The art of the merchant

So we worked our way around the coffee shops in our local village. And the all have one thing in common: inconsistency. Eventually we grew tired of it and moved on to the next one. At present we frequent the Gloria Jeans store for our morning brew.

GJs does not necessarily enjoy the status/ brand image of a specialty coffee store and my experiences with them has been mixed. (This experience in Canberra was an exception.) Consequently they were the last resort on our coffee journey. But we found happiness and satisfaction and here is why:

Any retail business is a people business and the usual crew is great: friendly, consistent and generally pleasant to deal with.

They were willing to make our coffees the way we like them even though it is not ‘standard’.

They accommodated us without making us feel like a nuisance – even though it probably is.

Whilst these are all contributing factors, there is nothing new in all that; but here is the main reason:

Making coffee looks easy.

Clickety-click and you fill the head with ground coffee. Tamp it down and screw into the machine. Press a button. Steam the milk. Add together. Call out to the customer.

The reality is much different: The type of bean. How it is ground. How it is stored. The exact volume of coffee and how hard you tamp down. Using fresh (not re-heated) milk and getting the temperature just right. The angle with which you fill the cup. And the genuine smile when you hand it over to the customer.

Similarly, being in retail looks easy but it is not.

At least it is not easy to do it well.

The true professionals – the merchants among us – understand this and deliver this. They make difficult things look easy and they make the customer feel comfortable while they are at it.

In your store it is not about coffee. But what is the equivalent of the brand of milk and the coarseness of the grind? What is the equivalent of how tightly you pack the coffee in the filter basket?

Above all, how genuine is your smile?

Easy, but hard.

Dennis

• GANADOR: Architects of high-performance retail environments.

The sign that you are not ready for social retailing

Do you make this big mistake?

If you see customers as ‘traffic’ – and by that I mean website traffic or patrons walking through your door, then you have a problem.

You can’t have a real relationship if you view customers as traffic. Referring to people as ‘traffic’ shows a cultural ‘attitude’ that lacks (or will make it difficult to acquire) authenticity.

You can’t say you love women if you think of them as bitches – even as a ‘joke’. (And vice versa of course.)

As a centre manager I worked hard, but with limited success, to change the language in my centre:

• I wanted our tenants to be called retailers.
  
• I wanted our cleaners to be called housekeeping.
  

I am pretty sure my team thought I was strange, but I know that if you change your language, you will change the culture. Take for instance what happened at Enron.

Amidst Enron's excesses were the unmistakable cultural cues that drove employee behaviour. "We're an aggressive culture", "Guys with Spikes", "Money is the only thing that motivates" and "Rank and Yank" are but a few of the statements heard. Is it any wonder traders thought they had the right to manipulate the market?

The CEO of one of the biggest culprits in the recent US mortgage meltdown had a vanity numberplate: FUNDEM (fund them) – with reference to their philosophy to give a loan to anyone that can , as his employees subsequently described, ‘fog a mirror’. Say no more.

I know old habits die hard.

I know you think it is an ‘innocent mistake’.

But it is not.

Two interesting posts on language and culture can be found at Harvard and Leaderchat.

So here is evidence of the type of language that reveals an organisational culture that is not yet ready for the era of social retailing:

• Consumers
  
• Target Market
  
• Traffic
  
• Segments
  
• Hits
  
• Yield
  

I could go on, but you get the idea. What can you add?

Dennis

GANADOR: Architects of high-performance retail environments.

TOMORROW' POST: If your only tool is a hammer...

The secret sauce to any retail business

The big day has finally arrived - your birthday, Christmas or whatever.

Your parents have gone to a lot of trouble to find you the perfect gift: that supadupa robotised gizmo that all the rich kids have. It cost about the same as a mortgage repayment, but you are ten years old and you don’t care about anything like that.

You rip off the paper. You rip through the box. You quickly assemble the various bits – you have studied how to do so on YouTube for days.

Then you press the ON button and… nothing.

