Speaker 1: We have many brands with distinct personalities, and we are united by a common set of values, beliefs, goals, and ways of working at Gap, Inc. Quality customer service is something you provide and coach your team to provide every day. Delivering great service is also a very useful tool in deterring theft and keeping you, your store, and the company safe. This is a top priority for us all. How we treat our customers matters. Even with great customer service, escalated situations can still occur if customers perceive themselves as being treated differently or unfairly. All customer interactions, such as returns, over or under service, or standard transactions have the potential to escalate quickly into something more extreme if not handled appropriately. When that happens, it's up to you to take specific and focused action to prevent the situation from escalating even further. You are not in this alone. We are all in this together. Through this training and the best practices it provides, we are empowering you, as our store leaders, to do what is right, confidently and competently handling escalated customer situations consistent with our Gap, Inc. values. An escalated customer situation may involve any or all of the following. A customer who shows physical and verbal signs of being upset. A customer becomes upset and alleges that he or she has been treated differently due to his or her race, gender, national origin, or any other protected status. A customer who threatens or uses abusive language towards an employee or another customer. This type of behavior is not tolerated at Gap, Inc. Our family of brands have clear policy and procedures in place to guide our behaviors. We are committed to providing our employees, customers, and vendors with a store experience in which everyone feels respected and appreciated. We have zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. Please review the company's Zero Means Zero policy and broader Code of Business Conduct. The COBC cannot provide specific advice for every situation, though most problems can be avoided by referring to COBC and asking for help when in doubt. Having the right mindset combined with effective behavioral techniques designed to handle conflict will help you maintain a safe and healthy environment for each other and for our customers. As you watch this scenario, pay attention to some of the tactics the leader uses when approaching and handling this situation.

Speaker 2: Alright, that would be $19.99. What? No, it's $9.99 it said. The price says $19.99, sir.

Speaker 3: No man, it said $9.99 over there. That's a mistake. Look. Look, I got held up at work and I've got to pick my daughter up. This is for her for picture day tomorrow, okay? I don't need this. I've had a day that is just up to here. This is supposed to be the easy stop. I want this for $9.99. Let me speak to a manager. Okay.

Speaker 2: Hi, Abby, would you come to Toddler Girls? Our customer is requesting a manager. She'll be here soon.

Speaker 3: Thank you.

Speaker 4: A few deep breaths. Remain calm, friendly, objective, try to understand, and empathize. Hello, my name is Abby. How can I help you today?

Speaker 3: Yeah, this said $9.99 on the sign and now it's ringing up for full price. You know, the signage is really misleading. It said sale right above it. And I shop here all the time. I don't need this. I'm in a rush. Alright? This is so unfair.

Speaker 4: I've got this. I can help. I apologize for the confusion. We'll go ahead and check the signage so that way it's not confusing, okay? Although this item isn't part of the advertised sale price, what we're going to do is honor the sale price for you.

Speaker 3: Thank you. I appreciate that. You know, I, like I said, I shop here all the time and if I didn't truly think this was $9.99 on sale, I wouldn't insist. But thank you for accommodating me. She's going to love this.

Speaker 2: Would you like an email receipt?

Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you very much.

Speaker 2: Alright.

Speaker 3: Alright, have a great one. See you. You too.

Speaker 2: Bye. You know, I understand why he was so frustrated. When you're charged a price that's higher than what you expect, it feels unfair. And I saw that he was stressed. I'm glad we made the situation right.

Speaker 4: Yeah, me too. I'm going to go ahead and check how the section was signed and merchandised so that way our customers don't feel confused.

Speaker 2: Sounds like a great idea.

