Goodbye Retail

[superdog]

It's cold in the north east. So we decided to walk around a mall.

We must have stopped in at least a half a dozen stores.

In a sneaker store, I asked to see a specific shoe in my size. The woman on the floor, who was drawing on a post it note, told me she couldn't get it because she was the only one on the floor and she was managing the situation. For all of me and my wife.

We left.

This was the best example, but they were all similar experiences.

Management is not training their staff.

Customer service is they key to everything.

But we got home and I looked up what I needed online. In moments I was done. Everything I ordered will arrive within a day or so.

I design and build distribution centers for a living. So I'm very sensitive to what is happening in this industry.

And the more I look around, the more I understand why retail is dying.

I truly think retailers could turn it around with proper support and training. A proper shopping experience could effect change. But maybe the cost and the ROI is simply not worth it.

The future is in technology.

[dimag333]

which mall? Freehold? Monmouth? ect ect

steve

[Al1969]

Originally Posted by dimag333

which mall? Freehold? Monmouth? ect ect

steve

Willowbrook?

[texex91]

amazon.com killed retail. Ba bye.

I have not stepped foot in a mall in 5+ years.

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by texex91

amazon.com killed retail. Ba bye.

I have not stepped foot in a mall in 5+ years.

Tj maxx ross dollar stores walmart.

There is a sears at my local mall, I'm trying to get the mall to let me develop a movie theater there when it goes bust.

[sco]

I sell to major retailers, and yes there are some that are just crumbling apart. Sad situation, I'd love to see it turn around as well.

[superstarmar]

Come to Florida , people are more than happy to
make a sale....
I think it all comes down to the quality of people being
hired .... some people just don't want to
contribute anything and just take a free paycheck !
Here îs where retail management has failed ...
Hiring quality staff and proper training ...

[michaelodonnell123]

Excellent topic that you brought up! I get what you are saying. However, to be fair to the woman in the store, if she was instructed not to leave her spot because there was nobody else to mind the store, then she was following protocol and that is how she was trained. So in essence, management did train her correctly.

As for your shopping experience, well yes, it was a failure in so many ways. They never made the sale and you never got the purchase. Both parties lost out. Can this be fixed at the retail level? Yes it can, but you can't use the same minds that created the problem to try to solve them. The best book on this subject that I have ever read is written by Tom Peters> Thriving on Chaos. As far as I am concerned this is required reading for everybody. https://www.amazon.com/Thriving-Chao...iving+on+chaos

The best $2 bucks you will ever spend.

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by michaelodonnell123

Excellent topic that you brought up! I get what you are saying. However, to be fair to the woman in the store, if she was instructed not to leave her spot because there was nobody else to mind the store, then she was following protocol and that is how she was trained. So in essence, management did train her correctly. .

Well then the company is wrong and should/will go bankrupt. They are there to sell things, by serving the customer. If there are not enough employees in the store to perform this function then they need to hire more employees; simple. If the manager can't leave the floor to facilitate a sale then have a second and third employee available to go in the back and get the product the CUSTOMER WANTS TO PURCHASE. I am not in sales but this seems simple to me. Seth, you did the right thing by walking out. I might suggest a Yelp or other form of complaint as well.

[rr-nyc]

Originally Posted by michaelodonnell123

Excellent topic that you brought up! I get what you are saying. However, to be fair to the woman in the store, if she was instructed not to leave her spot because there was nobody else to mind the store, then she was following protocol and that is how she was trained. So in essence, management did train her correctly.

While I agree that this person may have been trained properly to follow store policy, this person has no business being in retail. Was she trained to sit behind the counter and draw on a sticky note while a customer is in the store? Was she trained to act disinterested when a customer asks about a particular size?

I started working in retail when i was 16 through my mid-twenties. By the time I left, I oversaw the eastern US for my company. As a customer, I expect the same level of service I was trained to provide and trained all my employees to provide. I cannot stand walking into a store and not being greeted. If I walk into a store with no customers and the staff are all huddled behind the counter or playing on their phones, they will never get my business.

I especially hate when I'm walking out of a store, after receiving no service at all, an employee asks (from behind the counter no less) if I need anything. I'm like most people now, I buy virtually everything online. The only time I shop in person is to try a particular size, see a fabric in person, or I'm with my wife while she shops.

