My Top 10 retail moments that can turn customers off
Each store visit is marked by a variety of interactions. Over time, I have noticed certain recurring behaviors that stand out. While most of these behaviors are well-intentioned, they sometimes miss the mark, potentially influencing a customer's decision to purchase or revisit. I've compiled a humorous top 10 list of retail interactions to shine a spotlight on common, yet impactful scenarios. Please take this in the spirit of good-natured reflection.
The Eager Beaver in the Changing Room: A customer barely steps into the changing room and the sales associate, popping in like a jack-in-the-box, asking “is everything alright in there?”
The Compliment Cannon by the Mirror: Here's the associate who skips the mirrors in the changing room and waits like a coiled spring to unleash a barrage of compliments the second a customer steps out. They're so ready with praise, you'd think they were auditioning for a role as a cheerleader!
The Style Psychic: This character can spot a customer's toe peeking out of the changing room and immediately knows exactly what compliments to shower them with. They're so fast, the customer doesn't even get a chance to look in the mirror. Talk about being proactive.
The Size Optimist: This character insists that everything fits perfectly, even when a customer is swimming in a garment. They have a magical eye where every size is the right size.
The Retail Shadow: This one acts like a stealthy detective, shadowing customers so closely that it gives them an adrenaline rush, as if they are in a spy movie. There's even a legend of a customer who played hide-and-seek with an associate across two floors!
The Size Rationalizer: When they don't have the size a customer is looking for, they become a philosopher, explaining why the size they have is actually the new perfect. "Runs short" becomes a fashion statement, and "it's more elegant this way" becomes the day's motto.
The Online Store Stranger: The associate who treats their online store like an unwanted distant cousin "Online store? No we have nothing to do with her!” they say, maintaining the mystery of the separate retail realms.
The System Search Saga: This associate in a luxury beauty store insists on finding the customer in the system for a small purchase like a lipstick. Typing, searching, retyping – it’s like watching a detective crack a code with no incentives for the customer.
The Once-Was Whisperer: A customer comes in, eager to repurchase their favorite jeans, only to hear "they're discontinued." The stark, no-follow-up response leaves both the customer and the associate in a momentary, silent movie scene.
The Bipolar: When emotions swing faster than the store's entrance doors during a sale as soon as a customer comes up with a return inquiry.