On Customer Service...

So would you pay more for a product if the customer service was better?


Wal-Mart: I went to the mecca of Midwestern society to pick up a bike since Charissa and I are beginning to explore this "playing outside" stuff. After I found one that suited my needs I was faced with a problem. I couldn't get it down. So I asked the nearest "associate" to help me. He didn't work in that area, but would get someone to help. After waiting fifteen minutes, I asked a very chipper young lady to page someone, but she was just getting off work. She paged someone anyway before leaving the store and my life forever. After an other fifteen minutes I decided to track down my next wall to talk to. I found the sporting goods guy at the hunting desk. His response to my asking for help was "Man, am I the only one in the store?!" Sorry to inconvenience you to help me with a purchase in your department. Sheesh.

On the other hand...

Menards: After we pedaled up hill into the wind for an hour, and I remembered why it was that I first bought a car... Charissa and I visited Menards for a bike chain to protect our new investments. We walked in the door, found a worker in the patio furniture department and asked him where the bike chains were. To my shock and awe, he drops what he is doing and walks us over to the bike chains, points out the assortment and the person who works in that department if we had anymore questions. And he isn't just a cool guy. It is store policy that EVERY worker must stop what they are doing and not leave your side until you find what you are looking for or pass you off to someone who knows. Wow.

I find it really sad that we are living in an era or maybe just an area where the people who are there to help you actually being helpful... is shocking. To me that sets you apart as a business. I will always shop at Menards over Lowes or Home Depot because of this policy. This is also why I will never purchase anything from Abercrombie. They instruct their workers to act better than the customer and seem inconvenienced if you disrupt their folding. What a crazy way to do business.