I presume everyone remembers Julia Roberts famous quote from "Pretty Woman" : "Big mistake, Huge". She have just returned to the store where the snooty shop assistant earlier in the movie refused to help her, due to a presumed lack of money and style. Julia reenters with designer bags, looking like a million dollars, and make everone who has ever experienced a judgemental shop assistant feel very proud.
I was told once that you do not decide what you want to become when you grow up, you decide who you want to be like. As such, when I was little, I wanted to become a shop assistant. In my eyes they had all the power in the world, they were always nicely dressed, they smelled of the best perfume, and their make-up was always immaculate.
At 18 I became a shopping assistant in a boutique tres chic, and I quickly learned that all I thought I knew about being a shop assistant was wrong. I did not have all the power - the customers did.
The customers had all the money, the customers could come and go as they pleased, and if I treated them with just a tad of arrogance, they would most likely never come back.
Sadly, I do not believe that all girls and women (or boys for that matter) working the shop floors, have gained the same insight as I did.
Let's face it. There is some pretty bad service going on out there.
Let me give you some examples, and hollar if you hear me:
Example 1. I enter a store, there are no customers in the store, but approximately 3 or 4 employees chattering away by the till. I am browsing around for about 10-15 minutes, noone even looks at me once. I enter the dressing room and realise I need another size. Bummer. Noone askes me if I need any help. I leave the store, noone as much as glances in my direction as I am walking out. Am I invisible?
Example 2. I enter a store. A pretty expensive one. My salary is just in and I am ready to burn some serious money. However, I am coming straight from a class and are wearing jeans, a pretty normal jacket, sneakers and have my computer in my bagpack. Perhaps I get a hi, perhaps not. But noone offers to help me, and the thing is, I like to be offered help when I am shopping for expensive stuff. It just comforts me a bit to just have been asked. I will most likely decline, but I would enjoy the courtesy of being asked. But noone asks me or offers to help. Then, a lady enters the store. She is wearing designer head to toe, and oozes of Chanel no.5. The whole flock of employees gather around her like a little bunch of personal assistants. I find a jacket I want to buy and try to ask if they have got my size. When finally being able top draw some attention to myself, they look me up and down, their heads sizzling "do'nt she know the prize...silly little girl". Turns out they do not have it. And they do not suggest any further options, and I leave. The Chanel no.5 lady leaves too, in her hand, not with a full shopping bag, but a free gift and an invitation to a special customers night.
I have come to realise, that if I want service, I need to dress up, put on my war make-up and strap on my Mulberry bag. Another choice is to bring the man in the house and force him to wave around his AmEx while I am prancing around being the most arrogant I can be.
During my years in the service industry I learned that no matter what people are wearing, no matter how their hair looks like, and regardless of age, they are your customer. And customers are king. Without customers you would be pretty bored at the best and out of business at the worst. I learned that the most unlikely people, entering the store in dirty trainers smelling like they just came out from the barn, might end up shopping for more than I usually sell during a whole day or week.
There are just too many people in the service business that has forgotten why they are there in the first place - to give a service. And I am sorry to tell you this, but in today's environment, with all the choices customers are given - you will not get very far if you do not provide an excellent service (if you have'nt got it by now, this post are referring to rather luxurious or high end stores).
You have to compete on either service or price, and if you can't compete on neither - you are out of business in no time.
But hey, there are exeptions. I was visiting Bergen last weekend and I had a really good shopping experience at a store at Galleriet. I cannot remember the name of the store, but i know I am definitely going back. All it took was a hello, a smile, and a "are you looking for something special today?".
See how easy it is. Now, go out and practice.