You look at the box in dismay and you see a small sign: Batteries not included.

No matter what you do next, the joy and the buzz will never be able to be recreated fully. No matter how quickly you seek, find and install batteries, the gift will never be appreciated in exactly the same way.

If it has happened to you, then you will understand.

It is the little things that count.

It is the little things that give big moments their meaning.

It is hard to lose track of the little things when we focus on the big things.

And it is the same for your business.

In every business there is something that ‘makes it tick’. It is the something that energises the whole business. It may or may not be visible to the customers, but it is what makes everything work.

In a supermarket it may be the cleanliness of the trolleys and baskets.

In the coffee shop it may be the chatter of the barista that makes the wait worthwhile.

What is that ingredient in your business?

If the customer presses the ON button to interact with your business; what happens?

Dennis

• GANADOR: Architects of high-performance retail environments.

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You need to understand this thing about the customer and their dogs

This is a true story related by Charalambos Vlachoutsicos, but I will paraphrase:

A Russian friend invited him to the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre in the 90s. During the 20-minute interval people queued up to get a glass of champagne. There were only four barmen, who could not keep pace with the long queues.

About half the people did not manage to buy their glass of champagne. He commented to his friend that the theatre simply had to hire a few extra barmen for the night to capture the captive business and impress the many foreign businessmen who were in the audience.

The host replied as follows:  "Don't you realize, my friend, that there was not enough champagne to go round and that this was the only face-saving manner that the theatre could conceal this shortage".

I think this just brilliantly illustrates the point that we don’t always know the back story.

During our customer service training sessions the same message is imparted. Moonyeen is fond of painting the picture of the harried housewife who has to find the husband’s keys, get the kids ready for school, and as she rushes out of the driveway, accidentally drives over – and kills – the dog.

That is the person who walks into your store.

The point both these stories make is that behind the story you see, behind the ‘obvious’ there is another story, the history that we don’t see.

We may call it that person’s ‘baggage’ – but that is their reality.

So, when a customer is ‘rude’ or ‘lazy’ or ‘stupid’ it is worth putting yourself in the shoes of that customer.

There is a dead dog on their driveway that they had to deal with before they got to you, and they have a 10-year old boy that they have to tell when they get home from school.

Of course, the reverse applies to. We have our stories and so do our staff. The customer would do well to cut us a bit of slack too – but they don’t. The difference is that they are not paid to do it.

Customers are not professional customers; they just are. But we are professionals who are paid to do a job.

And part of that job is remembering the dead dog in the driveway.

<<Cross posted from my blog at AGHA: Check out the site for other interesting posts>>

Dennis Price

• GANADOR: Architects of high-performance retail environments.
• Get RetailSmart:  Daily, Weekly or Monthly Options – CHOOSE HERE.

The nuance of customer service

The five minimum standards for customer service

Everyone a retailer (newsagents included) that I ask tells me they offer good customer service.

Every customer I ask tells me they rarely – if ever – get good customer service.

How can this be?

The devil is in the detail and in the following simple principles of basic customer service I have highlighted the detail. So before you say you offer great service, have another look:

1.      Do staff greet customers upon first contact (and by name for regulars)?

2.      Is the greeting accompanied by a warm smile whilst making eye-contact?

3.      Do they enquire about an additional purchase opportunity OR make a helpful observation about existing purchase?

4.      Do they genuinely offer a bag or to carry/assist as appropriate and count back the change?

5.      Do they thank/greet the customer warmly on the way out and sincerely invite them back or express a wish to see them return?

This list is the basic, everyday customer service. It won’t make the customer go WOW, but unless the fundamentals are in place you can’t create a the WOW. This is the place to start.

The key to success – lower your standards

Yeah, I know you believe the opposite. Since you were a babe-in-arms, you were taught to shoot for the stars and you might reach the moon (or was it the ceiling of your room?)

