ON DECEMBER 30,2010 I WALKED INTO BEST BUY LOCATED IN AMHERST, NEW YORK IN HOPES OF GETTING THE EXCELLENT SERVICE THAT I HAVE HAD IN THE PAST. I WAS NOT SURPRISED TO FIND THAT BEST BUY HAD BEGUN THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL AS ALL RETAIL STORES DO AFTER THE CHRISTMAS RUSH IS OVER.
I WALKED BY A FEW ASSOCIATES HELPING SOME CUSTOMERS SO I HEADED TO THE SPEAKER SECTION FIGURING I WOULD HAVE A BIT OF TIME TO CHECK OUT THE SPEAKERS WITHOUT ANY HARASSMENT TO BUY. IT ONLY TOOK ME ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES TO FIGURE OUT WHICH SET I WANTED TO PURCHASE. KNOWING THAT MY REVIEWS WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT TO ALL MY READERS IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME TO BUY ANYTHING BUT THE BEST THAT WAS STOCKED.
THE SHELVING BELOW THE DISPLAYED SPEAKERS WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY DEPLETED SO I BEGAN TO WALK AROUND LOOKING FOR ANYONE WHO COULD TELL ME IF THERE WERE ANY MORE SPEAKERS AVAILABLE IN THEIR STOCK AREA. I FOUND MYSELF COMING IN CONTACT WITH OTHER CUSTOMERS ALSO LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO ASSIST THEM IN THEIR PURCHASES. AFTER PASSING THE SAME PEOPLE SEVERAL TIMES I WAS HOPING THAT THE PERSON GREETING ME AT THE DOOR WITH A WARM HELLO WITH THE HOPE OF MY PURCHASE WOULD GIVE ME SOME GUIDANCE.
AS I APPROACHED THE GENTLEMAN AT THE DOOR I ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYONE THAT COULD GIVE MYSELF AS WELL AS OTHER CUSTOMERS SOME HELP IN OUR SEARCH IN THE ELECTRONICS AREA. HE QUICKLY SAID "NO, WE JUST DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE ON STAFF TODAY." THEN HE LOOKED DOWN AT HIS PODIUM AND STARTED DOING SOMETHING WITH HIS PAPERS AS IF I WAS NO LONGER THERE.
STUNNED I WALKED BACK TO THE SPEAKERS SECTION WHERE I FOUND AN ASSOCIATE HELPING ANOTHER CUSTOMER SO I INTERRUPTED BRIEFLY TO ASK IF HE COULD CHECK ON THE SPEAKERS I WAS INTENT ON BUYING TO SEE IF THERE WAS A SET IN STOCK. HE SAID HE WOULD BE RIGHT WITH ME. SO I WAITED AS HE WALKED BACK AND FORTH WITH A SET OF CUSTOMERS LOOKING AT COPY/SCANNER/FAX MACHINES. THEN HE WALKED BY ME AGAIN BRINGING THESE CUSTOMERS SOME INK CARTRIDGES. AGAIN HE WALKED BY FOLLOWED BY THESE SAME CUSTOMERS IN PURSUIT OF, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT BECAUSE THEY JUST SEEMED TO BE WALKING UP AND DOWN THE ISLE. THE ASSOCIATE PASSED SEVERAL MORE TIMES WITHOUT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THAT I WAS STILL STANDING THERE. BY NOW THERE ARE 2 MORE SETS OF CUSTOMERS STANDING LOOKING AT SPEAKERS BUT LIKE MYSELF CAN NOT SELF SHOP THE SHELVES BECAUSE THEY ARE VIRTUALLY EMPTY.
HAVING WORKED IN RETAIL I DO UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT CAN BE WHEN YOU ARE SHORT HANDED. HAVING SAID THAT I ALSO KNOW HOW EASY IT IS TO ASSIST SEVERAL CUSTOMERS AT ONCE WITH JUST A BRIEF ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THEIR EXISTENCE. LETTING THE CUSTOMER KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE WITH THEM AND THAT THEY WILL GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THE PERSON YOU ARE INVOLVED IN HELPING. THIS SEEMS TO EXTEND THE PATIENTS OF CUSTOMERS WAITING. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE AT BEST BUY ON THIS DAY. IF ANYTHING THE ASSOCIATE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO AVOID EYE CONTACT AND KEEP ME AT BAY.
NOW AGGRAVATION HAS SET IN HARD AND I BECOME QUITE PUSHY AS I APPROACH AN ASSOCIATE STANDING AT A COMPUTER POTENTIALLY LOOKING UP INFORMATION FOR ANOTHER CUSTOMER. THIS GENTLEMAN WAS NOT GETTING AWAY AS I ASKED IF THEY HAD THE SPEAKERS I W AS LOOKING FOR I BEGAN TO DRAGGED HIM TO WHERE THE EMPTY SHELVES WERE. AS WE APPROACHED I WAS INTENT ON NOT SPENDING AS MUCH MONEY AS I INITIALLY INTENDED SO I PICKED MY SECOND CHOICE. I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW WHO READS MY REVIEWS THAT I WILL EXPRESS AS BEST I CAN MY IMPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF EVERY CD I REVIEW WITH THESE LESS THAN BUT STILL GOOD QUALITY SPEAKERS.
LET ME END BY SAYING I IN NO WAY BLAME THIS INCIDENT ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS STORE. THE BLAME GOES DIRECTLY TO THE CORPORATE OFFICES OF THESE LARGE CHAIN STORES. WE ALL KNOW WHO THEY ARE! THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE OFTEN ON VACATION SOMEWHERE WARM AND BEAUTIFUL DURING THE BUSIEST TIME OF YEAR. THEY SPEND MINUTES TO MOMENTS VISITING EACH STORE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. A PRESENTATION OF THE BEST THE STORE HAS TO OFFER IS ALL THEY SEE THEN THEY MOVE ON TO INSPECT ANOTHER LOCATION. THE REALITY IS THESE STORES WORK HARD ALL YEAR BUT AS THE CORPORATE PERSONALITIES SLIP IN AND OUT OF TOWN THEY HAVE NO TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ASSOCIATES AND CUSTOMERS STRUGGLE WITH DURING A DAYS SHOPPING. IF THEY DID SINCERELY CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCE THEY WOULD THINK LESS OF THEIR BIG BONUSES. THEY WOULD USE THOSE DOLLARS TO OPEN UP THE STORES PAYROLL AND ALLOW THE STORE MANAGERS TO BEST FILL THEIR SCHEDULES WITH ASSOCIATES.
RETAIL CHAINS ARE CLOSING THEIR DOORS IN RAPID SUCCESSION. SO CORPORATE CONSIDER THIS - EMPLOYMENT OR UNEMPLOYMENT THOSE ARE YOUR OPTIONS. AS MY MOTHER HAS ALWAYS SAID OF MY FATHERS ONCE EMPLOYER (CHEVROLET ASSEMBLY) THOSE YEARS OF STRIKING FOR MORE THEN MORE THEN MORE MONEY DID NOTHING BUT STRIKE THEM OUT OF A JOB. THINK BEFORE YOU SIGN THAT CHECK BECAUSE THE NEXT TIME YOU CASH THAT BONUS REMEMBER YOU COULD BE CASHING YOURSELF OUT OF A JOB.
I HAVE INCLUDED A LINK TO THE COMMENTS I WROTE ON A SURVEY OPTION THAT WAS ODDLY GIVEN TO ME AT THE REGISTER AS I MADE MY PURCHASE.
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