22 | March | 2016 | M'chelsMusings

March 22, 2016

What is it that keeps you as a return customer?

Is it a rewards system; punch card, or scannable card. Is it the website/email’s that send you personalized coupons. Is it the name itself? For example; Macy’s, Kohl’s, Brighton. Or is it the most basic thing; customer service? Having someone actually say hello to you when you enter the store, and cashiers that actually say Thank you when you check out.

I have a few rewards cards and will admit that they do have a limited draw on where I shop, but that’s not the reason. I do like Macy’s and Brighton. Kohl’s used to be a good store, and then something happened.

So, what is the draw for me? Customer Service! Wal-Mart and Meijer’s are well known for having door greeters, now the difference between the two is the enthusiasm of the door greeter. And as someone who once upon a time worked for Wal-Mart, I know that was the least favorite job. But the door greeter’s at Meijer’s always appear happy to see you, and they don’t seem to use a script. Even a few when you walk in are able to ask what you’re looking for and will direct you in that direction. NICE! 😀 Wal-Mart door greeters, in this town, tend to avoid eye contact and will NOT help you! “Go ask the customer service desk.”

Brighton, I walk in and not only get a “Hello, I’m happy to see you,” but we also get asked if we want coffee or water. Uh, yes. And then when they ring you up, they are still helping you out, with registering your product and ensuring that you know what that means. And then we get a genuine “Thank you!”

My issue with Kohl’s, I hate HATE being called, honey or hon, sweetie isn’t much better. And I have asked a store manager not to call me that when we were discussing a matter of importance. There had been a mixup and I was attempting to return a much higher priced item that I was charged the lower price for. Yep, honesty is really the best policy except for apparently Kohl’s! So after explaining what I was doing, and asking him -politely, to stop calling me honey which by the way was really aggravating hubs! The manager then switched to calling me Sweetie! UM HELLO! no that wasn’t any better! Patrick had had enough and we took the package and left the store. We actually drove to the nearest town with a Kohl’s and they too started with the hon, honey thing. But the difference was, someone else stepped up and treated us with respect. And we were able to keep the item even at the very discounted price! The moral of this story, it does pay, to be honest, and for the store-it pays to be respectful to your customers. That is the only Kohl’s I will step into.

And yes, I get a lot of crapola about my Starbuck’s addiction, but guess what? Again it’s the customer service! The Starbuck’s in this town is rude! And by that, I mean all the people that work there that I’ve interacted with are RUDE! I’ll drive to Gas City which is out of my way to get a cup of coffee! And yes, I know I pay more for that coffee, which is why the main reason I go there is for the Customer Service!!! The Gas City Starbuck’s is off the interstate so they don’t always have the most customers but the ones they do, we’re treated pretty well compared to the Marion location. Both Starbuck’s locations in Muncie are pretty good, however my main base is the one on Tillotson, why? Customer Service!

Do ya’ll see a pattern here? LOL 😉

Where I am treated with respect and acknowledged as being an important part of the chain, Seller, Consumer. Is where I shop! I have options now, and a few places recognize that important difference.
I’m not saying the customer is always right, trust me, as someone that has worked in retail as an associate, customer service rep, and department manager I know that’s not always true! Yep! And as such I avoid using that phrase!!! OI! However, on the other hand, those businesses that treat me and hubs with respect, we return to. And omg! We send other’s to their business!! YEP!! Take Note! Customer service gets you more customers/clientele which is your bottom line! So put a bit more effort into your customer service, and this applies to those that work there too if the company/store goes belly up, what could you have done differently to ensure it didn’t? As I said earlier, the door greeter gig was the least

As I said earlier, the door greeter gig was the least favorite of the job at Wal-Mart, but if you made it fun and interacted with people instead of standing there sounding like a robot, “Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello.” The time you had the gig flew by and customers noticed when it wasn’t you. Yep! I’ve been a goofball for forever and it would seem that is alright. I was asked to do that gig more often and after a bit instead of dreading it, I started to enjoy the time I was doing it.

The reason for this particular rambling… I was sent a few email’s that sent me to the company’s survey on how they did customer service wise, smart company!! I gave positive feedback. For nothing other than that they know that yes, I was satisfied with the service and the customer service I received. Now if they send me a coupon, I’m not going to complain. lol Also a lot of businesses have websites now and I do leave feedback, both positive and negative. I also leave my contact information to have someone get in touch with me. This happens more often than you think, and more so with the smaller businesses. 😉 See someone understands the relationship seller/buyer. 😉