Good Customer Service Must Be a Must Again

With consumers holding on to their hard earned cash as long as they can and in many cases only spending what is necessary, I believe the demand for top rate customer service is on the rise.

Having worked in the retail industry for 15 years before jumping into the newspaper industry, it sickens me to go to a checkout only to be greeted by a cashier that does not know how to count back change without the aid of a computer and seems to be bothered by the fact that I have entered their line.

Ask just about any employer in my area and they will tell you that it is getting harder and harder to find people who want to work.

Most say a large number of workers want something for nothing.

In recent months I have stopped patronizing several businesses in my area because of bad customer service.

Here are some of my encounters.

First, what should have been a quick visit to the grocery store for a couple of items turned into a 20 minute wait.

There were two people in line in front of me. While checking out customer A, the cashier was chatting with customer B.

Before the end of the transaction, myself and the others in line, knew that the cashier was hoping to get a job at a nursing home, was getting off work in a hour and was asking about customer B's son, who was under the age of 18. Customer B was telling the cashier she should be asking about her other son who was older.

Finally, customer A attempted to pay for her groceries with a check, but after writing the check, was forced to wait for the cashier to finish her conversation with customer B before the transaction was complete, all the while myself and the others grew angry.

Then I was forced to wait on the cashier to check out customer B, who then paid for her items with change, another delay.

Now for my local Braums story.

For those of you that have never heard of Braums, it is a dairy store here in the midwest with some of the best milk and other dairy products you can ask for.

A couple of weeks ago, while suffering from a cold, I decided to run in and grab some orange juice.

There was no one in the grocery line or the ice cream line. There was one counter worker and one supervisor.

The counter worker began to come my way but was directed by the supervisor to go to the ice cream area for a drive through order. The kicker there were two people working the drive though. My transaction should have taken less than 30 seconds. I was paying with cash and didn't need a sack.

So I fought back the anger and counted down the seconds. After no acknowledgment for 60 seconds, my patience went AWOL and I left and I have not been back.

And trust me, I'm a big fan of Braums and it has been hard to boycott the milk, but I work hard for what little money I make and I refuse to patronize businesses that do not seem to know the proper way to conduct business.

In the perfect world, the counter worker could have taken care of me in less than 30 seconds, barring register problems, and then dipped the ice cream.

A similar incident happened at my bank. So far I have not changed banks for the simple fact of the hassle, but it is on my watch list.

And then there is the local Wendy's. My blood pressure is rising just thinking about it. It is virtually impossible to go there without receiving an incomplete or wrong order. That is if they can hear you over the train to take your drive through order. If you do get your order, be sure to check your money because even with the aid of a computer, most can't seem to get the change right.

My coworker did not take to heart what I had told her and she visited the drive through recently. She too experienced the wrong change factor and had to call management the next day.

And as for the local Walmart, forget it.

I worked there on and off for nearly 10 years. I know the policy and procedures that Sam Walton put into place. And trust me they are not being followed by most today.

I have been driving 30 miles north to the Arkansas City, Kansas, Walmart for all of my WalMart needs. And I have to say, so far so good. I have no bad experiences and the customer service desk does not treat me like I 'm attempting to commit a crime if I need to return something.

For me the extra driving time is worth it and they always seem to have enough cashiers.

Hats off to the Arkansas City, Kansas, Walmart. Come to think of it there is a Braums there to.

So here is my advice for business owners.

As businesses fold, I believe that the ones that are still standing and hope to continue to stand, want and need to hire top quality workers.

After all if the consumer is treated right and has a good shopping experience, chances are they will return.

So employers, look for workers that know how to greet customers, multitask, count back change, and use common sense. In some cases good phone skills maybe a need.

If you can't find workers like this or can't seem to teach them, give me a call, maybe between myself and my coworker, we can train them.

If that fails, get rid of them or the consumer may get rid of you.