Customer Service

There’s a store in Brisbane, Australia that charges customers $5 if they just browse and don’t buy anything. The fee will be deducted from purchase, ensuring people who buy something won’t be charged. The owner is tired of people coming in the store and then buying the same goods online. If the store policy was to match online retailer prices then it would sustain its business. But to treat customers this way will drive them and any potential customers away. Not good for public relations.

Usually when I go shopping I always wind up buying more than was on my list. When the cashier asks, “Did you find everything you needed?” I answer, “Yes, and things I didn’t even know I needed.” Shopping with kids the list could grow from 2 to 22 items of unintended purchases.

I’ve been to stores with terrible customer service where I had to track down a cashier to pay for my merchandise. Then I’ve been to stores where the sales people were attentive, to the point of annoying. I hate when sales people hover and breath down my neck while I’m deciding what bra to buy. It’s personal. Go away.

I entered a furniture store and a sales girl (in flip flops) greeted me. I told her I wanted time to browse and would alert her if I found something. Apparently she did not get the hint. She followed me, the sound of her flip flops dragging across the floor since she didn’t lift her feet when she walked. I looked at tables. She followed. I looked at chairs. She followed. I looked at lights. She followed. Finally, I had enough of her hovering and breathing down my neck that I ran out of the store. Luckily, because she seemed incapable of lifting her feet she was unable to run after me. If this was Australia I would have been charged $5 to have that flip flop wearing, heavy breathing sales girl hover over me. Really not good for public relations.