Retail is a dying industry and the people running those businesses are the ones to blame. They are cannibalizing their own business by competing with themselves. I went to Best Buy to get a printer. The online was $50 cheaper than the store. When I asked if they would honor the price they said no. So I went home, bought it online and got free shipping. What a bunch of morons. The irony is that they price match their competitors as long as they can find the price...get this...on line

[Abdullah71601]

I think your expectations are too high. Mall store staff typically spend most of their time stocking and looking for shoplifters, while shoppers are self-service. Louis Vuitton, Apple, and Rolex aggressively service their customers, but most others wait for you to arrive at the register.

Stand alone stores are better. Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, and Best Buy all have good service staff.

[texex91]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, and Best Buy all have good service staff.

Not even close.

Can't think of any worse stores to choose for 'good service staff'. YMMV.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by texex91

Not even close.

Can't think of any worse stores to choose for 'good service staff'. YMMV.

I guess Austin must be a terrible place for big box stores. I get good service here. Not LV service, but attentive staff that answers questions.

[texex91]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

I guess Austin must be a terrible place for big box stores. I get good service here. Not LV service, but attentive staff that answers questions.

Well that's probably true. Austin service is terrible all around.

A lot of pissed off people that moved here thinking it's cool and end up working retail and pissed at life.

[BristolCavendish]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Stand alone stores are better. Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, and Best Buy all have good service staff

Originally Posted by texex91

Not even close.

Walmart might be an exception (depending upon the location). Years ago (maybe 3-4) I stopped by a Walmart to buy an SS kitchen waste disposal can and it took three employees + at least 20 minutes to finally locate one. Maybe they were new-hires.

The worst 'chain' general-purpose hardware store in the SF Bay Area is Orchard Supply. The employees there know absolutely nothing about the products they sell.

Going to the mall may someday become a thing of the past as some of the larger retailers are bailing out. Why bother with congested parking, hauling around countless shopping bags and standing in line for the 'next available sales associate' to complete your transaction? Malls are OK for casual window shopping. Purchasing/returning merchandise at the counter is another story.

[Wesley Crusher]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

I think your expectations are too high. Mall store staff typically spend most of their time stocking and looking for shoplifters, while shoppers are self-service. Louis Vuitton, Apple, and Rolex aggressively service their customers, but most others wait for you to arrive at the register.

Good point. Nordstrom is another example where customer service is a priority (in my experience, anyway). Given the fact that many stores are staffed by teenagers making minimum wage, I think we need to manage our expectations.

[Hooper]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

I think your expectations are too high. Mall store staff typically spend most of their time stocking and looking for shoplifters, while shoppers are self-service. Louis Vuitton, Apple, and Rolex aggressively service their customers, but most others wait for you to arrive at the register.

Stand alone stores are better. Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, and Best Buy all have good service staff.

Really?? At our local Home Depot and Lowe's stores, good luck finding an associate to help!! Usually one person for 5 isles of different merchandise and when you do track someone down, they seem to know nothing and have to go get someone else, or...... they're on break

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by Hooper

Really?? At our local Home Depot and Lowe's stores, good luck finding an associate to help!! Usually one person for 5 isles of different merchandise and when you do track someone down, they seem to know nothing and have to go get someone else, or...... they're on break

I went in to Lowes last week with an old electrical part I was replacing in my DIY renovation. I showed it to a guy, he took me right to the aisle, then told me not to buy the one in the box because the only thing different was it comes in a box and costs a dollar more. Great service. What more could a guy ask for?

[THC]

As long as there are women roaming the earth, there will be retail outlets..

[swils8610]

Amazon Prime is amazing. I buy my work clothes from O'Connells in Buffalo. The service is top notch. Aside from that it's all online.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by superdog

It's cold in the north east. So we decided to walk around a mall.

We must have stopped in at least a half a dozen stores.

In a sneaker store, I asked to see a specific shoe in my size. The woman on the floor, who was drawing on a post it note, told me she couldn't get it because she was the only one on the floor and she was managing the situation. For all of me and my wife.

We left.

This was the best example, but they were all similar experiences.

Management is not training their staff.

Customer service is they key to everything.

But we got home and I looked up what I needed online. In moments I was done. Everything I ordered will arrive within a day or so.

I design and build distribution centers for a living. So I'm very sensitive to what is happening in this industry.

And the more I look around, the more I understand why retail is dying.

I truly think retailers could turn it around with proper support and training. A proper shopping experience could effect change. But maybe the cost and the ROI is simply not worth it.

The future is in technology.

