Posted on 11/23/2017 7:24:37 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
When you walk into the Madison Avenue Bonobos, don’t expect to walk out with anything.
Sure, you can try on a pair of pants, or about a dozen different gingham work shirts, but when you pick your favorite, there’s no cashier to ring up your purchase, no line to stand in, nor shopping bags to haul it home.
Instead, Joshua Jones—you call him Josh—swipes your card on his iPad and offers you a bottle of Perrier “for the road.” If you’re not in a rush, he’ll help you rank Jessica Alba movies, or chat about your upcoming vacation. Within a few days, your clothes will arrive at home, shipped from a warehouse in Massachusetts.
Josh isn’t a sales associate. He’s what the upstart menswear company deems a “guide.” He knows the intricacies of menswear intimately (style, fit, comfort), and has a client book of regulars who trust his taste. On a recent weekday afternoon, he convinced Phil, a new customer, to try on a pair of olive trousers he ended up buying. After Phil rushed out the door to make a business meeting, Josh made a mental note to follow up with him by email to make sure there’s no buyer’s remorse.
“I make it easy for them,” Josh says. “People say all the time, ‘I hate shopping. You made this enjoyable.’ ”
Josh doesn’t work on commission. When he hands you that sparkling water, remembers your kid’s name, or waves to you through the store window, it feels sincere. At past retail jobs, employers encouraged him to upsell constantly, and to adhere to strict styling guidelines. Here, things are a little different....
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
The retail worker of the future will be a robot.
Complete BS. And, yeah, it will probably be some form of AI chatbot.
67% turnover in retail industry. Consumer retail transactions are not the same as a long term business relationship.
Retail future is AMZ and services like WalMart order online, pickup at loading dock, and self-checkout type model.
Consumers are smarter than the hired help in most cases anyway.
sounds like a living hell to me.
Then again. I buy my clothing at thrift stores and Fleet Farm...
Sounds like a creepy stalker who now has all your personal information. Men do not chat about such things.
What about flying no carbon cars??
Agreed. Gaydar pinged just reading this.
In a clerk, I’m not looking for a friend - I’m looking for someone who can complete my purchase without delay.
[Insert “shut up and take my money” meme here]
What they describe is top-tier service. That’s great if I’m spending a huge amount.
[insert “I am going to spend an obscene amount off money” scene from Pretty Woman]
I actually expect this is a prep for higher minimum wages: at some point, customers expect substantially better service for increased costs. Stores won’t be able to justify paying $15-25/ hr for clerks who barely make eye contact.
“If you’re not in a rush, he’ll help you rank Jessica Alba movies, or chat about your upcoming vacation. ”
No thanks.
L
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This is fantasy. The retail worker of the future will be the bored teenager with white cable dangling from her ears, only a few years older. Still chewing gum, and still more interested in talking to her peeps than to you. She still can’t make change, and she still won’t look you in the eye.
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