And so many gurus write so many books - whilst just re-phrasing the same old mantra: believe-and-achieve; and the only one achieving anything is the guru lining his pocket at your expense.

Losing weight or making money – it is all the same. The essence of self-improvement philosophy is that there is always room for improvement and that we should simply set goals and takes some action and success invariably follows.

The reality is somewhat otherwise: only about 1% of ANY population can be classed as super-achievers who are independently wealthy. How many people actually achieve the goals they set?

Have you achieved the goals you set? How many of your new year’s resolutions are still intact? Or more importantly how many have been broken? Anyone who is honest will admit that they MAYBE achieve 1% of the goals they set out to achieve.

The reason for this is not that we are stupid. Or that we don’t ‘take action’. (Granted we do stop taking action after a while, but that is only because our sub-conscious made the call, knowing it was hopeless anyway.)

Breathing does not cause you to live, but it is simply a mechanical process of getting oxygen into your system and if you stop doing it you will probably die. Action is similarly a prerequisite for achievement, but not the cause.

The problem is not lack of action, the problem is unrealistic goals.

How many kids are being pushed on the sports fields by parents who are blind to the lack of natural talent in their own offspring? Everybody else can see it – except the ones in the middle of it.

Maybe you don’t have what it takes to be another Lleyton? Maybe you don’t have it in you to be the next CEO? Maybe you don’t have what it takes to run your own business?

Don’t believe the advertisements. Sometimes you can’t just do it. Sometimes the impossible is just impossible. Life is not just. Life is not perfect. Things go wrong. Everything is not gonna be OK – every time.

What does have to do with a site devoted to starting and running a dynamic business?

1. Don’t promise things that you can’t deliver.
2. Don’t tell the customer she looks fabulous in that red dress.
3. If you can’t get to the customer straight away, don’t say ‘I will be just a sec’ – you won’t be.
4. Your product isn’t perfect and you buying your service won’t dramatically improve their quality.

Stop bulsh*tting your self and your customers. Take a reality check. Be honest with yourself. Be honest with your stakeholders and customers – it is called authenticity.  

And once you have set the real baseline, work hard (and dare I say it – take action) and grind out small incremental improvements from there.

And miraculously those BHAGs become smaller and closer.

And if you think I am joking, research has proven that your goals should be about ‘getting better’ not about the extreme/ wishful thinking types of goals. Lowering your standards and going for smaller, achievable goals is motivating.

Friday Fun: The customer's underpants

In this cartoon, imagine that the mum is the retailer and the kid is the customer, and you will learn the following:

1. The person holding the power in a relationship is not always the smart one
2. The days of providing fake benefits are over
3. Compliance is an ongoing challenge
4. The balance of power is shifting in these relationships – get used to it
5. Eventually logic will win out
6. The customer of today is not the customer of yesterday
7. What you want is not what your customer wants

(For a 101 thoughts/ideas about marketing that might a bit unconventional, get your free eBook HERE – no registration required.)

The first step

THE REVEAL: Fixing the customer service conundrum: Step 1

Over the last month I have published the following tales from the front line of customer service:

The customer’s perspective (part I & part II)

The retail assistant’s perspective

The owner’s perspective

In each of those posts every ‘stakeholder’ blamed the other for the poor levels of service and its impact on the state of retail.

There is a point to be made about all that – and a remedy to suggest; but first things first:

There is a much talk about ‘customer experience’.  In fact, Motorola advertises here on Inside Retailing that ‘Customer Experience is the new Black’. It is worth thinking about what your definition of customer experience is. It is NOT just a new name for customer service. (Watch this if you need some stimulation to help you understand the difference.)

So, customer service is the new black. It really is. In fact we make a living training & consulting for it. But – and it is a very big but – there is a proviso.

Customer Service is not Customer Experience, but Customer Experience is built on the foundations of Customer Service; and by that I mean the old-fashioned customer service: smile, listen, be helpful, solve their problems – you know the drill.

You cannot deliver an experience if the service fundamentals are not in place.

