A pioneer of the American department store model, Sears is closing locations in an effort to stop cash losses. Ok, this is nothing new…it’s been in the news since at least Christmas Day.
The other day a Facebook link to YouTube caught my eye. The video is by sales-training expert Grant Cardone, and in it Cardone explains why he believes Sears is failing.
If you don’t care to watch all nearly eight minutes of the video, here’s a quick summary: Cardone visits an LA-area Sears store with camera crew in tow. He loudly comments on how nobody greets him, often making comments like, “Can I get a little help here?” and just being a typical, needy retail customer who doesn’t understand that retailers have skeleton crews. A store like Sears is mostly self service.
Cardone receives less than willing, knowledgeable help as salespeople are immediately put off by the cameras. Finally, he is escorted out of the store, where, now standing in the parking lot, he proclaims he has unearthed exactly what is wrong with Sears.
As someone who worked for a retailer competitive to Sears, I don’t believe Cardone shares the whole story. What you see is the customer’s side, but I’d like to share a little from the employee side:
• Retail employees are tasked with merchandising, floor resets, fitting room recovery, etc. This is in addition to providing customer service.
• Some customers want to be greeted; some bite your head off with, “I’m just looking!” at the hint of a greeting.
• Needy customers don’t care that you have a million other things to juggle, they want help and they want it now. If you don’t have what they’re looking for, they believe it exists in a magical little land called “The Back”, which usually is nothing more than empty stockroom shelves.
• While trying to keep the store presentable, you have customers constantly trashing it. Retail is the only place I know of where we invite guests in, look the other way while they make a mess, and then the employees get hollered at when customers rank the store as “messy” on those stupid little end-of-receipt surveys.
• Credit card quotas are a must. It’s not enough to perform your everyday assignments to the best of your abilities. Never mind that credit is what got the U.S. economy in trouble…just meet your quota or expect to be berated, threatened with termination, etc.
• Backup cashiers needed? You best drop everything and run for the registers. And you’d better be able to pick up where you left off and have your tasks completed by the time you go home.
• Speaking of going home, no overtime allowed. This is both a blessing to some, and a curse to others. You better juggle taking all state-mandated breaks each day, too.
Now one disclaimer, the department store I worked for (I’ve posted it in other places on this blog, if you really need to know) has a slightly different business model than Sears. There are no power tools and lawn mowers. Salespeople are non-commission.
My point is that retail is a tough job. It’s like trying to bail water out of a sinking ship. It’s hard to ever feel a sense of accomplishment from. While I am glad for the time and project management, prioritization, leadership, and other invaluable skills I learned working as a retail supervisor, I am so glad my career took a markedly different turn in July of 2011. I am glad to no longer need to deal with annoying customers like Grant Cardone.
I thought this a fitting post as I start this new year and the first full year of my new career.
No comments:
Post a Comment