RETAIL and RETAILERS

 

More and more stores are closing.  Shopping areas have more and more vacant stores.  In the case of San Francisco, your crime and homeless problems have gotten out of control.  This rant is for another post.

Retailers... you actually are a big reason for the decline.

Let me explain.

Many years ago, going to the store was a treat.  Not only to buy something you need, but to have an experience.  You wander by a store and look at the display outside to tempt you to buy the item or to come inside.

Once inside, you were greeted and looked at all the goods and displays.  If you had a question, a sales person would take care of answering the questions and perhaps even help you with the shopping.  When you finally make the purchase, you handed over the cash and the cashier or sales person would thank you for your patronage.

Fast forward to now.

Retailers.  You hired the least expensive person you could find.  They could care less if they sold dog food or an expensive item.  You treated your salesperson as a body and not as a sales professional.  If they knew something about the items you were selling... a plus but not necessary.

You did away with merchandising.  No window displays and merchandising became a profit center by having your supplier pay for prime spots in the store.  So you ended up with just stacking product all over the place.

When it comes to pay, you are treated as though you are bothering the under paid cashier.

Needless to say, the experience is awful.

I write this today because I'm about ready to go to my local UPS store to pick up another item I bought at Amazon.  Looking at my purchase history, I am surprised at how much I bought.  All those items I would have bought at a retail location.

Because of the awful service, low or no inventory, little to know help, treated as though they could care less if I come or go, I no longer go to the store.  I WANT TO GO TO THE STORE.  I like seeing, touching or even playing with the item before I make a purchase, but the experience is so bad that I now pass on going to a store.  

So retailers... like the City and County of San Francisco.... GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER.