What has happened to customer service?

I doubt this is the case anymore. Napa might cater to small-time, low-level, low-volume shops but the more serious independent shops use wholesale parts suppliers like WorldPac.

Although NAPA is headquartered in the Atlanta metro area, Norcross specifically. I used to work a mile from the HQ. I would buy from that store at times. The service there is much better, they have better employees, but it's corporate owned and they generally have what you need because their orders are filled from the adjacent warehouse that stocks the stores.
Interestingly enough when I applied for the Napa store manager training program in 2017 they told me the percentage but some stores are corporate some are franchisees or private ownership. From the sound of it Napa wants to keep it this way.
 
I spent 45 minutes in line at the post office this afternoon. One counter help person that was having difficulty getting the customer at the front of the line fixed up with a post office box.

If this was a Waffle House, folks would have been jumping over the counter.....
 
Yesterday I went in a large Walmart and they had 1 cashier. I complained to a couple of employees but it won't do anything. I don't mind self checkout with a few things but with a basket full of groceries, I don't want to work for free. Especially being retired. Also Walmart is becoming very "woke" so I may forgo them in the future...except for motor oil.lol
I find Target to be a much better shopping experience.
 
Wrong. There was no such welfare until FDR....

You are correct. Sorry, let me rephrase; welfare has been around since FDR. So how does welfare make a difference whether an employee is good or bad?

There's more to why these 3rd world countries will also treat foreigners better as well and it usually involves $$$.

When I grew up, no one was telling anyone that working a retail job (other than store manager/etc) was a job that would provide for a family, other than an experience meat cutter in a good grocery store chain.

The retail workers, all of them other than store managers, were mostly part time or if they were full-time, those were secondary jobs in that household.

I grew up KNOWING that you shouldn't expect to house, clothe, feed and raise a FAMILY on the wages of an hourly retail/food service worker. Are you telling me that someone who grew up in south Alabama was taught better than most? Don't most of you look down on people who were raised in the south? Don't you consider that some backwoods state? Are you telling me that me, my friends and 99% of everyone I grew up with, around or went to school with were educated with some pristine knowledge about how we should find suitable employment for our future?

Whoa there, slow down. I never said anything about what region taught better than another region. Never said I looked down on people raised in the South. I work directly with plenty of younger folks straight out of college, a lot of older folks who never went to college but worked their way up; as well as a lot of account managers for our vendors at work, most of those younger than me. I also work on the side with a lot of very expensive lawyers. All of them were great and went above and beyond to satisfy the needs and wants of the company I work for and every good employee and good company I've ever worked for/with has had one thing in common; great leadership.

This isn't explicitly for you but since there's a lot of folks here that like to blame the younger generations, they should look at the leadership of a poor work establishment, because I guarantee there's a few folks there with a lot of knowledge but instead of sharing that expansive knowledge, they say "that's not my problem."
 
My parents worked hard and were poor, and I have worked some pretty tough jobs as a young person also - so I go out of my way to be polite and respectful to hard working service people.

However I am now completely spent. I have essentially been cursed at by customer service people for asking for something that should be considered a normal request. I can put up with I can't do it, I don't feel like doing it, I don't know how to do it. I will even still say thank you. But being treated outright rudely is a bridge too far. I now do everything in my control to not enter a retailer or restaurant. Sometimes I can't help it, but they will get as little of my money as possible - I will buy everything I can online or not at all.

I do agree its management - the employees obviously don't want to be there, and the managers don't care to do anything about it. I hope they all enjoy working at a warehouse and packing boxes because that's where this goes. Why go to a store to be treated like garbage when I can just order it online.
 
There's more to why these 3rd world countries will also treat foreigners better as well and it usually involves $$$.
FYI- tipping is not expected, nor encourage- and often frowned upon. Observations strongly suggest people are grateful to serve all customers and want to provide great service and transaction to every single person in need of a product or service.

I posted in BITOG a few months ago of my trailer breaking down on I90 in the middle of nowhere South Dakota on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend at 530pm. I was able to pull off the interstate and there was a trailer shop to my surprise. The shop was closed, but posted on the front door was the names and cell phone numbers of the four employees of the shop. I called one of the numbers. The gentleman that answered told me to go a few blocks into town, Billy would help me. if for any reasons Billy wasn't there, let him know and he would come back to the shop, he was one hour from the shop. All on the Friday evening of Memorial Day weekend.

