In an earlier post I mentioned that I had been thinking of pricing. These thoughts have more to do with my 25 years of retail experience than photography. I don't want this to sound like a rant, but here goes. There is that old saying you get what you pay for. I think it applies more today than ever before. I think the trend in retailing for the lowest price being the most important part of buying something has had its effect. I don't think it is by accident that most things purchased today are from an underpaid sales clerk with no product knowledge and training. The product you buy may not be the right one for what you need, and it may not last very long. It's more important to come back and buy again and again. How many coffee pots does a person buy in a life time? I think most consumers today are under sold. For a sales person this may mean the person could have been sold something that cost more with more profit. It also means they were not sold what they really needed, will be unhappy with the purchase, and did not get value for their money. Do you think the box store or that on-line store that gives you a less than satisfying sales experience, with the lowest price cares? I don't think so, they only care if you come back soon for more of the same, good deals for things you may not need. And the money we save, another old saying, there is no free lunch. Because we have been convinced that we have to pay the lowest price, we drive for hours, we pay to ship things around the world, we put our neighbour out of work and we fill our landfills with waste. As a sales person I see my job as helping people make good buying decisions. To do this I need product knowledge, I need to understand my customers needs, I need to find ways to make the buying experience pleasant. I also need the support from my suppliers and I need quality products. As a consumer I am willing to pay more than the lowest price to get the best value. As a sales person providing good value can be challenging. I address this challenge with my passion for photography and sales. My reward is the feeling one gets when a job is well done and the smiles I receive from happy customers.
With that I am going to hop down off my soap box and hope this is something you may think about when someone tells you they just paid the lowest price. Bill Wilby
4 comments:
Hello,
I would like to corroborate my dad's comments.
I attend University in Vancouver, and work for my parents in the summertime. I have first hand experience of the two different retail environments: both as a consumer, and a salesperson.
I have worked at a few camera stores in Vancouver. The days were a lot more tiring and stressful in Vancouver! At Contact Photo Arts, I have a very positive relationship with many of our customers, and feel more like I am greeting friends than potential 'sales'. In Vancouver I was encouraged to do things fast, and concentrate on sales. Not only was I encouraged to treat people differently, the feeling I got back from my customers was very different. Many people were very untrustworthy, and sometimes even hostile. Often when I greated customers, they would quickly shuffle away, or defensively tell me they were just looking. They were used to aggressive sales tactics, and unknowledgeable sales people. I don't blame them! I myself have a pretty good understanding of photography, but as a part-time worker, I didn't spend much time in the store, and didn't know much about the cameras I was selling. I worked at one of the better stores (in my opinion), so employees were encouraged to learn things on their own time, and to borrow the cameras. However, as a student, I didn't have time to study these extra materials--plus, I didn't have much motivation to improve my knowledge as a part-time, not-quite-minimum wage employee. Even my assistant manager was not very knowledgeable. His main qualification for the position (from what I gathered) was his previous management experience. One time, I observed him helping a customer asking about making some complicated settings on the camera. He did not understand what the customer was asking, and the customer went away frustrated. Frustration was a common emotion I wittnessed in our customers.
And as a consumer in the big city of Vancouver, I have my fair share of stories about my own frustration as a customer. My most recent experience is that of buying a new cell phone (my first ever cell phone!). After months of scanning Telus' site, I decided to go into a store to see what these phone were actually like (which is, plasticky, by the way :)). Wow was I surprised when I got into the store. Each store had different DEALS than Telus! I finally settled on Future Shop because they were offering me a $100 gift card with my new purchase.
I made my purchase on Jan. 3, and boy was the store busy! Unfortunately, when I got to the cash register, I realized that the phone I had purchased was not the one I had carefully decided on after a month of research. No problem, Future Shop has a 30 day (or 14 day, depending on which sales rep you talk to) exchange policy. I left the store (not wanting to stand in the very long exchange line-up during 'boxing week'), and decided to go tomorrow to a less busy store. Unfortunately, I thought everything would go so smoothly, that I didn't get the phone set-up before I left. The next morning, I opened the box and saw that the phone did not have a battery door on it.
