Devoted to customer service and the principles of exceptional customer services

I frequent my local Barnes and Noble about two-three times a week to write and browse the latest news in business, fashion, and get some dose of other human energy.  In all the times I've been there, I've only been acknowledged only a handful of times.  (Sorry, don't mean to be a complainer). Of course, I'm not one of those customers that freeloads - I do buy books, magazines, and then some.  If they had a coffee loyalty card I would have filled up a dozen cards or so :)

Why do I still go there, you ask?

Because my thirst for knowledge - gas prices and the second closest bookstore being eons away - keeps me going...

However, if there were a mom and pop bookstore in my area...(Hmmmm...I feel a new business opportunity calling me!) As many corporate retail bookstores there are out there, would you go to a smaller bookstore if the customer service was better - people were just downright friendlier?

In the meantime, why don't you visit the Bookseller Chic and she'll give you her perspective of working in the "corporate confines of a retail book chain".  Here's a little snippet from a post titled Secretly Starbucks Owns This Blog that I just have to share:

"Customer loyalty comes from happy customers. Happy customers come from California Cheese giving them what they want with good service, no judgment and a smile. We can argue all day about deep discounts ruining business for Indies and pulling down Chain profit margins while they try to compete with Target, Walmart and Costco. We can point fingers and call each other whiney, or uncaring, or overwhelmed.

This won’t get anything done.

What will is to look ahead, take chances, embrace the different, the local, and the large and small scale.

Embrace our customers.

Embrace the publishers and writers that bring business to our stores.

And in the middle of all this embracing and book lovin’ build a community that keeps people coming back, keeps stores—Indie and Chain—open, and keeps us all reading.

And if we need to use the internet, public signings, fire-eaters, newspapers, and our voices to do that, then let’s do it.

So I ask you, dear reader, what would make your book buying experience better today?"