Does anyone find points 2 and 3 ironic?

I would most often fall under Option 3 being the most annoying to me.

@statnut:
You have a good point...It's a matter of finding a balance. You don't want the SA to continually pester and hound you, but you don't want them to disappear completely.

My fiance and I went to register at Sears since they had some tools we wanted. We spent 30 minutes trying to get an associate to track down a manager to get us one of the scan guns. You'd think they would want to help us since we are going to be sending people their way to spend money! Each person we talked to acted like we were totally ruining their day by asking for assistance.

We went to JCPenney afterwards for household stuff and they bent over backwards for us and gave us lots of wedding planning freebies.

@statnut: I hate both situations. I want to be able to find a salesperson, but not have them annoy me with their constant presence. It's more sad than ironic, really, that it seems like, as a customer, you're always stuck with one extreme.

And good lord, for me it's #4 & #5. When I worked retail for several years in college, we weren't even allowed to talk to each other behind the registers because our job was to make sure the line moved and the customers were happy. Now it's like I'm lucky to find a store in which 9/10s of the cashiers aren't on their cellphones or talking about their boyfriend/girlfriend problems or how hungover they are instead of paying attention to the freaking customers. I know how hard it sucks to be a minimum wage slave, but I have no end of anger towards clerks who do this.

@Toof_75_75: Absolutely. It's just sort of funny to see them sitting side by side.

@statnut: No, because salespeople should be able to read my mind and my ever-changing mood to determine whether I want them to be very helpful or completely ignore me that day.

5. SA insensitive to long check-out lines 27

This really bugs me. Whether it's at a supermarket that only has 2 or 3 registers open and long lines at each station, or at department stores where staff is magically absent from all register stands except for one. And of course, none of the staff that is actually manning the registers is moving with any sense of urgency.

I long for the day where every store has a self-checkout option.

Points 4 and 7 are the worst for me. While the Wal-Mart I worked at wasn't that bad when it came to these things, every out-of-state Wal-Mart I've been to has prompted letters to the President regarding their abysmal customer service.

@statnut: True, but you never get what you want when you want it. When you need someone, there's no one around. And when you don't need someone, there's someone breathing down your neck!

I have no need for sales people. If I step into your store I already know what I want. Just leave me alone.

I understand the difference in 2 and 3. You want to rep to approach you, but leave you alone if you say you're just browsing. I agree, #3 can be the most annoying, I've already not entered stores because I've seen the reps hounding people.

I'm a poor student and look the part, but when I go out to make a big purchase I'm usually spending top dollar. If I'm ignored by all the reps odds are I'll be taking my money elsewhere. I kind of use it as a test to if I'll be visiting the store again.

@statnut:

#1, #2, and #3 are all in conflict. It's dumb. People all want the SA's to just magically intuit how much attention they want or need.

The companies cant really help it. The don't care if their staff is educated because they just want them cheap. They get what they pay for

#5, wait and wait and wait, on top of the waiting for each transaction you notice that they are offering each customer x% off to apply for their credit card which adds to each transaction, then they offer the customer to join their rewards club, again causing more waiting while the customer fills out a form or the cashier types in their info, then on top of it, how about some magazine subscriptions(BB did this years ago around the holidays).

Receipt checking.

From the article:

Shoppers from 18 to 29 years-old reported the highest rate of problems, 68 percent. At the other end, shoppers over 65 years-old reported problems in just 41 percent of cases.

Based on stereotype (bewildered, cranky septuagenarians seeking ink refills for their mimeograph machine at Big Scary Best Buy), I thought this would have been the exact reverse.

Which may mean that 18-29 year olds simply have no idea what they want when they shop, or they're ignorant, or whiny, or that they have no money... thus SAs who are also 18-29 tend to ignore them?

My biggest peeve is when the employee (cashiers, particularly) couldn't seem to care less that you're standing there in front of them. I can't count how many times I've gone into a store and the cashier didn't even say hello to me. Department stores seem to be the worst at this; I've had cashiers hold entire conversations with the other cashier behind the counter and not even LOOK at me or say a SINGLE WORD to me, not even a "hello" or "your total is $xxx" or "thank you" or anything. It was like I was a complete non-entity. I don't want or need to be treated like royalty when I go into a store, but I would like slightly more attention and consideration than, say, the wastepaper basket.

I was recently in a PathMark supermarket picking up basics. I went to the express lane since I had only three items. The cashier said NOTHING to me, never looked up at me or anything. I could have had a fresh roasted turkey balanced on my head and she wouldn't have noticed. What occupied her attention? She was on her cell phone with one person (via a hands-free device) AND she was text messaging with another. I pointed her out to the manager as I was leaving and made sure he know that I would be shopping elsewhere from that point on.

top 5 reasons why companies don't give a shit about your whining little survey...

