A Great Way to Shop

Tom Jennings Retail Training Expert

Frequent readers know I believe before we can be good customer service providers, we must first learn to be good customers ourselves. By that, I mean we must pay attention to how we are treated when we are spending our hard earned pay checks. By doing so, you will learn a tremendous amount about both the service provider and their management. Please allow me to share two very different recent experiences I had on the same very day.

My first stop was a large national grocery store. I stopped to mail packages at the customer service desk; a task we all perform regularly. Not far away, I observed someone in a business suit (likely a corporate manager) dressing down a small group of department managers for clearly not following some arcane procedure. Right on the sales floor in front of customers!

The employees were all looking either at their shoes or the light fixtures while this little leadership school dropout was attempting to showcase his authority. (You can imagine their spirits when out of his presence). Managers like this are toxic. I couldn’t wait to get out of this store when the only reason I was there in the first place was to avoid going to the post office. Some choice!

My next stop was quite different. Needing to purchase a gift, I visited one of my wife’s favorite shops, Weaver’s Department Store in my hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. Upon entering, I was greeted by the general manager with a warm handshake and smile. Next, a sales associate personally walked me through the process of selecting items I have no qualifications to select. Once my decision was made, my purchases were gift wrapped at no additional charge!

The treatment was fantastic, and it appeared to be the de facto standard for everyone who walked in the door. The employees dealt with customers in the same happy, respectful and helpful fashion as their boss, and the cash register was clearly ringing. I spent at least twice as much as I had intended and left feeling great.

Is such customer service feasible in today’s economic condition? Perhaps I should mention the Weaver’s is the oldest department store west of the Mississippi River— founded in 1857! How many competitors do you think have come and gone in over 150 years? How many “new” forms of merchandising? How many recessions and depressions have occurred? How many wars?

There are two important lessons to be gained from relating these experiences: first of all, it is impossible for staff to treat their customers any better than the way they are treated themselves. It can’t consistently be done. We mirror the attitudes that we receive from above. Secondly, the best way for a local store to survive and thrive is to never forget the personal touch. Product alone is, will be, and always has been available for less elsewhere. Neither product nor price alone will attract every buyer.

Future generations will realize what past ones came to know. Being well served is still a great way to shop. How do your customers feel about their time spent with you? ■