Speaker 1: In the scenario, the leader took some simple yet effective steps to resolve the situation effectively. Listening to the customer, repeating customers' concerns, and solving the situation amicably are skills we just keep refining. The leader approached the situation objectively while taking a few deep breaths to remain calm. The leader demonstrated active listening techniques and offered genuine empathy while engaging our customer. The leader also considered how to not only solve the immediate issue, but how the store can avoid future confusion by looking into the store signage. This demonstrated a growth mindset by facing the challenge head-on while seeking to learn from it. When we approach conflict or find ourselves in confrontational or escalated situations, it is a natural human response to react with flight, fight, or freeze. Even non-physical and social threats cause these responses. You might feel your muscles tense or fists clench. Maybe you are searching for a distraction or any reason to end the situation quickly. Or perhaps you feel overwhelmed and unable to respond. Did you notice the deep breaths by our leader? By taking deep breaths from the diaphragm and preparing yourself with a positive mindset while approaching the customer with a friendly and safe, balanced stance, you are likely to remain calm and work with the customer to find the best solution. As a situation escalates, leaders can easily remember, even when caught off guard, the ask-tell-tell technique. Ask to please stop inappropriate behavior, such as language, yelling, or destruction. Tell them they must stop or they will have to leave. Tell the offender to leave and if they don't, you are authorized to call security or the police. If it's safe to do so, step away from the customer to contact the police if they refuse to leave. If it is not safe to do so, have another leader or an associate call the police. Watch how this plays out in the next scenario.

Speaker 5: Oh. Hi. Welcome. How are you? Can I help you find anything?

Speaker 6: Uh, no. Thanks.

Speaker 5: We're fine. Who are you shopping for today?

Speaker 6: We're just looking around. We're not really looking for anything in particular.

Speaker 7: These are so soft.

Speaker 5: Our denim is 30% off and I really love the new stretch fabric. Do you want to try something? Um, he said we don't need help. We're good. My name's Jane. Let me know if I can help you find anything. Will do.

Speaker 8: I can put that in the fitting room for you if you want to try it on. There are other customers in here. Why are you only following us? Do you think we're going to steal something? Step away and stop profiling. It's fine.

Speaker 7: Just...

Speaker 8: Hi. Everything okay over here? No, it's not. She's following us around because she thinks we're going to steal something. I was just trying to help.

Speaker 7: Jane, would you mind helping Felicia and Go-Baks, please? Thank you.

Speaker 9: This is the second store we've been in today where they're treating us like we're going to steal something. Like f***ing shoplifters.

Speaker 7: I apologize if that's the impression we gave you and I understand you're frustrated. That's not the experience we want you to have. A new shipment came in yesterday and everyone...

Speaker 9: Are you serious? A new shipment? There are other customers in here who f***ing look like us and aren't being followed around. I know why she was following us, alright? I know what she was doing.

Speaker 7: I'm going to ask you to stop yelling, to stop throwing merchandise, and put your phone camera down so that you and I can have a conversation about how you'd like to see this resolved. Where did she go?

Speaker 8: She should at least come back and apologize to us. I will make her if you don't. I'm so sick of this discrimination. What time does she get off work?

Speaker 7: She thinks we're f***ing stealing something just by entering this f***ing store? Our associate was intending to provide helpful customer service and if you don't lower your voice or stop this threatening behavior, I'm going to have to ask you both to leave the

Speaker 9: store. Look, we're not going to lower our voice. Okay? We're not going to lower our voice. The least she can do is come back over here and apologize for treating us like shoplifters. Like I know why she was following us.

Speaker 7: I understand that you're upset, but I'm going to have to ask you both to leave the store. We are staying right here. Do you hear us? I've made every effort to try and help you, but if you continue this threatening behavior, I'm going to have to call the police. Oh, go ahead and call the f***ing police. Call the police. Be my f***ing guest. Go for it. Hey. I'm calling the police now. Can you call the police? Let's just go.

Speaker 6: Yeah, whatever. Hey, how you doing?

Speaker 7: Honestly, I'm a little shaken up. I did what I could, but I don't know if I did everything right.

Speaker 10: I hear you. Customer situations are just plain hard, all right? Let's talk this through. What did you do that worked well?

Speaker 7: Well, when I approached a situation, I did the basics. My stance was steady. I kept three feet or so distance from myself and the customer. I took a breath, and I talked calmly while they were yelling and cursing.

Speaker 10: Those are all good things. It would have been easy for you to start yelling and become defensive there, but you stayed calm and talked to the customer. Also, it was appropriate to encourage Jane to move away from the situation. That was a good decision. So, where'd you get stuck?

Speaker 7: Great question. I felt stuck towards the end, and it took calling the police for the customers to leave our store. I also feel bad that the customers thought we were discriminating when that was the furthest thing from our minds.

