Obsequious retail staff

[Don Barzini]

What are your thoughts when you encounter excessively obsequious retail or sales staff? For you, is it just as bad, or even worse than dealing with someone who's disinterested in you?

I'll give you and example of what I mean.

At my local Shell garage, it appears all the staff have been trained by the same person who has instilled in them the necessity to be as fawning, servile and subordinate as possible to every customer! They're all pretty bad for it, but there's one woman who has taken it to the maximum level. I went in for some fuel this morning and this was, almost word for word and without exaggeration, how it went...

"Good morning sir! And how are we today sir? That's lovely sir! Are you a Shell Go customer sir? Pump number 3 is it sir? That's £15 please sir. How are you paying today sir? Card is it sir? That's no problem at all sir. Much safer in these times isn't it sir? Pop your card in when you're ready please sir. Thank you sir, that's wonderful sir. Are you up to anything nice today sir? Horrible weather isn't it sir? Nicer to stay indoors on a day like today isn't it sir? Pop your PIN in when you're ready please sir. Thank you sir, that's wonderful sir. Would you like a receipt today sir? That's no problem at all sir. Here you go sir. Is there anything else I can do for you today sir? Thank you for shopping at Shell today sir. I hope you have a wonderful day sir. See you again soon sir. Bye sir. Take care sir. Stay safe sir. Bye sir."



I mean, I felt pretty exhausted by the end of it to be honest! She's always like that.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice when someone is polite when they serve you. But that....?! Frankly, I find it creepy!

I honestly think that if I'd asked her to get on her hands and knees and lick my boots, she would have done!

What are your thoughts? Do you like being treated like that, or does it make you feel a bit uncomfortable?!

 

[drdel]

Better than the alternative- but only just!

 

[IanM]

Balanced and appropriate... but of course different ages groups and cultures have different ideas about what is appropriate!

I went into a Branch of the Halifax recently to sort some stuff for my mum. A lad wearing trainers (early 20s) came over and said "morning mate, how can I help?" Could not fault the energy and friendliness.....but his use of the word "mate" was a surprise.

I did a lot of work with Americans/South Africans/HK Chinese folk on cultural change programmes... could write a book about the differences!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Listening to the Radio 2 yesterday I was appalled by some of the abuse, shouting and swearing directed at them by customers. Most were based in SE England.
I have a couple of friends who work in retail up here and they say it can be pretty awful at times.

 

[Slab]

In the days when retail staff could touch a card she would probably have noted your name off the face of it, used that a couple of times and suddenly it’s a whole different exchange
I do yearn back for the time when customers were valued by retail staff and retail staff were equally valued by customers! I wonder which ‘side’ started the slide?

By bug-bear; I hate when the word ‘sir’ is used in a failed attempt to validate poor comments in an exchange, it almost becomes derogatory

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I admire the ladies attempt. Too much? Yes, but better that way than the other.

The conversation sounds like one from an old school gentlemans tailors . Yes, it would make me feel slightly uncomfortable but I could see that her heart was in the right place so I would smile and go along with it.

 

[ADB]

Having been trained in hotel management ion the early 90's, the service standards were very much 'sir' and 'madam' - but this suited the type of environment you may find yourself working where this etiquette was expected to a certain extent. However, there is a fine line between a genuine greeting/request and an insincere and sometimes condescending way of speaking to a customer/guest that blanket 'customer care' training fails to pick up on. Personally, i do not expect to be called sir or indeed mate, buddy or fella - just don't bother, i'd just like to be talked to with basic politeness, honesty and without any forced pretension.

 

[IanM]

I spent 3 months (when between contracts) in the Summer of 2015 working in the starters hut or outside the clubhouse at Celtic Manor. I could say "Welcome to Celtic Manor etc etc" in 4 languages........ but it still only paid minimum wage. Some "guests" were lovely, some talked to me as if I was dirt on their shoe.

- I never forgot that some of my colleagues were bringing up kids and running a household on what I was lucky enough to consider "a holiday job"
- Equally, I resisted the urge to put a few of the rude-folk in their place!

Some folk in service jobs have been badly trained, or are having a bad day or might be in the wrong job. Maybe the last person they saw was really rude to them. Most folk are trying to do their best. Be nice. (which ever hat you are wearing)

 

[Mudball]

tbh, i had to first google 'obsequious'... i learnt something new today.

I rather this than other way round. As @IanM says, different culture different approaches. A trip to Asia will reset expectation on what is expected from customer services. Perhaps the best example of this is in the airline industry where the level of customer service drops as you move East to west.. I used to fly Singapore Airlines (still my favourite) a lot and got used to being pampered even in cattle class. It then dropped with european airlines till it finally falls off the cliff with American airlines..

 

[Blue in Munich]

Mrs BiM and I went to the RHS at Wisley the other evening. On the way out there were a few stalls, most of which got money out of us. As we walked away from one I said to
Mrs. BiM “I think she’s called me darling more times in 10 minutes than you have in thirty odd years.” Mrs . BiM didn’t disagree, but did say it was because she didn’t know me... ?

 

[Blue in Munich]

tbh, i had to first google 'obsequious'... i learnt something new today.

