retail - One Less Dog In The Hunt

September 23, 2021September 6, 2021

Forget the BS

You know, I go back there every now and then. I mean in my thoughts. I don’t really go back there. I avoid it like the plague (sorry, kind of a tough word to use given the times we are in). We do a lot of online shopping these days, not because of Covid; just because we don’t want to waste our time going in.

If you’ve been following this, you know I spent thirty plus years in retail. My first foray was with the Big K, while in college. They were actually a big company then. The largest discounter. It’s humorous now, maybe a little sad in some ways. They really thought they would squash the Big W before it ever got rolling. I remember my old boss telling me about this little retailer that was coming on strong. Based in Arkansas, they were just getting ready to move into the DFW area. “Yeah, we’re going to roll over them and send them back to the small towns,” he claimed. It didn’t happen of course. The Big W went on to crush the Big K and the rest is history.

July 31, 2021August 14, 2021

Rule #1

You know, I don’t go in there very often. We do most of our shopping online these days. It just saves the hassle. But one of the things I get most aggravated about my former retail employer is just how far they have strayed from their original standards.

Rule #1 – The customer is always right.

Rule #2 – If the customer isn’t right, refer to Rule #1.

April 23, 2020April 18, 2020

Gut Check

You know, there are times when you just have to go with your gut. Breaking things down into pros and cons, using logic to distill your thoughts and make an educated decision; its all wise counsel, but that little voice whispering in your ear or that feeling in your gut shouldn’t be tossed aside. To use a comic book reference: When your spider sense is speaking, you should listen. Sometimes you just have to go with what feels right. That’s tough in a world where we’re taught to use our brains instead of our feelings.

I was coming up on two years of unemployment. With no prospects after a long journey through applications, resumes, job posting sites, and unemployment rejections (clue: if you aren’t making any money and you use your retirement funds to make ends meet — you likely sunk your chances with the unemployment office) I went back to my retail roots looking for gainful employment. It was a bitter pill to swallow. It was looking like no one wanted me or could see any value in me, but another retailer. I’d tried. I really tried to keep from walking back toward the darkside, but it was the only job source calling for me.

September 24, 2019April 11, 2020

Convenient for who?

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Rule Number One: The customer is always right.

Rule Number Two: In the event the customer is not right, refer to Rule Number One.

These rules used to be among the first taught to new employees. The truth is the customer isn’t always right and you often have to revert to rule number two. If you’ve ever lived, worked, breathed retail you know that sometimes the customer just gets it wrong. Not wrong in what they want, just wrong in what you are able to give. Maybe there are restrictions. Perhaps Uncle Sam (and I mean the US Government, not Sam Walton) says you have to do it a certain way. Maybe the decision would require an executive approval. Maybe what they want isn’t really something that is good for them. Your job is to come to a conclusion which makes the customer right or at least satisfied. Still, the idea behind the rules are important, and a good company adapts to the needs of the customer, not the other way around.

Yet, more and more in today’s market we see retailers trying to force the customer to conform to what is best for the retailer rather than adapting to the wants and needs of the customer. Oh, to be sure, they’d never admit it. They always mask it with an effort in improved customer satisfaction. They would say they are just striving to provide a more convenient atmosphere or they are trying to make the shopping experience more customer friendly.