Customer Service In Stores

[Mr. DS]

Radio Shack, now called The Source (ugh) in Canada, is a great example of a store that has all the problems of both an electronics store and a Home Depot.

Don't even get me started on them.  The minute your big toe is in the store you hear "CAN I HELP YOU".  Even if you're "just looking" they still hound you.  Good generic customer service example.  However they don't a candle to jewlery stores.  You can't browse in those places for one minute without being hovered over. 

[ER]

I find the service is usually better where the employees work on commission. (Which is also reason number one capitalism works better than communism: incentive.)

[BTM]

Depends. At electronic stores, I find they're just far too helpful. I know what I'm looking for (sometimes nothing in particular), I know what I'm looking at, and I'd just like to be left in peace. Be available to answer questions, but otherwise leave me alone.

You know, I get that a lot when I'm roaming around the local Best Buy.  So many clerks asking me if I needed help it got a bit creepy.  In fact, I started to wonder if maybe they thought I was going to try and steal something, but I'll just assume they're following store policy until I hear otherwise...

[BTM]

She pulled that "I'm a man and I don't ask because" crap

Yeah, well, sometimes when you're--wait, huh?!?

[Ash]

Here in Iowa, the service is almost always good.
I haven't had a bad customer service experience in a long time.
I personally have years of customer service job experience both on the phone and off.

When it comes to customers, I've heard it all.

The worst call I ever took was when I was a customer service rep for FTD Flowers back in 2000.
A man had sent flowers to a woman but she would not accept them because the florist was a Jew.
AWKWARD! 
She was a serious anti-semite and nothing I could say or do would get her to accept the floral delivery.  And because it was a small town, there were no other local florists I could call to fall back on.
I must've been on that call for well over an hour going back and forth between the racist recipient, the florist and the guy who ordered the flowers. (putting each on hold while I talked to one or the other)
In the end, we ended up cancelling the order and refunding the guy's money.

Whenever I'm asked in a job interview to describe a difficult customer service situation and how I dealt with it, I usually tell them that story.

[AndyC]

Had to bring this thread back, because I had another wonderful Source (Radio Shack) experience. Normally, I order electronic parts online, but I was already in the mall and I didn't need anything special. I went in, walked back to the tiny section devoted to electronic parts, and found most of what I needed - a small circuit board, soldering iron tip, etc. As I was looking, I got the inevitable "Can I help you find anything?" Oddly enough, there happened to be something I wasn't seeing. So I told him I needed a breadboard.

Blank stare. "I assume you don't mean for cutting bread."

So, after explaining that a breadboard is a solderless prototyping board - a white thing with holes in it - he goes off to check the store website. Comes back a couple of minutes later to tell me they don't have anything like that. I give him credit for being honest about his ignorance, and not trying to make it my fault I asked for something unfamiliar to him. Sadly, that's a rare thing.

Honestly, I don't know why The Source/Radio Shack don't just get out of electronic parts entirely. They've got people who know nothing about it advising the customers, they carry next to nothing, and the selection they do offer is a weird hodgepodge of stuff that is lacking things as basic as a breadboard.

[akiratubo]

I believe customer service has slipped because of 1) ineffective, abusive management and 2) rude, idiotic customers.

When I worked retail (Lowe's), the management never, ever had a kind word for the employees.  Not once.  The theory seemed to be that productivity would go up the worse you treated the employees.  It wore on everyone in the store and the quality of everyone's work eventually started slipping.  If you're going to get treated like crap no matter how good a job you do, why spend any more effort than the bare minimum you absolutely have to?

As for the customers, I can count maybe five in the whole three years I worked at Lowe's who didn't come out of the gate acting hostile and angry toward me.  Have you ever seen any of those "how to be an Alpha" websites?  You know, the ones that encourage everyone to be the biggest possible prick at all times?  That's more or less exactly how the average customer acted.  Even if I got them exactly what they needed as soon as they asked for it, opened a register and checked them out myself so they wouldn't have to wait in line, and loaded it in their car, their parting shot would be an insult rather than "thank you".  Again, if the customer is going to be a jerk no matter what, why bother putting forth anything but the bare minimum of effort?

