No wonder mom-and-pop shops do so well in Prospect Heights and beyond. Nobody can stand to shop at the Brooklyn branches of megachains such as Target (terrible service) or Costco (crowds from hell, service to match)! How could something so simple go so wrong? escap writes on the Prospect Heights Message Board:
“I’ve noticed that the quality of chains in NYC is horrid compared to its quality elsewhere in America… My guess is that it’s due to a combination of a poorly qualified workforce that lacks a culture and understanding of what good service really is, and a consumer body that is similarly undemanding, and in fact can provoke bad service by its own rudeness.”
“In addition, b/c there are so few large discount stores like Target, the ones that do make it in have very little competition and are therefore able to get away with such terrible service.”
doctorj adds: “I think the cost of retail space per sqft is a significant factor; trying to fit all that inventory into a fraction of the space without raising prices substantially leads to an overcrowded and chaotic chainstore shopping environment, as well as pressure to cut costs by cutting the number of workers per shopper.”
“I’ve seen this again and again comparing inner city vs. semi-rural stores in different countries. The higher the population density, the less space and service per shopper at a given price point.”
More random retail insights on the Prospect Heights Message Board
As a frequent Target shopper, I am amazed by the depth of the rudeness and imcompetence of the employees. And while I don’t expect all that much from a high schooler making minimum wage, I do expect that the management of the store sit up and take notice of the fact that the store is oftentimes under staffed (at least at the registers) or that the employees are standing around doing nothing. Not to mention that the shelves are pretty much bare no matter how early you’re there. I have, in recent weeks, noticed a little bit of an improvement in service. I wonder if Minneapolis has been fielding a lot of complaints lately. As the busiest Target in North America, you would think it would warrant closer supervision from Target management.
I started going to the Target near Canarsie (in the strip mall who’s name I can’t remember) because it’s the exact opposite of the one on Atlantic. It’s cleaner, better staffed, less busy, and there is actual inventory on the shelves. I went to the Atlantic Ave store twice and swore I would never return.
I think there are just too many people per store. I usually go to the Target in Westbury because the shelves are stocked and it doesn’t feel so frantic.
unfortunately the target at atlantic center is one of the highest, if not the most profitable branch already
Having lived in Chainstoreville, USA (Fort Worth, Texas) I beg to differ with the comment “My guess is that it’s due to a combination of a poorly qualified workforce that lacks a culture and understanding of what good service really is…”
Overall, the workforce in New York and Brooklyn is substantially more cultured than in the South or the midwest. However, I will agree that these workers have little or no understanding of what good service really is. Unfortunately, this most likely has to do with the demographic of the workers (if you can call them that) themselves who don’t want to work and believe that everything should be handed to them on a silver platter. But again, I believe that has more to do with demographic and age-group.