with Carmen,

The consumer has driven this "one gets what one pays for" mentality when it comes to price over customer service.

In my "past life" I sold cars for two years. One year selling Honda's and the other selling Toyota's. I had my best sucess with an educated customer that appreciated that could understand the difference between "price" and the "cost" of ownership.

The thing that I hated most was the customers that I could show them that the Honda or Toyota was a better overall value than the other vehicles that they were considering based on the five year residual value if they planned on keeping the car. This information would save them thousands of dollars over the life of ownership. Then they would shop me and buy it else where for twenty five dollars less. Whereas I did all the work and the other sales person just beat the price. Sometimes, consumers are their own worst enemy!

The sad part is the misconception of how much commision a automotive sales person makes on the typical sale of a new car such as a Honda or a Toyota. For most people this is the second most expensive item that they will ever buy. And after spending about $25K most people would be amazed that the salesperson makes about $100 commision in a competitive market place.

In a competitive market like the Washington, DC Metro area most dealers will accept a $1000 dollar over invoice deal. That is a four percent return of the invoice price. That generally pays the salesperson a $100 commission. Anything less than that pays $50.00 at most dealers.

I always treated my customers the way I would like to be treated. As referral business is always important. But for many this may shed a new light on why customer service is not what it used to be.

One always pays for what one gets, and if one is lucky you get what you pay for.

 

Rob, I agree with you. I exhaust all searching on my own before I ever resort to asking for help since, unless it's just directions, the help usually doesn't know more than I do. Here's the other side of it too.


On Christmas Eve, we waited for our daughter, Christa, almost 18 years-old, to get home from her job as a Target cashier to have our smoked-turkey dinner. She was later than expected because one customer spent 25 minutes after closing, still shopping, and then when she was done she chose Christa's line (all of the cashiers had to wait) and her credit card was declined. So she then spent more time deciding which items to discard and then put them back and chose others. Christa was finally told to clock out, and another cashier helped the lady, because Christa was going to go over the hours they wanted her to have.

She also had a lady that night who didn't like the "dirty" penney she was given for change. She wanted a new one. Christa told her she would have to wait until she could get the cash drawer opened again with a cash paying customer. The next customer paid with credit so the lady told her to call over the manager, at which point Christa told the manager that the lady wanted a clean penney. She got her clean penney.

 

I have been working in retail for twenty two years. Mainly in two different family businesses. We try to provide excellent customer service to every customer who walks in the door. Everyone is asked if they need help. If we do not have what they want we will try to research it, and find a source for it. We have part time employees who have worked for us for 8-12 years. They are expected to know our merchandise as well as we do! Providing all of this, and more costs a lot of money. This makes us sometimes more expensive than the competition. Price aside, time and time again we are thanked and reminded by our customers why they keep coming back to our store for the last 30 years. It is a fine line retailers have to balance. The big box stores simply cant afford to provide this level of service for the prices the public demands. As consumers we all need to make choices. Do we always want the best price? No, it isn't always about price. Sometimes we make time for money exchanges, think "convenience stores," etc. Sometimes we want service, but the retail landscape mainly says otherwise. People do want the best price. The big box has brought the public exactly what is has asked for. Smaller merchants are being pushed out everywhere, in a wide range of retail sectors. In our industry more stores closed in 2004 than in any other year So as a retailer what should we do?


On a lighter note you do have to have a certain patience for working in retail. Sometimes it is amazing what people expect. Not sure who, but one of my family said.. the average person loses 50 points off of their I.Q. when the walk into a store

Its not too late seek out places who offer you the level of service you expect We are out there!

 

[QUOTE=mikes2k,Dec 29 2004, 12:07 AM] I have been working in retail for twenty two years. Mainly in two different family businesses. We try to provide excellent customer service to every customer who walks in the door. Everyone is asked if they need help. If we do not have what they want we will try to research it, and find a source for it. We have part time employees who have worked for us for 8-12 years. They are expected to know our merchandise as well as we do!

 

I work for a grocery store that is part of a small, local chain. Our store sounds much like mikes2k's. At our store customers are ackowledged by the staff. Sometimes a smile or other friendly gesture makes all the difference. It's always nice to see someone who has come to town to visit family for a holiday and is astonished by even the smallest lengths we go to (taking groceries out to a customers car after being bagged). We don't get paid much, our prices are higher than WalMart's, but people still come back religiously. I think that says something.

