I have worked in retail and customer service for a number of years and as both a consumer and a co-worker. Staff who have no clue what they are selling is highly annoying on both sides of the coin. For example I have been into a store and requested an item and they have said they don't have it only to later find it myself. Went to Tesco's recently wanting a quiche and I had to give a description- ridiculous I do not expect staff to know everything but if you don't know find out don't make it up, don't have it, don't disappear and never come back, just explain that you will have to find out its that simple. If you don't know what you are selling, how do you expect the customer to have the confidence to buy from you? ok rant over
I think running into employees with lack of knowledge is definitely a pet peeve for most shoppers. The issue could be two things though. It could be that the employer has done a less than adequate job of training their employees to understand what may be required of them or the issue could be that the employee has not done a good enough job themselves to be able to properly perform the function of their job. I guess the third possibility could be that the employee is new and hasn't had enough time to learn all that is necessary of them. In the latter case though, it is important that the employee doesn't lie to the customer but rather ask a co worker for assistance.
It really drives me nuts, too! I don't usually need help, but when I do, I wish that the people who are PAID to work there, actually knew more about the store. If it's not their department, then hey, that's okay, but they should at least be able to put me in touch with the right people who can help me, too.
I see this in electronics all the time. I go in wanting something specific (or a choice of items) to work with my computer and the sales people give vague and non helpful responses. I agree with Jessi in that they should just go find someone that can help. I think that "trainee" name tags are a good idea because I am more likely to be patient with them as everyone is new to their job at some point. The employer is really to blame in these cases as they not only have a duty to train their staff, the also need to ensure their staff have done their homework.
Just yesterday I walked into a store and asked for a certain product and asked one of the workers if they had it [not many people use that product so most stores never stock it]. The store worker I asked said they didn't sell such kind of products. I wasn't pissed. Just walked out but as I'm walking out the door another worker came over to inform me that they had the product. It can be annoying I must admit but we also need to make exceptions at times. How can you tell if the store worker was hired only recently and therefore doesn't know all the products the store sells?
I often come across that scenario. I am amazed how the staff in some stores managed to get a job there, as they often seem totally clueless what I am talking about. I tend to avoid the really young ones and look for people who appear more senior and experienced. I have had situations where I asked for a product and was told that the store doesn't have it. And when I asked another assistant, he actually led me straight to the aisle where the store kept it. My answer is: just keep on asking and don't believe a thing you are being told unless you've got at least 4 people telling you the same thing.
I think it is important that before a staff is given a desk to start helping out people about the company products, they have to be trained. As the employer, you need to train them so that the annoying behavior is no more. You can not expect them to know everything if they are not given the proper training. Without training you will still have to the job they are supposed to do.
I worked in retail for years and years and the first couple of months was always scary for me because it took that long before I started feeling confident in knowing what I was doing. But, if I didn't know, I would be honest and tell the customer and would go find out the answer, I learned a lot that way. On the flip side, as a consumer I try to be patient with new employees if they are making an effort to help but if they just make something up or never come back, then I get annoyed. I try to be understanding, they might just be embarrassed at not knowing the answer. This is for low ticket items however, when it comes to furniture, car's, a house, then I most certainly want someone that knows what they are talking about.
The work cases is always in electronics stores, and also in gaming stores. I can't understand how people can work 8 hours a day selling computer monitors and then not be able to know the difference between a VGA and a DVI cable (real case). Ultimately it's not their fault, sometimes they get completely thrown to the lions without any training, they should have at least a week or two when they start when all they should do all day is either accompany a senior colleague or study the items being sold.
Thank you! I have this same issue all of the time and it gets on my nerves so much. If I come into the store and ask for a specific product or type of product, all employees should know where to direct me. Once I came in with a picture of the product I wanted as well as a printout of the website saying it was in stock but still no employee could find what I needed. Other times I have come into a store to take advantage of a deal I heard about online but none of the employees know what I'm talking about. I hate it so much!
