Thursday, May 14, 2009

"Are you finding everything ok?"












Does anyone else get irritated when you walk into a mall store and are greeted with this line? It's like nails on a chalkboard to me- it makes me want to turn around and walk out of the store.
It seems that mall workers are scripted with only 3 lines:

"Are you finding everything ok?"

and

"My name is so and so- let me know if I can help" (the fake offer)

and

"Do you want the receipt in the bag or with you?"

As I was trying on jeans at the mall yesterday (trying to spend my Express bucks before they expired) I came up with -off the top of my head - two lines that if I were a store manager I would train my staff to say:

-Welcome to Express (or whatever store) short and simple so that customers know that they have been achknowledged and that there is help available if needed

-Are you just scoping things out today or can I help you find anything in particular? this gives a customer an 'out' so that they don't have to answer the "are you finding everything ok" question. can't sales people recognize that a lot of the time we don't know what we're looking for in the first place? how are we supposed to know if we're finding everything ok if we don't know what we're looking for in the first place?

4 comments:

Julie Barnes said...

Hilarious! I agree!! Most of the time shoppers are just browsing (sp) and if they run into something they like, then they buy it. Well that is how I shop anyway. Good idea with the new lingo.

Linsey said...

I completely agree! There's got to be a way for sales associates to acknowledge you without being flat out annoying and unhelpful!

Joyce said...

I get what you mean but I got the inside scoop for ya. When the employees great you its their way of "secretly" saying, " I see you, I'm watching you, dont steal from me!" Plus secret shoppers listen for those specific lines. Sales associates just aren't paid enough to really want to help the customer. Just enough to ask to help...but then not help=)

Kyle and Amanda said...

Now it all makes sense. I haven't had it too bad in the clothing stores- it's the furniture stores that drive me up the wall. Don't they know the concept of- we are just looking? And do they think we are dumb enough not to know that if we did actually need help we would know where to find it in the mob that greets you right when you walk through the front door? What a pain