Landmark Stores
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Ridiculed and belittled by overpowering self-acclaimed, loud, self-promoting and self-aware, inarticulate shop assistant.
Having innocently entered the smaller Landmark Store in Broadway, I overheard young, childish, loud, giggling, shop assistants with many boxes of stock on Trolleys. In earshot I overheard “get out of the way” and laughter. I said to a counter assistant on leaving, “Great customer service to be told to get out of the way”. As a customer I must have been such an inconvenience! After leaving the store I was publicly tracked down, whilst with my wife and daughter, by the unnamed (no workwear name badge, and a refusal to provide a name) mature female shop assistant to explain, (no ‘excuse me’) in my personal close space, that the comments were not directed at me. I asked the unknown mature woman to step back and lower her voice (I felt embarrassed and the accused, I have no idea what passing visitors to Broadway must have thought of the situation created) and that despite her protecting the staff, I had still overheard the comment made and that it was not my fault, but factual. Before I could suggest the staff to lower their voices and be customer aware, Landmark’s self-appointed, righteous, travelling representative placed her hand close to my face, with many people milling around, and told me (loudly, to be in my opinion centre of attention and seen to be most important) that I was being aggressive, at which point she, with great stage presence, stormed off. I looked back (in total shock and disbelief of the escalation of the mature shop assistant’s attitude) to witness her talking to people, pointing at me and my family. I walked back to the shop listening to her trying to gain support from people at my expense, en route. I approached the shop, remaining outside. I asked for her name, she refused, she told me to move, although she filled the doorway, to allow valued customers inside, each giving me ‘a look’, making me feel further embarrassed as they entered the shop only to be encouraged to offer her sympathy. I asked to see the Manager who arrived outside from another part of the building. She first gathered the information from the mature shop assistant in the store; I could hear the subjective loud and dramatic account, as could the rest of the customers in the store. The Manageress came out and I explained quietly (out of respect and natural demeanour) the course of events. The Manageress listened and was apologetic. She asked what I’d like to gain from the situation and I repeated that young staff should be reminded about customer experience and I requested an apology from the mature shop assistant. The Manageress did her best and went back into store and I clearly heard the mature shop assistant refuse. I felt sympathy for the Manageress as she had tried to action my request but the shop assistant had overridden her request. Had the mature shop assistant apologised, we would have parted with me wishing her a happy new year and the offer to shake hands, despite my ordeal. The mature shop assistant initially wanted to rectify the alleged ‘misunderstanding’, which is admirable but if she wasn’t prepared to receive experienced, objective, calmly delivered advice her goodwill was negated. The Manageress explained they had encountered a ‘post Covid’ like rush of late and at least three cases of aggression experienced in store. Not my fault. The person involved should not be customer facing, mature enough to control stress and to obey her superiors. I dread the day that the Manageress has to encounter the wrath of the mature female counter assistant. This event completely ruined our trip and as a sufferer of early onset Parkinson’s Disease (hence the support of my wife and daughter to take me out on an enjoyable day) later resulted in illness due to stress. Not all incurable, progressive and degenerative brain diseases are visible. Busy or not, the customer should always be placed first, listened to and supported to an amicable conclusion. This staff at this particular outlet place themselves above polite and genuine customers, some of which may have many decades of experience in creating successful businesses built upon supreme and monitored quality of customer care, with well-trained, happy (despite stressful roles), customer focused and professional staff - their personal issues do not reflect in their attitudes and are catered for. Very, very disappointed and a rare day out with my family ruined by the actions of the very first shop we entered. Every other shop, all by far much busier, caring and welcoming throughout. AND NO RESPONSE!