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'm rather attached to my local town and like to visit it rather than driving to an identikit retail park.

I was quite keen on department stores years ago. I think the newer John Lewis store style is very bland and so I really can't be bothered with their stores now.

Clapping customers into the store is beyond cringemaking, especially as they don't really give a fuck about you - just want your money.

My town's high street shops are not good. There's an M&S which is good for food, BHS closed a couple of years ago there's a huge Brighthouse selling average stuff at an extortionate interest rate (70% last time I glanced at their window) and I have never seen a single person in the store, ever.

I'm disabled and use a mobility scooter and in the run up to Christmas, even if I wanted to go into shops, it's impossible with boxes piled high with merchandise near the entrance and at beginning end of aisles so all my shopping is done online.

Some shops seem not to want to help themselves - in the summer I wrote to Waterstones to explain I couldn't access their store with my scooter due to tables displaying books near the entrance. They responded: 'We suggest you order from us online'. I replied pointing out that I would like to browse like their able bodied customers but received no reply. Obviously I no longer buy books from them.

There wouldn't be an issue if we weren't all shopping online so much!

Obviously by all I don't mean every single person. But some areas can have Amazon delivered in 1 hour. Says it all.

... And I'm also including myself in the online shopping.

YANBU most actual shops are like jumble sales these days.

im never rusde to staff in shops i talks to them how i like to be taloked to with repsect

i wouldnt have bought those doc martens i would have trie them on then left if staff had that attitude towards me

@peoniesarejustperfect

YANBU.

I'm from the US and really miss good customer service, as I rarely receive it anywhere in the UK.

I went to our high street yesterday and as I was getting readt to leave with my purchases, told the sales clerk to "Have a nice day." Was met with a sour look like he was trying not to roll his eyes. I worked retail for years and find that unacceptable.

*TulipsInbloom1

Maybe the lack of staff was because people who are paid a pittance to start with would rather be at home with their families over the christmas?*

Yeah, because they have a choice.

Shops are cutting back on staff to save money. Which means you end up with more pissed off customers having a go at staff members they do find, throwing stuff at them and storming out without buying anything. People are really obnoxious to retail staff.

Both of my DSs work in retail. From what they tell me, some of the main issues are very low staffing levels, poor training, rude and entitled customers and very poor management. Both of my lads are hard working, reliable, personable and polite and have been commended by many of their customers. After several years, they have gained a lot of expertise in their areas and try to help customers. Their managers seem to have had very little training in handling their staff effectively and compassionately. Managers seem to employ the stick rather than the carrot and so their staff are resentful and unhappy. DH and I try to support our DSs to continue to do their best jobs, but it is difficult when they are constantly beaten down by negativity from the management!

I no longer shop in our local shopping centre. Parking fees are extortionate. Shops are smelly, dirty and dont seem to have any staff apart from those behind the till. They are killing themselves. If it was a pleasant experience I would go buf i usually come home feeling, grubby, patronised and ripped off. Parking charges and lack of spaces is a major bone of contention

I agree with previous posters that being clapped into a shop would make me want to turn straight around and walk back out. When in America I found the customer service a bit too over-the-top but there must be a happy medium between that and my pet peeve, which is cashiers chatting to each other/their mates while serving (and ignoring) you - and I'm saying that as someone who worked in retail and would have never been so rude, but it happens all the time!

With regard to parking, I agree it's ridiculously expensive, but the individual shops don't have much say in that!

The main thing that annoys me is having to queue for an excessive amount of time. I've put something back more than once after having seen the long queue snaking round the shop with only one or two staff working. If places like aldi and lidl have worked out the 'opening checkouts as soon as a queue forms and then jump off once it's cleared' thing, how hard can it be for other stores to follow? Particularly as so many transactions now are debit/credit so you wouldn't even need to operate a float if you just had one or two card only tills they could open/close as needed.

My family has run an independent retail store for almost 50 years. Don't want to be too specific as I don't want to out myself.

We do put huge emphasis on customer service. Also attempt to find the balance between leaving shoppers alone and providing help as and when required.

All of our team have fab customer service skills, always room for improvement and we are human so do make mistakes but the vast majority of our customers seem to appreciate the service that we provide.

The store is always spotless, warm (or cool in summer due to air con), easy free parking, plenty of tea and coffee, add on services on site etc etc..

But we are struggling with footfall like never before. It is very very tough. Retailing is about constant change and improvement but atm its very very hard to know what to do.

Too many customers enjoy our service, lap up our advice, get a good feel for our products, enjoy our refreshments and then leave and are clearly aiming to find things at a cheaper price elsewhere or online. We never sell above RRP but sometimes other retailers do undercut us especially online.... So one answer is to cut our prices but this means we will struggle to survive and will struggle to keep enough staff to provide good service.

Suppliers are forcing us to buy huge quantities or they will cease to provide, they won't let us discount outside of their parameters (but their own stores are allowed to), their prices are rising and they are trampling all over us. We would like to vote with our feet, but customers expect certain brands so it's very risky. It feels unfair as brands use stores like ours to raise their profile, and then treat us badly once they 'make it'. No sentiment in business is indeed the way!

Sorry for the pitiful post. It's tough out there, our competitors are falling like flies and we are struggling like never before. I'm under no illusion that it may be time to put on my big girl pants and investigate closing down. This post struck a chord as I honestly feel that my team bend over backwards to provide brilliant service and a lovely store- but it's not enough.

