FREE ESSAY ON CUSTOMER SERVICE IN ABC STORES

CUSTOMER SERVICE IN ABC STORES

Customer Service
There are countless different establishments you could review to find out about the
quality of their customer service. I chose Safeway, Foodland, the ABC stores, Sears,
Longs, and Nieman Marcus, which all have different customer service techniques on
different levels. 
Now, the ABC stores are working on a different level, as convenience stores primarily
catering to the tourists in Waikiki. When I lived in Waikiki, the joke used to be that
ABC stood for "All Blocks Covered", and it does not seem to be far from the truth - there
is literally an ABC store on each block, if not two or three. I know these stores well,
because my apartment was situated right above an ABC store (and once my shower even
leaked down in to the store). I cannot really brag about their customer service, since
the employees' goal seemed to be to be the fastest cashiers on the island. It is not that
it is hard locating any products in the store, but I guess that since they are mainly
focused on the tourists, they completely forget about the people residing in Waikiki -
people that frequently shops at their stores. The employees are friendly, but they kind
of mind their own business as they move around the store and they do not seem very
susceptible to questions of any kind if they are e.g. re-stocking or something of that
nature. The ABC stores might want to implement a better customer service policy, one that
will seem acceptable to the "regulars", and not only the tourist 'one-time-shopper'. The
policy should include a more long-term view of customer service, like e.g. implementing a
philosophy that will appeal and appease the local customers and make them want to return,
not because they have to, but because they like shopping there. Something that might even
bring in more customers, because, as far as I know, word of mouth is not working very
well at the moment.
Longs Drugs is another widely spread convenience store on this island, and their customer
service is 'so-far-so-good'. I have not yet had any bad experiences there, and I hope I
never will (but then again, don't we all). The employees are friendly and helpful, but
that depends on which store you are shopping at. I think that reflects on the managers,
and from my experience, most of the store managers do a good job at implementing their
customer service policies. I never had a problem returning any products I was
dissatisfied with, even if I bought it at a different store than the one I was returning
it to. I guess I have an advantage having worked a lot in customer service myself, so I
always keep the receipts and whatever else I might need when it comes down to returning
products. I do not really know what their policies are on products returned without a
receipt, but I do know that employees have a certain degree of know-how and are usually
able to tell if it came from one of their stores - I know I did. I have had customers
come in trying to return a product that we did not even sell, so most of the time you can
tell. I know Longs both gives cash returns and in other cases a new product, so I think
their customer service policies are sufficient for the "level" the stores operate on.
Let's take a look at Safeway, a common grocery store not only in Hawaii, but also all
over the continental U.S. Employees at every store I have been to, will always ask you if
you need help and never forget to ask how you are doing. The company is doing a good job
in implementing their customer service policies and philosophies, and the employees also
seem to be committed to keeping up the good work. The employees at Safeway will assist
you to the best of their abilities, and there are always two or more employees in
"circulation" (on the lookout for people needing help with something). The one thing I
like about Safeway is not their high prices, but the fact that the employees will not
keep "badgering" you if you already declined their help - they now wait for you to come
to them. I think their customer service is quite adequate, because they are there when
you need them and they are not when you don't. Safeway really does not need to implement
any new customer service policies, since their current ones seem to be working out
perfectly fine and they are cost efficient, too. The employees are always re-stocking
products or doing something otherwise productive, and at the same time being available to
help customers. 
Another well known grocery store on this island is Foodland, and their customer service
is slightly below Safeway. I think it is because they are aiming for better product
quality, and less involvement with the customer, but they are more than willing to help
you out if you need it (as far as I know). The obvious difference between Safeway and
Foodland is that Safeway has its own generic products in addition to everything else they
carry, whereas Foodland has almost any grocery/food product there is. I personally like
Foodland, because they always have specials (along with Safeway), and I get the help I
need and usually when I need it. They also have their own customer service help desk,
something which Safeway does not have. I think Foodland is doing good overall, and
implementing new customer service policy/philosophy would be optional to them.
When talking about department stores, there are two of them on this island that are like
day and night in every possible aspect - Sears & Nieman Marcus. Sears is not on my good
side when it comes to their customer service, because there is never an employee around
when you need one, or all the employees are busy with other customers that apparently had
planned a day long outing at the store. Sears either needs to hire more people or educate
the ones they already have a lot better. The friendliness is not all that great either,
but they are not exactly rude to you either - they just try to ignore you for as long as
they can. Another thing is that you will have to pay extra for a product if you want them
to fix it when it breaks down or stops working (if something is wrong with it), which is
something they should be doing free of charge and should be a mandatory responsibility. I
think it would make anyone mad if they bought a vacuum cleaner and was expected to pay
for the repairs when something went wrong. Overall, Sears needs to implement a whole new
customer service policy that appeases every possible customer, as well as training their
employees better. 
Now, Nieman Marcus is a totally different story. This department store caters to a more
balanced audience, the ones that can afford all things that are designer. None the less,
they have excellent customer service that complements their organizational goals -
selling the really expensive stuff. You are greeted at the entrance to the store, but it
is not until you have settled in a particular department that you are approached by an
employee, but then again it is very nice to have a personal shopper every now and then. I
think Nieman Marcus is doing an excellent customer service job, and I do not believe they
need any new customer service policies.