I went into W H Smith yesterday in search of a gift voucher. “Do you stock Amazon Vouchers” I asked the young lad at the checkout. “Yes, but we’ve sold out under the counter. There should be some in the store.” All this delivered in a somewhat surly and disinterested tone. Upon seeking further guidance, “somewhere in the store” was the helpful reply. No doubt you will have been indulging in extensive retail therapy as the much hyped season approached. No doubt you will have similar tales to tell of indifference, incompetence and downright rudeness. I recognise that these giants of sales may not be massively well re-imbursed. But where are the managers and supervisors to monitor, train and inspire them? Why are we Brits so generally bloody hopeless at “service”, as if it is somehow demeaning? I hate to say it but we could learn a lot from America in that regard.
Then there are those who give their all, but can be equally irritating. I don’t know about you, but I like to be able to go into a shop and peruse, without an assistant sidling up and watching me, desperate to say something but held back by my refusal to make eye contact. It’s what they love to do in Asia. You have to be tracked wherever you go. If they persist, that’s me, I’m out of the door. It’s wonderful to be greeted (and I’m obviously talking about smallish, specialist shops here, not supermarkets) with a cheery “hello” and “shout if you want help” and then left to survey the merchandise. I went into a jewellers recently with which I am quite familiar, but was greeted by a late middle-aged woman I didn’t know who was out to sell me something. I knew exactly what I wanted and why, but still wanted to spend a few minutes examining it closely and convincing myself it was worth the money. She very nearly lost the sale with her constant and irritating prattle. The one phrase it seems they all latch onto is “it’s been a very popular item this winter”. If I am buying food or wine, it’s probably quite reassuring to know its “popular”. If I am buying a gift for someone that I hope will be unique at best, most unusual at worst, the last thing I want to hear is that “it’s been very popular”! Do these people never stop and think? Does nobody up the chain train and supervise them? Apparently not.
On our London trip last week, we dined out at a middle-of-the-road US style chain restaurant where you wouldn’t necessarily expect anything special and it wasn’t. The food was average and expensive. But we were served by a brilliant young East European woman who never took a note, never asked us to repeat an order, brought everything we asked for, exactly as we asked for it and served it to the right people. What a skill! It was very impressive and she most certainly deserved the generous tip we left, despite feeling ripped off by the poor value for money. Not everyone has that kind of memory, but as my hotelier brother in law showed me forty years ago, even using paper and pencil, it’s very easy to do and unfailingly impresses. I can never understand why in most places the waitress shows up with hands full, barking out; “medium steak?”, “salmon and chips?”, “who’s having the scampi?”. Seemingly you have to go to super-smart, expensive restaurants before the staff are taught the simple but effective tricks of the trade.
You would think in these days of Amazon and internet shopping that physical shopkeepers would go out of their way to provide a rewarding experience in their store. I fear we Brits are so inured to rubbish service that we accept it far too readily. It is time to stand up and be counted folks. Demand high standards or boycott the outlet. Methinks they might get the message quite quickly…….or go out of business.
Here come The Sales. Happy Christmas shopping.
ADayInTheStrifeOf 