Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The End of Customer Service

I have a wedding to go to this weekend, so I thought I better purchase a few new duds that aren't embellished with LUSB logos (enter shameless plug at wedding here.) I walked in to Nordy's, a standby for excellent service and always a fine choice for emptying the wallet. The men's department was empty, crickets making the only sound audible with the exception of a sporadic overhead page. With nary a representative around, I stumbled through the sparse offering, settling on a few selections before ambling around and dispensing of them as quickly as I found them. I spent nearly 20 minutes wandering, making eye contact with two representatives numerous times, even receiving a mildly cordial greeting. After an additional 5 minutes, I gathered my thoughts and scooted out the door.

Meeting up with my wife shortly after, we walked passed the men's store once again, where for some reason, we were treated as lepers once again. My wife bought a jacket which incited a smoldering argument between cashiers, ignoring the fact we were waiting patiently through this spat, and were handed our bag as a sendoff.

Somewhere, maybe due to recessionary tactics and sluggish retail sales, Nordstrom lost its way. I was literally shocked. For crying out loud, we were about the only people there tonight? And still we were treated like we had boogers on our foreheads. I expect more out out Nordstrom because they set the bar high, but it seems they have lowered the standard set so many years ago by the Nordstrom family. Or maybe, it was just a bad night to be shopping.

Either way, it reminds me that I need to do a better job in my own house, keeping a vigil at how we treat our customers and making our team stronger than ever. Lots to do tomorrow...

5 comments:

  1. NORDSTROM failed on customer service?! It must be the apocalypse.

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  2. I noticed the same thing the last time I was in Nordys- I think it's a sign of the times, even they are having a hard time getting good caring help!

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  3. Noticed the same thing at Macy's in New Hampshire just last week. No customers and no employees and I had several items to purchase.

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  4. I thought that it was only that way around here! That's why I enjoy performing mystery shops. It helps companies to weed out the bad seeds. BTW, "boogerss on the forehead" made me giggle :-))

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  5. I love the last part of your post. These experiences always remind me of how NOT to treat people.

    Great post!

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