“Yes, there’s something wrong with your milk powder!”
For some reason, the female sales clerk at the milk powder counter seemed unusually bright-eyed and excited. Was it just an illusion?
A woman holding a swaddled infant, the baby’s chin just visible, stood there. As she spoke, the child began wailing loudly, immediately drawing shoppers’ attention in the department store.
The woman seized the opportunity to shout, “Your Ya Xi Ya’s milk powder is poisonous! You heartless capitalists, heaven will punish you for profiting like this! My child is only six months old and developed problems from drinking your milk powder!”
Milk powder problems in the department store?
No, the sales clerk steadied herself. Manager Xia explained that there was a difference between genuine complainants and troublemakers. Ya Xi Ya didn’t sell many food products, but milk powder was crucial… Troublemakers would naturally target products that concerned people the most.
What had Manager Xia said? Don’t get excited, calm down and think.
Yes, Manager Xia mentioned that electronics were most likely to face quality complaints, but with milk powder, people would claim it made them sick or was poisonous!
These days, which adults would spend money on milk powder? Only mothers without enough breast milk would buy it for their children.
Or families with elderly or sick members who needed nutritional supplements!
Those who bought milk powder had to be from financially comfortable households. Poor families with babies and no breast milk would either seek wet nurses or feed their children rice porridge… If a poor family came to the department store to buy milk powder, it showed how much they cared for their child.
If milk powder had truly harmed a child, would the first response be to come to the department store for compensation?
No.
They would rush the child to the hospital first!
Customers began gathering around.
The sales clerk told herself not to panic. She needed to focus on the key points and procedures Manager Xia had covered in meetings. Her confidence came from Ya Xi Ya itself – Manager Xia had emphasized that Ya Xi Ya could offer discounts but never compromise on quality. The procurement department would face mass dismissal if non-food items had quality issues. If food items caused problems, the procurement department would face imprisonment!
With such a general manager, the sales clerk naturally felt confident.
Huang Guoqiang had already jogged over.
He hadn’t expected the problem to be with milk powder rather than electronics.
However, he didn’t rush forward to take credit. The counter clerk had received proper training and knew more about milk powder.
The woman holding the baby wailed and cried, lamenting her child’s misfortune and her pitiful situation. She said her family was already poor, she had no breast milk after giving birth, and the money for milk powder was borrowed. Who knew it would harm her child?
“If anything happens to my child, I won’t want to live either. Everyone’s child is precious, and now the country only allows one child…”
Her emotional display moved the onlookers to tears, making the customers angry.
Who wouldn’t take matters involving children seriously?
Even those with grown children would eventually have grandchildren. With improved living standards in recent years, babies without breast milk could only rely on formula.
Such a large department store selling problematic milk powder!
Nobody would dare buy it now. Ya Xi Ya had to explain.
Customers spoke up one after another, all defending the woman. Some even offered to comfort her baby. The sales clerk couldn’t get a word in.
As the woman moved, the baby’s swaddling cloth loosened, revealing the infant’s face.
“Oh my! That face!”
Another female customer exclaimed.
The baby’s fair skin was covered in small red spots – a frightening sight.
Not just the face, but the visible neck and wrists were also covered in red spots.
“Ya Xi Ya’s milk powder is problematic. Look at this child, it’s terrifying!”
The crowd swelled as more people rushed over, even from other floors. Some customers shouted, “Ya Xi Ya’s milk powder has harmed a child!” The sales clerk began to feel nervous – No, she couldn’t panic. Manager Xia had said whoever’s counter had a problem should handle it first. The supervisor would arrive soon after receiving the news, and others would handle the rest. She needed to focus on her counter’s situation!
Earlier, when the woman had kept the baby tightly swaddled, the sales clerk wasn’t sure, but once the cloth fell away, she felt certain.
This was covered in their training!
What was she panicking for?
The sales clerk stepped out from behind the counter, squeezing through the agitated crowd with a concerned expression:
“Sister, please don’t panic. You say Ya Xi Ya’s milk powder is problematic, that your child developed a rash from drinking it? We explain precautions to every customer purchasing milk powder. For babies who haven’t had formula before, we recommend starting with smaller diluted portions because some Chinese babies might have allergic reactions… I’m sorry, it’s too late to mention this now, but if a child is allergic to milk powder, they should be taken to the hospital first. Have you been to the hospital?”
How to handle emergencies?
Denying responsibility would be foolish.
This could be a genuine customer or a hired troublemaker.
Real customers would become furious if the store denied responsibility, becoming even more unrelenting.
Fake customers would seize the opportunity to inflame the crowd’s emotions, turning a minor incident into an unmanageable situation!
Manager Xia said that in the service industry when customers are dissatisfied, admit your mistake first, even if it’s not the store’s fault. The customer is king – if the king says you’re wrong, you’re wrong!
A simple “sorry” costs nothing but prevents escalation.
Apologize first, then explain the situation clearly, not just to the concerned party but also to the onlookers.
The sales clerk spoke in a clear, articulate voice, showing genuine concern without panic. Her good attitude and clear explanation helped calm the previously agitated customers.
“Yes, the child should be taken to the hospital!”
“Look at all these rashes. The milk powder poisoned the child – how can you say it’s just an allergy?”
The woman clutching the baby grabbed the sales clerk, “Of course, I went to the hospital! The hospital said it was from drinking the milk powder. Your store must take responsibility!”
Huang Guoqiang had been watching – the woman didn’t even comfort her crying child. She was a professional troublemaker.
Ah, it was his time to step in!
Huang Guoqiang retrieved several booklets from the milk powder counter and distributed them to onlookers. Despite the woman’s painful grip on her arm, the sales clerk continued explaining calmly to the crowd:
“These booklets contain milk powder preparation instructions that Ya Xi Ya has compiled. Due to different constitutions, some children may be allergic to formula, with varying reactions including rashes, diarrhea, and vomiting. Ya Xi Ya only sells quality-guaranteed milk powder, and we take responsibility for any problems! Now please step back a bit – the crowding isn’t good for the baby’s air circulation.”
The woman holding the baby wailed, “Who do you think you are? You can’t just claim responsibility as you please! If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll fight you to the death! These are kind people trying to help me get justice, and you’re trying to deceive them-“
Click, click, click.
Song Minglan approached in high heels.
“Please make way, everyone.”
Surrounded by attendants, she was someone important, and the crowd instinctively parted.
Xia Xiaolan emerged from the crowd, first surveying the scene before focusing on the woman holding the baby:
“I am Ya Xi Ya’s general manager, and our sales clerk’s promises represent my position. Sister, we can discuss how you want the store to take responsibility, but our clerk is right – everyone cares about their child, and taking the baby to the hospital should be the priority. Don’t you agree?”