The Setting
I cannot count the number of times that I have shopped in a store and noticed something that would really improve customer satisfaction. Often, I find myself going to opposite ends of a store for things that naturally go together. I was landscaping the yard a while ago and needed some pieces of rebar to hold the landscaping timbers in place. The timbers were on one end of the store and the rebar on the far opposite end so when I did my trek and was checking out, I mentioned to the clerk that she/he might suggest keeping some at both ends of the store. Now, I have done this several times and each time, I either get a nod or a comment that it is a good idea but nothing ever changes. I have done this many times about many different products but to this day, nothing has ever been changed.
Who is the stupid one?
Okay, the question here is who is the stupid one? Let’s go through the possibilities. First, the store clerk most likely has no vested interest in the future of the store and is only working there as a means to pay the bills while looking for something better i.e. less effort for more money, so why should he/she give a rat’s ass where things are located? Really, they will get paid the same regardless of how much I must walk the aisles or spend an extra half hour trying to find something that is illogically located (crackers always get me…it’s a bread product, right, so why is it halfway across the store from the bread?). So rather than actually take an active interest in something that takes 8 or more hours of each day, they just plod forward, thinking about what the plans for the night will be. I must say that occasionally, I find someone who really gives a shit and when I do, I make it a point to add a compliment (It’s so fucking rare that I can afford the time. Ha!Okay, let’s assume the clerk did make the suggestion and gave the rationale for it. Who else could be the culprit? The “manager” and that is in quotes because I seriously doubt that the majority of those with that title have any clue what it means or how to do it. I recall one store that I seldom frequent because the manager is an idiot. I honestly believe that I could go into that store, lay down on the floor in an aisle as if I was injured or dead, and it would take an hour or so for someone to stop and check. The sales people avoid eye contact and God forbid that they should ask if a customer needs help finding something. Yes, that is the fault of the sales staff but who is supposed to be managing them? The fucking manager!! In this particular store, I have noticed him sitting on his fat ass in his office, not just for a few minutes but the whole time I was in the store. Get off your ass and check what’s happening in your store, dumbass!! So, back to the main theme here. The manager didn’t really pay attention to the clerk’s suggestion because he/she either doesn’t know how to manage or again, does not want to possibly add any extra work to the day.So, there are two possible candidates for the “stupid” award but there is one more, maybe not so obvious, but definitely a candidate. Me! Yes, I said it. You may be wondering how that can be since I was the one to make the suggestion but think about it for a minute. Didn’t I say that I had done this numerous times with no success? If I want to find the dumbass here, all I need to do is look in the mirror! Will I ever learn or continue to piss in the wind?? How stupid of me to think that businesses really give a shit about these things! Oh, yes, maybe a few do and by the way, those are not always the ones that make the most money but they are the ones that people like the most. The rest of them are only tolerated.
The New Economy
This is the state of the new economy whether we like it or not. So I will from this point forward stop wasting my breath trying to improve a business that is designed not to give a flying fuck about anything but profit. How did this happen? Well, that’s for a future post.