Sales people
So, we all apparently agree that customer service is from not good to non existent here. We also hear that people work very hard.
Then we hear that they earn very little money and in some cases are treated bad.
Ok fine, all that may be true.
BUT, tell me this...why should I, the customer have to indulge bad service? Do I pay less when I get bad service? I think not.
Why is it, that those sales people let their problems out on the customer by providing bad service? Is it the customer's fault that they are in a bad situation? I think not.
Then we hear "they get no training". Hmm, I have worked in sales. You don't need training to know what is in the shop you work at. You don't need training to efficiently help a customer.
What you need is the will to do so and work ethic.
How about working on that for a change?
(I have encountered a few very efficient and good sales people in Qatar, not many , but a few)
I'd prefer both...hospitable and knowledgeable SA's...
I do agree with Qhris on this, people don't take any pride in their work here. Most of them anyway.
I don't know the reason but I myself have lost some of my passion for my work after coming here. I used to work 16 to 18 hours a day when I was in India including Sundays and I still loved my work. Something has gone missing now and I don't get as much joy out of my work.
rishimba, indeed.
nomercy, well..they are expected to know about their products, there's no excuse for it.
Fathimah, don't bother too much about your sarcasm, unless you want to use if for your own satisfaction...as it is sadly lost on most people here.
nomad, sorry no, I do not agree. One is responsible for one's own performance/behaviour...unless one is a young child and needs to supervised at all times of course. But yes, this is the exact attitude of many employees we encounter here.
rishimba, I have been on both sides, I worked in sales.
And yes, every job has its monotonous times, that's just normal.Still no excuse for not knowing anything about or even what kind of products there are in the shop.
These sales people here would not have the slightest chance of keeping a job in many other countries.
I believe blaming others for one's bad or lack of performance is wrong.
i am not defending the sales persons but, probably, its the monotony in the work which tells on their effeciency at times, especially if it had been a long and busy day for them in the shop..
you can judge a situation well only if you have been on both sides of it..
Its the Management's fault for not keeping tab of their employees. When cat is away the mouse will play.
is there any shemale in Qatar ???????????????????????????????????????????
yep..Thanks be to God..that's an advantage we have now..more choice =)
I've gotta fine tune my sarcasm...it would certainly come in use specially at places like the ones I mentioned above!mind you I can never put it down to racial discrimination at all since in my jilbab and niqab I could be just anyone! its just terrible customer service.. due to the lack of proper training and/or other reasons =/
Fathimah, I am not stern either. As I think it is a waste of time. I just walk away. Not after making a sarcastic comment though...;)
After all, the good thing is that nowadays you can find the same item in the shop 3 doors down...:)
there sure is...but there are many places where its pretty crap to say the least.And maybe I'm wrong but in recent times I notice rudeness and disregard towards customers needs seems to be more rampant and obvious than before.And I don't mean just in Doha but back from where I come too. I suppose its to do with many customers putting up and being more tolerant with such attitudes too due to various reasons. I remember as a kid how my dad and uncles used to be very very stern towards rude shop assistants and sales staff.I could never do that though..I'm way too soft!
Fathimah, I do not think it has anything to with "today".
There are plenty of places where the customer service is excellent today.
Good SAs - Lulu Gharraffa, Grand hypermarket, Petra(Ras Abu Aboud) El Deheleez resto, Afghan Bros resto, White Oceanic resto,etc
Bad SAs - Giant stores(Sana), Carrefour, Jabri resto(just one guy but horrible enough to spoil an otherwise excellent resto), New world center etc
Does the saying "customer is king" even mean anything to many people today? I think not!
How come nobody gives credit to the neighbourhood groceries, where u get your stuff delivered to your home/car without even giving a smile? :P
Btw, this happened a few hours back at Carrefour CC, while i was on the phone with a friend:
me to SA: Hi, could you tell me where I can find wireless door-chimes?
SA: What?
me: wireless door-chimes?
SA: No, we dont have that.
My friend overhearing thru the phone: Go straight ahead through the entrance, u'll find it near the battery section!
LOLzzz for both of you :D
lol...thing is, most Kings don't carry money...so they expect things for free...explains why Kings never bargain ;)
I wish some of those "hard working, smiley faced" sales people were here on QL . Would be interesting to hear what they have to say.
Oh, and IF any of you guys are here, PLEASE, PLEASE read the posts thoroughly...and THEN answer.
No need for the usual crap answers.
Mandi, I agree. those guys are fab. Sadly I can't go there too often either.
Dean and Deluca's service is fabulous! Too bad I can only afford to go there about once a year.
Mandi
i hav a favorite SA in Gucci, her name is Rachel,
.
i know some real nice SA in Louis Vuitton(by face;)
, aside from their Store Manager.
Good old joe, tell me please, how is it whining if somebody points out facts?
And are you saying that the customers here deserve the sales staff they are confronted with? How so? What have the customers done?
nomad, "tit for Tat"....what have I, the customer, done to deserve clueless sales staff?
