It's a bad economy. Retailers need every sale they can get. But take a look at this piece from the NY Post today. This is what happens when you treat employees like they don't really matter, that's how they treat the guests. Now, maybe I'm wrong and these were just a series of unfortunate experiences, but I'm sure things like this happen at retailers around the world. You can't make the sale when no one wants to ring the register!
FIFTH Avenue. This LA visitor tried buying a Balenciaga. Nobody there except a young saleswoman on the phone. Asked, "Anyone working on the floor?" the saleswoman replied, "Should be," and resumed her conversation. Another 10 minutes. Nobody showed. The visitor then left for a Madison Avenue shop. There she waited for someone to take her merchandise. One salesperson dashed past with "Excuse me." Nobody came to ring it up. Then came a designer's shop a few streets up. She selected a dress and three salesladies, chatting at a desk, paid no attention. Obviously needing whatever she needed, she next tried Saks, where she spent big-time because, "The difference was huge. Personnel virtually grabbed you off the ground." (Emphasis mine)
This is the kind of thing that drives consumers crazy! It may have flown in the retail world, pre-recession, but if these retailers can't get their staffs motivated to keep their jobs, what hope do we have of restarting consumer spending?
This is where we see the limits of advertising: you can promise and promise friendly, helpful salespeople (like Wal-Mart or Macy's does in their ads), but without intense quality control, you get this shopper's experience.
Posted by: Josh Davenport | March 27, 2009 at 05:03 PM