I want a bloody amazing shopping experience!
Spiral to the bottom
In Australia it seems that retailers are spiralling to the bottom. Every shop assistant I come across, whether it be in fashion, hardware, kitchenware or giftware seems to open with a discussion about a cheaper product.
Sinking feeling
Here’s a quick story about one experience I endured last week.
Our kitchen sink cracked so it was time to shop around. After a bit of Googling and comparing products I was off to Hardware and General to look at a few.
I asked the obligatory naive questions about the evolution of sinks and why it was so hard to find a twin tap option. But soon ended up finding a perfect ceramic option in cream.
Yet I literally had to talk the shop assistant into buying it as she kept offering alternatives that were lower priced.
Price wasn’t the issue I kept explaining. I wanted it to match our old fashioned, wooden kitchen, and look better than the cheap stainless steel options.
Drips
And then I was off to look at taps at a store across the road.
Again the assistant tried spiralling me into cheaper products. She was stunned when after listening to her spiel I simply said, “Great I’ll take the first ones you showed me.
“But they’re a little more expensive that what I’m showing you now”, she said.
What a drip she was.
Far out <insert expletives and sighs>
I just want a pleasant shopping experience. One where assistants understand the power of digital media and how consumers do their research prior to entering – as well as in the shop.
And one where assistants get to know you, your tastes and desires, and match products to what you are actually looking for. And not perform nervous acts of insecurity and hence throw a cheaper option at you straight away.
Retailers are to blame – not the retail environment
Have retailers gone mad in reaction to tough times? Or are retailers causing the tough times by simply forgetting about good old fashioned salesmanship?
1) Get to know your customers and make them feel special!
2) Create a real shopping experience rather than a desperate plea for business!
It’s simple.
Maybe Myer could learn this, given it’s poor recent profit announcement, rather than blaming everything else but their poor customer management!
Anyone else experiencing poor retail service and price, price, price only discussions?
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