As I said, a smile and being friendly is not "going out of your way, or beyond expectations", it is expected in the service industry. Why do you people always mention "I smile at them and they smile back"???? I pay for a product, not a smile.
Concentrate on your products and the knowledge of those, instead of exercising your facial muscles.
If you do that, you might even GET a few more smiles.
I like the sales assistants in MERCH (near midmac r/a) and almost all the restaurant/shops that we've visit...
because we always ask them politely with a smile... and in return we've got 2x better of what we did :) with give aways...esp. in perfume shops :)
I like the sales assistant in Pimkie shop in Villaggio.. always smiling and very helpful.. :)
most of them are not forced to do the job. they have accepted the job which came their way and then saying 'its not my job' etc etc is not a valid enough reason. then might as well quit and go back...
The thing is it is total laziness, and pride.
All I hear is people saying 'it's not my job to', or 'i don't get paid for that' or 'it's not my job to know that'.
What about pride in being the most helpful, knowledgeable worker? Being the best you can be?
Someone does't train you properly, what about initiative, asking the best performer to give you tips, learning above and beyond what you are required to know?
I am not asking Burger King workers to become an expert in flame grilling, but learning what is in each burger so they can ask 'what do you have a taste for today sir, spicy? sweet?'....it's just NICE, not a requirement.
Good service is going above and beyond expectations....
Is like any other job. Ownership is the key factor, being responsible on every action of yours.
Every one like to work, but at times people are over pressured.
In the organization i work, they believe in cost cutting, staff redundancy at customer service level and they expect wonders. That could be one of the reasons.
Many factors actually.
Tit for Tat.
I am myself in sales here albeit project sales and not retail so I interact with 2-3 customers maximum at a time. The attitude of some of the sales staff here shocks me. If I talk like that in India, I will be fired the next day. Here customers just shrug their shoulders and say what to do yaani :(
99.99999 % Crap Sales Staff
This is Qatar FFS what do you expect? Take it or leave it. One suggestion, try to Google the product before heading to the shop so when you reach there all you have to ask is the price then pay if you are happy and leave if you are not. Khallas end of story. Whiners losers.
In a majority of the cases the people who go about complaining and blaming others are the worst culprits in the first place. They treat others unfairly and in a bad manner and then expect good service when it is their time to be served.
So in Mango's and Spinney's only the Managers are helpful and not the sales staff?
I think needs to start from the top and flow down too ;-) and IMO, the sales personnel do need to know the product they're selling.
Me: Is this HD Media player equipped with DTS/ Dolby Digital output?
Salesguy: I don't know, but if it did, it would say on the box.
Yeah duchebag, I'm literate you know and just coz it doesn't say on the box, it don't mean it isn't equipped with it.
are nice specially when you ask them for something and they look at you as if you are some kind of alien
Neu, yes, that would be nice.
Never the less, the first thing one has to realize and act upon if working in any service industry is the concept that the customer is ALWAYS right.
And i think customers would be a lot nicer if they received at least adequate service. And with that i do not mean a smile or being friendly to the customer, that is not something special, that is plain and simple expected. With adequate I mean knowing what one is doing, therefore providing the service that is expected of a sales person.
Sales persons are trained on how to handle horrible customers, that is what tells good/bad sales apart. The customer is always right remember :0)
I agree with lostinspace. Macdonalds for the win :P
other than that i honestly dont know -.-
Actually I vote for the Tanzanian guy at M&S in Villagio who works in the food department.
If I had a business here I would try and recruit him.
Other than that it sucks
Today
Car Wash: Where are you from? Are you married...by big fat yukky supervisor. I just drove off.
Giant Stores: Me; where is the cat food please? SA: I don't know. walks off
I understand where your coming from, but just too make it all even and fair i think both the customer and sales person should be equally polite too each other.
'cause if i had to serve a horrible customer, i wouldn't be too happy about it.
Though this is just my opinion, and you have yours. ^^
the best service i have had here is at mcdonalds! says alot for the rest.
Neu, no, it is not the customer's responsibility to understand the situation of the sales person. It is the responsibility of the sales person to serve the customer efficiently.
I do not go shopping to dispense charity or provide moral support to the sales staff.
You should see the customer service / sales people over in Japan, they drop your stuff to the front of the store for you, plus they don't hand over the shopping over the counter/cashier. They first get out of the counter and hand it directly to you :) It's awesome.
But then again, maybe some of these workers really don't want to be working right as a sales person so they might not want to have the will to work and be happy etc.
Either way, it'll be nice if the customer service is nice if not then it's not my problem. Overall, i think it isn't fair that some customers are so rude to the sales person, they should understand the position their in first.
Lis, one was in an optical shop in CC...That guy was good, really good...he sold me something that I without serious encouragement would never have bought.
They are not bad in Shoemart, helpful and efficient.
Spinney's, if you get the manager to help you.
Mango, if you get the Manager's to help you.
That's all i can think of now.
Go to fish market.
Please tell where you have encountered efficient sales people here? I must go.