4 ms·

Apparently, this used to be a thing in department stores. If someone complained, the manager would make a deal out of “firing” the scapegoat employee and the cu

Apparently, this used to be a thing in department stores. If someone complained, the manager would make a deal out of “firing” the scapegoat employee and the customer would be happy.

ericmcer 4y ago
What kind of psycho feels satisfied when someone loses their job. Unless the offense was like… spitting in my food or something actually dangerous I would feel bad if my complaint about general negligence or attitude resulted in someone losing their job.
- Aissen 4y ago
  In fact it can be used as a pressure strategy to customers that do have empathy. Those might complain a bit less loud when you let them know you might have to fire someone.
- cogman10 4y ago
  I feel the same way. However, some people are more "eye for an eye" types and nothing makes them feel better than seeing someone punished that "wrongs" them. There are more than a few people that fetishize punitive actions for evil doers.
- eyelidlessness 4y ago
  I totally agree (with your conclusion), and I even go out of my way to give higher praise than deserved to workers to help shield them from it. Unfortunately, it’s not (always) customers’ fault that this is how it works. Increasingly, it’s not even knowable by customers that they may contribute to someone’s firing (or even be the only input!). A single mediocre review could end a job, depending on how it’s weighted. A few bad reviews almost guarantees it. Even if the customer has no idea their review is applied to that particular worker—i.e. if they think they’re reviewing the business. Knowing all this has also just generally helped me to be more patient with people when I’m on the other side of the “counter”. But a lot of people (a) don’t know it and (b) don’t have any other recourse. A specific example so I don’t sound like I’m just abstracting the whole thing: if I order a meal on Grubhub, when I get asked for a review I get very specific questions about the delivery driver, vague questions about food quality from the vendor, and no prompt about Grubhub’s service itself. When I’ve had poor service (always from Grubhub or a direct consequence of their poor service), there isn’t even a way to give feedback that goes beyond the CS front line. Those poor souls are tasked with issuing refunds as rapidly as possible and moving on to the next chat. The best anyone can do to even register a complaint that might be heard is to call out a driver or restaurant, even if neither did anything wrong. Customers don’t know they’ll probably get someone fired by taking this tack, they just know it’s the only way to be heard. And that’s not because they’re cruel, it’s because they’re horribly alienated from the thousands of tiny paper cuts they understand as conveniences, and some days their only options.
- gedy 4y ago
  > What kind of psycho feels satisfied when someone loses their job. Most of the Twitter mob types calling people out for whatever
red_phone 4y ago
What happened when the customer encountered the same employee on a future visit?
- blowski 4y ago
  I don't know, I just remember reading about it on here. Might not even be true, but it's a good story.
- GuB-42 4y ago
  This is a problem SaaS can solve, scapegoat as a service. When needed, get a professional scapegoat to fire, less chance to see him again. And you can get the performance you want. Do you want an asshole who deserves it, or maybe you prefer a clueless bootlicker. Of course, bosses will also be available to do the firing if you can't supply your own. And while I am imagining things, I am sure that something like that exists in some form.
  - GravitasFailure 4y ago
    This is sounding like a Frankenstein's Monster built from a performance art troup and a reputation management company, maybe with a sprinkling of a staffing agency. It...sounds like something that might even have a proper niche if someone wanted to pursue it. I look forward to the Launch HN.
  - dividuum 4y ago
    Sound like I should finally do something useful with my scapegoat-consulting.com domain I purchased years ago. I intended to put up a prank site offering basically just that :)
- technothrasher 4y ago
  I had that happen at a car dealer. I complained when a salesman told me I owed him an apology for not believing his numbers (this was after I’d caught him lying). The general manager told me they had fired him over it. The next time I was in the dealer, probably six months later, the same salesman came over and started to chat me up. He obviously remembered me but not why he did. I just laughed, I wasn’t surprised in the least. I’d only complained in the first place so I could get a different sales person.
feydaykyn 4y ago
I don't know about the reality, but it's the job of a character in a very well known book, Monsieur Mallaussène, by Daniel Pennac. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81030.Monsieur_Malauss_ne https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81030.Monsieur_Malauss_n...
- snakeboy 4y ago
  Note the first in the saga is Au Bonheur des Ogres[1], or The Scapegoat in the English edition. [1] https://www.complete-review.com/reviews/pennacd/scapeg.htm https://www.complete-review.com/reviews/pennacd/scapeg.htm
gswdh 4y ago

Apparently, this used to be a thing in department stores. If someone complained, the manager would make a deal out of “firing” the scapegoat employee and the customer would be happy.

ericmcer 4y ago

What kind of psycho feels satisfied when someone loses their job. Unless the offense was like… spitting in my food or something actually dangerous I would feel bad if my complaint about general negligence or attitude resulted in someone losing their job.

