When I graduated from journalism school, I left Victoria and moved to Pincher Creek, a small town in southern Alberta, to get my start as a reporter. The town had a couple of thousand people, a few stop signs and one stop light.
When Walmart came to town, it was a big deal. Residents were excited to have a larger selection of items, and business owners were concerned for their businesses. I covered the grand opening for the newspaper and was asked to arrive in the parking lot about 7:30 a.m.
The Walmart was built just outside of town, so I drove down the dark highway to the big-box store that stood alone. I was surprised to see the parking lot full of eager shoppers lined up and ready to enter the store for the first time. Even though I am certain everyone had been in other Walmart stores plenty of times.
When the doors opened, the Mounties stood at the entrance in red serge and the residents rushed in with shopping carts. “Ouch,” “Ouch,” “Ouch,” I kept hearing because the eager shoppers’ carts where running into the ankles of the shoppers ahead of them. The excitement was over having more choices in the small town.
Now more than ever, we have nearly unlimited selection when it comes to shopping. With online shopping, we can get nearly whatever we want. The giant online retailer Amazon can bring almost anything to our doorstep and there are boutiques online where specialty items can be ordered, as well. Selection is at our fingertips.
Just because we can get what we need online, doesn’t mean it’s always the best choice. To order online, you have to be willing to wait for the items to arrive, you don’t have an option to try on clothing or get a good look at the item. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell the quality of an item from a photo. You also can’t believe the online reviews, because some people are paid to write them.
No matter how great online shopping is, nothing will ever completely replace local shops and local business. When I am choosing where to shop locally, quality products and customer service are always factored into my decision.
Face-to-face customer service can go a long way. I will often shop somewhere where the prices might be higher if the experience is better. I don’t want to shop places where the staff aren’t helpful or act as if a question is a nuisance.
When I bought my first fountain pen at Simply the Best on Broad Street, it wasn’t just about buying a pen, it was an experience. The owner of the store asked me what I used my pen for, he gave me a sample pen to write with, he assessed my writing and helped me select the perfect pen for my needs and I left with a pen I loved, a pen that I thought was special for me.
That’s great customer service and I’ve gone back to purchase other pens there. In fact, I was told by a friend that I should go to the store. Great customer service gets business referrals.
Employers all across Greater Victoria are having a hard time hiring people for entry-level jobs. There aren’t enough workers willing to work in these positions and it’s a job-seekers’ market when it comes to entry-level jobs. When there is a struggle to hire people, it can be even harder to get the right people to join the team.
The problem is that business owners know the importance of good customer service, but it’s harder to get employees to care, especially if they know that jobs are a dime a dozen.
So many of us got our start in customer service roles, and the skills of being knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating and respectful are crucial to anyone in any career, not just people working on the front lines.
If there is great customer service right here in town, I am more likely to drive to a store and pick up an item than I am to order it online.
Years ago, business owners complained about Walmarts moving in and now it’s online retailers such as Amazon. Online shopping will continue to grow, but can’t ever compete with good old-fashioned customer service that comes from local shops.
Charla Huber works in communications and Indigenous relations for M’akola Group of Societies.
