A new report came out last week suggesting that UK businesses are losing billions of pounds in sales every year due to bad in-store experiences. And I think I know the main reason for this.
If the UK high street was already dying, this current generation of young shop assistants have slapped a “DNR” on it.
Customer satisfaction has been dropping year on year, and it’s now at a 14-year low. I don’t think it is irrelevant that it correlates with Gen Z joining the workforce; they will account for 27 per cent of all employees by 2025.
I’ve worked in retail. To do well and keep customers happy all you really need to do is have high energy, a smile and an ability to talk to people. That’s it. It’s not complicated. But the Gen Zers I have come across seem to have different expectations of work.
I’m not saying this is typical of every member of Gen Z. I’ve had bad service from other generations, of course I have. Not every single member of this entire generation is terrible at customer service, but generally, I think Gen Z’s talents lie elsewhere. They are the online generation after all – and elsewhere in the world of work, I think they’re making great strides, and leading necessary change when it comes to inclusion and work-life balance.
But their laid-back attitude is having an impact on my local high street and shopping experience.
For instance, I needed to buy my daughter’s first pair of proper school shoes. Obviously, because I was born in the 90s, I went to a physical shop of a brand I trust. That’s where everyone went to get their feet measured, try on some chunky black shoes, and do an embarrassing little walk to prove they fit.
I was willing to spend twice the amount I would online, or at a discount shop, for the expert service and fitting. I could have just ordered them from the website – but how would I know they fit right without the professional measuring?
When I arrived I was greeted by: no one, actually. There were about two members of staff on, both in the Gen Z age demographic, and when I asked if I could get my child fitted, one of the assistants rolled his eyes at me.
After joining the queue and getting measured, he muttered the size. There was an awkward pause. He didn’t add anything else, or invite me to pick out shoes to try on, or offer to bring them out.
“Do I just go and start trying on shoes?” I asked.
“Of course,” he said sullenly, looking at me like I was an idiot.
Only, when I went out bewildered to the floor, four-year-old in hand, there were obviously no shoes in her size. No one was available to help me.
I could pick some out, take them to the till, ask if they have them in an eight, and waste another 30 minutes. Or I could just leave, and order them online. Which is exactly what I did – and what everyone else is doing too. Eight out of 10 customers leave a shop without what they went in for.
The negative in-store experiences we’re having are pushing us to spend online instead. These experiences included queue length, and poor customer service. Just like I had.
I don’t think I was asking for much from the encounter, only a very basic willingness to help. This wasn’t the only bad experience I had too.
A Gen Z estate agent showed me a house recently. I wasn’t expecting Selling Sunset, but she answered “I don’t know” to every question I had, and after the third “dunno” I gave up. There was no offer to send the information over later, or attempt to call someone and find out. And you’re expecting me to drop thousands of pounds? Not just £40 on a pair of shoes.
A friend who runs a shop says she has the same issue, and says hiring young people is just like watching someone else’s kids all day. “They’re no help at all, all they do is complain about their parents,” she said.
This is an online generation, the first to grow up on the internet and their identity is defined by their digital experience – and Covid-19. Some of their customer service, and social skills, are godawful.
The only reason to shop on the high street over online is the in-store experience, expert advice, and customer service. If that goes away, so does the high street, and I fear that’s where the first digital generation is sending us.