I had to bring the phone back to the original store (where the battery door presumably was). I called ahead, because I wasn't able to go right away, and I was told that I should come ASAP, because my story sounded 'legit' but since I had not bought the extended warranty the store had no record of my purchase, and no way of making note of my phone call.
After that call, I got into the store as soon as I could. I explained the long, complicated story to the sales people in front of me; they gave me a blank look, and after a minute replied, "umm, I'm not sure we will be able to exchange your phone because it doesn't have the battery door". Arghhhh. Luckily (really by chance, not design), the sales person I had talked to on the phone, had actually come through for me (even though he didn't indicate he would when I talked to him), and he had my battery door.
I ended up with my new phone, but I had to deal with many rude, obnoxious, and unhelpful sales people in the meantime. I am satisfied with my purchase so far, but I live in dread of a day when the cell phone may have problems. I know Future Shop won't help me!
I'm not sure what you will take away from my story. I'm not really sure how I feel about it myself. I don't feel like I have much choice where I shop in Vancouver. Both of the stores I went to to look at cell phones are owned by the same company (Best Buy and Future Shop), and many of the businesses that are accesible to me are big chains, where I have had similar frustrating experiences. I know that my experience would have been different in a store where the owner is present, and helping the customers. That is because there is actually someone to complain to! As owners at Contact Photo Arts we have a strong investment in our store, and the experience our customers have in it. Not only are our customers friends, and neighbours, we are directly accountable to them. If someone has a problem, we are there to fix it. In a big chain store, the people helping you do not have that direct investment. The sales reps at Future Shop were only concerned with their pay, which was by commission, and once I had already made my purchase, they seemed to think I was wasting their time with my problems. I actually had one rep make comments along these lines in my presence. I'm sure there are some dedicated employees working at these stores. It would be unreasonable to deny that. But why take the chance that the person who is going to help you isn't going to be one of those dedicated employees. Why not go to a store where you know for sure that the person helping you cares?
As I said before, it doesn't always feel like we have a choice in these matters. That's why it is so important to make that choice when you have the opportunity! Small businesses depend on each customer they have to stay open, and be there to help you when you need it. If you ignore them one day, then they might not be there the day that you need them. I really don't want to see the day when there is no more choice, when every business is a corporate machine that is not directly responsible to its customers as a neighbour.
Well, I suppose this 'comment' has turned into my very own 'rant'. I would love to hear your reactions (but only good ones ;)).
Sincerely,
Laura Wilby
Yup, I've got to share in the sentiments & opinions related by Laura & Bill. I have benefited hugely over the years from the information & experience that Bill, Sandra, Laura & Anne have, as well as all the staff & other connections at Contact Photo Arts (even other customers, who become part of the community there, sharing their experiences too).
In my experience in retail, also, I've got to say that the relationships I am most comfortable with (ethically and simply personally) are those of trust, informative honesty & responsibility, and genuine care & concern for the customer's best interests. For years I worked at a paddle-sports retail shop. My experience there as a kayaker & canoeist & coach was very helpful to the store & to customers. Consistently, though, I disagreed in practice with the head of the sales staff & one of the owners: I do NOT think that everyone who enters the store plans to purchase something right then & there, and it is NOT a failure of sales staff if every visitor does not purchase upon every visit. The relationship revolves around information & trust, not simply product, numbers & money.
Important, worthwhile & successful purchase decisions can be difficult. This is especially the case if there is an imbalanced combination of a lack of product knowledge & experience as well as excessive commercial pressure upon retail staff (&customers). These situations are not hospitable to the trust & ongoing informative support that make those important decisions worthwhile in the short-term AND the long-term.
I think the pressure to "close" a sale prematurely is very strong in some situations, and it takes a lot of experience, knowledge, and responsibility to keep a potential "sale" open so that the customer can feel comfortable & enjoy the experience of making the best purchase decision for him/herself.
Post a Comment