Kung-Fu Panda 3 is not my kind of movie. Consequently, I killed some time last Sunday, while one of my kids enjoyed the movie with a friend at the theatre, by popping over to a local department store.
I rarely shop for myself and was looking forward to cruising mindlessly through the store to see what was on sale. I am always SO last season because I buy the leftovers at a reduced price.
It turns out that the shoe department had put a number of odd sizes and low inventory items on sale for 50 per cent off the lowest price. I thought to myself, "I might actually be able to afford the leather boots I've been wanting all winter!"
I must have tried on 15 pairs of boots while I was there. Each time I eliminated a pair that was not quite right, I'd walk sock-footed back to the clearance tables to look for other options. Back and forth, back and forth. Open a box, take a look, walk them over to a seat, open them up, sit down, try them on, put them back in the box, take them back to the table, and grab another pair. Repeat.
I was the only person in the shoe department and a clerk was present the entire time. Half way through my exhausting shopping experience, I looked over at the bored young woman behind the counter, wondering what she was thinking as she stared absently into space.
Leaning against the counter, at one point with her head in her hands, the twenty-something clerk looked devoid of a single ounce of concern for my endless search for bargain boots. I walked across the shoe department floor twice to ask her questions regarding the pricing and return policy; it wasn't as though she didn't know I was there.
It was a deplorable and a somewhat comical experience.
The clerk twisting her hair around her finger, seeming to deliberately ignore me as I struggled, sweat forming on my brow, wishing I had size 10 feet for once in my life.
The experience made me nostalgic for the days when customer service in department stores was commendable. It also reminded me of my youth when, as a minimum-wage earning employee, I worked my butt off to provide customers with the best experience possible.
I'll give the clerk the benefit of a doubt; it could have just been a really bad day for her. Perhaps she had a headache or was suffering in some outwardly unidentifiable way.
But if that wasn't the case, was she simply the wrong person for the position? Could this negative experience been avoided?
The bigger question being, "Is it possible to correctly match the right person for any job, even at minimum wage?" I believe it is possible, but it requires the investment of time to train new staff and more importantly the time, money, and ability to profile and filter job candidates based on their true core strengths and weaknesses.
There are many employment profiling options available online which help employers weed through the stacks of applicants and end up with a shortlist of people best suited for the posted position.
More traditional means of interviewing and resume review are still valuable; but, at some point in the hiring process, sending the applicant through a formal assessment reveals the science behind the person's personality and skills.
Then, after you've hired the best applicant, it is time to train them.
In my experience, most retail businesses are good at training the hard skills, such as how to use the POS terminal, but they
fall short on the soft skills, such as demonstrating what 'good' customer service looks like.
This does take time, but it's worth it.
Many studies suggest that the cost of employee turnover, for a minimum wage position, equals about six-months of wages.
Therefore, the cost of providing a rigorous training period is money well spent in the long run.
A decent probationary period, job shadowing with your business's star performers, as well as ongoing skill development throughout the employment term of the staff person are some ways to ensure that your employees reflect the culture, quality and customer service levels of your business.
Until next week, stay in the black and keep coming back.
