Very poor customer service

Hi redbarb319-

Welcome to MySears!  Thank you so much for the post.  Sears is interested in hearing this kind of feedback so they can have the opportunity to improve where necessary.  I do hope you will give your local Sears store another chance.   

Thanks, again!

The policy in our store is if someone walks by say hi, or say can I help you, our store manager says if he gets any compliants he better get complaints because you are annoying the customer to much, rather than a customer coming to him saying no one helped him.

I had a lady buy a 50" panasonic from be this weekend simply because she had been to 4 different stores, (walmart, best buy, target, American TV) and I was the first person all day who walked up to her and asked if she had any questions about anything.

Too bad they don't hire grown ups and give them a real salary.

madeinamercia said…

Too bad they don't hire grown ups and give them a real salary.

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hay is a growed up.

im just locked in the back room away from the customers

If you study body language you can usually tell whether a client is approachable or not, greet them anyway " ok have a nice day and go on with your business..

The younger folks havent learn this rule and you are absolutely correct.

what can you expect for the part-time per hour wage they pay and all the extra  tasks they expect you to do  and that is why there is so much turnover in the stores nowadays and prior also.

Is Salinas still the Salad Bowl Capital of the World ??

Company policy is to greet all customers, no exceptions.

Even if an associate is busy, our duty is to at least acknowledge the customer's presence. If we are busy, we are to at least say "I'll be with you in a moment" or tag another associate.

I would consider filing a complaint with the store manager.

The associates in the store where I shopped always greet me. Even though too many are clueless, young people who don't know the products they are selling. I look for the people who have a little gray hair. I don't want to talk with the bubbly younger ones that are eager to please and will say anything to get me to buy.

I'm with you, I'd expect someone to approach me and offer to help. Is it possible that they were helping other customers? I'm not shy about going up to associates at any store and asking for help, but if I feel like I'm being ignored, I'd be really disappointed. If that happens to you again, would you mind approaching an associate and asking them how long of a wait it will be for him/her to help you? I like being direct that way.

WEll even when we are helping other customers we are suppose to acknowledge and speak to all customers with a geniune not fake smile...All i can advise on this is for the customer to speak to the store coach thats the store manager. Not a assistant or dept lead but the main man in charge...If he is rude also then call 180088sears hotline and explain the problem im sure someone there can teach that store some customer service skills or replace them with more customer friendly associates.. And it is true we do have alot of kids working for sears but thats the down fall of all retail stores most positions are parttime and most grown adults wont work it because they need to work full time...hmmm yes im adult and yes I would love to work fulltime someday at sears so Im a exception to my kid theory and parttime position lol...And yes we do have alot of kids at the store and we do have playing and so forth going on  at times but as soon as our store coach gets the wind that so and so  was playing or talking or not in his area he then goes and takes control over his store. And its not  a pretty site when big daddy hears his associates werent helping customers.  Ive seen some walk out because he got on to them for not doing their job. And now its summer time we are short on help the store is gonna have alot of traffic due to schools being out and all i want the kid employees to play and take care of the customer i want to see a good show.  Sears is a good company for kids and first jobs they learn alot about being in the workforce and learn about job responsiblity.  I know in our store they are taught how to work and about policys and procedures. And our store manager does have patience with them if he knows they are trying but the ones he knows are just there for a check those are the ones he rides until they either straighten up or get mad and leave.. So remember when our young associates are assisting you remember they are young some have never worked and are learning...we all have been there before and remember how stressful working our first job was and how we tried to be adults but no matter how hard we tried we still were kids. So please give them a chance but if they are just plan rude then report them as soon as possible so big daddy of the store and get them back on track.

OK. Next time someone is on the store phone I WILL walk up and greet them.

If they loose their place in the automated phone system, on the other end of the phone, don't say they weren't promptly greeted.

We're supposed to be greeting Customers within 8 seconds of their arrival in our department, while answering the phone within 3 rings, ringing up the Customers in line, taking payments, doing stock checks, cleaning and britening the store.

But, it isn't hard to acknowledge our Customers - even if they're using the provided Customer phone or using the computer Kiosk.

I love it when a customer laughs about being greeted by all of the people in the department even if they are just looking.

I often let customers know I will be with then soon, or offer them to get help from another associate. I've even asked managers to give a lending hand if I'm the only one around.

Customer Service should always be a top!

Greeting Customers.

Maybe following them around.

Unlocking any display they need a product out of.

Personally carrying the product to the tool cash rep and ringing them up.

Mmm...

Wait a minute.

We already DO that.

Where was this Customer located?

Hopefully, not in the Home Improvement Department.

And, Associates "tagging" other associates for helping Customers is legendary at the store I work in.

I'm going to those associates' departments, on my break, to tag them for Customers they haven't spotted yet.

Tag...

You're it. Bye!

Did the Customer approach an occupied cash rep?

If you walk up to an empty register, who's going to greet you?

At the very least, they'll get acknowledged and a Sales Associate will be paged for Customer Service, since the Cashier is supposed to hang tight in the register area for other Customers who just need to buy something, or return something, or make a payment.

If an associate is NOT wearing their badge, they are not on duty yet, on a scheduled break, or just finished their shift and leaving the store.

Yeah most times I'm in stores nobody says Hi, but I think it's cause everytime a salesperson does talk to a customer the customer usally isn't interested in a pitch. So it usually goes like "Do you need help" and usually people will say "No, just shopping" so after awhile I think salespeople just give up, which is sort of sad since I'm sure there are some customers that do need help and don;t ask.

And... If the Associate is not FACING you, you might want to see if getting within their "field of vision" improves the greeting percentage.

Adam! There's a Customer needing help.

Where?

Behind the post/ around the corner...

What?

I agree!

It is VERY HARD to find hardly no one to help you at Home Despot...

:)

Actually, HDs Appliance department people are much different from their other people; they DO come over to you and say hello and offer help. They have their own business cards showing them as "Appliance specialist". I was very surprised at this. All other parts of the store, when an employees senses you approaching, they disappear around a corner. Its almost as if the have secret passage ways. got to yell "HELLO, EXCUSE me!" before they are gone in a flash.

I, myself, have really never been upset by the lack of employees or product knowledgement.

Those times are long gone. I realize it is very difficult for the older customer  who(m) really still needs at least the employee help. I know my Grandmother would go to Sears and one of the older employee's would get a chair for my Grandmother to set in while the employee would go and get the item my Grandmother was interested in.

I have relatives whom have worked all their work years at Sears in Chicago, Boston, and Tucson. Heck I remember when Sears was a good place to eat. I am 60 by the way.

The money just is not available to have training classes at Sears let alone send the employee to a seminar to learn of the store products. The inventory comes from all over the world now made by who knows who. This is life not only at Sears but seems to be life in general. 

Now as far as the age goes...in our town transportation is very poor. You either drive a car, take a cab with no guarantee on the time you will be picked up or dropped off, the city buses are the same way. For a bus now you must go so far to get on one and then no protection from weather or thugs. The bus itself does not lack in thug ridership though. The schedule is any where from every 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours between the stops. 

And, as far as the age goes I can get hired almost the same day I would fill out the ap. If I didn't care for what I was doing or was asked to come in by a certain time or something as simple as how to do the job I could walk out and go to the store next door and get hired. No respect is required or a law suit follows. Not learned in the home. Can't blame Sears there.

So, I may be just blowing wind, I really do feel bad for the company anymore. Not always the employee being shorted or miss treated.

That is life....I hear from the political end that this is all going to get better. Let's hope it does. I don't really like the thought of my grandchildren learning to live like this.