How long do you think Space NK can go on for?

[Onedropoflove]

I've just been to a smaller branch and I didn't find them very helpful at all. I needed a foundation until I could get to John Lewis in a couple of weeks. I went in on my way home from nights so looking ancient and knackered there were four assistants in there talking not one came to help me. There was nothing in that shop that couldn't be bought anywhere else. When someone finally came to me I asked for a foundation not the most expensive one as it was only a stop gap. Next minute she was thrusting Eve Lom into my hand as if she hadn't heard a word I'd said. I sad sorry but I don't want to spend more than thirty so she begrudgingly got me a nars one and put it on the back of my hand, didn't even try it on my fac. I asked for it to be put on my face but for all the effort she put into it I needn't have bothered. I knew it was my colour anyway so I just bought it. I honestly don't know how the shop survives there's hardly anything in it, far too many staff that are badly trained and it's so expensive. Am I the only one!?

[Elswyth]

By Terry is lovely, and Chantecaille

[treaclesoda]

I don't like the Belfast city centre one either. You are either ignored or served only grudgingly. I haven't been in the other Belfast one for years though, so I can't say if it's just that particular shop.

[LuluJakey1]

The Newcastle Space NK is full of staff who think they are really something. If your face/body/style/age doesn't fit they ignore you and keep chatting to each other.
If they have to engage in conversation with you there is an air of disdain and boredom.
Recently, I asked one shop assistant in there if she realised how rude she was being because I could not think she intended to be so rude and off- hand to customers. She looked slightly flustered very briefly and then said she did not think she had been rude. I explained why I did - ignoring me at first, standing chatting, looking bored while she served me, showing no interest and not being helpful at all, standing with her arms folded looking away and never making eye contact with me. She said she was 'sorry if I felt like that'. Not exactly an apology. Needless to say I did not buy anything.
I am 35, dress nicely and try to be stylish, have lots of disposable income - you would think I might be a desirable customer but evidently not.
Their loss- I went to Fenwick's and John Lewis and got what I wanted with lovely help in both.

[BecauseIsaidS0]

I'm so tempted to email them the link to this thread.

[Eliza22]

I passed by one yesterday. It was lunchtime. Very busy but Space NK was empty and 3 girls were chatting at the desk. Walked past them to a department store 200 yards away....because I've made the choice not to go in there again.

[Onedropoflove]

I have emailed them the link and they were very quick to respond and say thank you.

[BecauseIsaidS0]

Interesting! But what are they going to do? It's not like they will fire all their staff and hire nicer, more polite ones is it? For so many people to mention how rude most of their staff is, there must be something going on...I'd put my money on their training, wonder if they drill into their heads that they are the best, they are amazing, meaning that the brand is the best but somehow with the side effect of making their heads puff out quite a bit.

[thecatfromjapan]

I'll just add that I worked in retail when I was younger and it is so hard.
People can have very little self-insight.
One of the most unpleasant customer complaints I ever had to deal with was a woman complaining about the poor and rude service she had received.
I knew that she'd had been frightened by the appearance of the sales staff assisting her (one had dyed hair; one was a young woman of Jamaican heritage), and she just couldn't cope.
She had projected her own fears and assumptions wildly-but I had to deal with the complaint in a manner that didn't antagonise her or escalate the situation, whilst simultaneously not betraying my workers. And all the while thinking that she needed therapy: of the slap kind.
I just want to say this - because shop workers are often female and are actually at the receiving end of quite a lot of bad stuff. Some of that arises from the fact that people walk into shops with all sorts of unconscious wishes and desires. If those aren't met (by the predominantly female) staff, a kind of anger can surface. It's a mix of the unrealistic hopes we have for Christmas, combined with all sorts of latent stuff about mothers.
Even reading this thread you can see how hard it is: some cut omers want to be left alone - sometimes; some want to be fussed over - sometimes; some women are terrified of looking "poor"; others have a thing about looking "old", some feel they don't reach the feminine ideal because they are too young; others because hey are too fat.
It's a minefield - all this insecurity, which the sales assistant (who is unlikely to be a trained ANC dxperiencdd psychiatrist) has to tactfully negotiate and allay.
It's hard.
I must admit, having worked with the public, I tend now to only report instances of good service.

[SofaCanary]

Good grief, I had no idea being polite and helpful was such an ordeal

[treaclesoda]

I haven't really read any 'projecting', all I've read is that no one wants to go into a shop where they are sighed at and sneered at. It's not an unrealistic customer expectation to want to be treated like a fellow human. It's not that hard. And yes, I've worked in retail and yes, some customers are horrible. But so are some staff.

[thecatfromjapan]

It is. I would have to maintain a polite and capable manner, even if half hour before I had dealt with a shoplifter threatening to come back that evening to "cut your face to ribbons".
And, less extreme, a lot of people seem to get their jollies by being really, really rude to sales staff. You have to remain absolutely polite because those are the ones who are trying to create a situation they can escalate. If you aren't feeling 100 per cent. It can make you cry.
It's a tough job. There are mn ghee ads in chat every so often that are support threads for people in the service industries.
Obviously, everyone on mumsnet is a darling, but , alas , not all ghe world is so sweet. And most shops allow all-comers inside their doors. And some of those aren't there to shop. They are there to off-load a whole bunch of bad feeling on young women who are paid a tiny wage to stand and take it.
The lovely customers more than make up for the horrible ones , though.