You will not have the service fundamentals in place if the relationship between customer, employee and owner manager sounds like and looks anything like what I have written about in the last four weeks.

If you want to successfully adapt to the new retail rules you have to learn to create an experience, which presumes that the necessary service foundation is in place.

Which brings us to this core problem: How do you get the (old-fashioned) customer service basics in place?

Every retailer I know understands this is a core part of their business. Every retailer I know has tried to put it in place – with varying degrees of success. (I read a statistic that 80% of managers believe they offer great service but only 8% of customers believe the same.)

The actual process of doing so is quite complicated, whether you want to hear that or not; because it requires a culture change. But the one thing that every successful transformation has in common and the one thing that is an absolutely non-negotiable first step is this:

THINK DIFFERENT.

Yes, I am talking about a paradigm shift. Most people understand the idea of a paradigm shift, but few people actually ever go through a paradigm shift.

Employers need to shift their thinking about employees and employees need to shift their thinking about working in retail.

‘Think different’ sounds like an advertising tagline (oh, wait – it is… sorry Apple) or worse, like consultant speak.

To help you understand what I mean by shifting our thinking into a new paradigm, consider this little thought experiment.

Most people would agree with the following statement:

You are what you eat.

DO you agree?

Do you understand what that means? Take a few seconds to ponder it and interpret it again. You may have heard it so much that it may have lost all meaning.

You are what you eat.

Now, to shift your thinking. This statement is incorrect. In fact, to believe it is quite harmful and it is the worst mindset to have when making any dieting or lifestyle decision. The truth of the matter is this:

You eat what you are.

Think about that. Ponder it. Do you understand what I mean? Do you understand the difference between those two statements?

If you do, you will have a completely different mindset. You will have shifted your thinking. (I am not going to explain the statement, because that would obviate the thought experiment.) Unless you actually compare the two statements and understand the differences, the post will make no sense.

My son’s cricket coach was explaining this to the boys the other day: “When you go out to bat, you have to look around the field and see the gaps. Don’t look at the fielders are, look at where the gaps are.”

He is wise man indeed. He was trying to initiate a paradigm shift. I am not sure how many of the boys got that, but he knows that you score runs by hitting the ball in the gaps, not too the fielders. Looking at the gaps instead of the fielders is a paradigm shift.

Which brings us to the second and most important part of the solution: What must we think different about?

…YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE

You must think differently about who is responsible for customer service – and ultimately the success or failure of your business. If things are not going well, and if your customer service sucks; you are responsible. In fact, to put this more harshly; you are to blame.

Not the internet. Not the customer. Not the employee. Not the supplier. Not society. Not this generation or that generation. You are responsible.

You can ‘scan’ over that statement – or you can shift your thinking.

I can promise you, unless you actually make the shift, customer service will never improve. You will keep failing at your diets and you will keep hitting the ball to the fielders. (Read Penny’s comment in this post – she is 100% correct.)

But if you do and if it does, YOU will deserve – and get - the credit too. We are quick to claim the accolades when something goes well, but slow to accept the blame when things go badly – instead looking for a scapegoat. (In Social Psychology we refer to Attribution Theory.)

You eat what you are.

You are to blame for the poor or great customer service in your business. And only YOU can fix it.

HAVE FUN

Dennis

Technology, Training & Tactics that brings brands to life in retail.

Stay in touch: Newsletter. Facebook. Blog. Twitter. LinkedIn. (Mention this blog.)

Dear Employee

NOTE: This is the 4th and final in a series of open letters from the various stakeholders in the retail store. 

Last week I wrote that: Customer service sucks because of customers – and I just need to clarify that these ‘stories’ are fictional.

Next week I will draw the conclusion about the series. In the meantime, this is the retail owner’s perspective:

Dear employee

As you know, we get many complaints from customers and you simply have to read the papers or be on Twitter for a few minutes before there is yet another story about poor customer service. Heaven help us if A Current Affair ever comes knocking…

The reason why the service is poor is because I have YOU delivering that poor service.

