Customer Service

[coppertop]

I don't know if I am the only one that notices this but it seems as though the booming job market in our province is in part responsible for the quality of customer service in some businesses.

For example: I spent ten minutes longer than necessary in the bank this morning because there was a new teller who had no-one training her, and she just did not undertand the computer system .

The local IGA Garden Market store has new staff every day, again, no-one training them, and they have to re-key so many things into the computer that it takes forever to get through the line up.

The service stations are having a terrible time attracting and retaining capable staff. The average amount of time new employees stay is about two weeks, then they are on to another job.

When WalMart opened here there was always someone that would help customers find specific items, now it is difficult to find a staff person, and even more difficult to find one that knows where everything is. The garden centres are opening in Home Hardware, Canadian Tire and WalMart and are understaffed to put it mildly, most of those businesses are having to pull staff off the floor to work in the garden area because they can't find part time staff.

It all boils down to the fantastic job market in our province, but are we the consumer not only paying the price in rising costs but also in customer service ????

[cakadu]

Yes we are and things are only going to get worse. The kids who used to take the part-time jobs after school and for the summer are now quitting school altogether to go and make the big money. Consider where that is going to leave us in about 10 to 15 years and it is a frigtening thought.

Many people who had those jobs cannot keep them because they have no benefits (many are considered part-time so there are no benefits to be paid) so they move on to something else.

Agri-processing is another area that is going to be continually constrained as this job market tightens. How are you going to get kids to work in the potato chip factory when they can make big money elsewhere?

Couple that with the higher dollar and manufacturers are also going to feel that crunch as well. As a consumer going to the U.S. with spending dollars, it's great because we've seen the best exchange rates in years. As someone selling goods to the U.S. though, it is an entirely different matter.

The coming months are going to be very interesting indeed.

[wilagro]

In one Co-op that we shop in they are using 'seniors' to stock shelves and assist customers.

Don't know if this common practice but it seems to work okay. Gives seniors some extra money to survive paying for our lovely de-regulated electricity and NG bills.

If I wasn;t so damned stove up would consider this myself altho' getting up in the morning when it is minus 30 would be a downer.

[coppertop]

The local IGA is asking all their regular senior customers if they are interested in any part time jobs. The local WalMart has all the old duffers at the door as greeters so there aren't many left to coffee at the A W !!