Store Mobbing

LJ and I really, really , really want to see the NKOTBSB concert. Unfortunately for us, the ticket prices were also, really, really, really HIGH! We just had to start accepting reality that this time we need to let it pass. 

let me hear some whoop! whoop!!!

Since the rates were published in May, I’ve been checking for on-line deals to get a better rate. True enough, with just a couple of days to go, the universe answered our wish and I saw Groupon-- a group buying site offering it for 50% off!!! Wieeee!

rock your boooody!!! yeah! yeaaaah!

I didn’t want to disappoint the universe, yah know! So without hesitation I signed up right away for two tickets! Instruction was to claim the tickets at the Groupon office the following day… and this is where the fun started! 

once upon a time... inside the Groupon office... 

Surrounded by certified fans, some deal grabbers and mixed in with the party goers the chaos started when the Groupon staff announced that the tickets are not yet available. Whoever was in charge of sending over the tickets to their office did not fulfill their promise that it will be delivered on time. 

"ha??! anu?! panu na?" -- said one gal

"ohhh emmm giee!!! this is soooo not acceptable! it's like, so not! -- said another

"my messenger is outside, can I authorize him?" -- said the bongga person 

papatalo ba naman ako?? so sabe ko... 

"pa-upo po" -- Ciel ;p

It was a small office along Chino Roces, definitely not used to accommodating a large crowd, and definitely not meant to be a holding room for ticket buyers getting impatient after hours of waiting. 

crowd ba kamo?

Though LJ and I were also tired, I didn’t bother making a scene or arguing with the staff. We decided to let go and enjoy people watching in the Groupon office. 

A lot of people in that room felt entitled… to get what, I don’t know. Everyone in that room purchased tickets, paid money, and got in line to comply with the first come, first serve deal. The staff queued and validated the vouchers, they numbered it for good measure. 

So where did it go wrong? 

For Groupon: 

• The company wasn’t prepared to handle that many people. 
• They realized this, and offered what they can. Extra seats, even a tub of chocolate was passed around. They offered soft drinks and water. 

Hershey's Kisses being passed around

• They didn’t have a sole speaker or educated the rest of the team of what should happen, and this caused confusion especially for those who came in early, during the time Groupon don’t know yet what to say. 
• Groupon fixed this later on by having a manager speak loudly whenever there is a need to announce or clarify. He also entertained questions. Problem was, some people held on to what has been said earlier in the afternoon even though it has already been clarified by the manager during his announcements every now and then. 

one of the leads roaming around

manager giving instructions

For the crowd: 

• There are some who failed to understand that this is a discounted rate, and with that came the limitations. SM Ticketing is not psycho enough to provide the excellent seats at half off when their ticket windows are still open selling it at full price. It’s a deal, be realistic.

• People sometimes fail to realize that they are talking to a decent person as well. I understand the disappointment, the sadness, and maybe a bit of anger because you had to wait for hours and there are, admittedly, a lot of opportunities in their system. At any rate, I don’t think yelling, or scolding at someone or even making parinig will make them hear you more. 

What I learned: 

• People respond better when you talk to them properly. Adding in a sincere smile is more than enough to make the workload easier. I smiled and asked questions politely, and they remembered me. Making my transaction easier. Instead of yelling out my name they approached me and just gave me updates. I wasn’t treated as a number.   

• Be realistic. There are times that the deal doesn’t work out. Know when it’s best for you to walk away. Like I said, it’s a deal. If your expectations aren’t sensible, you are setting yourself up for a major breakdown. There were a lot of girls making snazzy comments and blurting out insults here and there about how bad the system was. To be honest, they were still there waiting, and yes, it’s because it’s 50% off. To mirror what one of the staff said, “you can choose the seats, you just need to go to SM and pay full price.” I know the statement lacks customer service, but it’s the truth.  

• In everything you do, and everywhere that you go, make sure you bring along with you a bit of patience, some respect for others and a whole lot of humor. Laughter made LJ and I last that evening, not necessarily laughing at others, but with them. I got to chat with some interesting people, if all topics fail, goodness, e di pagusapan nyo Backstreet boys! Yun yung rason bat kayo nag-aantay ng ilang oras na dyan! Don’t even pretend you are not a fan kahit konti when you’ve been waiting for that long. 

It's obviously a very manual process

...even up to the end

One fave scene for me (of course, aside from the girl breaking down) was when the manager, after providing an update that basically explains nothing about the situation, asked “any questions?,” one girl raised her hand so high up you just had to look at her and listen to her juicy question…. Which was… “Where can I get water??”  It was enough (at least for most of us) to break into loud laughter and encouraged us to wait and chat some more. 

What I’m proud of...

• That except for a handful of eksenadora that day, majority of the crowd were still understanding and patient. They got in line, were fair and didn’t expect to be treated like a VIPs. 
• That there are people who spoke politely with the staff even though you can already read in their eyes that they are tired of standing and waiting for hours. 
• That the Groupon managers stayed. Because of that evening, I hope they realized that some of them maybe good in PR, but a good number of their staff needs more training with customer service, and how they should behave when there are strangers/customers in their office. 

customer service skill training is a must

Most of all… 

• I’m proud that the Cie LJ tag team worked that evening. It definitely helped manage my stress.  

Despite the crazy evening, I’m still not breaking up with group buying sites. We’ve purchased a lot of items in the past, and every time I typed in those credit card numbers I there was always a risk that something could go wrong.

We’ve used vouchers for a lot of things, from hotels to restaurants, theater shows, even laser teeth whitening! Now our vouchers are for concert tickets to NKOTBSB! So Why will I be crazy enough to even think of stopping to get these deals! =D

In fact… we are both looking forward to more date nights paid for by our deal vouchers!