Speaker 10: I hear you felt stuck, but really, you followed policy well. If customers don't respond to our repeated asks, we have to do what's right, and in this case, it meant calling the police. You did the right thing by keeping our store safe, and you showed up well for Gap Inc. We get to control our actions in a way that does not contribute to any misunderstandings of discrimination, and that's where this company has our back.

Speaker 7: Great point. Thank you.

Speaker 10: So, what might you do differently next time?

Speaker 7: When she started filming, I froze for a moment. I recovered quickly, but I had a moment of hesitation before I kept going. If there's a next time, I want to make sure that I maintain eye contact and not be scared by a camera recording me.

Speaker 10: That moment would catch anybody off guard. If the video goes viral, anybody watching would see how calmly you reacted to the situation. I learned a lot from talking this out with you. Although I hope I don't face this situation, I feel like I'm more prepared if I do.

Speaker 7: Thanks for the chat, and for letting me recharge for a minute before we go back to the floor. First, let's check in with the rest of our team, especially Jane. I want to make sure that they're doing okay after the incident. We can all learn from this together and not be fearful of this experience. Also, let's check in with the company's communication matrix, so we can share what happened with the business partners that need to know.

Speaker 10: And let's not forget to breathe.

Speaker 1: Words can demonstrate both respect and empathy for the customer. Addressing those two areas with your words can work wonders. Respect involves acknowledging the agenda the customer brings to every transaction. For example, how quickly someone wants something done, how little he or she wants to pay, or how important this issue is to the customer. Empathy involves a customer's feelings, spoken or unspoken. All of us want to feel respected, no matter what the situation. When we ignore a customer's feelings, we risk causing a bad reaction no matter how well we take care of the transaction itself.

Speaker 11: Molly, I need you unfit. A customer needs to speak with you. Thank you, Janelle. Hi, I'm Molly.

Speaker 12: How can I help you? I'm super upset. This is the worst service I've received in my life. I'm going on a trip, and here I am trying out all these outfits, and everyone here is avoiding me. I mean, I hear customers being helped outside, but nobody is helping me. They are actively ignoring me. And I've been trying out so many outfits. I need different sizes, and I have to go out and get it myself.

Speaker 11: Okay, I can hear how frustrated you are.

Speaker 12: I am frustrated. And I haven't had this experience in my life, and I'm already super stressed because of my trip.

Speaker 11: Okay. I'm sorry you're feeling this way. If you can lower your voice, I can definitely help you. We want our customers to have a good experience. We strive for excellence, but it seems like we missed the mark with you. But you have given me some important information I can definitely take back to my team and hopefully provide you with a better experience next time around. Okay, thank you. Not a problem. While I'm here, is there anything that I can help you with? Would you like me to go find another size for you?

Speaker 12: Yes, that would be huge. Could you get me this in a size 10, please?

Speaker 11: Okay. Okay. I can definitely do that for you. It's not a problem at all. And if you need anything else, please let us know. And again, I'm so sorry you've had this experience. I do want to make it right.

Speaker 1: Okay? In this scenario, the customer was feeling ignored and was upset. By utilizing the first step in Ask, Tell, Tell, she was able to directly ask the customer to lower her voice so that she could apologize for the situation and discuss how she could help the customer. In summary, here are some best practices when deterring or handling an escalated customer situation. Remain calm. Use your best listening skills. Body language is critically important. Demonstrate command presence. Voice control. Speak calmly, clearly, respectfully, and in a low tone. Actively empathize. Apologize gracefully. Find a solution. If you have exemplified these behaviors and the customer continues to escalate matters into a volatile and threatening situation, it is then appropriate to follow the Ask, Tell, Tell method. Customer safety and the safety of other employees and customers in the store comes first. The evolution of social networking and the convenience of using smartphones to record video contribute to the complexity of isolating incidents within an individual store. The impact of a mishandled escalated incident can affect your entire brand and Gap, Inc. Gap, Inc. is rooted in the Code of Business Conduct, which is foundational to how we operate, and we have zero tolerance for any type of discriminatory behavior or violence in our workplace from employees or from customers. As a customer-facing employee, you are expected to know how to recognize, prepare for, and de-escalate as needed to ensure employee and customer protection. You are not in these situations alone. You have the support of your leaders and your fellow teammates. Lean on each other and learn from each other. Make a commitment to yourself and to your team that you will continue the discussion, practice, and role-play with each other for ongoing skill building.