Shop assistant training

sleepy

PP_Ayla wrote:

I really notice the different when I go into Topshop just two shops away (and they are owned by the same people) and the staff are rude and keep talking to their friends. You should have seen the look when I asked if they had a top in a size 14.
Again totaly different attuitde when in Dorithy Perkins, nice, always willing to help, will phone round etc.
Its strange how the 'trendy' shops treat customers worse (well most of the time).

When I was at Evans we had the most staff of all the arcadia (dp, topshop, evans, etc) stores in town, so we would sometimes help them out if they were short staffed. I found that there was a big difference between the attitudes of the staff in the different shops. I did a couple of days at Top Shop and hated it, they ignored me, talked about each other behind their backs and acted like the customers were an inconveniance (when actually the act of providing good customer service can be fun and rewarding). In comparisson, the girls at Miss Selfridge were really nice, welcomed me, got on with each other and seemed to like working with customers. I've no idea what the difference was between the 2 shops to give such different attitudes, but it is such a shame that some people work in retailwhoobviously just aren't suited to it or aren't prepared to make an effort.

Bogof_Babe

Perhaps it is indicative of the type of customers each shop is used to. At the risk of being shot down in flames, isn't Top Shop geared towards teenagers, whereas Evans, Dorothy P's etc. are the destinations of more mature people?

The concept of empathy does not seem to enter the consciousness of young people until they are beyond the "me me me" stage - we all thought we were dead clever and knew it all at 16, didn't we?

I have never in my 53 years encountered an unhelpful shop assistant. That probably makes me sound smug in view of what I've said above, but perhaps if everyone tried to treat other human beings as equals we might start to get somewhere!

My dad is so much to the extreme that he doesn't like taking a taxi, as he feels it is demeaning to the driver - we've spent years trying to explain that the driver is grateful for the business!

Quackers

Bogof_Babe wrote:

I have never in my 53 years encountered an unhelpful shop assistant.

:T That must be because you're a perfect customer

*and you've obviously never been served by me when I've got pmt* :rotfl:

What a lot of the other posters have said is soooooooooo true.

Treat the sales assistants as you would like to be treated yourself and you will always recieve good service.

Also, people stereotype too much. I have a hoard of 16-18yr old staff who are polite, kind, helpful etc whilst at work. Obviously I've employed plenty of slow, unhelpful lazy ones too - but they got sacked

Like all of us - if people do not respect their advice/help/opinions then they will not respond and get the 'ump' very quicky. To be honest I dont blame them a lot of the time - I would not speak to anyone the way we get spoken to most days.

I have worked in retail for 17yrs and LOVE it. I'm far to nosey to do anything else

'theres nowt as queer as folk' - I get the opportunity to say that at least once a day :rotfl:

zappomatic

I tend to find that younger staff can often be more helpful and polite than the older ones, probably because they haven't been doing the job for years and are not at a dead end in their career.

ames123_2

I work in Woolworths and got told on Sunday that I am far superior to my collegues in Owstersy/Welshpool. (I work in Stafford). This was because I wrapped the bowls they bought in tissue paper and they said that they were only wrapped in plastic in the other Woolworths. It made me feel nice when they said that .

I am nice most of the time. Things that annoy me are when people don't say thanks (doesn't happen very often). X

Hermia

isayoldchap wrote:

You visit the shop only to find the product that you want is not on the shelf.
You then ask the shop assistant if there are any left in the stockroom.The
majority of times I am told that there are none available.Of course they can only put out what fits on the shelf and I would hope that they attempt to replenish lower stocks.My belief is that they really don't know if an item is in stock at all.Does anyone know if they are advised not to spend too much time with the customer on this.

A friend of mine works in a department store that is located in a shopping centre. It takes approximately 10-15 minutes to get stuff from the stockroom because it's in the basement of the shopping centre. He says the shop assistants always tell customers that the item they want won't be in the stockroom. The reason for this is that despite the fact that they tell the customer they will be gone for 10-15 minutes they usually come back to find that the customer has gone. They then sometimes have to take the item back so they end up being away for ages and their supervisor gives 'em hell 'cause they are behind with their work.

James240

....................and then there are members of the public who ask u were an item is and there standing right next to it! :doh:

Bun

Personally I have lost count over the past year or so when I have been struggling with a suddenly screaming/whingy baby at the checkout and the assistant has tried to distract or entertain him to help. All ages of assistant too.

Poppy9

James240 wrote:

....................and then there are members of the public who ask u were an item is and there standing right next to it! :doh:

Oh I hate it when that happens :mad: . On Sunday I was in an unfamiliar Sainsburys store and looking for Kellogs Multipack breakfast cereal. I looked all over the cereal shelves - twice, and just couldn't find it. Asked this lovely chap and there it was behind me. Worst still it had a big special offer ticket as they were on offer at 99p:o

Turning_into_scrooge

Years ago I used to collect the saving stamps in ASDA. This particular week i bought £20 worth at the customer services desk only for the girl serving me to say oh i can't afford to buy so many £1 a week is my limit how an you afford £20 worth?. I had actually put the money to one side as i wasn't buying them every week but she made me feel like i was doing her an injusticeand insulting her. I have to say that was the last year i bought stamps from ASDA or shopped there. :eek: