My do's and don'ts of retail

[Gurndigarn]

Some of the other threads prompted these thoughts and insights that, well, probably aren't going to do anything... but it would be wonderful if a retail CEO or two payed attention.

1) I don't want a "retail shopping experience". I don't want to be made to feel wonderful about your store. I just want to get my stuff and give you my money. Do that with a minumum fuss, and I'll feel better about your store. So, unless you're a small specialty shop, I don't want to be greeted by every member of the staff. Honestly. It spooks me a little when total strangers try to act like my best friend. Specialty shops, sure; I'm probably not a regular and could use some help. If I'm looking around and a staff member is nearby, yes, that's the time to ask "Can I help you". But finding groceries? C'mon, it's not that hard to figure out where stuff is...

2) ... or at least, it shouldn't be. Please, lay your store out logically. Don't stick aisles in odd places; make it so that people can find things without help. >cough< Home Depot >cough<.

3) And on the "retail shopping experience" thing... I don't need to be asked if I found everything all right. Really. If I have any problems, I'll find someone to help. If I've unloaded my entire cart on the belt, I no longer care, even if you have the items stuck away in some oddly-placed aisle. And furthermore, I don't care if my cashier was friendly. All I want is competent. Specifically: not unfriendly, reasonable speed, has a clue how much a bag can actually hold, and responds if I ask questions or am talkative, but doesn't bug me with innane chatter if my head is off in the clouds.

4) And doesn't bug me for personal information, including but not limited to phone numbers, name, zip code... anything that might slow down the transaction without any noticable potential benefit to me. Asking me once about store club cards is OK, or letting me know about specials and promotions, fine. I'm not likely to do them, but I understand that others might. However...

5) Please, please, PLEASE don't have them fill out forms when there's a line, especially if I'm in that line, unless you shunt them off to the side while they do it. I don't want to wait for you to market me; I really don't want to wait for you marketing someone else.

6) Over-the-PA-system (or on screen) advertising is really annoying. It's one of the reasons I avoid K-Mart; Wal-Mart is getting there (if they were any louder, I'ld stop shopping there, too). Most people don't want to watch or listen to advertising. Why piss them off in your store?

7) And on a related note: don't mix and match muzak systems. If you're going to do video screens in store, get rid of the PA-version stuff. Or vice-versa. It's really odd having competing sounds fade in and out as I walk around the store. Personally, I'ld be happy with nice, contemplative silence, but I understand that freaks some people out.

8) Christmas season begins the last Friday of November. Christmas carols should be mixed with other songs until at least the week before Christmas. And if the song has the words "Santa", "Frosty", "Raindeer", or "Jolly" in it, I've heard it too many times. I know you want bouncy, make-'em-spend-money songs, but could you cycle in a few that haven't been played to death? Please? "Grandma Got Run Over By a Raindeer" is no longer funny after you've heard it fifty times.

[Sofar]

Ah yes, do not tell your employees that they need to "wow the customer." Firstly, they don't know what that means. Secondly, you don't know what that means. Thirdly, the customer does not care to be wowed. He will not go "wow." Stop turning perfectly innocent words into verbs, by the way.

And please stop trying to pretend you are a small, local, friendly shoppe. You were a small, local, friendly shoppe in 1941, and you left that small shoppe in Muncey, Indiana, along with your scruples and common sense. You are now a heartless multi-national corporation, which eats small shoppes. Stop pretending that instructing your cashiers to greet each customer upon entry, (complete with script and diagram of proper facial expression, to which anything but strict adherance is grounds for termination,) is going to change all that.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I couldn't agree more. I'm sick and tired of being told to interact with customers, when in my experience, all customers want is to get out of the supermarket as soon as is humanly possible and as long as you're not downright rude they couldn't care less about customer interaction.

[Depot Denizen]

That was one thing that put me off when I worked my first job in retail - K-Mart. My manager was a too-high-on-life guy who would rip you apart if you didn't strike up a conversation with *every* customer on the way to the back room. TJ Maxx was better, but paid less. All the managers were Ames refugees, so...but that was well over 6 years ago. o.O

But yeah. I prefer to go into a store, find what I want, and get out while I have my sanity. And if I have a question, I'll flag down a sales associate and be nice to them. I think my brief experience in retail helped me understand how bad it can get, and so I try to be nice to the fellows in there.

[Retail's Bitch]

The greeting every customer and periodically asking if they need any help - is to scare off shoplifters.

The PAs let people in the store know that my studio exists! We're stuck in the far corner of the store beside the One hour photo. Barely anyone looks our way generally unless they're looking for us. Most parents regard us as a free playland for their brats while they drop off film.

I like it if somebody asks me at the till whether I've found everything. This time of the year people are hurting for staff - at least in my area. The only person I can usually find is at the registers. So when they ask if I found everything - and I couldn't find a particular item. I appreciate it.

