I’M on the hunt for a dress to wear to a black-tie event next month.
I’ve traipsed through numerous shops.
After two hours of shopping I can count on one finger the number of times a sales assistant took the time to ask if I needed help.
In light of this experience I wasn’t surprised to read the news this week that Topshop Australia has gone into voluntary administration.
It’s the latest in a long line of retailers – Marcs, David Lawrence, Pumpkin Patch, Herringbone, Rhodes and Beckett and Payless Shoes — to succumb to challenging market conditions.
I’m an avid shopper from way back and even I’m losing faith in the Australian retail scene.
So here, free of charge, I’d like to share my insights with the retailing bosses because I reckon I know where things are going awry.
Competition from online retailers is fierce and if bricks and mortar stores are to compete then they need to offer something online retailers cannot. Good old fashioned service.
Groundbreaking revelation isn’t it?!
By service I mean staff who know their brands and understand their customers.
Staff who take the time to acknowledge customers in their store and ask if they need help!
If I were a mystery shopper I’d be giving many of the staff a zero,…