Retail Sales

[Audrey]

Last night I took my daughter to the Sketchers outlet. There were 4 employees there. One was working hard. The other 3 were talking. We needed help. No one helped us. We left.

This is not uncommon. It is so hard to get help in many retail establishments. Makes buying online much more attractive.

[photomom04]

This is so sad to hear! I worked in Customer Service in one role or another most of my adult life and to me it is THE most important thing anyone can do for their business. I get really frustrated when I see poor customer service. There are so many people out there who would love to have a job and who would do a great job but it usually boils down to the owners/managers just don't understand how important it is.

[Lori]

I hate that. It's especially true I've noticed with the younger generation. Somewhere there is a disconnect with their paycheck and who REALLY pays it.

[Audrey]

Here's the thing. My daughter did buy shoes, but not from that store. So, that store lost money. Now, they have to raise prices to make up for now sales. But the no sales is because no one worked for the sale :( It's really a vicious circle.

[Kit]

You know, there is a fine line in retail (or any kind of business) of how to best serve a customer. Some customers only want you to be asked once or twice if they need help. Others want you to stand right there with them. The key is eye contact. If a customer is looking at you then you probably need to check on them! lol

As for me, I hate being hovered over but at the same time, I don't want to be ignored! Some of these sales folks need to learn to strike a happy medium if they want to keep their jobs. ;)


L

[Audrey]

Lacey,

In this particular case, one time of "can I help you?" would've resulted in a sale.

Or I love at the grocery store when the cashier says "did you find everything ok?" and I say "actually we were looking for _________" and she says "oh I don't know if we have that" ROFL. Why on earth do you ask the question in the first place then?

Retail customer service today is not anywhere close to what it was 20 years ago.

[Candace]

I am confused at how even business owners online do not understand that poor customer service will never result in any repeat business, which is so crucial online. I had 2 rotten experiences at Christmas with 2 separate leotard websites. I did not wait until the last minute, I ordered at the beginning of November to make sure I could combat any potential "christmas rush" problems, and I still ended up ordering leotards from ebay 2 weeks before Christmas. The frustrating thing was that I took the time to write the owners with feedback, in case they were concerned about their customer service issues. One replied with a curt, "so sad you had a bad experience," and the other let me know that their rotten service was really all that I could expect when ordering online since I was getting a discount. This second one was the one who I wrote to BEFORE I placed my order to make sure that the manufacturer really made the leotard that they had listed, they wrote me back a few days later and told me yes. Then I placed my order, and 9 days later, they wrote me back and told me that the manufacturer didn't make that leotard and that I would not be able to get any other ones by Christmas.
I have since ordered 4 more leotards, and none from either of these sites!

[Audrey]

So what's the answer? I'm told over and over again that store owners hire the best they can and that the best is often way below standard. Do you hire fewer people at hirer salaries to get decent people? Do you work the hours yourself?

Back to the Sketchers store, my daughter tells me that the employees there are on commission, so monetary bonuses are not enough of an incentive to cause someone to do their job.

What is the answer to the state of customer service we all seem to experience?

[Candace]

Audrey,

I don't think the answer to this is a simple one. I guess when you hear people say that no one cares about your business like you do, this is exactly what they mean. My parents owned a retail fabric store, and for 10 years, they struggled with this problem. I think one of the keys to this is that once you do find someone who is competant and who cares about what they do, don't let them go! I also think that the level of professionalism that is expected plays a huge roll too. As an owner or manager, if you hire a bunch of young kids who really would rather hang out with each other than sell shoes, then I think you better plan to be there yourself to make sure that they are actually selling some shoes, otherwise, you will probably get exactly your experience at Sketchers. Hmmm.

[Audrey]

Ahhh...but Sketchers is managed by someone, not owned. The owners are somewhere in some other state. This store has a manager, but that manager is NOT personally involved like an owner would be.

100 years ago, all stores were mom and pop stores. My grandmother told me wonderful stories of an extra potato, a little extra meat ect from the mom and pop stores.

Along came corporate america with corporations owning the stores. The corporations order more product, so get a better price, thus offering a better end price. Mom and pop can not offer that low price because they paid more, only ordering a dozen not 100 dozen. So, we the consumer buy at the lower price from corporate american, putting mom and pop out of business.

Yep, we created this mess ourselves LOL.

[Candace]

Yes... you are completely right. My parents' fabric business is a thing of the past; they went out of business from a combination of a new Home Depot down the street and the internet saavy shopper. It is just the way of the future, but it is sad in some ways because the excellent, personal service is much harder to find... I think it is still there, but you really have to look.
And when push comes to shove, will people take the lower prices over the service? It was hard to watch how many good, nice people would use my parents' services and resources, only to go somewhere else where it might be a bit cheaper, and buy it there without realizing that there is a price to pay for all of that service and knowledge... I think you have to have first hand experience with the effects of those actions on moms and pops to not undercut them.

[FineWoodenToys]

Wow - you said it. Still, I think that those of us with small online business can gain a loyal following by providing exceptional customer service. Being online evens the playing field a bit, not quite like a Home Depot opening up next door. Small stores can appear in search engine rankings right next to big stores - and you often can't tell the difference. That allows people to judge by other criteria - like customer service. As owner and sole employee I currently have total control - I can make sure every customer is treated the way that I would like to be treated. In a way - I dread ever having to hire employees. Apathy and laziness (only do what you HAVE to do to get by) seems to be the rule now - and hard work for the sake of it, the exception. :work: