“That will be $68.75,” said the clerk as I was recently purchasing a gift. I handed him my debit card, punched in my pin #, and waited for the computerized register to verify I wasn’t a deadbeat trying to buy something without having sufficient funds in my checking account. In a few seconds, the computer decided I was an okay “feller” and told the clerk I was approved. Mr. Clerk looked up at me with vacant stare, wind whistling between his ears, handed me a receipt and said, “There ya go.” Because my mother insisted I always be respectful, I politely said, “Thank you. Have a great day!” The only response I received was a slight head bob, which only amplified the whistling, and a grunt of acknowledgement. Sound familiar?
As I was steaming in my vehicle (both from the heat & humidity and the poor behavior to which I had just been subjected), it occurred to me that the recently completed transaction was all too familiar. It bothers me that very few service providers say, “Thank You,” anymore, especially in the retail environment. So I decided to start paying closer attention to this phenomenon. In the past couple of weeks I have been snubbed at 2 grocery stores, a department store, a convenience store, a restaurant, a dry cleaning establishment, a “big box” retail store, and the fireworks tent. The only time someone said thank you was in the drive through of McDonald’s on Smiley Lane.
Adding to my frustration is my recent failed attempts to contact 2 different “handy-man” service companies about completing some tasks around my house via their website request forms. In both instances, no one has bothered to get back in touch with me. (I am still in need of a quote on cleaning & staining my deck, hanging some vertical blinds, hanging a piece of dry wall, fixing a faucet with a slight leak, and filling in a crack with some caulk/spackle, if anyone is interested.)
One final affront happened when I recently left a message for a local painter who painted part of our home when we moved in 3 years ago. It has been nearly 2 weeks, and yet no one from that business has bothered to call me back. Funny, I thought we were in a severe recession. I guess these folks didn’t get the news. (In fairness to them, it is a much smaller job than they are used to doing, and I still consider them friends.)
Business owners/operators/managers, please train your employees to say, “Thank You.” It’s a very simple marketing fix and it will pay far more dividends than the latest marketing gimmick, or “BIGGEST Sale Ever!”. Besides, next time, I just might name names….. (Insert evil chuckle here) 
Categories: Economy, Marketing.
This is one of the reasons that local businesses are losing out to national competitors. I own a local business that regularly competes with those companies and while it is a struggle and frustrating at times, our investment in our customers is what has enabled us to survive and even thrive despite the economy. It is so frustrating to hear of a local business not taking the time to thank their customers for business or to even be polite to those customers.
Note to small business owners:
Your customers are the reason you are open and the ones that pay your bills and you should be ready to cater to their needs. Specialized attention and customer service takes so little time and customers really appreciate the smallest gesture. That little thing that you do that your competitor doesn’t ensures that they will remember you and your business the next time they are in need of the service or product you sell and come straight to you.
Thanks for your article!
Erin,
Thanks for taking some time to add your thoughts. It’s great to see a local business owner who recognizes the impact even the smallest of gestures can have on your bottom line. Keep up the great work!