Service with a shrug©

Perhaps it’s my Midwestern upbringing…or my years of retail service…that lead me to the brink of exasperation lately.

When did it become acceptable to just bark numbers and instructions at people?

When did it become acceptable for that to be acceptable?

When did it become acceptable to respond to a “thank you” with “no problem?”

I suppose it’s too much to ask that people don’t wear their pajamas to the market. And – I’m sure my father’s lament about “dungarees” on Michigan Avenue is somewhat anachronistic. But – when even basic courtesies fall by the wayside – we’re in trouble.

Over the years I’ve peddled goods and food at retailers and restaurants including:
-a Kimball organ store (Yep – I played the organ in the center court of Springfield’s While Folks Mall)
-McDonald’s
-Target
-Ardan’s (a sort of Service Merchandise knock-off)
-Le Bistro Café (OY – don’t ask about “Le Café Café”)
-Younkers (Iowa’s department store)
-Things, Things, Things (a true Iowa City original and one of the coolest mini-department stores I’ve ever encountered)
-Charmers Market (one of the best gourmet shops I’ve ever seen)
-Von Maur (a small delusional department store company)
-Neiman-Marcus
-Marshall Field’s
-The Sock Market (a debacle best undiscussed)
-Williams-Sonoma
-Barneys New York
I’ve mostly given good, informed service. I’ve always worked hard.

SO – I am taken aback when placing a drive-thru order and all that’s barked at me is a number. “One Fifty.” Is the young person on the other side of the talking box guessing my weight? Alas…she’s way off! Is that the total of my purchase? Is it that late already? How much harder would it be to say “Your total is one-fifty, please pull around?”

What’s most troubling is that the fast food service standard is permeating upward. Not that one expects stellar service at mid-level restaurants or stores – but when cashiers at Target are conversing with each other rather than greeting customers – it’s time to rethink.

I am a HUGE Target fan. Their come from is entirely different from the filthy mess that is most K-Mart stores and the maddening monster that is Wal-Mart. I expect no service at the latter two – but – I do at Target.

Target came from department store roots. Dayton’s (Minneapolis’ flagship retailer) has sadly been gobbled up by Federated and been Macy’d. Dayton’s – which when Target really got wings - was dumped along with Hudson’s and Marshall Field’s by the Dayton-Hudson Corporation – now Target Corp. - was a fine retailer. Along they way they decided to delve into a lower-price strategy. Target was the result. But – it was created with a department store mentality and philosophy – which is still evident today. Laura Rowley – in her energetic book On Target tells more about this stellar player in the retail world.

What sets them apart, like Whole Foods Market [though they'd better keep an eye on customer service as the grow so large] and The Container Store – is that though you may be shopping for essentials – you still end up spending more time there. It’s pleasant. Conventional grocer Publix is on this track. Conventional grocer Kroger, however, is not.

But what really sets anyone selling anything apart is service. Period. Anyone can sell groovy goods in a pleasant environment. Unless the service is up to snuff, will people return? I don’t know.

I do know that it seems lately when you encounter good service it comes as a tremendous shock. We’ve become so accustomed to the barking and disinterested indifference (alas – even our local IKEA suffers from this service malaise in most areas) that when someone is polite or even a little professional it’s jarring.

Which is why I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by a couple of experiences of late. One – that with a little thought – makes sense. One that’s a real surprise. I’d forgotten the superb service standards that the American monolith (no, not Wal-Mart – the other one) has when I pulled up to a local [newly remodeled] McDonalds to get a Diet Coke. The “please” and “thank you” responses were like a symphony to my weary ears! So – despite Supersize Me – I will be returning for a beverage now and then and even try their upcoming coffee drinks - AND perhaps a nice salad now and then... AND... can't beat their fries!! The wild surprise was at my local Taco Bell – at the corner of Ponce and Crack – which is indeed whack! What a delightful experience at their drive-thru (yes…I do eat fast food – it’s really handy when you’re just starting a new business and a little cash-poor). The pleasant welcome... The informative recap… The invitation to pull around... I was in customer heaven. Cheers to this particular location for getting it right.

So as we work on our business plans, marketing strategies and all that – remember – it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. Well – you get the idea. Slick packaging and hot store design don’t add up without service. Spend the time and energy to hire service-oriented people and train them. Train them. Train them!