I rather this than other way round. As @IanM says, different culture different approaches. A trip to Asia will reset expectation on what is expected from customer services. Perhaps the best example of this is in the airline industry where the level of customer service drops as you move East to west.. I used to fly Singapore Airlines (still my favourite) a lot and got used to being pampered even in cattle class. It then dropped with european airlines till it finally falls off the cliff with American airlines..

Never flown with an Asian airline so can’t compare, but I’ve never had an issue with American airlines. Is it a general service thing or something else that was being discussed in another thread which you alluded to?

 

[GB72]

Being good at retail is very difficult. In an ideal world I would like retail staff to be attentive when needed but not in your face and to give me space, there when I need help but not on my shoulder when I don't, friendly but not overly sycophantic. It is a very difficult line to walk and those shops and services that get it right get my repeat business over and over, in fact a shop with good staff gets visited over and above online purchasing. I will always remember the Macc cosmetic store my wife popped in to as she wanted some new makeup for her birthday. They spent ages with her, provided the perfect level of service and we walked out having spent a couple of hundred pounds and she has been a customer ever since.

 

[Mudball]

Never flown with an Asian airline so can’t compare, but I’ve never had an issue with American airlines. Is it a general service thing or something else that was being discussed in another thread which you alluded to?

no just general... american airlines like Delta, AA think customers are just a nuisance that come in the way of their work. never get a genuine smile. Food tends to be bland. I flew AA cattle class on a golf trip to Charlotte couple of years ago.. lovely dreamliner... Our breakfast was some kind of fruit filled wrap. The lady sitting next to me (a taxi driver from the midlands).. bit it into it and turned around and said... 'what is this? feels like Polyfilla'... made my day.

 

[Blue in Munich]

no just general... american airlines like Delta, AA think customers are just a nuisance that come in the way of their work. never get a genuine smile. Food tends to be bland. I flew AA cattle class on a golf trip to Charlotte couple of years ago.. lovely dreamliner... Our breakfast was some kind of fruit filled wrap. The lady sitting next to me (a taxi driver from the midlands).. bit it into it and turned around and said... 'what is this? feels like Polyfilla'... made my day.

Okay, just wondered as I hadn't encountered an issue. Immigration however was a different matter...

 

[chellie]

What are your thoughts when you encounter excessively obsequious retail or sales staff? For you, is it just as bad, or even worse than dealing with someone who's disinterested in you?

I'll give you and example of what I mean.

At my local Shell garage, it appears all the staff have been trained by the same person who has instilled in them the necessity to be as fawning, servile and subordinate as possible to every customer! They're all pretty bad for it, but there's one woman who has taken it to the maximum level. I went in for some fuel this morning and this was, almost word for word and without exaggeration, how it went...

"Good morning sir! And how are we today sir? That's lovely sir! Are you a Shell Go customer sir? Pump number 3 is it sir? That's £15 please sir. How are you paying today sir? Card is it sir? That's no problem at all sir. Much safer in these times isn't it sir? Pop your card in when you're ready please sir. Thank you sir, that's wonderful sir. Are you up to anything nice today sir? Horrible weather isn't it sir? Nicer to stay indoors on a day like today isn't it sir? Pop your PIN in when you're ready please sir. Thank you sir, that's wonderful sir. Would you like a receipt today sir? That's no problem at all sir. Here you go sir. Is there anything else I can do for you today sir? Thank you for shopping at Shell today sir. I hope you have a wonderful day sir. See you again soon sir. Bye sir. Take care sir. Stay safe sir. Bye sir."



I mean, I felt pretty exhausted by the end of it to be honest! She's always like that.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice when someone is polite when they serve you. But that....?! Frankly, I find it creepy!

I honestly think that if I'd asked her to get on her hands and knees and lick my boots, she would have done!

What are your thoughts? Do you like being treated like that, or does it make you feel a bit uncomfortable?!

She will have been told she has to do say all that and is also likely to be mystery shopped and fail if she doesn't

 

[3offTheTee]

I find it annoying when asked, “How are we today? “ I usually reply to the effect that it should be ”you” rather than we. This was how the OP was greeted. The “we” is something that has come in recently

 

[Mudball]

Okay, just wondered as I hadn't encountered an issue. Immigration however was a different matter...

i agree... last year, went for a boys outing to Vegas. 4 of us flew into LA. Went to the machine... 2 of us got an 'X' while 2 others did not... After the machine it was time to stand for the TSA questioning.. The X were on a long queue, while 2 of us were laughing at them being strip searched... The first two took 30 mins to get thru, while two of us took another 2 hours. The questioning itself was a 2 min job, but the waiting was just madness as they had only 2 agents for all the non-Xers. One of the officers had got into an argument with someone on using phones in the area.. it was a circus

 

[pokerjoke]

I called a man sir the other day and straight away he asked me not to call him sir.
Maybe that’s all it would have took.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

When I first worked in a bar as a student it was the cocktail bar of a quite nice hotel. The bar manager was old school and required me to address customers as Sir and Madam. And I was soo polite - got lots of tips for my bother

After a couple of summers of that I then worked in the public bar of a local hostelry at home (Glasgow Southsiders may recall the Malletsheugh Inn Public bar - a mixed clientele let's say). I didn't use Sir and Madam much past Day #1 as the reaction I got was - erm - vigorous...

 

[IanM]

I called a man sir the other day and straight away he asked me not to call him sir.
Maybe that’s all it would have took.

Yes, she was livid!!