Things You Need to Know

Business Etiquette

Good Manners of the Retail Kind

July 07, 2010

No doubt about it, last Tuesday I was having a bad day. Late that evening, when I stopped by a local wine shop, I was in no mood for the surly service that I encountered.

Here’s what happened: After arriving at the shop and finding what I wanted to purchase, I walked to the cash register. There, a clerk took my purchase from my hands and rung up the sale without saying one word to me . . . throughout the entire transaction. No, “Hello.” No, “Did you find everything you were looking for?” No, “Thank you.”

Any other day, I probably would have just walked away. Last Tuesday, I looked at the check-out person and asked, “You are going to say ‘thank you,’ aren’t you?” Her response? She rolled her eyes.

That did it. First, I found the store manager and complained about the quality of the service that I had received. When he also failed to communicate that the store appreciated the fact that I had chosen to spend my money at his store versus some other, I went electronic. Since then, I have visited every web site that allows people to comment on NYC businesses and have written that this particular establishment provides lousy service.

Every time I speak on the topic of good manners to students or young professionals, I emphasize the importance of little things like saying “please” and “thank you.” Given the state of our still teetering economy, it’s equally important that people who work in retail demonstrate respect for the clients they serve.

If I were a manager of a retail store, here are the top four expectations I would set for every one of my clerks: 1) You must greet each and every customer that visits the store; 2) When you greet those customers, look them in the eye and connect; 3) Every customer who spends money at the store must be genuinely thanked; and 4) As long as one customer is present, no clerk should be viewing a BlackBerry, iPhone or other PDA.

The fundamental principle upon which good manners are based is that of respect. All service providers, from the lowliest counter clerk to the most esteemed lawyer or doctor, must show respect for the clients they serve.