To be so angry with the British high street?

[peoniesarejustperfect]

Went sales shopping yesterday with my elderly Mother yesterday. We went to an 'affluent' city in the south east. We always go shopping after Christmas and it's a bit of a tradition and we normally really enjoy it. Yesterday was just so depressing - it made me fizz with anger. I hardly know where to start!!

The shops were just horrible - full of badly merchandised sales stuff which looked totally uninviting.

In several of the shops we went into there were no staff on the shop floor - we wanted to ask where different departments were (to save Mum walking too much), but no one to ask and poor signage.

In House of Fraser (one of the stores which is remaining open) we waited for 25 mins in the luggage department for a member of staff - there was no one there to help - no tape measure, no useful signs about cabin luggage allowances and no one to take any cash. We hung around for ages with two other families - no chairs to sit on, we just stood around. After a while we all gave up. The same in lingerie - no staff on duty. We had lunch there, which was really nice, but the restaurant loos were closed for cleaning when we went in at 12:15. What restaurant shuts its loos at lunchtime??? They suggested we left the restaurant and 'popped down' two floors to use another loo.

The British high street keep moaning but really, why on earth would anyone want to shop there? Why do they deserve our hard earned cash? It's incredibly expensive to park and the retailers don't seem very keen on keeping customers happy - let alone delighting them! There's not enough staff and with some notable exceptions, many of them are poorly trained - it all seems a bit of an effort for them.

Last Christmas we went to the US. I know it's different in America, but every morning in Macy's, when the doors open, a group of staff clap the shoppers in. We couldn't get over this and asked a sales assistant about it - she told us it's an honour to be picked - to welcome customers, look them in the eye and say thanks for coming. US retail is facing similar challenges, but what a different response. Helpful staff directing you to places, gorgeous merchandising, seats everywhere and staff trained to sell.

Anyone else fed up with the high street?

I had a similar experience op. We had a terrible few hours, where we were either ignored or treated like an inconvenience, and paid a £15 parking charge for the privilege. We came home saying that we'd shop online or at a mall in future. At least there's no parking costs, and you always get what you want! It's a shame but if shops want our custom they do need to give the impression that they want us over the doorstep.

I got it into my head that I wanted some doc martens. I'm middle aged, overweight and not at all trendy. The chap's face when I politely asked to see a couple of boots in my size 😟 I was clearly an embarrassment. I did buy a pair and he grudgingly acknowledged me a bit as I paid. I won't return though as I felt so ashamed.

I don't think any HoF store will survive the next year, tbh. I think Mike Ashley is determined to run it down so he can push his own brands like Flannels into the limelight.

He's dying to get his hands on debenhams and do the same.

Staff at Penneys (Primark in uk) are generally friendly and helpful here. They're such a pleasant change to the crusty hard faced assistants in most of the other shops. Aldi and Lidl are pretty friendly, too, but they're also very zippy so not much time for chatting.

Insomniacs I got similar in m & s in UK- I got 'enjoy your trousers! Found it a bit weird too!

i did go into an alternative independant shop in Camden looking for some funky trousers but the shop assistant seemed more interested with having an angry phone call with her mate than someone who might spend money so I turned and left.

@popcornwizard Yates is brilliant! They do gift vouchers as well :D My kids are always dragging me in there to look at tractors and lego. The staff are brilliant, but they've mostly all been there for donkeys years :)

Clapping people in is just demeaning for the.clapper.

I'll prefer to remain unclapped and.unpatronised.

Yeah, it’s been a long time since the British high street offered anything remotely tempting enough to encourage buyers to pick it over online shopping.

This thread has really annoyed me, (though i do get your point to an extent)

I work in retail that also has a pharmacy (i work in the pharmacy) and the way customers treat the shop and us sometimes is horrendous.

How are we meant to keep the shop tidy when 1) there is barely any staff to do it and 2) when people dump coffee cups/ rubbish/food/ for us to clear up or put stock back in the wrong place.

I enjoy helping customers and giving advice however alot the time the way im spoken to is disgusting, there is no excuse and i loose the will to bother. We are doing the best we can when it is very tough and a little respect would be nice, we are human beings too.

