A journey through discovery.
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.
Continue reading “Rule #1”
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.
Continue reading “Convenient for who?”