Jes so y'all can have fun at MM's expense:
I Went to Jared - Why Brick and Mortar Loses to Amazonhttps://www.democraticunderground.com/100216500522My wife has a birthday coming up very shortly. So, I decided to give her something gold and sparkly this year. I was out to do my grocery shopping and I noticed a Jared "Galleria of Jewelry" store, so I stopped in.
When I came into the store, there were no other customers and several salespeople, so I wandered over to the display cases, looking for the earrings I had decided on as a gift. I quickly found a showcase like that and was looking at them. "Excuse me...Did you sign in?" It was a man standing behind me. "What?" I said. "You have to sign in." I said, "I'm just here to buy some earrings." The man insisted once again that I had to "sign in." I suppose they wanted my contact information so they could pester me with ads. I don't know, but I said, "No, I do not need to 'sign in.' I need to leave." And I did.
I thought that was weird. However, I more or less shrugged it off. I remembered that there was a Kohl's department store on my way to the supermarket, so I stopped there and went in. As usual, the jewelry counter was right across from the entrance. The Kohl's was not busy, either. I walked over, found the earrings and was checking them out. "60% OFF!" the signs said. Jewelry at Kohl's always seems to be 60% off, for some reason. Anyhow, I saw a couple of pairs of earrings that would work for me, so I looked up to get the attention of a salesperson. Wait...there wasn't one. There was nobody working inside the jewelry counter enclosure. I looked around to see if someone was nearby, but saw nobody. So, Kohl's has its jewelry area right across from the entrance, since it's a profit center for the store, but there was nobody working there. Nobody to help a willing customer. I left that store, too, and did my grocery shopping.
...
What are the odds that I will ever go to Jared again? Kohl's? Just about nil, I think. So, when I hear brick and mortar retailers complaining about online shopping stealing their customers, I know it's just sour grapes. The old model is no longer working.
1. The Jared's situation is probably MN gooberment reg, or a corporate policy based on the most stringent state Covid reg among the states in which Jared operates. Since sales people are of necessity close to or in contact with customers, and customers may handle and/or put on multiple items of jewelry, the sign-in is probably done to facilitate contact-tracing in the event of an employee testing positive for Covid.
2. Kohl's has always been very tightly staffed, with employees sometimes working two different areas. Covid probably complicates staffing. In the Kohl's we patronize, it is common for the sales people to work both jewelry and the nearby cosmetics area, going back years. Kohl's has very competitive prices, and has to keep its staffing lean. I'd love to see how patient MM is trying to get the security tag removed from a pair of shoes so the shoes can be tried on!
FZ!
