How hard is it to come out from behind the point of sale and assist a potential customer when that customer has made a decision to come into your store?
We all know retail trade is not easy in South Africa at present. Consumers have high levels of debt, they are struggling to deal with school fees, Eskom accounts, escalating food prices, expensive fuel purchases and many more items which take hard earned rands from the family wallet.
Our malls are overflowing with attractive retail stores both from local businesses or stores from all over the globe. You can buy almost any brand product in SA nowadays and the merchandise is beautiful. Why do our local citizens employed by these retailers simply have no interest in assisting a customer, and why do they not have the killer instinct to actually make a sale. The sooner this reality is realised by the brands the better customer service will be in our country.
It’s not a right to expect a customer to come into your store and make a purchase, it’s an absolute privilege to have that customer make the decision to cross your stores threshold and you had better make every effort to treat that customer with the best service delivery you can in order to make a sale. Remember a purchase by this customer will contribute to your salary at the end of the month.
I visited Swarovski in Canal Walk on Wednesday 3rd August 2016 after I had made my X at the voting station. My wife was looking for an eternity ring for her birthday which is in September.
As we walked into the store they have a ring display probably about four steps inside the entrance. This ring display is an open tray with the actual product attached to a wire which allows you to try on any ring you like and the wire protects the stores merchandise from going missing. My wife must have tried on seven or eight rings over a ten minute time period without any approach from a sales assistant. When I looked up I saw two staff behind the cash desk who definately saw us in the store at the display but made absolutly no effort to even acknowledge us.
It could have been a three thousand Rand sale but instead this store lost not only a cash sale but a potential customer who will never go into Swarovski again.
These two would rather lean on the counter than walk five steps to assist a buyer. Such a shame, I’m sure the store owners can’t be happy with loss of cash! It’s not difficult, but unfortunately it happens and is happening as we speak.
enjoy your shopping.
