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Garber on Business: When did the Customer stop being King?

Written by: Anne Garber

Article Overview: It seems to me, it was only a few years ago when merchants smiled as customers entered the store, when credit cards companies were vying for your business (however meagre) and when the customer actually was king.

Garber on Business: When did the Customer stop being King?

It used to be that even the consumer of the most modest means was treated with respect. I can remember -- as a very young girl, of perhaps nine years -- being taken into our corner bank in Toronto by my dad, who instructed me to "always get to know your bank manager." I was very intimidated, of course, but in I went, and introductions were dutifully made. I shook the tall, thin, man's hand (at my small stature, he looked 'old' and daunting, and kind of humourless-yet-dignified, kind of like Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird), and couldn't wait to leave the place. I think I had about five dollars' worth of allowance money in my account, but every time I entered that staid, old-brick bank building subsequently, the manager came out to the wooden rail that separated the bank employees from the customers, greeted me by name, and shook my hand. No kidding (thanks, dad)!

Needless to say, when I grew into adulthood, this early introduction to customer protocols gave me the confidence to assert myself when I felt a store or business establishment had not given me a fair shake.

For people like me, awareness that businesses had quit honouring their customers was perhaps slow to arrive, maybe because I was a pushy type who didn't take a lot of guff in the marketplace, anyway. It was indeed a shock to find that companies' consumer practices had declined so dramatically.

Nowadays, most companies -- big and small -- take their customer-base for granted. Never mind that the "little guys" were the ones who built the business in the first place. Now -- whether the company is a big public-type utility like Telus or Terasen Gas or AT&T -- these Fat Cats tend to cater to their big corporate clients, and the Little Guy gets short shrift. And if they should happen to make a mistake that costs you time, convenience or money, you have to fight for restitution or it might just be "so sad, too bad."

The latest little crack in the castle walls that used to guard the rights and privileges of the woeful consumer is the lack of free parking. The clear message is: "If you don't like it, go shop in the 'burbs." From the staunchly loyal-to-Westerners London Drugs, to Royal Bank, to the new Cambie-and-Broadway Canadian Tire, to even the Safeway on Vancouver's 4th Avenue near Capers, if you want to shop there, you'll pay, and you probably won't even be reimbursed after you shop in their store!

We get that there's been a down-turn in the economy; we get that everyone needs to pinch pennies, today; but driving your customers away is certainly not the way to achieve that cost-effectiveness.

Here are hints from an employee information pamphlet on how to keep customers happy. . . from yesteryear:


"Customers are the heart of a company. If the heart stops working, the company dies. This pamphlet will educate you on how to approach a customer. After all, the customer is always right.
"Step 1: Approach the customer in a firm but kind manner when delivering negative news. If a customer believes he is not getting enough for his money, and you cannot offer more than is being offered, explain to the customer that you are unable to make any further amendments. Remember to be kind but firm. If the customer is persistent, kindly tell the customer that you will have to have a manager review the matter further.
"Step 2: Approach the customer with an alert attitude when trying to help. When customers come to you for help, they expect you to be alert and knowledgeable. Be direct and ask question to find out how you might possibly solve the customer's problem.
"Step 3: Never make a customer wait for you. If you need to leave to find additional help, ask the customer to follow you.
"Step 4: Offer discounts or promotions upon arrival. For example, if a customer comes in with a discount coupon from another establishment; ask a manager if you can honour the competitor's coupon. If not, ask if you can give the customer a reduced price for the item.
"Step 5: Be productive when customers are around. Ask questions, monitor the stock, or perform light cleaning. Failure to do so may give customers a negative view of the establishment. This may prevent future business.
"Step 6: Leave a good impression with your customers as they leave your establishment. After serving a customer, ask if there is anything else you can do to help, thank him or her for coming, and hold the door open as he or she leaves. Remember, the customer is the heart of your company!"

Uh-oh. Nostalgia check. Unfortunately for those of us "little people" trying to cut costs and shop smarter in the 21st century, big stores and big companies have already marginalized us. What to do? For myself, I am "voting with my wallet." Which is to say that when I took my last prescription to Vancouver's London Drugs' newest location at Cambie and Broadway recently and discovered my parking fee would not be reimbursed, I made a decision to take all my future business elsewhere. I checked out Shoppers Drug Mart -- a perfectly acceptable SDM location is just a few minutes east of London Drugs at Kingsgate Mall -- and I discovered that the dispensing fees at Superstore pharmacies are the lowest in town. Both offer free parking.

And although we are currently undertaking major operations on our residence, I have made a personal pledge to set foot in neither the Canadian Tire at Cambie and Eighth nor the Home Depot in the same block. Although they are very convenient to our home, they apparently do not value their customers enough to refund their parking costs.

After all, it isn't as though we don't have choices, right?

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Article Tags: adulthood, allowance money, business establishment, castle walls, consumer practices, corporate clients, fair shake, fat cats, five dollars, gregory peck, guff, little guys, mockingbird, restitution, rights and privileges, short shrift, terasen gas, thanks dad, thin man, to kill a mockingbird



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