@madcatladyforever

I went into an independent dress shop just before christmas which wasn't even that nice, the person working there said across the shop very loudly, I think you'll find we don't stock clothes in your size - I am a size 18 not an elephant!!!

I said thank you for publicly fat shaming me in front of all your other customers very loudly and walked out. Unbelievable - back to buying my clothing online.

i totally believe this. I met my friend for lunch a few months ago, and she brought her DH with her, as he was at the end of a week off sick, and had come to town with her. Anyway, before we went to Costa, he said 'I just wanna have a quick look for some new trousers.' So we went into a menswear shop that sold regular size mens clothes, and 'plus-size' mens clothes.

He is 5' 10" and about 16 stone, so overweight but not really MASSIVE. He is a 'large' in clothes (prob 40-41" waist.) The woman at the counter said (as he walked in...) 'no offence, but the outsize stock is at the back; you need to go back there. We have the XXXL and bigger there. He had a 40-41" waist...Not exactly massively oversized, and not XXXL!

So yeah, some shop assistants can be incredibly rude. (Many are not, but some are really rude.) I even remember shopping at lunch with a colleague, and she was early 30's and starting to go grey. The checkout operator said 'oooh, luvvie, you shouldn't be grey at YOUR age, get a hair dye!' My friend went flame red, and bolted out of the shop. Pretty rude. I followed her, and the shop lost the sale.

Also, another friend of mine who has a massive rift with her mother and went NC with her 10 years ago (and has never been happier as her mother was very toxic, unhinged, and narcissistic.)

Well when she was in a certain chain store (buying a belt,) she a woman who she had seen a couple of time, but didn't know - only by sight IYSWIM. The woman knew her mother from a few years back, (she lived near her mother 20 miles away.)

Well, this woman said 'are you still not talking to your mother then?' with a kind of look. (She KNEW she wasn't, as she lived 2 minutes walk from her mother.') My friend said 'what?' The woman continued... 'Yer mother, you don't talk still?' My friend just said 'I have no idea who you are or what you're talking about.'

Nosey, intrusive, inappropriate behaviour, And WELL out of order for a shop assistant to do that.

Meant to say with my friend's husband, he was capable of looking for the clothes he required without the shop assistant yelling 'fatties to the back please.'

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

Not sure where you were shopping, but my experience of my local Macy's, JCPenney, Sears, etc is completely the opposite of this.

No staff to help you find anything, tired drab badly organised products, nowhere to sit.

The music's too loud, the staff couldn't give a shit, it's too hot.

The food court has nothing but overpriced, oversalted, crappy food.

When you try to pay, you stand in line forever while they do the hardsell on each customer with their store card and loyalty card and fuck-knows-what card and 'would you like to donate to charity (described in great detail)'.

Last time I was in Sephora, about 5 different members of staff offered to help me find something, then I had to queue forever to pay because they only had one till open. So not only did they harass me when I wanted to be left alone, but they made me wait so long to pay I gave up.

The place you do get really good service is usually in the supermarkets - for some reason they're helpful and friendly there.

Mrs8 thank you. I do accept though that many people are motivated primarily by price, and that is what we are up against.

Our product is one that ideally someone would want to see and try 'in the flesh' before buying, so that should give us an advantage. Sadly though many of the people who visit our clean, warm, well lit store with free car parking and helpful staff who know how to look after people- and decide what products meet their needs and then leave to buy at the cheapest place they can find.

TBF you can't really blame them but it's impossible to provide a premium store with excellent service and also be the cheapest.

I’m afraid the stores pay pitiful wages, the hours are long, customers vacancy be obnoxious and the councils are usually reponsible, or car parks for the horrendous parking charges

Not quite the same, but I travel 2 miles to a post office because the one two minutes from my house has such miserable staff it's unreal.

If you want to send two parcels at a time, you get treated to a lecture on how eBay ruined society and she was too busy for this nonsense.

The clues in the fucking title love, you work in a POST OFFICE!

Yes have been fat shamed on the high Street when I was smaller than I am now 😲 however online delivery is awful had stuff thrown over my back fence, recycling bin and best yet my DS Birthday gift left in his playhouse!? No cards left....

Yep I was fat shamed many many years ago I was 18 years old, when a size 16 was considered big. It stayed with me for years. I was so upset.

I remember Chiswick Post Office with horror. I've since read reports about it on the internet as being terrible too, lol!

The problem is House of Fraser is not House of Fraser anymore.The one in Birmingham will become like a up market Sports Direct.The staff told me that the ones that dont work directly for the House of Fraser but work for the fashion branda such as Dinky Radley are pulling out.The staff that do remain will be employed on Sports Direct contract.Which means there pension is frozen as a House Fraser employee.The pension on the new contract is nowere near attractive.Staff dont know if they will have a job or not.A very worrying time.This is the same with Debnhams a very worrying time for them.The high street is becoming dead because of firms like Amazon that can undercut price and if you are on Amazon Prime can offer free next day delivery.Assistant do not have much to cheer about

Another one who has been fat shamed in the past in a clothing store here. The woman made a bee line for me and said "Oh, dear, I dont think you will find anything for YOU in here!. I was a teen and so mortified I just mumbled something about being in there to buy a gift for someone and left.