A colleague shared a recent experience that left him believing that at Ross, you dress for less—but it comes with less-than-desirable customer service, that is. Like many of us, nothing is more aggravating to him in retail customer service than cashiers who simply go through the monotonous motions of pretending to help guests. In his experience, they showed no common sense. Customer service was the last thing on their mind! He recounts his experience at Ross below.
Real World Story: “It was an early Sunday morning, so the store had few shoppers. If you’ve ever been to a Ross, you know about the notoriously never-ending lines to the cash registers. It can sometimes take you 30 minutes to get checked out. So seeing no long lines was awesome. The only problem was, I couldn’t find where the line started since no one was ahead of me already waiting. However, the exchanges-only line was clearly marked. It was so clearly marked, the only thing missing was a flashing neon sign. But nothing marked the start of the ‘regular’ line.
“I ran back and forth across the cashiers’ lanes, where one female cashier was ringing up a customer and a second female cashier was helping a customer at the jewelry counter. The first cashier saw me run back and forth looking for the start of the line but said nothing. I finally asked a young shopper who I ran into if he was waiting in line. He said no, so I asked the older woman who was him if she knew where the line started. She said that she thought I was already in line. By that time, another shopper had walked over to the other side of us. Apparently, that’s where the line started. She must have been a regular shopper because there was nothing—and I mean NOTHING—to indicate that where she stood was the start of the line. So, I thought, that’s fine. I’ll just wait behind her, even though she knows I was there first. Unfortunately, she had an overflowing shopping cart with about 30 items, yet all I had was one six-pair package of dress socks. The first cashier, the one who saw me running around trying to find the start of the line, then yells out, ‘Next!’ She never acknowledged that I should have been the next customer.
“Meanwhile, the second cashier who had been working at the jewelry counter had now returned to the check-out area, but she took her position at the exchanges-only register. At that very same moment, a woman walked in from outside and walked right over to the start of the exchanges-only line. So this second cashier immediately calls her over. All the while, I’m just standing there like an idiot. Are you friggin’ kidding me? I thought to myself. You see that I’ve been waiting here, but you’re going to help someone who just walked in? Meanwhile, the ‘regular’ line now has about 10 shoppers behind me, and the first cashier is taking her sweet time with the 30-items customer.
“When that first cashier is finally done, she yells out, ‘Next!’ I walk over to her. She grumbles something about how am I doing or how’s my day, I wasn’t sure what she had said. She then asks if I’m paying cash or charge, and I say cash. Then as soon as I hand her my money, she yells right into my ear, ‘Next customer!’ No lie, I actually jumped a little, I was so startled. Then she yells out again. The whole time she’s holding onto my change, and I’m thinking, does she want me to grab the money out of her hand? Eventually, she looks back at me and hands me my money. This entire time she was more worried about getting the next customer to walk over than finishing up our transaction. How absurd is that?!
“This whole experience was absolutely ridiculous! Especially when you consider that three other female employees stood by the exit chit-chatting away and laughing this entire time! Ross, where you dress for less—less-than-average customer service, that is. But I do love my six-pack of dress socks that I bought for $5.99—plus my dignity.”
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Post clear information. Ensure you post information that directs customers to where they need to be. Don’t ever assume that customers will know where to go. Customers should not ever have to guess about simple things like where to stand in line.
- Pay attention. If you work in a service position that relies on helping customers on a first-come first-serve basis, then you need to be attentive. You need to keep track of what is happening all around you. Did a customer step out of line because they forgot something? Did a customer accidentally get in the wrong line? Did a customer cut in front of others who were already waiting? Always pay attention!
- Treat customers with respect. Don’t ever treat customers like they are a burden or an interruption. All customers deserve common courtesy and respect. When you greet a customer, always look them in the eye, with a warm and welcoming smile, and with enthusiasm. And keep all your attention on the person you are helping right in front of you.
- Exude joy. Nobody likes a Debbie Downer. Nobody. When working in customer-facing positions, you want to draw in people by radiating joy and happiness. And you want to contaminate others with good vibes and friendliness.
Remember: In retail, treating customers well is priceless. Above wanting to feel special, customers want to feel respected and appreciated. They want to be treated fairly, and they want to be engaged.
How does your organization ensure that customers are served on a first-come first-serve basis?