I hate to say it but part of the population will never be happy or want to work. This leading to poor work. At some point they are a liability to the brands that employ them, the malls and real estate owners and the society. Unfortunately I think we will have to have a base salary and just pay to get people, who don't like working, out of the way. I have seen it so many times. Poor waiters caused me not to go to Lucile's which is an amazing restaurant for example. Conversely great staff who remember your name give out their numbers. They bring people back.

[The Joker]

It's not just the shops. Here in London the traffic is horrendous, and if you venture out in your car the police wanna do you for speeding or any sort of road violation.

Then when you get there, there is no where to park and if you do find somewhere you will probably get a parking ticket.

It's a jungle out there, so just stay at home and order online.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by The Joker

It's not just the shops. Here in London the traffic is horrendous, and if you venture out in your car the police wanna do you for speeding or any sort of road violation.

Then when you get there, there is no where to park and if you do find somewhere you will probably get a parking ticket.

It's a jungle out there, so just stay at home and order online.

Interesting point. Do you think they are discouraging car ownership?

[beer]

Originally Posted by breitlings

Interesting point. Do you think they are discouraging car ownership?

well add to that the fact that fuel here is like £6 ($7.50) a gallon and you have to pay £25 just to drive into london

[OmegaJJH]

Originally Posted by breitlings

Do you think they are discouraging car ownership?

Hell no!

The cost of public transport would make your eyes water!!

Shopping from the comfort of home with a coffee in hand is the only way to shop these days. And with Amazon Prime you can get items delivered same day in some areas!!

[DCgator]

Last month I walked into a Macy's furniture dept. There was one sole sales rep, a man in his 60s or so. Said hello to me when he saw me walk in but that's about it. I started browsing the sofas and beds. I noticed I was the only customer. Nonetheless it took me to walk up to him from across the display room to let him know I had a few questions, 15+ min since I arrived. Only then did he leave the counter and converse with me while walking towards the items I was interested in. He acted as tho I bothered him so after asking one question I flat out stated that since he showed no interest I'd rather go elsewhere. Unbeknownst to him I had a small budget of $5K for a sofa and a bed only (mattress not incl). I guess he didn't really give a flying Fk whether or not I spent money at the store. I did better elsewhere, actually.

Whenever I enter a Eddie Bauer, LL Bean or REI store I always feel welcome and the employees always seem genuinely helpful and will bend backwards to make my experience great. And I always appreciated that type of engagement.

[brandrea]

I live in a small town, and the retailers here for the most part do an excellent job. I suppose it's not fair comparing a mall or big box retailer to the small mom and pop shops of a touristy village ...

I personally still like to shop at malls etc. I like the interaction between customer and sales staff, and I often learn something simply by listening to what other customers are talking about while in a store.

[yachty 1]

There's been a shift in the last 10 years as far as employee's. The new generation (not all) care less about working or putting in a effort. If they get fired no biggie they don't care nor do their parents. I have seen and have had workers that been fired from their last 5 jobs,no embarrassment at all.

[Atmke]

Originally Posted by yachty 1

There's been a shift in the last 10 years as far as employee's. The new generation (not all) care less about working or putting in a effort. If they get fired no biggie they don't care nor do their parents. I have seen and have had workers that been fired from their last 5 jobs,no embarrassment at all.

Because in most places it's illegal to give a bad reference. All people can say is "yes they worked here from date to date." If a reference says no way and says why and the person does not get the job then they can be sued or held liable for the persons unemployment. So for people who have terrible work ethic there's no reason to perform and they bounce from job to job with no repercussion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by superdog

It's cold in the north east. So we decided to walk around a mall.

We must have stopped in at least a half a dozen stores.

In a sneaker store, I asked to see a specific shoe in my size. The woman on the floor, who was drawing on a post it note, told me she couldn't get it because she was the only one on the floor and she was managing the situation. For all of me and my wife.

We left.

This was the best example, but they were all similar experiences.

Management is not training their staff.

Customer service is they key to everything.

But we got home and I looked up what I needed online. In moments I was done. Everything I ordered will arrive within a day or so.

I design and build distribution centers for a living. So I'm very sensitive to what is happening in this industry.

And the more I look around, the more I understand why retail is dying.

I truly think retailers could turn it around with proper support and training. A proper shopping experience could effect change. But maybe the cost and the ROI is simply not worth it.

The future is in technology.

Seth, my girlfriend and I had a similar experience at a mall two weekends ago. Couldn't get help in a shoe store. We left and she ordered what I needed on her phone from Amazon. On the doorstep 2 days later.