I try not to visit PC World superstores if I can help it. Occasionally, though, I am in need of a ream of paper or a printer cartridge and off to PCW I go. Today I had the misfortune to enter the Brentford store in West London.
As usual there was no one to talk to and no one clamouring for my attention. Eventually I found the printer section and spent ten minutes hunting through boxes for a cartridge that would fit my simple little Samsung monochrome laser printer. I then approached checkout and was served sulkily by a young man who clearly had other things on his mind.
He was on autopilot, looking across the store away from me and trying to get the attention of a colleague. Throughout the whole transaction he uttered not a word except a couple of grunts aimed at the distant colleague and the cryptic “PIN number”. He contrived, amazingly, to avoid meeting my eye even for a second. Of smiles there were none.
After that unwelcoming experience I left fuming. Why, I wondered, can other retailers not emulate Apple Stores. There, I have never encountered a salesperson who didn’t look me in the eye, chat, smile and make me feel good. Even paying up is a pleasant experience. Frankly, the likes of PC World do not deserve to succeed.
by Mike Evans, 18 November 2012