“The customer comes first” is a business philosophy that puts clientele at the centre of decision making, creating positive experiences at every touchpoint from initial contact to post-purchase support.
But some customers are more equal than others.
This week, I was on the hunt for a particular gift for an important little person in my life and the handy-dandy interwebs indicated this in-demand item was in stock at a nearby department store.
Off I choofed and then popped up with sunny confidence at the appropriate counter and asked if I could have the item, “please and thank you”.
“Hmm,” the young and polite attendant intoned as he peered at his device.
“There is a little problem, unfortunately. I have that item out the back but I can’t sell it to you here.”
I probably tilted my head like a cocker spaniel, so confusing was this information. Wasn’t the item both in stock and for sale?
“It is only available via click and collect. I can’t pull it out of that stock and sell it directly,” he told me.
I picked up what he was putting down: “So, I must buy it via the website on my phone and then you can give it to me?”
“Kind of,” he said. “Buy it, but you will have to wait until the pickers get it from the stock and pack it up. It could take up to four hours. You’ll get a text when it is ready.”
Four hours? When the item was just behind the door to “out the back”? I was right there and so was my purchased prize. It was nonsensical.
A sale is no longer just a sale – and not just at shops. Recently, an accommodation app I use regularly indicated the apartment I wanted to book was unavailable, but when I called the property directly, the manager happily had one to suit my needs.
Sometimes tickets for events are ‘sold out’, but if you are part of a social media clique or have signed up for a newsletter, there are loads still available. Wheels within wheels. Secret stashes and exclusive access.
And while creating exclusivity might excuse inflating an asking price, and having something available online might save space on the shop floor, such fancy footwork makes the in-person shopper feel like a B-team pick.
Of course, like Pavlov’s dog, I responded when by phone binged and collected my item. It’s what we consumers do these days.
Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.
