you bother?

Stand in the kitchen whining, maybe drink some water.

Then go back to see what your siblings are doing…. Yep, they’re still doing homework.

You walk out of their rooms and walk up and down the house another 2 times, maybe 3 whilst whining and complaining there’s nothing to do.

You go to your phone and text 5 people asking them what they’re up to.

It’s been 3 hours, still no reply.

You go back to the fridge, open it, close it, walk around the kitchen, open it again then close it, drink some more water and then open it again. You think that maybe some food will magically appear.

Now you need to pee.

You go to the toilet.

By this time, you’re STILL bored.

You go back to the tv, sit on the couch, look for the remote, you can’t find the remote, never mind you find it, turn it on, flick through all the channels, turn it off. There’s still nothing on.

Get up, walk up and down whining and whining and whining and whining.

Sit on your computer, check facebook, check twitter, check your emails, check your subs on youtube, no one’s uploading.

You’re still bored.

You look outside the window, it’s dark, it’s night time.

You decide to go to bed.

As you get into bed, those 5 people you texted start texting back saying “Sorry for the late reply” and end up telling you about how great their day was.

Well good for them! At least they had a productive day.

You don’t text them back until midday the next day, let’s see how they like it!

Walking with Line

Hey all, just a quick update on my latest idea for the blog. I’ve decided to add a life blog to what I already have. Don’t worry there will still be all the good makeup and beauty stuff but I’ll be adding blogs about my life, so it could be anything on my mind, from music, movies to life events to parties, fashion and games. Seriously, ANYTHING!

I just want to give a quick shout out to one of my good friends Murielle for coming up with the name for my life blog – Walking with Line. Love you! And just wanted to let you all know that life blogs will start off with the title walking with line, followed by a short title of what the blog is about. Keep on reading, subscribe, follow me on twitter and next blog should be out Thursday.

Sayonara!!!!