Poor quality recruits and bad customer service - thats Retail for you!!

At this time of year, when there is plenty of Christmas cheer, there is a really massive problem that effects retailers (and ultimately all of us customers!), and that is recruiting the right numbers of staff at the right calibre for their biggest trading season. One thing that I personally hate is bad service when out shopping, mostly taking the form of ignorance and rudeness.  I am sure I am not alone in feeling this way, and you only have to go the USA to see how well retailers treat their customers, to really understand how bad at it we are in the UK. There are of course some very good retailers that this doesn't apply to such as M&S, Tesco and Sainsburys but they are in the minority.

I saw an article in Retail Week yesterday on Tips for motivating retail staff, but having endured yet more crap service over the weekend I thought I would amend this slightly. Below I have listed a number of de-motivational factors that I am sure that a number of retailers have been putting into practice when recruiting their seasonal staff!!

1. Recruit whatever staff you can hold of at short notice (because as always you have left it until the last moment!) and don't let it worry you that they have no experience of dealing with customers at all!! If they can speak english and can communicate with customers (sign language not included) then this would be a real bonus!
2. Avoid training completely. Why bother, they won't listen and they are only there for 4 weeks to get some cash anyway. It would take you weeks to knock them into shape so just grin and bear it - after all it is only for 4 weeks and you can just 'put it down to the holiday season'!!
3. Don't tell you new staff what to do or give them any instruction - they won't care so why should you!
4. Don't even think of including these temporary staff in Christmas bonus schemes, as the other permanent staff will resent it. Why should they get a bonus for 4 weeks work, whereas your permanent staff work a whole year to get one!!
5. Give them the hours that no one else wants to do - this will make them unhappy and not want to work hard for you!
6. Don't involve these temporary staff and don't ask for any input from them. Simply assume that they are the lowest of the low and are not capable of innovative ideas or suggesting ways of improving process.
7. Don't give these staff any focus, don't tell them what POS means and how to increase counter cross selling - your sales will increase anyway because of Christmas, so you won't need to!!
8. Don't give the temporary staff any feedback as to how they are getting on, they are only temporary after all! Heaven forbid, if you give them constructive feedback, they might actually get better, and you can't have that can you?!!

If I have missed any others then I am sure you will let me know!!