Retail: Things Customers Should Learn

     So, I've worked at Sears for about a year now, and it has certainly given me some interesting insights on people and working in retail. Besides the usual gripes about coworkers, schedules, and who ate your lunch out of the employee fridge, I can say that I'm glad I work somewhere that emphasizes good customer service. I like helping people, talking to customers, and generally staying busy: I'm both lucky and that my job as a salesperson entails more interaction with people than just pointing them in the right direction. Although the majority of Sears customers are friendly and pleasant, a handful of them have remained in my memory and formed quite a list of pet peeves. If you ever interact with a salesperson, or anyone in retail, here are some little do's and don'ts that'll make everything easier.

•      Don't ignore me when I greet you. You would think this is a given, but it's not. At Sears we are trained to welcome everyone who walks in, measured by whether or not we do, and reprimanded if we don't. Normally my "Hi, welcome to Sears. What can I help you with today?" is accepted nicely or politely declined, yet every day without fail someone is completely rude about it. It never fails that someone glares at me silently and stalks off into the rear aisles of the electronics section as though my presence is an insult. The way you react to that greeting when you enter my area quickly determines the kind of service you're going to get from me; be polite and I'll be the most wonderful sales associate you ever worked with. : D

•      Don't assume your purchase gives you ultimate power over me. Yes, I work on commission, but that doesn't mean that I will bend over backward and break store policy so you won't return your purchase. Not long ago I had a woman come into my department to return some vacuum bags without a receipt; our store policy is no receipt/no return but she harangued me and threatened to return the $600 Dyson vacuum she purchased at our store if I wouldn't return the $7 dollars worth of old, opened vacuum bags. First of all, if the salesperson you're addressing didn't sell you whatever it is you're threatening to return, they don't CARE. It's not my commission or my paycheck you're affecting, the fact that I'm working with you on any transaction that isn't earning me commission is a humongous courtesy. ALSO: Even if you're returning something from my department, even if I'm selling you something and would lose commission if you walked away from the sale, your bad behavior is inexcuseable. Across the board I make about 1% commission on the tv's I sell ... your refusal to buy that $1500 flat-screen just because I won't give you an extra few bucks off, is not more than fifteen dollars off of my paycheck. I'd rather pay you fifteen bucks of my own to stay out of my department and go purchase somewhere else. Yes, the commission is nice, but in the year I've worked at Sears I can count maybe two sales that were large enough to make me endure rude, insufferable customers. 

•      Watch your kids in. I work hard to clean, organize, and stock the electronics section so it looks nice. I put together the shelves, displays, and TVs. I don't get paid to babysit your children while you're in another part of the store, nor am I paid to clean up after them. Anyone in retail can tell you horror stories about bodily fluids, dirty diapers, snot, and saliva in many places it shouldn't be ... I will suffice to say that there are bathrooms, changing stations, and babysitters for a reason. If you let your children demolish my 3D display, don't expect me to go out of my way to find items for you. As the oldest of several children I'm pretty understanding of how hard it is to shop while watching children, but if mothers of triplets or special needs kids can do so without destroying everything, so can you. 

• Don't come into my department thinking you know more than I do. I don't care if you did hours of internet research or know someone who's in the business, if you came to our store to purchase a tv rather than Fry's or Best Buy I'd bet its because of our customer service. Contrary to several customers' beliefs, the sales associates in each department are thoroughly trained and often go to trade shows and road shows to become even more knowledgeable and meet reps from every company. I'm in electronics because I'm a gamer/nerd; I'm good at what I do and dealing with technology every day means I probably know a little more about how well it works than what some Yahoo! Answers question can tell you. Ask all the questions that you want, but don't argue with me: don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about and don't preach to me about what you think you know. As soon as someone starts doing that my only interest is to get them out of my department as quickly as possible.

• Don't haggle. My store isn't a flea market. I don't have control over the prices or sales, what they include or exclude, and pressuring your salesperson about it will only irritate them. What you're buying in my store is the price the tag says because corporate says so, no amount of complaining to any manager or supervisor is going to change that. No, I won't give you an extra 10% off or void the legally required recycling fee just because you want me to. Don't offer me ultimatums about things that aren't under my control and then storm out when you don't get what you want.

     All of that seems like a lot, but if you're ever going to make a big purchase like a TV or washer and dryer set, trust the salespeople. We know quite a bit about what we're doing, and what we don't know we do our best to find out for you. Be courteous, be patient, and most of all be respectful. Just because I'm behind a register or because I work on commission doesn't mean you can treat me like crap. If you're a friendly customer I'll find good deals and promotions and give you the best service I can, simple as that.