Is it really getting that desperate in retail?
- Thread starter Steedie
- Start date
think i read somewhere that this years sales are like 10-20 percent down on last year and considering the state of finance at start of last year this must be bad
retailers are going to have to go large on sales and work hard to get your cash .
all the better for the people like us
retailers are going to have to go large on sales and work hard to get your cash .
all the better for the people like us
Soldato
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The purple shirts don't. They used to, but it was removed at least 6 years ago.
Never experienced this, usually they come over in the store and we just say 'No' and carry on.
If they had reasonable prices then people would buy from them (I know they have to pay for things such as the building and so on) but if they matched the internet prices or there abouts they would get lots more customers.
If they had reasonable prices then people would buy from them (I know they have to pay for things such as the building and so on) but if they matched the internet prices or there abouts they would get lots more customers.
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It's their own fault for not having stock, bit special imo.
Soldato
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The worst thing a retailer can do is let an interested buyer prepared to make a purchase walk away. If just one in every hundred customers they spend two minutes chasing into the car park gives in and buys a MacBook Pro, it's worth it for the retailer.
A bit uncouth, but it makes sense.
A bit uncouth, but it makes sense.
A certain retailer that are new in the UK have started opening up out of town stores and are a lot better if you want to buy something from a store.
Comission based selling at the typical DSG stores doesn't help. The buying experience at these places usually isn't good, as this is one of the reasons they are suffering. People are fed up with getting hassled as soon as they walk in, being chased around and offered products they don't want. If they prioritised service and listened to customers properly, they'd be in a better position.
These issues, combined with the state of people's finances and the march of internet retailers seems to be taking its toll. I for one won't shed a tear when they start going under. I doubt many will nowadays.
Comission based selling at the typical DSG stores doesn't help. The buying experience at these places usually isn't good, as this is one of the reasons they are suffering. People are fed up with getting hassled as soon as they walk in, being chased around and offered products they don't want. If they prioritised service and listened to customers properly, they'd be in a better position.
These issues, combined with the state of people's finances and the march of internet retailers seems to be taking its toll. I for one won't shed a tear when they start going under. I doubt many will nowadays.
If anyone hounded me into the car park I guarantee I'd never spend a penny with them again.
It's important to think of the lifetime value of a customer and reputation, not making a quick buck at the expense of service.
Can you imagine John Lewis staff legging it through their doors to re-collar customers like a Moroccan street vendor? It's ludicrous!
Man of Honour
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It would also help if high street stores were filled with people who actually have an in depth knowledge about electronics (or whatever they're selling) instead of just 'good salesmen'
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Why would somebody bright enough to have in depth knowledge want to work for £5.93 an hour in a shop? You'll get the odd Uni student working part time whilst at Uni who will fit this - but full time sales assistants wouldnt be full time sales assistants if they didnt have to be..
I work at a dsg store and can tell you we don't get commission. Our bonus is based on customer satisfaction scores taken from exit surveys and mystery shops, that and our margin per hour, but unless you work in a mega store you never hit the margin per hour Target.
A MAC sale is big money for a store that only takes maybe 6k a day, so I'm not surprised the op was chased about. If they were better at their jobs they could've kept him in the store without it being a rubbish experience. The problem is that people always do the hard sell instead of asking questions to actually tailor their sales to the customer. You can still make margin without selling crap to people who don't need it. It's the targets that force staff to push certain products.
If any of my team let a mac sale walk without trying every angle they would be asked why not.
A MAC sale is big money for a store that only takes maybe 6k a day, so I'm not surprised the op was chased about. If they were better at their jobs they could've kept him in the store without it being a rubbish experience. The problem is that people always do the hard sell instead of asking questions to actually tailor their sales to the customer. You can still make margin without selling crap to people who don't need it. It's the targets that force staff to push certain products.
If any of my team let a mac sale walk without trying every angle they would be asked why not.
Nearest one is Milton Keynes which is a 100 mile round trip
Otherwise I would have gone there first
Assuming you are in Abingdon, there are 'Western Computers' Apple re-sellers in both Oxford and Cheltenham. They offer customer service nigh on what you get in an apple store and often have more down to earth staff too (i.e. not fan-boy jumping around looneys, but knowledgeable and helpful sales people).
Especially with the extended warranties, eh? Nearly come to blows over that one
Tell me about it. Around 3 years ago I was in my local Purple Shirted 'store' (in inverted commas because they seem to actually store very little) and all set to buy £1,700 worth of iMac - there and then - despite the 'salesman' seeming to know very little about it. However, he kept on and on about the extended warranty, completely ignoring my total disinterest in it. Eventually I told him in plain english that if he didn't shut up I would walk out of the store and never come back. He did not shut up. I told him he was an idiot and left. I have never been back and will not ever go back there, or to any of the other stores that are affiliated to them having had equally bad customer experiences. They are all as bad as each other as far as I'm concerned.
Since then I have spent roughly £5,000 on electrical goods - all of it from on-line retailers. I have had a few problems with faulty stock but the RMAs and replacements have always been handled very efficiently.
Why would I ever bother to visit a retail store again just so that I can have an argument with an imbecile?
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On my diet and my level of energy these days, having the urge to do anything is pretty rare
Explain?
If you do hit the margin target they'll just increase it anyhow :S
It's a complete joke, under 30 quid margin/hrs nets you a wild 0.25% of that margin! And that's if your store as a whole has a customer satisfaction score of 80 or higher. As the best sales colleague in the store I once managed to get 25 quid bonus.
no one's trying to earn "commission" off of you, they're just dodging the whip. I can see how its frustrating to the customer who just wants a certain product, but its what they're paid to do.
Whatever your experiences Steedie, it cannot be worst than walking into a DFS or SCS. I literally had to tell a salesman to **** off in DFS. Had one bring me a coffee in SCS and grabbed my arm to pull me to a sofa he 'thought' was a cracking deal. My girlfriend went there on her own and she said she felt harassed. Utter ****hole establishments I won't even walk past any more, never mind enter.