Personally, I don't expect good service in retail establishments.  Those people are only there because they can't get better jobs.  By the time I go in, I've already done my own research, I know what I want, and I know where to get it.  At most, I'd have to ask the employees to get something like an appliance for me.

[AndyC]

I believe customer service has slipped because of 1) ineffective, abusive management and 2) rude, idiotic customers.

When I worked retail (Lowe's), the management never, ever had a kind word for the employees.  Not once.  The theory seemed to be that productivity would go up the worse you treated the employees.  It wore on everyone in the store and the quality of everyone's work eventually started slipping.  If you're going to get treated like crap no matter how good a job you do, why spend any more effort than the bare minimum you absolutely have to?

As for the customers, I can count maybe five in the whole three years I worked at Lowe's who didn't come out of the gate acting hostile and angry toward me.  Have you ever seen any of those "how to be an Alpha" websites?  You know, the ones that encourage everyone to be the biggest possible prick at all times?  That's more or less exactly how the average customer acted.  Even if I got them exactly what they needed as soon as they asked for it, opened a register and checked them out myself so they wouldn't have to wait in line, and loaded it in their car, their parting shot would be an insult rather than "thank you".  Again, if the customer is going to be a jerk no matter what, why bother putting forth anything but the bare minimum of effort?

Personally, I don't expect good service in retail establishments.  Those people are only there because they can't get better jobs.  By the time I go in, I've already done my own research, I know what I want, and I know where to get it.  At most, I'd have to ask the employees to get something like an appliance for me.

True, the problem today is that most companies are set up to treat their lowest employees just well enough that they won't quit, and the employees do just enough that they won't get fired. No loyalty either way.

And like you, I also usually know what I want and whether the store has it before I go there. At most, I need somebody to show me where it is. I'm a pretty low-maintenance customer.

[Newt]

I believe customer service has slipped because of 1) ineffective, abusive management and 2) rude, idiotic customers.

When I worked retail (Lowe's), the management never, ever had a kind word for the employees.  Not once.  The theory seemed to be that productivity would go up the worse you treated the employees.  It wore on everyone in the store and the quality of everyone's work eventually started slipping.  If you're going to get treated like crap no matter how good a job you do, why spend any more effort than the bare minimum you absolutely have to?

I think it is simply that managment is overly cautious about giving employees the idea that their performance is above expectations: the employee might then think they can ask for more pay or a promotion.  Best to keep them humble, under your thumb and cheap.

It would take a geat deal of skill to make your employees feel good about their job and at the same time keep them from expecting or demanding raises or bonuses.  That sort of skill - and its application - is all too uncommon these days, in all areas. (And likely very expensive in itself!  Or so one would hope.)

[Mr. DS]

Agreed, mgmt in stores today seem to have zero people skills but have no problem being a prick and cracking a whip.  But if that were the case, wouldn't the custome service be better in fear of getting in trouble?  I should mention to I've run into some ignorant @ssed managers in the past too who are worst than the employees.

[Flick James]

I believe customer service has slipped because of 1) ineffective, abusive management and 2) rude, idiotic customers.

When I worked retail (Lowe's), the management never, ever had a kind word for the employees.  Not once.  The theory seemed to be that productivity would go up the worse you treated the employees.  It wore on everyone in the store and the quality of everyone's work eventually started slipping.  If you're going to get treated like crap no matter how good a job you do, why spend any more effort than the bare minimum you absolutely have to?

I think it is simply that managment is overly cautious about giving employees the idea that their performance is above expectations: the employee might then think they can ask for more pay or a promotion.  Best to keep them humble, under your thumb and cheap.

It would take a geat deal of skill to make your employees feel good about their job and at the same time keep them from expecting or demanding raises or bonuses.  That sort of skill - and its application - is all too uncommon these days, in all areas. (And likely very expensive in itself!  Or so one would hope.)

Good point. I was listening to an interview with Dax Shepard and he was talking about how he used to work at a California Pizza Kitchen in L.A. while he was aspiring to be an actor. He went in for his first review and got an 8 out of 10 by his supervisor on punctuality, even though he had never been late once and was routinely 10 minutes early every shift. He said "I can't be more on time than I am, how am I not a 10?" He was given the typical lame excuse of "we have to give you something to aspire to." To which he replied "what do I have to do to get a ten, just never leave?" And then he went on to say that he quit, telling his boss he didn't want to work for a place that was just going to trick him into working harder by giving him less than a perfect score in something he was perfect in.

