Long queues, pushy salespeople, and not being able to find what we want have been named the top three biggest gripes when it comes to shopping in this country, according to new research commissioned by sofa retailer, Sofaworks, which also found that overheated stores, being ignored by salespeople, loud overbearing music, inexperienced and untrained salespeople, endless dubious sales and being made to feel old or unwelcome by sales staff rated highly in the list of things that drive people crazy about shopping.
The study, conducted by Opinion Matters, saw more than a quarter say they have experienced ‘fake’ prices or sales, almost a fifth have felt like they have been duped by salespeople, with the same number feeling they have been forced to spend more than they wanted.
One in seven say they have bought things under pressure, and the same number say they have felt cheated by the stores they shop in. And the shopping experience is so bad for many shoppers that 44% have vowed never to return to a certain store, while one in four are now buying big items online to avoid pushy sale staff.
The study also found that electrical, clothing and department stores are the worst offenders when it comes to a bad experience, with grocery and furniture stores also making it into the top five.
Sofaworks has abolished never-ending sales and staff commission, meaning that staff offer a one of the highest levels of product knowledge within the furniture retail sector, and staff rewards are measured on the customer’s experience rather than on individual volume of sales.
Jason Tyldesley, CEO of Sofaworks, says: “For too long the furniture market has been propped up on negative practices like high-pressure sales, chasing customers around the store and assumptive selling. The industry motivates and rewards these practices with commission.”
“We feel it’s time for the customer experience to prevail, which is why we’ve decided to reward our teams based on the experience they’re delivering to our customers in store.
“Much in the same way as you choose how much to tip for great service in a great restaurant, we feel that it’s important that our customers control the level of reward our team get for helping them find their perfect sofa.”
The research for Sofaworks was carried out by Opinion Matters between 16-19th May 2014, from a sample of 1600 UK adults.
