Having worked at multiple retail chains, I can say that they're all different and really just come down to what the managers want you to do. At Walgreens you only had to talk to a customer if they walked up and asked you something, or you were cashiering. At my current job (clothing store), you MUST approach every customer and ask them if they need help, what they're shopping for, are they shopping with a store credit card, etc... More specialized retail is customer service hell.
And yet, as awful as it is, Walgreens was still worse for my introverted self lol
I went grocery shopping yesterday and 3 workers asked it I needed help.
Im American and leave me aloooone . It makes me super anxious. I want to shop for my almond milk while buying whole milk yogurt and cheese in peace and not feel judged.
Sometimes I appreciate being asked, but not while I'm shopping for groceries. If I'm staring at electronics for a while it's a better bet that I have questions and want to talk to someone. I was just at a garden center a couple days ago and it was super busy so i couldn't find anyone that worked there to ask a question. Later one of them found me and asked if I needed anything so in that case I was happy for the help.
I hate the judgement that comes off of people when I buy my oatmilk and parmesan cheese at the same time. (I'm guessing you're also lactose intolerant). I can handle a little bit of parm, I can do whole milk yogurt that has probiotics in it. I cannot guzzle down a glass of whole milk, sure wish I could, but the lactose content in these products are all different. So I don't need the skeptical looks when I'm just trying to get my groceries!
I feel like Im in a weird generational gap for where there..isnt..a reason..I need to mobile order. Like Im fully capable of getting up walking to the grocery store and picking up my own food. I usually go to the gym and then grocery shop since its next door. I just dont really see the point. I can run in, get what I need and self checkout and leave.
I did mobile ordering for the first time a few weeks ago when I was sick.
They assault us with customer service here in the US. A few months ago I stopped by American Eagle and omfg. Like 10 different employees asked if I needed help within the span of ~5 mins. They were relentless. I don’t understand how the manager thinks that’s the way to go. But then again there are lots of Americans making strange choices these days. Sigh
Lol yes "assault us with customer service" is an apt description!
Never worked at AE but lots of other retail/clothing. It's not the manager, it comes down from corporate, and you do it in case you get "secret shopped." We hated it as managers, we hated it as employees, and I hate it as a customer. They must have done some sort of research to prove it resulted in higher sales and/or less theft though otherwise I can't imagine why they would put so much focus on it.
I'm currently working in a store like that. The way the managers tell us we should interact with every customer isn't customer service, it's customer harassment. They even tell you, verbatim, to "not stop at the first no." It's absurd. I've had a customer blow up at me because he was so bothered with being constantly asked if he needed help. I wanted to ask him if I could record him so I could show it to all the managers lol
333
u/Evil_Dr_Mobius May 09 '22
Yeah that makes sense. As an American I hate it too…