I RECENTLY read a letter from Commerce Ballarat executive officer Jodie Gillett about poor local retail service she had encountered.
The other day my daughter received a package in the mail and told me it was a new dress she had ordered over the internet.
She said she had gone to a local store and had looked through their displays. Whilst there were two sales assistants in the store they were talking to each other. They did not acknowledge her entering and did not approach her whilst she was looking through the dress racks. She found something she liked but not in her size. After waiting a while and trying to catch the eye of one of the assistants she gave up and left.
Upon returning home she looked up the company's website and found the dress. She was concerned that it might not fit but apparently they had a good returns policy so she ordered it. Not only did it turn up in just a few days, enclosed was a thank you note and a lollipop.
I know some retailers are fantastic but all need to aim for fantastic service. Maybe they should engage a mystery shopper to get some feedback.
With even David Jones forecasting a 40 per cent profit drop, local retailers are obviously not immune and must have the best systems, policies and staff in place in order to survive; and they need an internet shopping cart to supplement in-store sales.
TREVOR RYAN
Brown Hill