No matter how many time I ask you to be friendly, you continue to be surly.

You complain about being paid a minimum wage, but that is exactly what a minimum effort is worth.

What you don’t seem to realise is that you have to be paid by the hour, but I don’t earn revenue by the hour. I earn revenue when customers walk through the door and spend their money.

No matter how often I hint that your dress is inappropriate, you continue to arrive at work looking like you have just stepped out of a night club.

No matter how often I ask you to wear your badge, you always find a different way to lose it.

If I have to constantly find work for you to do to keep you occupied, then I will not be getting much work done myself, It is called initiative and when I interviewed you, you told me you had it in spades – but that doesn’t quite seem to be the case, does it?

If I don’t make a point of looking at my watch when you rock up at work, I am sure the 10 minutes you are late will be come fifteen and eventually thirty minutes.

Not to mention the inconvenient sickies. I know and you know that having an ‘off’ day does not quloaify fo sick leave, yet you always take one. In my book a headache does not justify a sick day either. How would you feel if I did not pay you on pay day, because I had an ‘off’ month?

Your sense of entitlement makes me sick. You think the world owes you a living. You think I owe you a job. You think the world revolves around your needs. Well it doesn’t, and the sooner you get over it the better it will be for everyone.

You expect to get paid. You expect leave pay. You expect superannuation payments. You expect good ‘working conditions’, uniform allowances and the like. The list of entitlements is a mile long. But you seem to forget that I am the one who risked all my worldly possessions to start this business. You seem to forget that I am the one who lies awake at night worried about paying the bills. You seem to forget that I have to pay you, the suppliers, the landlord, and the government before I get paid – even though this is supposedly my business.

All that I ask is that you take care of the customers the way I told you to. Is that really too much to ask in return for the privilege of getting a regular paycheck without sleepless nights?

And for crying out loud, can you please for just one day stop chatting about your private life to the other team members – especially in front of customers. They. Don’t. Care.

And, NO, you cannot have a pay increase. The minimum wage is the maximum you will earn with an attitude like that.

Good luck with finding another job with an attitude like that.

Dennis

Systems, skills & strategies for suppliers to retail to create sustainable brand success.

Stay in touch: Newsletter. Facebook. Blog. Twitter. LinkedIn. (Mention this blog.)

Customer service sucks because customers suck

This is the 3rd in a series of open letters from the various stakeholders in the retail store. Last part follows next week. I have a point to make – eventually – and will do so at the end of the series. In the meantime, this is how the retail assistants see things…

Dear Customer

I work here between these four walls every day for 6 days a week. I hardly ever see the sky because it is dark when I come in and dark when I leave. I have forgotten what it is like to smell fresh air, having to breathe the recycled shopping centre air for 10 hours a day.

I am expected to wear an ill-fitting uniform that does not suit my body type and a ridiculous name badge to pretend that I am friendly and want to be on first name terms with you. Despite the ridiculous name badge, you still call me ‘Excuse Me’.

You may not know this but I DID notice you when you came in and I DID notice you waving. You may not have noticed that another table (yip, that is what we call you) had arrived before you and you may not have noticed that I happened to be busy cleaning up the spill caused by a little brat that should have been controlled by their parents. My boss has a funny thing about making sure we serve customers in order of arrival, and I have this funny thing of wanting to keep the boss happy. (Actually, I need to keep him happy, but that is another story.)

When I come to your table to take your order, you never greet me, and even if you do you rarely make eye-contact. It’s OK you know, being a minimum wage slave is not a contagious disease.

For me to earn the privilege of serving you, I had to work a 6 hour shift without a break for free. Ostensibly this was my ‘trial’. I subsequently realised that the boss ‘trials’ (insert air quotes here) at least one or two people a week – I guess it cuts down on the wage bill, so I was lucky to be even get the job – and he makes sure I know it.