5. you keep going back for more, regardless of how annoyed you get.

4. "we take this matter very serious."

3. sales people are like totally immune to bitchery, as long as they bring in numbers.

2. if they were beating your mother with a stick, blew up your dog, face-fucked your grandmother, and gave you a free body cavity search/receipt check at the door, you'd still go back for more.

1. you are a consuming slave.

The smart business owners will figure out that people want service from brick and mortar stores. If people are not going to get service, they will continue to shop the internet, where they can get more information and a lower price. The dumb business owners will blame the internet for losing sales. Something I have been saying for a long time, now I have some research to support my opinion.

i would like to see this kind of survey done from the opposite perspective. what are retail employees biggest complaints from customers. i spent a lot of time working in retail and know from experience that retail employees often get the shaft from both our employers and customers.
as far as #5 goes often the people you have contact with have no control over how many lines are open and wish they would stop getting yelled at for something they can't do anything about. and the # 2 + 3 problem: most stores have an information desk if you need help go there if you don't have fun shopping by your self (not that it's always staffed with the best and brightest (my #1 complaint as a retail employee was my useless coworkers who ended up making me work twice as hard))

#3 all the way. I'm an informed consumer, I don't need or want your help.

@winter_in_asia: It's not dumb. It's a survey. Some people want to be left alone; others want service to be there when they want it. So of course both show up in the survey. Not hard to grasp, really.

@statnut: No. SAs should be available, not pushy. There is certainly a middle ground. And they should get the hint when someone doesn't want to be helped.

In fact, what's *really* ironic is when BOTH #2 and #3 happen at the same store *during the same visit.* You figure that, when you're independently browsing, and an SA is pestering you, when you later actually need someone, they'll be easy to find. But no, suddenly they've all disappeared or busy helping some hapless newbie.

My retail pet peeves:
# Treating me like an idiot
# Treating me like a likely criminal
# Getting me the wrong item out of the "back" (Fry's, I'm looking at you here)

My biggest complaint (especially at Walmart)

30 checkout isles. 3 staff. Wtf. No wonder the lines are a mile long.

my SO has been remodeling his home, and as such has been spending beaucoup bucks at Home Improvement stores.

Home Depot (and this is a trend I've noticed from shopping there before)leaves all the checkout lanes closed except for the self-checkout lanes, and the 1 person manning them. This leaves that 1 cashier to deal with 4 registers plus her own if something should go wrong.

Meanwhile at Lowes, we had to ask a cashier to page someone for the lumber department, then that person had to go find someone who could operate the forklift, then that person had to find a spotter. The original person had to go find the stanchions to close the aisle down while the second guy had to go find the forklift and drive it down. This is all to get 2 sheets of drywall because there were only 4 sheets down to begin with and they were all damaged.

@royal72: Companies don't care about these little surveys because they all do the same things. The service sucks at both Best Buy and Circuit City, so where else are you going to go if you want it now? There's no competition to make service standards improve. It's the status quo that's fucked.

One thing I noticed is that they don't have my biggest complaint- SA who don't know their products. I come to most stores with a certain amount of knowledge about the product I'm considering buying. I've done a little homework but am not an expert or I would have walked up and said, "I'd like X please." But often I find I know more than the SA does about the products I'm considering. I don't think SA's can have perfect knowledge of all products, but shouldn't they know more than the basics of the department they're in? This especially applies at places like Home Depot, Best Buy, Staples, etc.

I was a CSA for Lowe's for quite a while. We were always pushed for good customer service, and our management did actually take complaints seriously. I know how bad it is to be annoyed by SA's in other stores, so I tried to be as helpful to customers as I could while at the same time not annoying them. Some people just can't be satisfied though. I rarely used the "this is not my department" excuse, and when it wasn't and I didn't know the answer, I always found someone else that could help them. As for long lines, everyone that works at Lowe's is required to know how to run a register. That way if the cashiers get long lines, anyone available can jump on a register for a short while and help out. I did that quite a bit.

Of course I think it all has to do with the area you live in. Here in Rapid City, SD people tend to be a little nicer to deal with. That doesn't hold true for a lot of places I've been.

You know, bad service is annoying (especially the SA who refuses to interrupt a conversation to help me), but my primary reason for not going back to a store after shopping there once is just that they don't have what I'm looking for at a price I want to pay.

In a place like Costco, where I like to shop, on-floor staffing is minimal, but they have the place stocked with things I want to buy at a price I want to pay, and everything's organized in a sensible, easy-to-read way so I can find it. I'm sure it takes a lot of work behind the scenes to make things that way, but that works just as well as (under)paying a bunch of surly teenager to cover for your poor ordering or stocking practices.

