shopperpro

Okay so on paper this was the simplest assignment - all I had to do was visit a store and get an associate in two departments to recommend an item. If they didn’t suggest an item with a particular material I had to ask about it and see what they said. The report form was a scant two pages long with extremely minimal comments. So what was the problem?

First of all I walked into the store and started browsing. Ten minutes later I still hadn’t gotten any assistance even though three associates walked right past me. Sniffle - and I was even wearing my best ‘clueless’ expression. The funniest part about this was that one of the associates who passed me by was with a trainee and he was instructing him on ‘proper customer service’ as they walked right past me without even making eye contact.

Okay, fine - no problem the rules state that I can now approach an associate and ask my question. Easier said than done as now every time I get near an associate they walk the other way! Eff. Twenty minutes into my shop and still nothing accomplished. I finally get an associate to speak to me and ask my question. He just shoves me, not literally, into a clearance rack of merchandise and he’s off again. You’ve got to be kidding me. Now realize that this is a fairly high end store where the cheapest item still costs over $50. I am dressed appropriately and still can’t get any help.

Thirty minutes are now gone and nada for my efforts. I have never had this much trouble trying to get someone to sell me something. Looking around the store the associates aren’t helping anyone. They’re too busy talking to one another or straightening up stock to speak to mere customers.

I finally get my original associate to come back and help me out and what do you think he does next? Give me a twenty-minute, not kidding, lecture about how everyone should be made to work at least two months in retail because they wouldn’t mess up the displays so much then! OMG you’ve got to be kidding me! Then he segues off into every freaking retail job he’s ever had and on and on and ON. Now while he’s speaking he’s also looking off to my right! He’s not even looking at me! I just can’t believe this.

At this point I just want to get the hell out of here, but professional that I am, I make him assist me through my two required departments once he FINALLY stops for air. Theoretically I should have gotten two different associates to assist me in the different departments, but after the waiting nightmare of trying to get help in the first place I just couldn’t go through that again.

Final tally - store associates 6 - mystery shopper 1 I have no idea how I’m going to write this one up. I have the bare minimum for my report, but not much else apart from the job history of one of the associates and one whopping headache!

I swear - this is why I take the complicated assignments. The simple ones always turn out to be not so simple and you expect the complicated ones to give you headaches.