I mention this just in case you were wondering why I did not smile in such a way to make you really feel welcome.

There’s that, and of course the fact that you are the seventy third customer I will be serving today and my feet are killing me. Also, not to sound judgmental and all, but when you and your partner took out your mobile phones and got busy texting and Facebooking instead of talking to each other, I kinda assume that you would be a rude a#^*holes anyway and that I would be wasting a friendly greeting on you two.

So when I stand at your table with my little notepad and ask what I can get you, I am hoping you will pick something on the menu, say please, and let me get on with my job. Instead you will proceed to deconstruct the menu and order bits and pieces to suit your taste – because you are special: you are a CUSTOMER.

I would love to point out that if you would like put make up your own menu like that you should consider opening your own coffee shop instead. It is called a menu and there is a reason we have a limited range of options. But I will patiently wait and take your order. I will not think about the abuse the chef (a cook really, but he wants to be known as a chef) will hurl at me when I give him your complicated order.

I will do all that for you without spilling a hot coffee in your lap. But, be warned, if you give me any grief when the orders don’t arrive at the same time, I might not be so kindly disposed towards you.

You see, you will be spending more on this one meal than I will make today; and no, the tips go into a tip jar and the owner actually keeps it to pay us our wage.

Besides, there is only so much rudeness that a person can take. Of course, you would threaten to take your business elsewhere, but I predict you will feel the same way about whichever store is the unfortunate recipient of your patronage pretty soon. But I also know you will never realise that the common factor in all these poor customer experiences is YOU – not the shops and not the retail staff.

But to be honest, that is a vain threat. I won’t do anything. I will suck it up. I am finishing my Masters Degree in Sociology soon and then I am out of here. Then you and the owner both can suffer at the hands of yet another inexperienced assistant.

It is a bit sad really, because to tell you truth, it could be a nice job – maybe a career even.

Just a pity about having to deal with customers like you.

Your humble retail servant

PS: I did not spit in your coffee. I couldn’t be bothered. I can’t vouch for the cook though. Chef, I mean.

HAVE FUN

Dennis

Check out the PopUp_U. (Limited Spots) And stay in touch: Newsletter. Facebook. Blog. Twitter. LinkedIn.

The prodigal shopper returns (Part II)

(Read Part I here.)

RetailSmartTV

You have returned to a physical store after years of online shopping and recently you went to your local footwear retailer to buy some shoes. I am curious. You have all the options in the world from The Iconic to Zappos – and presumably even your local store is online – but yet you entered your local shoe store?

Mrs Prodigal

I thought maybe it would be a bit of a novelty to visit one of those old-fashioned stores again to see what it’s like. I figured that after suffering for years they may have learned their lesson. I had a bit of time on my hands, so I popped in.

RetailSmartTV

What did you find when you went back after all these years?

Mrs Prodigal

First of all I noticed the staff. There were so many of them. I don’t know if it is because the retail union disbanded and the wages became more affordable, or whether the retailers just realised that it takes people to make money. I merely had to look up to catch someone’s eye and they were there.

RetailSmartTV

What else?

Mrs Prodigal

Of course, they were actually helpful for a change. They were all equipped with tablets and card readers so they never had to leave me to help me. I even paid them on the spot without having to queue at a till.

Everything that was online was in store and the product prices were the same. There were no extra or hidden charges – just like online retailers don’t charge delivery fees anymore – the price you see is the price you pay. There may be a GST difference on some sites, but I don’t mind paying my taxes here in Australia – I understand that it is important. It is so hard to compare like for like anyway that a 10% difference isn’t that much. At least I know I am not being ripped off.

I am not sure how they afford the rents. Do you?

RetailSmartTV

A previous guest has given us some insights. Apparently the price convergence was forced upon the industry when retailers were threatening to close stores and switch suppliers to make their suppliers come to the party. The suppliers eventually realised that they could not reach everyone through their own websites and that having a physical presence was important. The cost of building out their own network of stores wasn’t an option for most them. Amazon of course is the latest exception to the rule – but even the mighty Dell has closed most of their own stores.

