Why is customer service so horrendous in shops nowadays?

[whyohwhymetoday]

No eye contact. Often chatting away to colleagues and looking disinterested at you whilst continuing their conversation as you hand over £££

Nobody to help on shop floor

Poor knowledge about returns and items sold in store

No interest in helping me choose. That type of thing

I recently went into a high street shop and held up two tops. I said to a nearby woman with a label on for that shop ''Oh I just can't choose! What do you think looks best, this or this? :D''

She sort of looked like I'd ask her to inspect my undercarriage and said 'it's up to you, they're both nice' and carried on with what she was doing

I know these (mostly women) aren't paid loads but come on, surely it feels better to do a good job?

Hats off to M&S, such lovely and understanding staff in there well, not the cafe. They all seem to be rude

Lady servicing me at No7 in Boots yesterday looked like she genuinely couldn't be less interested when I asked her what shade would work for me

My 2 local B&M stores have really nice staff, always helpful and make you feel like you're not disturbing them or being an inconvenience by wanting someone to scan your shop so you can pay

My local Waitrose has hideously grumpy women who appear to be taking up a job post retirement and feeling very bitter about it!

McDonald's always pleasant too!

Vue Cinema, awful

Amazon delivery men, amazing. Once again, proving why Amazon just works for a lot of stuff

Honestly, be warned High street, you'll all be gone within 10 years and bargain stores like B&M/Poundland will be there, alongside maybe Boots because it has a Pharmacy

See these responses are what I mean when I say that it's acceptable, inevitable, expected and even encouraged that low paid customer facing roles will be treated that way.
The first response isn't disgust at anyone being treated that way, and what can be done to stop it, nothing about that. Only 'Doesn't give shop assistants the right to be rude', that's the priority, that's what's important, not the fact that someone has been abused - trying to ensure other customers aren't treated unfairly because of one customers shitty attitude! I bet not one person spoke up in that line waiting, yet I bet they'd have all had plenty to say if the SA had said nothing and let the woman push in. But only to the SA - because she's a safe and captive audience.

Definitely agree with pps that there is an attitude of “ you’re only a shop worker” when in reality there is a lot more involved in retail work than meets the eye. No two days are the same on the checkouts & I have to think on my feet, often juggling several tasks or queries at once.

Rabbits rock
Any kind of retail assistant / hospitality assistant is hard work. I think that everyone should be made to work in either for a few days, it could focus a few minds.

If I was Prime Minister, everyone would be required to spend three months in retail. It would ensure that all customers knew what it was like for the staff.

Very true and I also remember thinking how much the library staff have to do for their low pay!

Agreed, or any customer-facing job. I'd choose retail over hospitality!

Although I think a lot of people do work in retail when in sixth form or as student or early career jobs. So they know what it's like.

I do often think that people behave in a way that I would have never got away with (eg chatting rather than getting on the till when they see a queue). But on the other hand, I don't see all the bad customer behaviour that is apparently the case now. I do see it in hospitality or on trains, but not in shops.

Also, coming back to the idea that people look down on retail and tell their kids they'll end up like that if they don't work hard at school, I wonder how many of them are yummy mummies who don't work themselves (rarely a yummy dad, though I find men in their late 50s and above are miserable gits at times).

Absolutely - so many people are rude and patronising to the person on the till - mainly because they know they're a captive audience and don't have a choice but to just sit there and take it.

Honestly, it will go down like a pile of cold sick, but in my experience, the rudest customers were middle aged women. I recall one delightful lady telling me to fuck off because I didn't have the jacket she wanted in her size on Boxing Day and "that was the only reason she'd come in" - I suggested she rang up in advance next time 🙈

I was spoken down to, patronised and treated like shit on the bottom of their shoes. It's appalling how people will speak to others - especially when they know the other person can't stand up for themselves.

I had a receipt thrown at me by a man in his 60s, it's disgusting how some people behave.

I don't get how they think it's acceptable @Anxioustealady - I also remember a man yelling at me in ASDA because we didn't have any breaded ham

Its interesting you said that @biscuitsandbooks , im in retail and ive been saying a lot recently (the last few years since covid) that women my age , 50s, are the hardest work. Sometimes i wonder how they got out the house in the morning they are so feckin clueless.

This is nothing new! There are several Monty Python sketches on bad customer services! The cheese sketch, the Norwegian Blue Parrot sketch and Fawlty Towers about rotten service in a Devonshire hotel!

My Nan told me about when she went to a shop to get a dinner service and they were talking amongst them selves. They finally attempted to serve her and she got them to get it all out then told them to put it all back as they had ignored her!!! My Nan was always quick to take offence and hold a grudge!

I would often find in Boots if I really wanted a certain item that they would ignore me and continue talking amongst themselves but when I was just browsing, about three of them would pounce and not leave me alone!

The trouble is, in some clothes shops I must look dodgy because of failing eyesight. I have to check the label in case the article is made of bastard viscose or lenzing what have you, plus check the size and of course the label is normally right by the security tag!! I hate shopping now.

Area definitely matters. We go over to York quite a lot and have often thought that customer service over there is so much better, and I'm not talking about the "tourist" bits, I'm talking the big supermarkets, retail parks, etc., as well as the city centre shops. There must be some link to the "demographic" of the locals both as customers and as staff. I usually shop in Lancashire towns/cities like Preston, Lancaster, Bolton, etc and the customer service is absolute crap!