I've worked in retail for over a year now, and the one skill that I can take with me in life is the ability to give quality customer service with a smile, no matter how horrible the customer may be. I used to think that every retail brand emphasized this quality on their employees, up until I had a truly horrifying experience inside a store I was shopping at. It brought my attention to the fact that perhaps there are commonalities and stores that collectively have low standards on the customer experience, so I conducted a survey within VCU students to see which stores inside the mall have the worst customer service. Here are the results of the top five stores from highest reported "bad customer experience," as told by a sample of 115 shoppers.
1. Hollister Co.
A striking 41% of the sample reported that Hollister was the place where they've received the worst customer service. Maybe it's the bad lighting that makes everyone so crabby in the store, but it seems people don't typically run into friendly employees in there.
2. Forever21
The verdict here is that "everyone is rude af". Ouch....
3. H&M
Employees here apparently don't even talk to their customers.
4. Urban Outfitters
For a store that focuses on renewable clothing and conservation, you'd think they'd be a lot friendlier...
5. Charlotte Russe
"Cheap clothes, cheap attitude."
What can I say? The numbers don't lie. A store may sell their brand well, but that doesn't mean they're selling a good customer experience.
