Customer service

 

I have started to notice something about customer service in some stores since things have started to get back to normal, and I am not happy with what I am seeing. This may have happened before, but I think it is getting worse now as stores are wanting and needing business to survive. If they want to survive, I think these are some things that need to change, otherwise customer will be buying more online because they don’t have to deal with staff like I did.

Being too pushy

Here is something that staff need to pay very good attention to. Basically, it is listening to what the customer says and how they say it. We encountered a salesperson that wanted to help me find a size for something which we had already found ourselves. She then started to suggest another colour, which I then said, no, this is the one that I want. We then started to turn towards the cash, and she started to suggest I purchase either a vest or button up sweater to go with the top. I said no, that my sister was buying a sweater, so I didn’t need to get done. She then suggested another one that I could buy. I then said, “This is all thank you”, she finally got to behind the cash and immediately asked if I wanted to purchase some socks. I finally said, “This is all and if you suggest one more thing, I will be leaving the store without my purchase.” Her comment was, “I was just making suggestions.”

When someone says “This is all thank you” hear them say that and stop making other suggestions because if you keep making suggestions you will likely either lose the entire sale or the person will not return to the location because of how they were treated.

Getting upset with customers when they are looking for a size

Customers are not aware of how sizes are displayed in each store, and especially after a store has been opened for a few hours. We were looking for a small and there wasn’t one on the top of the pile, so we very carefully picked up some of the items to see if there happened to be a small lower down. The salesperson immediately came over and asked what size we were looking for, and we said small. Her comment was, “If we had a small, it would be on the top because that is how to arrange everything each morning before the store opens.”

I understand that is how the product is arranged at the beginning of the day, but are you telling me that it couldn’t have been changed since then. Also, the tone that she used could have been a lot different and maybe just saying, “It should be on the top” would have been a lot better. After this, we then left the store because of how we were treated. It was like we were not allowed to pick up the product and look at it. Gee, they may have got a larger purchase if we could have looked more because yes, we were looking for a small in one top, but we may have picked up others tops as well. Instead, the store lost a sale, and we left frustrated.

Respecting customers

If there are customers looking at items either on a shelf or on a table, do not walk between them and the items. We had a salesperson walk between us and a table so that she should go and help someone else. There was lots of room behind us, so why would you interfere with what we were looking at. Of course, this meant that we left the store without getting anything because it was like we were basically invisible. Sure, the salesperson said “excuse me” but still not watching where she was walking isn’t good. The store wasn’t extremely busy, so there was lots of room around us and in other aisles, so she could have

These are just a few things that happened on one shopping trip. Customer service is very important, and salespeople need to understand that assisting customers is their role. Sure, they can make little suggestions, but listen to the customer. The customer is the person that helps make the money for the business or location and without the customers there is no money, so there is no salary. You never know who the person is that just walked into the store, they may not be dressed like they can spend lots of money, but you would be surprised. A lot of well-off people don’t dress up to go shopping because they want to be treated like everyone else.

Customers are the ones that keep a business open, so making sure that the sales staff understand that is very important. I am not sure why customer service has started to disappear, but it needs to return, otherwise more businesses are going to find that they cannot exist.