I've worked in retail and that is very typical. It's even very typical where I work in college admissions. I can be outstanding in a category, and in fact a standout, and still be labeled as "developing" in that skill. It's insane and, actually, quite insulting.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Radio Shack, now called The Source (ugh) in Canada, is a great example of a store that has all the problems of both an electronics store and a Home Depot.

The Radio Shack guys in my area are a bunch of smartasses. I went in to find a power cord for a Panasonic camcorder about 4 months back, and this guy is just sitting behind the counter, no "Hi, how's it going" or "Hi, can I help you."

I joked with him, saying "Help me Radio Shack, you're my only hope", and when I jokingly said "I wonder what movie THAT was from", the guy actually said to me, "no s**t, dude, I wasn't born yesterday."

When I told him to show more respect, he said, 'yeah yeah, what can I do for you'?
So when we got into it, the other guy comes out, and he was no better.

I asked for a power supply for a standard N. American wall outlet for a camcorder, and he kept asking me what voltage. Uh..DUH..the voltage used by N. Americans in their houses and places of business?   Bunch of regular Einsteins..

[Killer Bees]

Service has definitely slipped badly, especially in my country.  Young people tend to go into hospitality/retail/food service because they do'nt need formal qualifications and the money is liveable (at least here).  And all most want is money to party and travel.

I think most people see those jobs as subservient and belittling too so that doesn't help their attitudes either.  And I will get into the generational debate and throw a few flame bombs here, but I really believe that the majority of Gen Y are as bad as the media portrays them to be.  They want huge money for no skills and no work ethic and take it out on others when they dont get what they want.

Disclaimer:  I also believe that not all Gen Ys are that way.  I know young ones from both sides of the argument and there are good and bad everywhere.

[Flick James]

I'll agree with you for the most part, KB, although I'm Gen X according to my birthdate.

However, I hate retail. Worked it for three years and, while a job is a job, I will never go back unless I absolutely had to.

I'm a fan of the the show Dirty Jobs, and the host, Mike Rowe, was being interviewed by Adam Carolla and they were talking about how nobody wants to get dirty anymore. People look at the dirty jobs as beneath them. Personally, I would find far more honor and satisfaction from some of the jobs on that show (worm castings rancher, tar roofer, cheese maker, pig farmer, etc.) than working retail. I worked in construction for a while doing framing, drywalling and finishing and always felt good at the end of the day, like I truly put in an honest day's work, and when you get home at the end of the day you tend to get treated as such.

[AndyC]

I'll agree with you for the most part, KB, although I'm Gen X according to my birthdate.

However, I hate retail. Worked it for three years and, while a job is a job, I will never go back unless I absolutely had to.

I'm a fan of the the show Dirty Jobs, and the host, Mike Rowe, was being interviewed by Adam Carolla and they were talking about how nobody wants to get dirty anymore. People look at the dirty jobs as beneath them. Personally, I would find far more honor and satisfaction from some of the jobs on that show (worm castings rancher, tar roofer, cheese maker, pig farmer, etc.) than working retail. I worked in construction for a while doing framing, drywalling and finishing and always felt good at the end of the day, like I truly put in an honest day's work, and when you get home at the end of the day you tend to get treated as such.

I agree. I watch Dirty Jobs, and I see a lot of them as actually quite good jobs. Some look a bit tedious, but those also seem like the sort of jobs you can just crank up the tunes, chat with your coworkers and let your hands do the work until it's time to go home. Jobs like that are highly underrated. And many of the independent family-run companies strike me as sweet little businesses I'd love to own. One that struck me as a really good gig was the shoeshine man. Hardly any cost in equipment or materials, a simple service requiring a simple skill, lots of social interaction and stuff going on around him, and being in the lobby of a nice hotel, all those $8 shoe shines can add up to a reasonable living. Not a spectacular job, he won't get rich, and some might think tending to other people's feet is a lowly profession, but I really envied him. And I suppose being an independent businessman providing what most would consider a luxury service, there is a certain respectability there.

I've worked in a skilled profession, and after enough years of that, all I wanted was a job I could show up for, do for eight hours and leave.