Former Sales Associate/Call Center Sales Rep

1) "Customer Service" Sales Associates, Call Center People, (having done all 3 are trying to survive on little pay, little or no respect on the job by ignorant managers, and usually follow mandated scripted behavior to get thru their day. At retailers SAs are scheduled with little advance (sometimes less than 7 days in advance) notification which of course includes Saturdays and Sundays (for me 3 weekends out of 4= 1 weekend off).

2) Because of #1 there is little motivation to provide any customer service over and beyond the required script. This boils down to $8/Hour or less and 3 out of 4 weekends/month often Saturday nights and Sunday football time, etc. while the uncaring Corporation rakes in big profits and some ignorant "manager" who is also overworked and underpaid just a little more than you keeps you on script. He/she is also responsible for telling you on Thursday night before that you have to come in the next whole weekend including Saturday night. Don't like it tough get another job.

3) Because of #1 and 2 the only people working as SA or customer service are young and healthy kids who can't wait ( and often don't) to move on to a real job, or another SA job in another crap hole because they are stuck and pissed off at the world in a dead end. The other group are recent immigrants and older folks who can't get hired in real jobs because of their profile (over 40 or foreign looking/sounding, no track record outside the 3rd worrld). Customer Service SAs are a necessary evil of the corporations because someone has to flip the burgers, sell the trinkets, cell phones, sweaters etc. It's all about the product, overhead and profits. SAs are part of overhead and unimportant. Customers are obstacles to the down time when the pain subsides momentarily.

That's why you are treated like crap, an annoyance or a threat. There is no corporate culture that rewards service only sales profit. Your reward is the absence of getting yelled out and/or fired for $8/hour and 3 out of 4 weekends and short notice scheduling.

Is it any wonder you, the customer, can get even OK service at times ? There is no real training about "customer service" outside of some smiling fool actor in a "training" film when you start. The actor/Sales Associate is usually Biff or Betty from the Soap Operas who could never possibly be your local SA !

The above is the road to "customer service" in a nut shell. Been there done that. The "job" sucks. Some customers who make us work outside the script (the absence of pain) suck too. "Your call, complaint is very important to us" which means it is absolutely of no importance to us. Is it dinner break time yet ?

#2 Could not find anyone when I needed help.

When I go to a department store like Macy's, Bloomingdales, etc...etc...and I'm not assisted...I purposely make sure I leave the department I found it in and pay for it / buy it at another counter.

On more than one occasion I've had clerks tell me, I'm sorry you have to take this back to the other department...I politely say...

"No I don't, and here's why....No one would help me in that department...so they're not getting the commission...You are...If you don't want the commission...I'm sure your manager does...why don't we call him."

After that they ring me up immediately ....without fail.

I'm surprised this didn't show up on the top 10 list (though it could fall under #3): up-sales. NOTHING irritates me more (Best Buy Monster cable hawkers, I'm looking at you) about the retail experience than the constant up-sell attendant to nearly every purchase I make. Accessories, product protection, etc. have been the major factor in my avoidance of retail outlets when an online alternative is available. I can handle the couple of extra clicks I have to make on Amazon.

I want a supermarket cashier that is going to lay the smack down on people who have too many items in the express lane. The other day I was stuck behind two dudes that each had a half-filled carriage. They were clearly shopping together and thought they'd be clever by breaking up their purchases, but even divided in half it was over the limit.

Why do they even have the express lane if they let everyone through?

I hate slow checkers that take 10 seconds per item to scann and bag.
I love stores that have plenty of self checkout.
I hate when companys have slaes but the starting day of the sale they are out of stock and only had one of the sale item to begin with.
Not to mention company names (Best Buy)
But I find it retarded to have a sale and only have one of the sale item on stock.
Great managment :)

@ImpossibleCheeseburgerPie: I agree, some people thing that the express lane rules apply to everyone else but themselves. Then I think maybe they cant help it because they cannot count past their 10 digits.
You cant be too hard and the mentally challenged.

1. SA had 'that's not my department' attitude 32

This one gets me more than anything else. Very rarely do I need assistance, unless the item is over-sized, or only available through the SA.

"The whole store is your department, since the store is who gives you a paycheque. If you don't work that department, find me someone who does." is how I deal with 'that's not my department.'

Here's one that peeves me that wasn't quite on the list so I couldn't vote for it: you walk into a fast food place to order, wait in line, and the clerks don't ever make eye contact with you while you wait. It's like they don't give a shit that you are standing there waiting to give them money and they can't focus on anything not 1 foot from their faces.