Dell quickly learned that Making computers and retailing technology is not the same business. I hear the Apple board is putting pressure on the new CEO to cut store numbers. After the iPhone 8 turned out to be average and the resulting decline in demand across all Apple products had suddenly made those high-rent locations seem more expensive. Only time will tell – but it is funny how the wheel turns.

But tell me more about how your experience has changed in store?

Mrs Prodigal

I am not sure how they did it, but I liked that they found out my name and used it. They did it in a way that made think that they were actually glad to see me.

At the one store, they actually suggested that I don’t buy a product because the new version was due the following day. I suppose that is smart – because I would have returned anyway soon after and that would have just been double the amount work for them. I felt they had my interests at heart.

Of course, the shoe store that I visited was actually fun. They did not try and ‘create an experience’ by doing gimmicky stuff for my entertainment. The staff joked around, but they somehow made me feel included.

Having said that, I did experience a bit of wow too. Instead of disappearing into a storeroom for 5 minutes to get a pair of shoes in my size – they actually asked me some smart questions about what I liked and what I wanted, snapped a picture of my feet and the next thing this conveyor belt was activated that rotated five pairs of shoes to my seat. When it stopped – the conveyor belt actually said ‘Tah Dah’ – it was hilarious.

And all the shoes were perfect. Instead of one pair I took three.

Without even having to try it on, I could see my feet on the touch screen in front of me and it showed all the shoes on my feet. I uploaded the three I liked to MySpace (don’t you just love that story how they made a comeback and Facebook died?)

Anyway – my friends voted on the shoes and it was pretty even – so I took all three.

Retail$martTV

Did they appear to be worried about that old showrooming thing?

Mrs Prodigal

Funny you mention that. It seems as if they realised that the web actually gave them the opportunity to carry a wider range than they could actually have available in-store, and one sales person mentioned that.

Of course they offered to deliver the shoes to my home if it wasn’t convenient for me to carry it away. Which was nice – since carrying three boxes of shoes isn’t that practical.

Retail$martTV

So was it the whizbang technology and the conveyor belt gimmick that created the experience?

Mrs Prodigal

Not really. That was fun. And it made shopping easier. But the real difference was how they made me feel actually. It seems as they finally realised that we don’t shop because we need to but because we want to and that we don’t buy another pair of shoes because our feet need to be protected; but because of how it makes us feel.

Retail$martTV

People buy don’t buy perfume, they buy sex appeal?

Mrs Prodigal

Exactly. And those who thought they were selling clothes or chocolates or even cars, are out of business and the ones who understood that we were buying how those products make us feel are thriving.

Retail$martTV

Thanks for your time.

Mrs Prodigal

Glad I could help.

Dennis

·        Now director of newly launched Retail$mart Pop-Up_U (Check it out.)

The prodigal shopper - an interview

The prodigal shopper

RetailSmartTV

Welcome to RetailSmartTV Mrs Prodigal shopper. We appreciate your valuable time.

So, Mrs Prodigal, after years of progressively going online with more of your purchases, you recently achieved 100% online shopping status?

Mrs Prodigal

I thought so, but just yesterday I had to visit the Funeral Home to select a block of land for my husband. Apparently they haven’t heard of Google Maps. Rumour is that the funeral director used to be a Video Store operator before the big switch in 2016 - but yes, everything else is done online. I still visit restaurants of course but I book and pay and review everything online.

RetailSmartTV

Yet you mentioned recently that you are thinking about going back to an old-fashioned bricks-and-mortar store again?

Mrs Prodigal

Well – I thought it would be quaint. You know, like when you go on holiday and you stop off at those little towns in the country that time seems to have forgotten. Be an experience you know…

RetailSmartTV

So can you tell us why you decided to abandon the so-called ‘old-fashioned’ shops? I would think that the convenience and immediacy of traditional retail would have won many people over?