Recently I was both humbled and angered by a trip to a Columbus, OH Kroger's. I guess I've lived here in BFE long enough to forget the difference between urban and rural service. At the time of my visit the store was not particularly busy, but the staff acted as if everything they did was a priveledge to the customer, and a bothersome one at that. I think I have room to condescend here, considering that I have the exact same job in a different location.

I do think the customer is partly to blame for the overall trend, however. While a customer's bad attitude by no means gives the employee the right to act the same, there is much to be said for reciprocity. I think a lot of people, on both sides of the equation, would find their experience more sastisfying if they started things off right.

Rob, I hope you're right about future trends. Maybe if people start to realize that customer service is not a thing of the past in all places, they will start shopping accordingly.

 

in the early 70's, I worked in a couple mall retail stores and one private store. Employees were treated like crap. Turnover was the name of the game, get new young workers and burn them out so you don't have to deal with long term benefits.
When Home Despot moved in, a guy who worked at a local hardware store explained the HD business plan. Come into an area with more help than you can count. Run down the local businesses and then dump your own help.
As to bad attitudes of store workers, consider the horror stories already told. Consider, too, the long hours on their feet, two months of non-stop insipid Christmas music (How I was burned out on that after a couple Christmases in the mall!) Consider the lack of benefits noted, how some places will end the shift at closing but make staff stay to clean or cash out on their own time. Consider the idiot customer, like the guy who tore open (shredded the top might be a better term) of a doll box, yanked out the contents, stuffed it back in and then went to buy a nice fresh one...not on my watch, he didn't!.
Some of the worst service I didn't get was at that large chain that was just bought out by another chain, you know, the one that was famous for its catalog...Trying to buy a portable CD player several years ago, no prices on the shelves and staff hat couldn't find me a price and anther time, trying to find an adapter for my compressor, when the twit finally got off the phone with his girlfriend, he could/would only point me in the general direction of the compressors. Or the time I tried to by a CD at the now (well deservedly) defunct Everybody Takes a Wiz, when a bank of clerks next at a bank of computer outlets sent me to another kiosk where the Britney wannabe was on the phone with her boyfriend and when she deigned to notice me, told me I had to go to yet another desk, I did, but at another store. And what's up with making the cashier be the telephone operator, too? You have people with cash and product in hand and the cashier is taking elaborate calls with no guarantee of getting any money from the effort.
Rant mode off.

 

Good thread. To comment a little on Mike and Rockets posts.

If I recall correctly, Mike's family owns a book store. (Mike, correct me if I'm wrong). So...the price point of the merchandise you sell is such that paying a little more for the additional service is clearly worth it. If the book is $14.95 at your store vs. $12.95 at the big chain it's worth it for the 2 extra bucks. However, if you're ordering a high dollar item, say a plasma TV, it's a lot harder to pay the extra $1,500 to the store that provides the extra service. I'm not saying you shouldn't, but the average Joe can find a lot of uses for that $1,500 savings.

In Rocket's case, he lives in a small town. I think these areas are more apt to have successful mom and pop stores. In large metro areas, the big box stores rule. It wasn't enough for us to add a Home Depot to our community, we had to get a Lowe's too. Even though there is a Lowe's 10 minutes up the freeway. And another 12 minutes in the opposite direction. And another...well, you get the picture. So, geography is a factor too.

 

You are correct (sort off) It is an educational supply store And not to call out teachers! I know we all like a bargain, but we get hassled and lose business over the $2 difference in book pricing frequently. Sure as I stated we have a very loyal following based on customer service.

Better yet people constantly tell us Staples sells protractors, pencils (pick a low cost item) for .15 cents cheaper than us. Come on people how much margin do you think we have on a .35 cent item ....in those cases my usual response is go out the front door make a left and Staples is 3 miles up the road

 

Funny...since we're talking about customer service...I've been on hold for 36 minutes and 41 seconds...42....43...44...and counting with Cingular Wireless. The guy came on twice and said, "one more SECOND bud". That was several minutes ago. Wouldn't it make sense to get my name and phone number and call me back when he was less busy? 37 minutes...44....45...46...

 

WHAT? You got a live person?