Drove the few blocks to Billy. His shop was closed, but he graciously opened the shop door for me, treated me like a brother, fixed my problem, and sent me on my way. He knew I was a one-time customer, yet he treated me like I was going to be a local customer for life.

Billy and the trailer shop is what right looks like. And I bet all involved take home like pay of many lower paid people. But they had pride in delivering service to all.
 
30 years ago was 1993. In 1988 I was coming home from middle school and nobody was home. Both my parents were working.

I'm a greybeard and only 30 years ago a couple couldn't live on one decent paycheck, let alone a family. You'd have to go back at least 50 years to have an above average earner supporting a family on one paycheck. After the mega inflation of the late 70's and massive unemployment of the early and mid-80's, nearly no one could do that. People danced in the streets when mortgage rates dropped to 8%, years later.
 
I know we all have seen the service side of retail degrade to where it's almost non-existent anymore, but what has happened?

People in the area of the country I live in praise Publix and CFA (I am in that camp), but in reality, they are just the bar. The smaller stores/restaurants that REALLY know how to respect the customer are the epitome of customer service.

But then there's this-

I just went to a local NAPA (locally owned). It's tucked away, off anything considered a main road, retail area, etc. You probably wouldn't go there unless you searched for Napa and wanted to go there, which I did, to get a known part.

I park. I'm the only customer there, clearly. The storefront door is held open by a door stop. There's the typical ~30 yo male standing on the curb. Unkempt hair, unkempt beard, Napa hat on, phone in one hand, vape box in the other, never looks up, never says a word, in fact, moves away (I guess in a polite move).

I walk in, no one to be seen in the store, counter, etc. I walk to the middle of the counter and stand there. I then see an office at the end of the counter, two people in there, looking at me. The man shouts out "sir, is anyone helping you?" I look both ways for anyone and shake my head no. Then there's a discussion between the man and woman about who's where. She walks out of the office and asks me what I am needing.

I tell her, year, make, model, then I tell her what I need. It's a caliper pin bushing kit. She can't find it.
I was just looking it on their website at the office. I knew I should have written the part down and took it with me. Then she finds a hardware kit. Nope, it's the bushing kit.

She finds it.

Yeah, there's some tension in the air. Probably too much, but I think a customer should be appreciated instead of being made to feel like they are bothering people. Yes, it was a whole $7 of gross revenue.

I feel things would have had a whole different air about them if someone was at the counter when I walked in and ready to go. Maybe it's just me....
Not you . It's common .
 
I'm a greybeard and only 30 years ago a couple couldn't live on one decent paycheck, let alone a family. You'd have to go back at least 50 years to have an above average earner supporting a family on one paycheck. After the mega inflation of the late 70's and massive unemployment of the early and mid-80's, nearly no one could do that. People danced in the streets when mortgage rates dropped to 8%, years later.

It got worse when my dad decided to move to Northern VA from suburban Chicago in the late 80s to keep his job. The company did not give him a raise (despite Northern VA being nearly 50% more expensive) and then laid him off a few years later. It wasn't until we moved to Northern VA that I started coming home from school with nobody home.
 
Saw this on Monday...
turnes 18 next week, and the last 23 minutes I saw him, were for 15th. Got pulled out of school last year just before the finals exams, and moved two day's drive and a boat trip away...

HUGE thanks to C*****r at ********* who helped me out today. I’ve been looking for a spare part for a bike and on a long shot I thought I’d try TW.
C******r listened, understood, went above and beyond and was respectful, humble and gracious. This young bloke just made my day and in my opinion is the best example of great customer service I’ve ever experienced. Thanks mate!!
If you’re in ******, come spend money here.
 
I called FIOS the other day. I got a guy who introduced himself as “ Hi, I’m George and I’m here to give you excellent customer service.” We talked
for 45 minutes about FIOS, the pros and cons about streaming etc, etc. I’ve never had a more enjoyable customer experience. Was he a robot? I dunno know but it sounded legit. I would have bought a time share from this guy.
 
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