However, having said all of that, we have been trained to be polite and as helpful as we can to a high standard, so i am shocked when other retail is not the same.

Not read the full thread only the OP but retail staff are paid a pittance, overworked and underpaid. You honestly don't feel like clapping at customers coming into the store when you've been shouted at by a delightful customer for something entirely not your fault.

I live in the US, though as British. Although there is a difference between Macy’s flagship store in Manhattan and a Macy’s, say, in suburban New Jersey (no clapping in the customers there etc) there is now no comparison between customer service in the UK and the US, either on the High Street or elsewhere, ie I find it comparatively appalling in Britain.

Just wanted to add that I think it is in no way the staff’s fault. They are treated appallingly.

Just wanted to add about training. I worked in many retail jobs throughout my twenties and thinking back I don't think I've ever been given more than ten minutes training on the till. No product training, no customer service training, nothing. A quick once over of the till, how to process a transaction and that's that. It can be pretty overwhelming for a newcomer to retail as you honestly need to pick it up quickly. I've had people snap at me for not knowing if we stocked certain items (.. And there's never any colleagues nearby to ask of course!) so customers would take it out on you. oh how I don't miss retail.

It's also true that there are always staff shortages but the people at HQ would expect you to do ten times the work. One store I worked in a few years back (a very well established retail chain store that has some expensive items) decided not to put CCTV in their stores to save money and in fact made the sales advisors patrol the shop for shoplifters, it wasn't nice and I felt uncomfortable for it really. As it seems, many cost cutting here there and everywhere and the staff face the brunt of it.

I also work in retail

I'm a 'department manager' whose staff hours have been squeezed til there's only barest cover..... we have lost our restocking team, we have to 'fit that I n'ourselves now

We have lost our Sunday pay, overtime
and new contracts are now only 16-30 hours....

How do you engage a team,train them and motivate a team under those conditions?

Oh, and all new staff under the age of 30 are glued to their phones and can barely write.

Thanks parents and teachers!! Thanks for that!

unsung

I agree

In the shop i work in only the manager and assistant have full time contracts

The other staff are between 6 and 15 hours....nothing over 15 hours

And all our younger staff members do not have their phones on the shop floor and are able to write

It might be the type of store, especially regarding being able to have their phones

"Oh, and all new staff under the age of 30 are glued to their phones"

So you have a no phones policy on the shop floor. It isn't difficult.

Sorry, I didn't get past a "group of staff clap the shoppers in"
I'd have burst out laughing in sheer bemusement lol.
Sounds over the top cheese to me and would more likely have me running back out

Some of the worst customer service I’ve ever received has been in the US. I’ve just come back from New York and it always strikes me how disinterested the people working in retail are in pretty much every shop. It’s as if I’m inconveniencing them by trying to buy something.

The service has only ever been bright, cheery and efficient when a tip is expected (restaurants, etc).

The service has only ever been bright, cheery and efficient when a tip is expected (restaurants, etc)

Weve been to Florida a few times and tip 20% as it's expected

Quite often there has been a complete mood change when they see how much we have left as they hear your accent and think you aren't going to tip well...those are the places i dont tend to go back to

You went to a crap department store and experienced many of the reasons why it’s failing
Don’t go shopping for peak service in sales- it’s bargain grab and gontome and stores are trashed by 915am
Staff are expensive so if profits aren’t there then neither are the staff
British high streets vary but your response is slightly OTT
Next time choose a nice town with indie stores and you’ll have a better time - although several shut until jan so check dates

I have never understood what the obsession is with 'high streets'. What is their point in the 21st century? Food shopping we have supermarkets, clothes shopping we have malls, everything else we have the internet.

Its like some people want to be provided a free day out to look at some sort of retail circus. Just go to a theme park. I don't know anyone who goes to a 'high street' anymore.

Maybe they could fence in this 'high street' and charge £40 entrance fee, so they can provide a magical experience for those that want it.

Walkingdeadfangirl some of us avtually like the atmosphere of a buzzing street with a great atmosphere instead of a run down street full of empty shops

Our local town occasionally has food markets and festivals in the main shopping area. It creates a really lovely carnival atmosphere. I would hate to lose that. I wouldn't like to live such a joyless life where absolutely everything I buy can only be sourced online.