My memory must be fading, because I cannot recall much decent service in the days of RPM, justa take-it-or-leave-it attitude because you couldn't buy cheaper anywhere else.
Competition works, lack 0f same does not - look at nationalised industries? And where can you shop for an alternative government and/or police force that respects you and does what you want?
Competition works.....
Ron.
I was partially joking about returning to the days of RPM. But the answer to what was or would be best is very interesting albeit now irrelevant.
In the days I first fell in love with shops and shopping it was close to 60 years ago. What I remember was set shops in set trades selling a set range of product. Apart from departmental shops that were fascinitating in their own right, the rest were small shops. They had staff galore who would know their customers and give them excellent advise on the "best" or "right" buys at that time. Prices were standard as they kept to the RPM Act. But competition was only token compared to now. It was really a case of using the shops local to you, and in the days before mass car use, that was vital. A trip into town by bus was a special trip, when mum could buy those particular items from Woolworths, Marks & Spencer, Boots and Fenwick's, and if she wanted a book it was into W.H.Smith. Everyone seemed to know where they stood shopping; no mad hunt to find the cheapest outside of "Sale" time, or vast travel to the latest product advertised on the then new commercial ITV channel.
I came into retail 52 years ago as a junior member of staff, with the managerial career starting 3 years later. I witnessed the last years of the "old" shops, with high staff numbers and the best personal service we could give to our customers, although we definitely had our weak links who needed to be retrained or sacked. Then the end of RPM saw the beginning of the end for the old ways. We started to fight it out with competitors using price promotions, POS, and a far more aggressive approach. Then we had to reduce our staff numbers to protect profits, and that resulted in stores going "self service" for most product. Over the years as stores got far larger, superstores became the norm, it was down to my colleagues and I to cut our multi-million pound staffing budgets; 5% cuts became the regular amount every year, and once around 10%. In the meantime I witnessed it being far more difficult on a declining scale to give the first class Customer Care we all wanted. Managers of our stores were pushing up sales nicely, with healthy profits, so that was all good. But I mourned the loss of that personal, individual, service I enjoyed as a youngster.
So much is vastly better in retailing than 60 years ago; the range, the price, and the large store environment. But go into a Sainsbury's now, or even better B & Q, and you will have to hunt for available staff at busy times during regular busy periods. Try asking about a product and the details of it, or even where it is in the vast store. Yes, you can enjoy the walk around the store and finding your product from a vast range, then loading your trolley at your pace. All good, but the you enter the checkout area and your custom is not valued. You are just a number, with even myself having to train the retailers staff on good customer care, or even just general checkout routine. At Christmas I had to advise 3 members of staff in Sainsbury's on how to process my advanced ordered Christmas meat selection, with me having to write to the store's General Store Manager about the failings, which with due credit to them they came back to me and accepted my recommendations, recognising they "had issues" with staff training and temporary staff.
The pressure on stores now and the staff teams to meet the competition head on, with prices to match, whilst cutting costs to as low as possible is having an effect, and will see more retail chains go under as the online business cuts in, and profits fall to untenable levels.
So, in summary, yes I miss the old days as a customer and retailer, but there are so many positives with the new ways. It is just a real concern of where it will end up. All online, with no Customer contact? Greatly reduced product ranges? Even worse, with the competition fading due to business failure, prices going back up to viable levels so that the retailer can survive? I probably will not be around for the final outcome!