
I am
not asking for conversation, Lord knows, I am not one for idle chit chat, I
guess I just want a simple acknowledgement that says “I know you can shop
anywhere, thanks for shopping here”….and a simple one word expression of
gratitude would do. Instead, recently, as I was caught between the cashier telling
the bagger the horrid details of a date gone bad, I was so grateful to be done
and on my way, that I was the one who said “thank you” as she handed me my
receipt!
Two days
ago, I stopped at a major national home improvement store for a small can of
paint to finish a project. I selected what I needed and went to the checkout
where two cashiers were engrossed in conversation. I was the only one there for
the moment and stood quietly until they finished. Finally, one of them turned
to me, “did you want to buy something?” Are you kidding me? “Oh no,” I
answered, “I was just passing by and I thought I’d drop in to say hello”.
In New
Jersey, it is illegal to get out of your car and pump gas. The men that are paid to do it,
aren’t happy about that law either. It is an understanding between the driver
and the station attendant. No customer service. No talking. (I'm actually kind of okay with that one.) Recently, I had to make an appointment with the
cable company for a repair and was told that they would be here between 9:00 am and
7:30 pm. I asked what the chances were that it would be some time after twelve noon
so I could go to work in the morning, and the CS rep responded “do you feel lucky?”
Now, I
am going to interrupt this rant to exclude two major retail operations from
offering poor customer service. The first one is the Apple Store. We all know Apple doesn’t need to make one
dollar more this year to still turn a profit, and yet, if you walk into that
store, within seconds, a young person in a blue shirt will approach you to
offer help. If you are having a problem of some sort, they will ask if you
would like to speak with a “genius”. (It’s all free, so don’t ask how much it would
be to talk to someone who is ‘just kind of smart’ like I did). Apple has nailed
what it means to provide good customer service.
The
other chain store is Publix Food Stores in Florida. Now, it may be the same in
other states, but I have only been to the ones in Florida so that is what I
will speak to. There are not any located in the state where I live, so you can
imagine my surprise when I first shopped at a Publix and was greeted at the checkout
with “Thank you for shopping here. Did you find everything you were looking
for?” I replied with a few comments and she smiled, “I detect an accent. Where
are you from?” (Yo, New Jersey has an accent?) When I answered, she responded,
“Well, you have the best corn up there!” Bingo! She is also intelligent! And it
didn’t stop there. When the bagger finished putting the groceries back into my
cart, he asked, “Can I help you to your car?” Wow! Publix wins the prize on
that one!
At Wal-Mart,
the nation’s largest retail store, there are only two people who talk to you (and
often it’s the same person), the greeter on the way in, and the person who
checks your receipt on the way out to make sure you are not stealing anything.
Otherwise, you’re met with a compilation of grunts and pointing when seeking help from an "associate".
This morning, not familiar with the grocery isle set up in our local Wal-Mart, I asked a young man who was kneeling down stocking shelves where the Splenda was. He wildly threw his arm up waving over to the next isle. It was then that I realized he was texting someone while working. Yes, Wal-Mart, while you are watching me to make sure that I am not taking anything I didn’t pay for, your employees are texting from phones in their pockets – and it’s probably to each other.
This morning, not familiar with the grocery isle set up in our local Wal-Mart, I asked a young man who was kneeling down stocking shelves where the Splenda was. He wildly threw his arm up waving over to the next isle. It was then that I realized he was texting someone while working. Yes, Wal-Mart, while you are watching me to make sure that I am not taking anything I didn’t pay for, your employees are texting from phones in their pockets – and it’s probably to each other.
However,
I wouldn’t go on like this if I couldn’t offer a solution. Since very few
people use cash anymore, I suggest that after swiping your card, and prior to
you tapping out your pin number, a screen appears that asks you to check the
appropriate box. “How would you rate our employees?
o
Very
Helpful
o
Somewhat
Helpful
o
Just
okay
o
Ignorant
I am telling
you, retailers will find this one second survey a real eye-opener. Hey, maybe
the responses could become an app that employees can download on their cell
phones. That way, while they're texting, they can see how well they are doing at
their jobs. Or not.
Okay. I feel better.
Got this whole lack of customer service thing off my chest. And before I get
emails, I know that there are many, many people working out there providing
excellent customer service and trying their best to deal with what
I’m sure can be very difficult customers. But in the last few days, I just
haven’t come across any. And I miss them. Is it just me?PS. Thank you for stopping by to read this blog! (Whew! Glad I remembered that).
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