When their front line retail staff are the bottom quartile of the employment market?
I recognize that it's difficult for retailers to pay enough to retain really top-notch employees, but come on. Witness the interaction I went through at a Best Buy yesterday. Against my better judgement, I braved the crowds on the last Sunday before Christmas, looking for a couple of titles for the Wii. So I went in to Best Buy, sought out the video game department, and asked one of the blue-shirted clerks for assistance.
Me: Excuse me, are you with anyone?
Clerk 1: No, can I help you?
Me: Yes, please. I'm looking for Super Mario Galaxy, and Dancing with the Stars for the Wii.
Clerk 1: (panicked deer-in-the-headlights-moment) Dancing with the Stars on DVD?
Me: No, for the Nintendo Wii.
Clerk 1: (blank stare, calls over Clerk 2) Bob, do we have, (turns to me) what was it again?
Me: Super Mario Galaxy, and Dancing with the Stars for the Wii.
Clerk 2: Um, I don't know. I'm not really an expert on the Wii yet.
Me: Are you an expert on looking up stuff on your computer and checking stock?
Clerk 2: Oh! Yeah! Okay. (taps away) Um, no, we're sold out.
Me: That's okay. Thank you.
I ended up getting them both online from Amazon.ca, since having them under the tree was not a necessity.
Taking this experience and putting it in perspective with past customer service observations at the big blue, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that at least subliminally, Best Buy's business model is actually self-serve. You go there, you find something shiny with blinky lights on it that you like, and you buy it. The blue shirted children wandering around are there primarily to check stock on the computer and to get things down off of high shelves for you.
On the bright side, I remained pleasant and courteous, partly because I don't believe in adding negative energy to the already stressful lives of retail workers, and also, because you never know when such behavior might lead to terrible consequences:
CF13News.com: Woman TASED at Best Buy
I recognize that it's difficult for retailers to pay enough to retain really top-notch employees, but come on. Witness the interaction I went through at a Best Buy yesterday. Against my better judgement, I braved the crowds on the last Sunday before Christmas, looking for a couple of titles for the Wii. So I went in to Best Buy, sought out the video game department, and asked one of the blue-shirted clerks for assistance.
Me: Excuse me, are you with anyone?
Clerk 1: No, can I help you?
Me: Yes, please. I'm looking for Super Mario Galaxy, and Dancing with the Stars for the Wii.
Clerk 1: (panicked deer-in-the-headlights-moment) Dancing with the Stars on DVD?
Me: No, for the Nintendo Wii.
Clerk 1: (blank stare, calls over Clerk 2) Bob, do we have, (turns to me) what was it again?
Me: Super Mario Galaxy, and Dancing with the Stars for the Wii.
Clerk 2: Um, I don't know. I'm not really an expert on the Wii yet.
Me: Are you an expert on looking up stuff on your computer and checking stock?
Clerk 2: Oh! Yeah! Okay. (taps away) Um, no, we're sold out.
Me: That's okay. Thank you.
I ended up getting them both online from Amazon.ca, since having them under the tree was not a necessity.
Taking this experience and putting it in perspective with past customer service observations at the big blue, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that at least subliminally, Best Buy's business model is actually self-serve. You go there, you find something shiny with blinky lights on it that you like, and you buy it. The blue shirted children wandering around are there primarily to check stock on the computer and to get things down off of high shelves for you.
On the bright side, I remained pleasant and courteous, partly because I don't believe in adding negative energy to the already stressful lives of retail workers, and also, because you never know when such behavior might lead to terrible consequences:
CF13News.com: Woman TASED at Best Buy
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3 comments:
It's a front for laundering drug money.
Only marginally brighter are the copy writers at the news outfit.
"When Officer Wright confronted Beeland, she yelled at her."
You give us 22 minutes, we give you total ambiguity.
Because of the increasing number of unfortunate incidents that have prompted reviews of taser use in various jurisdictions, it would appear that the North American-wide law enforcement taser use policy has become, "Use 'em before you lose 'em."
There's a new rule for retail shoppers to follow -
"No sudden moves, please."
Has anybody considered how much more attractive this debacle makes online shopping look?
Hmmmmmmm....
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