Convenience Over Good Service: What’s Your Take?

Admission:

I often shop at convenient store locations over stores with good customer support.

Yikes, as a customer service supervisor, I’m embarrassed to admit this, but it’s true. It isn’t 100%, but I’d say about 75% of the time, I’m doing this.

I’d rather drive less, pay less, get in, get out and deal with bad customer service than pay more, drive more, wait in longer lines, etc.

This might be because I’m lazy. Or, because I’m on a budget so I don’t really have a choice right now. How many of us are like this too? We’ll go to the grocery store closest to home, where the clerks ignore us, simply because it’s 7pm on a Monday night and we’re too tired from work to drive elsewhere. Can anyone else relate?

There are two Target stores within 20 minutes of where I live. One is in the city, where the traffic and parking are so congested, you’ll want to add on another 20 minutes just trying to get into the lot and find a spot. And, you can imagine the waiting lines in the store! However, the handful of times I’ve been there, the clerks are always friendly. The other Target is outside of the city, with very little traffic and abundant parking. There is rarely a wait in line, but the clerks never appear to be happy nor are they friendly. In fact, the other day, the clerk didn’t even acknowledge me with words or eye contact; she just began ringing up my items. It wasn’t until I said “hello” that she looked at me and mumbled “hello” back.

I can go on and on about the places I choose to spend my money that have pathetic customer service, but I’ll spare you the details. I’m sure you have a list of your own!

Overall, is convenience really giving us more “bang for our buck”? Maybe it’s time we (I) start putting more ‘value’ on my experience than just on my dollar.

[custom_author=jenny]