Mrs Prodigal

Well, where do I start …?

I hate walking into a shop where a doorbell pings. Why can’t they just do their job and pay attention to the customers who walk in, instead of always be chatting to each other?

I hated that sales assistants did not approach me in a friendly, likable manner. They either seemed to jump on you as soon as you entered, or I had to interrupt their private conversations to get service and then they always seemed to simply go through the motions.

I hate the cheesy name badges they wear that read: ‘Hi, My name is Kate, How can I help you today.’ If they cared, they could ask me personally.

I hate that so many sales assistants always seem to judge me on my appearance; and then – just because I am not dressed up to the nines, suggest things at the cheaper end.

I especially hated up-selling. They must think consumers are stupid. When I have made up my mind to get a specific product, I don’t need a sales assistant to tell me it was the wrong decision and that I should get another one, which is, surprise-surprise, always more expensive. I don’t mind helpful advice. I don’t mind if they suggest things that will complete the outfit or suit me better, but I really hate pushy sales people.

Finding the product that I want always seemed to be an effort. I would know the product is listed online and then they don’t have it in the store. It always seems as if the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing.

Before I went into a store, I always checked out online prices. The retailers just did not seem to get that no one wants to make sure I did not get ripped off. But because I was price-aware and willing to negotiate, they seemed to lose interest, blame head office or their systems could not cope.

To make it worse, they seemed to confuse my price awareness with being cheap and not willing to spend money. I know full well that some things cost more money and that some things are worth paying more money for. But only if the value is there. Neither I nor any of my friends want to pay more for something that can be found cheaper elsewhere.

I know it costs more money to run a shop, but it is not my problem. If they somehow made it worthwhile or could do something for me that made it worth it, then I would have continued shopping. If shopping in the store is just a transaction then I can do that transaction online for 20% less - even if I have to wait for a few hours for delivery. Getting a parcel delivery feels a little like Christmas anyway, so I don’t mind.

I hate that they sometimes leave you stranded in the dressing rooms.

I hate that they promise to call you back when the product is in store but then never do. And if you ask them about it, they always deny it and swear high and low that they tried to call once.

I hate how you can never find things – there often seems no logic in the way the store is laid out. And sometimes I am not sure if it is a merchandising display that I can touch or some piece of interior decorating.

I hate crowded aisles where I have to brush past other people.

I hate how I can’t reach things when the shop is meant to be designed for women but the shelves seem 8ft high.

I hate that I can’t read the signage without my glasses.

I hate it when there are signs with fine print that contains dozens of lines on their return policy – as if I am going to read it. (Actually they do that on the websites too – but I just click ACCEPT’ – and there will be hell to pay if they do something untoward anyway, so I don’t care about terms and conditions.) They should know that if something is broken or doesn’t fit; I am going to return it irrespective of their policies and I expect them to honour it.

I hate how they always attempt to get my name on the database at the till – only to send me junk mail. I wish they would GET that I don’t have conversations with brands, I have conversations with people.

I hate getting a receipt that is 2 feet long when I bought one pair of shoes. Have they never heard about sustainability?

I hate their crappy little contests with prizes no one ever seems to win and probably doesn’t want to win.

(Takes a deep breath…)

And that is just for starters.

RetailSmartTV

Wow that is a long list. I want to ask you why you decided to return, but we will have to let that one stand over for next time. Will you come back next week to tell us what made you give retail a second chance?

Mrs Prodigal

(Smiles.) Of course I will. See you then.

That’s it for today folks. Tune in again next week.

Dennis

PS: I am putting together a new newsletter over the next few weeks. I have uncovered the greatest digital marketing campaigns ever. For a taste of things to come… watch this video. It gives a great insight into the type of experience that can be delivered online.

Ganador: Learning and Development for the Retail Supply Chain.

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The prodigal shopper returns (Part II) - follows next week.