Dorsetmike
Member
This morning I had to go to the local sorting office to collect a package which they tried to deliver while I was out. there was a queue of about 20 or so freezing our wotsits off in a very cold wind. By the time I got my packet, there hasd been at least 8 of the ones ahead of me carrying parcels/packets with Amazon plastered across them, including mine", made me wonder how much longer we will have local shops? The following is a precis of a post on another forum, sums up my thoughts exactly.
At one time customers were considered important enough to respect, we were "always right". It was the easy way of ensuring their return, bringing in more trade. However, nowadays, small shops and businesses are in danger of extinction, being replaced by increasingly large, usually multinational, organisations. To these conglomerates customers are no longer individuals with whom to build a rapport, they have become statistics and sources of income. They now charge us as much as they feel they can get away with - what the market will bear, as they say.
They make a show of interest in the customers views by asking for "feedback" or "reviews", how often does one see adverse comments published? Often the reviews and/or feedback are converted to star ratings.
Now, in an ideal competitive marketplace, they wouldn't get away with this if the customer could just nip into the shop next door and get treated better. But that's no longer the case. The only choice we have is to change between one large company and another, and when so many of them adopt a similar, cynical attitude to the customer as revenue source only, we end up with high prices, poor service, less respect and no alternative to turn to. They have us by the short and curlies.
I hasten to add that not all businesses are like that - there are many very good ones too. But the tendency to focus on profit over people is becoming the dominant approach, because without that they would go under. That's competition for you.
At one time customers were considered important enough to respect, we were "always right". It was the easy way of ensuring their return, bringing in more trade. However, nowadays, small shops and businesses are in danger of extinction, being replaced by increasingly large, usually multinational, organisations. To these conglomerates customers are no longer individuals with whom to build a rapport, they have become statistics and sources of income. They now charge us as much as they feel they can get away with - what the market will bear, as they say.
They make a show of interest in the customers views by asking for "feedback" or "reviews", how often does one see adverse comments published? Often the reviews and/or feedback are converted to star ratings.
Now, in an ideal competitive marketplace, they wouldn't get away with this if the customer could just nip into the shop next door and get treated better. But that's no longer the case. The only choice we have is to change between one large company and another, and when so many of them adopt a similar, cynical attitude to the customer as revenue source only, we end up with high prices, poor service, less respect and no alternative to turn to. They have us by the short and curlies.
I hasten to add that not all businesses are like that - there are many very good ones too. But the tendency to focus on profit over people is becoming the dominant approach, because without that they would go under. That's competition for you.