As I'm hard of hearing and place a huge value on face-to-face contact (it lets me know that someone wants to communicate with me in a way that hearing people don't value as much), I feel very turned off by workers who can't take the time to look up and at least nod and acknowledge that I'm there.

Seriously. It takes next to no effort and makes customers feel like they're dealing with real humans. Take the moment to make eye contact.

@ImpossibleCheeseburgerPie:
How about an express check-out that is its namesake. When I foodshop, I don't use the express. Even if I have 2 items, usually it's quicker in the regular checkout.

They've just described shopping in L.A..

@h0serdude: We went to Sears this weekend to buy a table saw. Lucky us, it was on sale! But it took 20 minutes to find "Bob" the only guy working in that department. And that saw was out of stock. Oh, and they can't order it. And it's not available on the website. So they have on display, a sale item that they cannot sell. My own fault for going to Sears.

@DeeJayQueue: We have a local Ace Hardware that has become our FAVORITE place to shop for home improvement stuff. Unless you need something huge (see above table saw), the SAs are friendly, helpful and polite. The cashiers say hello as you walk it, they'll carry heavy things out to your car and the price is comparable to the bigger stores. I actually go there to buy anything they happen to sell (birdseed, cat food, Windex) just because it is so much nicer than Walmart, et al.

I work in sales and I hate having to re-approach customers who tell me theyre just looking. The thing is though, it's company policy that I have to reapproach them.

"Hi, how are you today?" "Oh, Im good but Im just looking around" "Oh ok, thats no problem...(say a bunch of crap about promotions and sales)...I'll be back later to check on you".

Seriously, it's really frustrating and I rarely do it cuz its just stupid. Apparently to the big head office, "just looking" is a lie that customers tell you and you have to find out what theyre "looking for".

This list should be renamed the "Sears Top 10"

Re: #5, I've gotten into the habit of snagging passing employees and asking them to open checkout lanes when there are lines. More than half the time, they do, and often usher me into the new checkout lane.

Admittedly, this is something that usually only applies in grocery stores. But if you're polite, and you luck into snagging someone wearing a tie (manager!), a polite request often gets the job done.

I'm not sure I get the griping about sale merchandise being out of stock. Aren't a lot of sales about getting rid of existing stock?

As far as cashier shortages, as a former retail slave nothing pisses me off more than cashiers blowing off a line or screwing around. HOWEVER, in a lot of stores, not all floor staff are trained/allowed to work the registers. If you find a store is consistently understaffed, complain to management, not to the staff. Believe me, they're not too thrilled about it either.

@Veritech_Ace: I share your surprise.

@dualityshift: But you know they're getting "Not my department" from their managers, right? Because the second they leave to find someone another customer shows up wondering where the person who's supposed to be there went. I'm betting they get hassled for not staying put.

@redhand32:
Thank you so much for that. Most customers don't really get how hard working in retail is. You are the person the customers sees and most of the time, you are held accountable for moronic management decisions. The pay isn't great and it's worse when you know higher ups who do absolutely nothing are getting paid almost twice what you are.

Re your #2: very true. I hate it when customers ask, often out of sheer ignorance, why you work every weekend. Believe me, I would love an entire weekend off so I could have a mini vacation, but that simply isn't going to happen. That's the only reason I'm working Easter Sunday, so I have some leverage to get a full weekend off sometime this summer.

Scheduling is another irritating part of working retail. You cannot make plans more than a week ahead because you never know if you'll have to work that day. Also, where I work, the unofficial policy is that you are scheduled every other Sunday. That policy only applies to certain people - i.e. the older employees. The younger employees are expected to work multiple Sundays in a row. One co-worker tried to get off yesterday, but the two older women she asked refused to give up their Sundays and a chance to pick up more hours.

"5. SA insensitive to long check-out lines"

Insensitive is the wrong word here. The cashier can be very sympathetic for a long wait, but it doesn't make it any faster for me to leave the store.

If I have to wait longer than about 10 minutes, I often decide I don't actually need whatever crap I was trying to buy and walk out.

@statnut: #3 is a subset of #9.

@redhand32:
God bless you. I have to say though, I never made that much working retail! I tried to be nice and helpful to customers, but seriously, $5.50 an hour was not enough for what those jobs entailed. We all get irritated sometimes when we get poor service, but I try to remember being told to clean the heavy-traffic stairs with off-brand paper towels and Windex, and I magically feel more sympathetic.

If you must complain, complain to corporate headquarters about the thick blanket of despair hanging over their store. Complaining about specific employees just makes their lives more miserable, headquarters and managers more evil, and the service more terrible.