From Nick Pitman, co-owner, Trek Plus.
OVER the last 12 months I have noticed that more and more people appear to be entering shops while eating and/or drinking from containers and many get defensive when challenged not to do so.
Also these days, it seems that the media positively encourage shoppers to be more aggressive in their approach to the retailer to either get the best price or in the manner in which they lodge a consumer complaint.
Firstly, the reason that most shops do not allow food and drink past the door is the chance for items to be spilled on the floor or worse still on products displayed in the shop. In many cases some adults are worse than children.
Drink containers have been left on display shelves often half full and more recently plastic sandwich wrappers have been found zipped into bags and one found today inside the compartment of a baby carrier. This is just plain ignorance on behalf of the owners of those containers. We have also found greasy finger and hand marks on items of clothing caused by people having just eaten food.
With regard to consumer complaints, we as a business, are happy to help out whenever we can and will do our utmost to bring a customer’s complaint to a satisfactory conclusion. However, if a complainant comes in and is verbally aggressive or rude to staff, do not be surprised if the staff member refuses to deal with that person.
A calm attitude from the customer will get a pleasant response and a lot of help from the shop. Some people should try it; it does actually work. My parents always taught me to speak to others as you wish to be spoken to yourself.
Finally, customers should not get affronted when they are asked for a receipt or proof of purchase, especially with items being bought on the internet and from stores abroad. On many occasions we have had people insist that they purchased an item from us when they quite clearly had not. Even pointing out that a particular item was exclusively stocked by another shop, the customers have still wanted to engage in an
argument.
In contrast to this, 99 per cent of our customers are wonderful people and will get a quality product and superb service. The awkward customers are few and far between but are remembered for all the wrong reasons.
