Customer Service at the Register: Too Little Too Late?

Are you shopping this holiday season?   Are you noticing a smaller number of employees roaming the aisles and available if you have questions?  You almost have to hunt one down, don’t you? 

Shopping has become self-serve.

I was talking about it with my  Dad the other day and we realized that we handle shopping challenges differently.  If he is at the grocery store looking for toothpicks and can’t find them; he’ll hunt down an employee for help.

If I’m looking for toothpicks and can’t find them it becomes a challenge. I must get in the mind of the merchandiser.  “if I were a toothpick, where would I be?”  Well, when do I use toothpicks?  When I’m baking.

So I head to the baking aisle. Hmmmm.  No toothpicks.  So where else do I use toothpicks?  Appetizers.  I use them to hold together my appetizers.  So I look by condiments because when I serve spicy bite-sized pieces of sausage, I serve them with hot mustard.  No toothpicks.

It takes awhile, but finally I think ALCOHOL.  Toothpicks and olives in a martini.  So I look near straws and find toothpicks.  It is a game.  If I’m not in a rush – I feel great satisfaction.  If I’m in a hurry, I get pissed.

As the economy takes hold of the retail industry and businesses fight back by cutting down on the extra associates that used to walk the floor and be there for me before my frustration levels hits HIGH, our perception of the experience dwindles.

So retailors – ever smarter than shoppers – came up with a solution.  A new script for the cash register employee.

“Did you find everything you were looking for?”

Have you been asked this?  What do you usually say?  “Yes, thank you.”

Why do you say that?  Well, because as a customer – you’ve already spent the amount of time available in your busy schedule to shop and if you didn’t find what you were looking for; it will either wait until next time or it wasn’t all that important.  Am I right?

So have you ever said “No.”  Try it some time and watch the face of the employee.

They don’t quite know what to do.  Most, when asking the question of their customers don’t even take their eye off their task.  It is just a few extra words their boss told them to say.  It is suppose to make people happy. 

Now, if the associate stopped ringing my purchases, leaned toward me and asked “Did you find everything?”  I might believe they really wanted to know the answer. 

So the other day I said “No, thank you, I didn’t find it. I looked here and here and here and then tried to find someone to help me and I couldn’t.”

The associate said, “Oh, that’s too bad.”

Wow.  That was helpful.

I know their boss MEANT WELL (and in some cases that might mean something) but as far as I’m concerned, asking if I have found everything as I’m on my way out the door is just a case of TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.

So what is a business to do?  How can you convey concern, interest and empathy with half the staff?

The idea has merit – if you don’t have floor staff and the only customer interaction is at time of check out – then asking the question makes sense. However, it needs to be followed up with a response that conveys service.  

If the associate asks the question before ringing up purchases then there will be time to look for the missing item and add it to the sale.

If a customer says no, the proper response should be “what couldn’t you find? Perhaps I can help.” 

This leaves the door open for customer success!

If the product isn’t something you carry – having an associate confirm the fact that you didn’t find it because it wasn’t there to find rather than just being shelved in a place you wouldn’t think to look (like in the case of toothpicks) is somehow comforting.

Of course, going above the expected would be to suggest where the item might be found – i.e. a competitor.  Remember the Santa in Miracle on 34th Street who sent customers from Macys to Gimbles for a better deal?

How do you feel when asked if you’ve found everything after you are done shopping?  Do you believe the employee cares?