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Re: Message for Electronics Retailers: Customer Service Sells
Posted by: Jayne O'Donnell 2008-08-04 08:24:54
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Three of the TVs are dark in Wal-Mart's electronics department, where the only two clerks in sight stock a shelf and disappear. At a nearby Target, the digital camera desk is unmanned, and there's no staff roaming electronics. In Circuit City, a clerk concedes it's his first day on the job and first week in the country. But over at Best Buy, three clerks staff the "Geek Squad" counter, and another hovers nearby, poised for questions, which he handles with ease.
Yes, they got rid of their good people, and replaced them with youngsters, often high school kids. Sure, some are very capable people, but there is nothing like years of experience to learn what a business is really about.
And there is another part of the rot that wasn't pointed out. They go through employees like crazy. At times it seems like the half life of an employee at circuit city is 3 months. You name it, they are always looking to write up people, finding ways not to give them a raise, sweating them for the failures of the upper management. And the kids just use working there as a stepping stone to something better, or to buy gas and pay for their next date. A career - it is NOT.
So as the old saying goes, and it fits perfectly in this case for CC, they get what they pay for.
And the constant turmoil of 'run this way, run that way' type of management results in people further not knowing what is going on.
And when you irritate a customer, it just causes them to find alternate places to shop, be it BB, the Web, or the mid and big box stores. And it is going to be a long time before you get another shot at those customers, other then by cutting prices ridiculously low. Lousy way to make an honest profit, isn't it? No wonder the stock is at $1.78, down from $30 about 2 yrs ago, and BB at $45. And Schoonover is still CEO?
And there is another part of the rot that wasn't pointed out. They go through employees like crazy. At times it seems like the half life of an employee at circuit city is 3 months. You name it, they are always looking to write up people, finding ways not to give them a raise, sweating them for the failures of the upper management. And the kids just use working there as a stepping stone to something better, or to buy gas and pay for their next date. A career - it is NOT.
So as the old saying goes, and it fits perfectly in this case for CC, they get what they pay for.
And the constant turmoil of 'run this way, run that way' type of management results in people further not knowing what is going on.
And when you irritate a customer, it just causes them to find alternate places to shop, be it BB, the Web, or the mid and big box stores. And it is going to be a long time before you get another shot at those customers, other then by cutting prices ridiculously low. Lousy way to make an honest profit, isn't it? No wonder the stock is at $1.78, down from $30 about 2 yrs ago, and BB at $45. And Schoonover is still CEO?
