Marylee Shrider: Businesses that take care of customers will survive
| Friday, Jan 09 2009 07:06 PM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:41 PM
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News alert: We’re in the midst of an economic meltdown and consumers aren’t spending like they used to.
I only mention it because there are retailers in Bakersfield who don’t seem to know it.
You know the stores I’m talking about. The ones where stone-faced sales clerks are clearly annoyed by people wanting to give them money in exchange for merchandise. Where clutter clogs the aisles and where, even with receipts, returns are an exercise in humility.
Where customer service is a quaint, but antiquated idea.
No doubt you’ve shopped at a few of these stores during the holiday shopping season, as I did. Personal highlights include one memorable afternoon at Kohl’s, where I gingerly plucked a slip from a rack jammed with what appeared to be the store’s entire annual slip inventory. The slight movement unleashed an avalanche of slips, a couple dozen of which cascaded to the floor in a silky heap.
Later, when I suggested to a sales clerk that the women’s dressing room probably wasn’t the most appropriate place for a male employee — or some dude trying to look like one — she looked back at me with dull, uncaring eyes and mumbled something about mentioning it to a manager.
Then there was Sears, where I visited a week or so before Christmas to finalize a prearranged purchase on behalf of a local nonprofit. It was my third trip to the store, after selecting a pair of mattresses, box springs, frames and several hundred dollars worth of bedding. When it came time to buy, however, management had an abrupt change of heart, refusing to accept my checks, despite the nonprofit’s sterling credit check.
“I don’t know why we can’t accept them, but we can’t,” the manager told me.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said. “You want me to take my business elsewhere, is that right?”
“Yes, sorry, it is,” the manager replied.
Alas, the Sears of my childhood, with its two-inch thick Christmas catalog, well-stocked shelves and superior customer service is no more and we have parted company for good.
Not that Sears gives a hoot. Which is precisely the problem.
There a lot of reasons why businesses fold, but those that survive this economic slump will surely have one thing in common — customer loyalty.
Companies that inspire such loyalty don’t subject customers to bored, boorish clerks, cluttered stores and mediocre merchandise. It’s a buyer’s market out there and the savvy business owner knows it.
“You have to keep your service level up and go above and beyond for your customers,” says Mike Olcott, part owner of Olcott’s at the Marketplace. “It’s not about creating wealth; it’s about creating an ambiance; a warm place to meet people and shop.”
Despite the less-than-stellar holiday shopping season, Olcott’s remains determined to offer services that keep customers coming back, like free gift wrap and a bridal registry with free local delivery.
“You also have to get involved in the community and you do have to give back,” Olcott says.
Not that giving back always means giving large. Last week I drove my car to Cruz Thru Carwash, where I was greeted by JoAnna Smith, a cheerful 19-year-old assistant manager.
Our exchange was brief. Smith asked how I was and offered me one of those tiny trash bags for my car. Before ushering me on through, she turned to me with a bright smile and said, “I hope you have a beautiful day.”
As corny as it sounds, it was a ray of sunshine on a damp and dreary day.
It was also typical Cruz Thru employee behavior, says owner Frank Hobin, who evaluates his greeters several times each month and awards bonuses for superior customer service.
Hobin gets it. So does Olcott. Which is why they, and others who know how to treat customers, will still be standing when this crisis is over.
These are Marylee Shrider’s opinions, not necessarily The Californian’s. Call her at 395-7474 or write mshrider@bakersfield.com.
