An Open Letter to Retail.
Enough with the excuses.
Enough with blaming everyone but yourselves.
Enough with pointing the finger outwards.
As a Consumer I don’t really care as to why you are short staffed.
As a Consumer what I see is that your store is a mess.
As a Consumer I want to feel that there is some sort of Leadership in control.
I am lucky that I have seen the above on both sides having worked in Retail for over 35 years.
… but what I am seeing and hearing wants me to rip out my beard hair as the ones on my head disappeared from actually working in Retail 🤣.
I never said it wasn’t a double edged sword.
Yes, times have changed.
Yes, employees are harder to attract and retain due to their stupid, shit faced sense of entitlement.
Yes, wages have gone up and therefore your bottom line has shrunk.
Do you know what hasn’t changed to which I guarantee you are not doing and need to start NOW:
👉 Having a hiring process that makes a candidate want to join you and your Team. Stop talking about yourselves during these interviews, taking notes that you will never use again, being distracted due to your racing mind and instead have a Coffee Chat and get to know the real life breathing person in front of you.
I can guarantee that your Spidey Senses will let you know if something is awry.
👉 Having an onboarding process where the new hire feels at home and welcomed from the first minute they enter your store. Admit this is not the case now as I bet you you probably forgot about this new hire and have nothing prepared for them.
👉 Checking in on them to find out how they are doing, not only in the present moment but outside of your box. When is the last time you sincerely asked someone “How are you doing, and is there anything i can do for you?”
👉 Pointing your finger inwards. When is the last time you looked in the mirror and said: “ I maybe the root cause (famous retail phrase) of the opportunities at hand and not my Team. Or maybe it is my Team, as I have not led by example. See how this all leads back to you?
Then I have a couple questions for you my friend.
Are you even in the store or are you managing by having access to your cameras?
Are you even on your work floor and in the trenches with your Teams?
Are you leading by example and being the first one to raise their hand to clean the washrooms?
Then what the “F” 🤯 are you doing?
What brought up this rant / story that I am sharing?
My local Canadian Coffee and Doughnut shop (2 on a small island) are consistently dirty, staff are huddled together talking about the stores Leadership and guess what?
They have no fricken doughnuts or their according holes for sale
I am a man who likes his pastries even though I am diabetic; shame on me.
Did you know?
Does the above apply to everyone working in the service industry?
Hell yeah.
Unfortunately,
Prices are rising,
Service is shrinking,
and your stores look like a fucken bomb ran through it.
Please get it together Retail as we the Consumer are not willing to accept your short sighted excuses anymore.
Signed,
Your #1 Customer – the Employee.
Your #2 Customer – The one who is buying your overpriced merchandise.
Have a PHENOMENAL 🤩 Day.
#thatisall
