Valley Chai

transplanted 2 weeks ago, i keep cutting over to south bay scene every once in a while - at work, on the street, at home and while shopping. i took the rare free time to go to Kemp Fort, thinking i’ll buy some gifts for my boys. this being a reputable store that caters to upscale clientèle, i expected a pleasant and posh shopping experience. what i found was

• no air conditioning
• apparently they now like the clothing and jewelry business better. the lighting was poor, and air conditioning was turned off. air was musty
• mechanize layout
• things thrown around and half-broken
• sales agents
• they are there to try and find ways to attribute the broken toys on the hapless kids that can’t help but tinker with them

i was cutting over to the shopping experience at toys r us, barnes and noble, et al, where customers are treated to a shopping experience that is less about purchasing and more about a casual experience. in contrast what i observe in large retailers is

• suspicion
• customer is trying to screw the store
• most stores don’t have a return policy. no returns, period.
• money
• customer is a source of money. his next visit is not connected with this one.
• it’s a job
• the sales rep isn’t’ incented to sell
• sales rep isn’t incented on customer satisfaction

in contrast, i see excellent customer service from corner ‘kirana’ (general grocery merchandise) stores.

• they are sole-proprietorships more often than not
• most likely are setup in the neighborhoods
• they know their customer by name, and often live right there
• they are just a phone call away, and they deliver to home
• they take it back if you don’t like the stuff

i feel sad that some of the retailing revolution is going to choke off some of these guys that provide superior experience than the big boys that pretty much treat you like a piece of crap.