The sales scripts for employees are not for the ones with free flow of thought. If you can be nice and courteous and improvise some decent chatter with the customer. Fine. But if you're like the Christmas staff I hired - (they quit soon after) are like - they need to follow that script religiously or they just tended to stare at the customers wide-eyed with dumb expressions. I handed them the script and they came-to. It was like powering up a big dumb robot with a plug at the back.

I understand your concern, but a lot of these things are in place for a reason.

[ArenaBoy]

I've been trying to explain that to my department head for months that there is no need to impress the customer. They just want to get into the arena and that's it. I don't mind being offered help but sometimes the things described just creep me out.

[Becks]

6) Over-the-PA-system (or on screen) advertising is really annoying.

Try having to listen to it for at least 7 hours a day.

[Drakstern]

Try having to listen to it for at least 7 hours a day.

Try having to be the one MAKING the over the PA advert announcements, in both the Pharmacy and at the Service Desk at various times.

Though I will admit that I suddenly 'didn't have time anymore' as soon as the ASM left, since he was the only one that cared.

[DerangedHermit]

8) Christmas season begins the last Friday of November. Christmas carols should be mixed with other songs until at least the week before Christmas. And if the song has the words "Santa", "Frosty", "Raindeer", or "Jolly" in it, I've heard it too many times. I know you want bouncy, make-'em-spend-money songs, but could you cycle in a few that haven't been played to death? Please? "Grandma Got Run Over By a Raindeer" is no longer funny after you've heard it fifty times.

As long as they don't play the damn Christmas shoe song, anything's fine with me.

[CrazedClerk]

I do greet customers when they enter the store, but I only say "hello" or "hi there" or "hi guys", I never follow that up with our latest special or sales promotion or anything. Just a quick greeting works fine.

[Giggle Goose]

lol I work at a department store, and for my orientation, we had to watch these videos about when they WERE a small local 'shoppe' in some podunk Midwest town (not to rip on the Midwest or anything) and is now a giant, soul-sucking corporation. As if that's why someone wants to go to your store, because they started from "humble beginnings." Who gives a flying f !? They just want to get their crap and leave to harass the poor unsuspecting worker at some other place. At this store they encourage "smiling and saying hi to every customer" and getting them to apply for a credit card, and how many applications you solicit is part of your annual review, which I hate, hate, hate, and I know customers do, too, and if they really wanted a fing credit card they'd ask about it. So I make sure I only ask them when a manager's around....

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I think I know where you work Giggle Goose, and the constant pimping of the credit cards is what ticks me off the most about that place. Which is too bad, because I enjoy shopping there.

If I'm just buying a soda or some other small item, I don't need to save 10% by opening up a credit card (yes, I did get asked one time when all I bought was a 20 oz. Mountain Dew).

And like everybody else, I don't need to be "wowed". I just want to get my crap and get out.

[powerboy]

I hate when I am shopping and getting asked if I want to save 10% by opening up a credit card.

I do not like to be shopping and hearing the PA, every 2 minutes.

I hate stores having things in different places, example: Pen's in the second isle, and Ink for said pens accross the store.

I truly do not appreciate when I worked at Office Max, helping the customers, and in the middle of them asking me for anything, the managers interuping us on the walkie-talkies.

I hated uploading the Office Max brand paper to people that are buying that brand of paper, or even paper itself( regardless of brand ).

[Salesmonkey]

I was with my mom today when she saved 10 prcent by applying for a store credit card. Since I am on vacation, and nowhere near my real job, I'm not afraid to name names. We were at "World Market" in Kalamazoo, MI. I love that store. I would have loved to get the name of their franchise service manager to inquire about the opportunities of opening up one of their store in "The Deep South" except they will never open up in a place that doesn't allow them to sell alcoholic beverages along with imported decorator stuff.

We had to wait a little bit while they processed the info, but since we were shopping, Shopping, SHOPPING, that ten percent came to an appreciable amount. I am going to be bitter next week when I head back Down South away from the civilized parts of the world that need to regulate every place that sells Demon Rum.

[DesignFox]

I agree that policies for the employees to follow are in effect for a reason. The problem with retail is that *anyone* can get hired to do the job. It doesn't mean that those anyones are good at it (and if they really suck at it, they end up job hopping).

Part of working in retail- or sales in general- is learning to gauge your customer's needs within seconds of seeing them in your store. When I say hello to someone entering my store, and I see them heading somewhere with purpose, barely nodding in my direction, I know they have been there before and know exactly what they need, without assistance/interference from me. If I see someone walk in, I say hello, and they are wandering about completely clueless- I give them my little spiel. I also tailor my spiel to my customer's attention span or needs. I don't harp on things they clearly aren't interested in. THAT is what separates good employees/managers from mediocre/bad ones. You need to be subtle and observant, and not all retail employees excel at that.

Most companies would rather have people be overly nice and helpful in an effort to avoid having the clueless people ignored- of course, being too 'in your face' is just as bad. It's a vicious cycle.