Aissen 4y ago
In fact it can be used as a pressure strategy to customers that do have empathy. Those might complain a bit less loud when you let them know you might have to fire someone.
cogman10 4y ago
I feel the same way. However, some people are more "eye for an eye" types and nothing makes them feel better than seeing someone punished that "wrongs" them. There are more than a few people that fetishize punitive actions for evil doers.
eyelidlessness 4y ago
I totally agree (with your conclusion), and I even go out of my way to give higher praise than deserved to workers to help shield them from it. Unfortunately, it’s not (always) customers’ fault that this is how it works. Increasingly, it’s not even knowable by customers that they may contribute to someone’s firing (or even be the only input!). A single mediocre review could end a job, depending on how it’s weighted. A few bad reviews almost guarantees it. Even if the customer has no idea their review is applied to that particular worker—i.e. if they think they’re reviewing the business. Knowing all this has also just generally helped me to be more patient with people when I’m on the other side of the “counter”. But a lot of people (a) don’t know it and (b) don’t have any other recourse. A specific example so I don’t sound like I’m just abstracting the whole thing: if I order a meal on Grubhub, when I get asked for a review I get very specific questions about the delivery driver, vague questions about food quality from the vendor, and no prompt about Grubhub’s service itself. When I’ve had poor service (always from Grubhub or a direct consequence of their poor service), there isn’t even a way to give feedback that goes beyond the CS front line. Those poor souls are tasked with issuing refunds as rapidly as possible and moving on to the next chat. The best anyone can do to even register a complaint that might be heard is to call out a driver or restaurant, even if neither did anything wrong. Customers don’t know they’ll probably get someone fired by taking this tack, they just know it’s the only way to be heard. And that’s not because they’re cruel, it’s because they’re horribly alienated from the thousands of tiny paper cuts they understand as conveniences, and some days their only options.
gedy 4y ago
> What kind of psycho feels satisfied when someone loses their job. Most of the Twitter mob types calling people out for whatever

red_phone 4y ago

What happened when the customer encountered the same employee on a future visit?

blowski 4y ago
I don't know, I just remember reading about it on here. Might not even be true, but it's a good story.
GuB-42 4y ago
This is a problem SaaS can solve, scapegoat as a service. When needed, get a professional scapegoat to fire, less chance to see him again. And you can get the performance you want. Do you want an asshole who deserves it, or maybe you prefer a clueless bootlicker. Of course, bosses will also be available to do the firing if you can't supply your own. And while I am imagining things, I am sure that something like that exists in some form.
- GravitasFailure 4y ago
  This is sounding like a Frankenstein's Monster built from a performance art troup and a reputation management company, maybe with a sprinkling of a staffing agency. It...sounds like something that might even have a proper niche if someone wanted to pursue it. I look forward to the Launch HN.
- dividuum 4y ago
  Sound like I should finally do something useful with my scapegoat-consulting.com domain I purchased years ago. I intended to put up a prank site offering basically just that :)
technothrasher 4y ago
I had that happen at a car dealer. I complained when a salesman told me I owed him an apology for not believing his numbers (this was after I’d caught him lying). The general manager told me they had fired him over it. The next time I was in the dealer, probably six months later, the same salesman came over and started to chat me up. He obviously remembered me but not why he did. I just laughed, I wasn’t surprised in the least. I’d only complained in the first place so I could get a different sales person.

feydaykyn 4y ago

I don't know about the reality, but it's the job of a character in a very well known book, Monsieur Mallaussène, by Daniel Pennac. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81030.Monsieur_Malauss_ne https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81030.Monsieur_Malauss_n...

snakeboy 4y ago
Note the first in the saga is Au Bonheur des Ogres[1], or The Scapegoat in the English edition. [1] https://www.complete-review.com/reviews/pennacd/scapeg.htm https://www.complete-review.com/reviews/pennacd/scapeg.htm

gswdh 4y ago