Tell me about a time a customer was upset with you or the store. What happened and how did you handle it?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests customer service. Describes greeting people promptly, asking what they need, and following through until the shopper is helped, with a specific example of turning around an unhappy customer.
• What to bring out: Listening without interrupting, apologizing for the experience, offering what they could within policy, and involving a manager when appropriate.
• Expect a follow-up like: Looking back, would you do anything differently?

Another way it may be asked: Think of a moment someone was frustrated, maybe about a price or a return. What did you do?

A structure to follow: STAR, with the weight on Action and Result

1. Step 1

   Situation

   One or two sentences: where, when and what was at stake. Pick a real example you were close to.

2. Step 2

   Task

   What you personally were responsible for. Say "I", not only "we", so the customer service you showed is visible.

3. Step 3

   Action

   The two or three things you did and why you chose them over the alternatives. This should be about half your answer.

4. Step 4

   Result

   What changed, in your own measure of it, and what you would do differently. Only use numbers you can stand behind.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Describing what the team did without saying what you did.
• Choosing an example with no clear outcome, or one you cannot answer detailed questions about.
• Ending on the action and skipping the result and what you learned.

How to practise it

Write two bullet points for each STAR letter, then say the answer aloud in about two minutes.

Related questions

• A shopper walks in looking a little lost. Walk me through how you would approach and help them.
• A customer wants to return an item without a receipt and the policy does not allow a refund. How do you explain that and keep them happy?
• When you are ringing someone up and they hand you a large bill, how do you make sure the transaction and change are correct?
• If you had a few quiet minutes on the sales floor with no customers around, what would you do with that time?
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