[LuluJakey1]

They are providing a service. If John Lewis can get it right- polite, pleasant, helpful and able to judge whether you want more one-to-one help and guidance or a lighter touch- why can't Space NK ?

It is about the culture of the store. The Space NK culture is not inclusive. The best service is always inclusive, it is about treating all customers as if they matter and making them feel your 'brand' has something to offer them and they are valued.

For heaven's sake they only sell make-up. John Lewis manage fantastic service with a huge range of customers from small children to very elderly people and across a huge range of products. Space NK sell a small range so should be able to know the products really well and talk to customers about them and how they might suit them.

My experience is the staff are most unwelcoming in the Newcastle store and will actually stand and ignore you, gossiping to each other and then act as if you are bothering them and have no place in the store if they have to serve you.

I am not unconfident, or unassertive - all I expect is an offer of help, good manners and an interest in me as a customer. I am not a demanding customer. I will never go back to Space NK. Will stick to Mac and Bobbi Brown.

[Pinkfrocks]

They don't need to sack all their staff but they could invest in a) more staff training on customer service b) choose their staff more carefully and c) appoint managers who are able to motivate staff and maintain a high level of customer service.

Retail is poorly paid and for many people a stop-gap job - unless you are in a big store like JL where there are promotion prospects.

I've done it- as a student- and it's boring most of the time, but then so are zillions of jobs.

As a sales asst you are being paid to do more than take money and pop it in the till. You are expected to make people feel welcome.

I'm a pretty confident person but even I have felt slightly uneasy going into a WE (London) branch because I have felt the young assts were watching me and making a judgement about my clothes, make up etc.

The shop layouts are also not entirely conducive to browsing. The one in Marylebone High St has all the make up at the back- very dark- so you have to walk past the assts to get to it and I didn't feel comfortable just browsing and sampling. The feeling was you had to be 'attended to' then buy.

[Karbea]

Oh I hate the one in marylebone high st, I've been in there before and asked if they had something, I was told it was discontinued, they tried to sell me something else, I knew it wasn't discontinued so trotted off to selfridges and got it there.

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

Absolutely back up the Newcastle store. They are not projecting , just rude.

[Emo76]

What do you guys say if you just want to browse? I say "just having a browse thanks" or of harassed multiple times "I am not shoplifting".

FWIW I have had very good service at the Clapham NK.

[LadySybilLikesCake]

I worked in retail. What you do is make eye contact with the customer, smile and say 'Hello'. Let them walk around for a couple of minutes, and if they look unsure you ask them if they need any help. It's not difficult, but you need to be attentive which is difficult to do if you're talking to your colleague. Whether it's a stop gap or not, you do your best or there's no point being there in the first place. You treat all customers with curtosy as all deserve respect and time (you are being paid for both), and you can't tell which one will spend a little and which will spend a lot. Even the customer who spends a little will remember good customer service, so will come back for life. Likewise, a bad experience will put them off for life, and will end up on social media

[HowAboutNo]

I really hope they act on this thread. Bad customer service really irritates me, especially when it comes to cosmetics and such. I want just a little something to spruce me up (read: ANYTHING) and all they have to do is tell me what I want and sell it to me! Even that is too hard for some.

[Onedropoflove]

I was in John Lewis yesterday. The staff on the Bobbi Briwn counter were fabulous. They were very young and cheerful. I bought a couple of bits with no pressure. Whoever said about getting abused etc I'm not convinced this would happen much in a make up shop. Even if it does , you move on, put a smile on your face. I work for the nhs and have to make the effort with each patient. People react differently is they are greeted with a smile.

[MsAstronaut]

Agree with OP, the one in Edinburgh is similar. They come across as snooty and I always feel I'm somehow not really supposed to be in there, even though I'm a professional 40-something with money to spend which you would think would be a good target market for what they're selling. And they don't often have what I want. It's OK for a mooch around if you have a spare 10 mins, but if you want a particular thing, they often can't help.

I got what I can only describe as a shitty look for asking if they had any nail polish. Sorry, but I like nail polish and I thought you might have some posh brands for me to ogle and perhaps buy! I'll get my coat.

For actually stocking up on lovely stuff and feeling pampered by nice assistants, John Lewis is a far better experience and even plain old Boots.

[thesaurusgirl]

My biggest bugbear with Space NK is that nothing they sell actually lives up to expectations.

Agree with the very hit and miss customer service - strange how all of us are "projecting" now, isn't it ?

[slug]

I think it's very dependant on the individual shop. I work near two branches (London). The Tottenham Court Road branch routinely ignores me or gets very pushy when I show any interest in something specific. The Bloomsbury branch usually ask within a few minutes if I'm after anything specific or if I just want to be left alone to browse. They will cheerfully try 5 foundations and 15 lipsticks on me with no pressure to buy. The upshot of which is I buy from them rather than the other branch.

All it takes is good recruitment and good training and basic politeness.

[polyhymnia]

Glad to hear of someone else with positive experiences at the Bloomsbury branch.

Everything I've bought there has lived up to expectations to be fair, because I only buy brands I know I'll like - By Terry, Chantecaille, Becca, Laura Mercier - and also, with any new product or shade, I never buy on impulse but try it out first - usually twice - and look at it in various lights etc before committing to buying it. The Space NKs I go to (mainly Richmond and Bloomsbury) are always fine about that.