When I was young, I worked in a big retail store downtown which excelled at customer service. I learned this lesson a long time ago, and it has served me well into my later years.
- Try to make eye contact with everyone in the store you can possibly see.
- Many will not return eye contact, and that is ok
- If your eyes lock, raise your eyebrows and approach the person
- Say, "How can I help you?" not "Do you need help?" not "Are you finding everything you need?" This question causes the customer to say what the trouble is
- Avoiding eye contact with customers to avoid work is obvious. If you are in a big box store 100 feet away, and you are busy stocking shelves or doing inventory, do not avoid eye contact. Customers see this every time you do it. It is shitty behavior, and it makes people extremely angry. Drop whatever you are doing, and give service.
Working retail is something I miss doing. It doesn't pay, but you have the power when you are in service to change someone's day from bad to good... but also from bad to worse depending on how you do it.
Find eyes to look into. Lock eyes? Eyebrows up, approach, "How may I help you?"
One day, you'll be 40 years old, walking through an office, and you will still be doing this, and your coworkers will report you are the most helpful team mate there is and always the person they can rely on.
Home Depot - you should hire me to teach your store associates how to not be fucking miserable at their jobs. They duck to different aisles. They focus on putting stickers on things and avoid customers. They look away and pretend they don't notice you. They stand in groups talking about stupid things that are irrelevant to you making money. Your company is pathetic at teaching associates to approach and help. They actively run away.
