Luxury Stores Reveal "Soft Discrimination" &Nbsp, And Ordinary Clothes Are Easy To Be Ignored.

In the shop, no one took care of it, and the clothes on the body were looked up and down by the salesperson's eyes. When asked about the price, he replied with contempt. After the 3 / 15 consumer welfare day, many consumers reported that ordinary customers had been there. Luxury goods Stores have experienced a similar "arrogant" soft discrimination service attitude.

According to the report released by the World Luxury Association at the end of 2011, the total consumption of luxury goods in mainland China reached 10 billion 700 million US dollars last year, accounting for 1/4 of the global share. It is expected that China will surpass Japan in the first quarter of this year and become the world's largest luxury consumer country. However, when luxury consumption is increasingly coming into the eyes of the Chinese people, is their service level keeping up with the price level?

Journalist experience

Working aunt was asked, "how many millions do you want to buy?"

Recently, the reporter received a response from a retired aunt, Ms. Tian, saying that she accompanied her children to a 4S store on Hu Qingping road. At that time, they wanted to see the car. When they entered the shop, they suddenly wanted to go to the toilet. But when their children came in, they were surrounded by salesmen and enthusiastically commentate themselves. They were hung aside and asked where the toilet was, and no one answered. Ms. Tian said there was a young lady who told her directly, "at first glance, you are not here to buy a car."

On the afternoon of March 13th, reporters saw an ordinary clothes aunt Shen aunt near the Hang Lung shopping mall. Aunt Shen was about 40 years old. He worked in Shanghai from his hometown in Jiangsu earlier this year. Now a restaurant serves as a waitress. He works part-time as a part-time worker in his spare time, earning only more than 2000 yuan a month. Shen aunt said that the day just rest, and a fellow townsman came out to take a look, "it is said that things are very expensive here, I also want to see rare."

Reporters took the opportunity to follow Shen aunt wandering around several luxury stores. DIOR bags and men in Hang Lung Plaza clothing In the counter, aunt Shen asked a waiter, "what kind of watch do I want to send a watch for my husband?" the waiter looked up at Aunt Shen and asked, "how many millions do you want to buy?" it is understood that the highest price of the goods sold by the store is about 1000000 of a watch, and millions of products do not exist at all. Then Aunt Shen wanted the waiter to introduce her product to her, and the waiter kept silent after a short answer. However, when reporters pick up a pair of shoes At that time, the waiter immediately introduced, "this is our new model this year. There are several rows in the back row, which can be selected at will." Attitudes seem different before and after.

　 Bentley automobile exhibition hall: "this is not a place for rest."

Recently, in order to understand the current service situation of luxury stores, several luxury stores have been visited. First came to the Shanghai exhibition hall of Bentley motor, which is located at the junction of Taixing Road, West Beijing road. "Every pedestrian who passes by Beijing West Road will be attracted by the elegant and aristocratic English exhibition hall of Bentley, and will be detested by the honorable and elegant Bentley car in the exhibition hall. This is the description of the exhibition hall on Bentley Shanghai website. Indeed, as their advertisement says, the British exhibition hall is very stylish. In the doorway of the store, 5 luxury cars, such as European flying speed and Mu Shang, are lined up. A lot of passers-by will slow down and pass through the window to spy on them.

When visitors walked into the exhibition hall, a staff member was sitting at an independent desk at the door, and another two staff members were working on the vehicle maintenance of a Bentley mohon far away from the door. Seeing the guests entering the door, the doormen habitually stood up, and the 3 staff in the shop continued their work. 10 minutes later, it stopped in front of a European GT sports car worth about 4 million yuan. The salesmen always stood at the entrance to play cell phones, and did not have any plans to introduce or service. But when the reporter just sat down on the empty sofa in the exhibition hall, the employee who had been playing with mobile phones immediately came over and asked the reporter's intention. He said, "this is not a place for rest". Obviously, they have estimated the approximate "worth" of the journalist and ordered the guests to order. The reporter said he was waiting for the boss to buy a car. When he heard this, the attitude of the staff immediately became mild, and he said, "then you wait slowly." At this time, there were no others in the shop.

It is understood that Bentley has officially entered the Chinese market since 2002, and is one of the top brands in the Chinese market with pricing ranging from 3 million to 18 million. Last year, Bentley Shanghai store ranked second in the world in the ranking of Bentley dealers worldwide. There is such a saying on the official website of Bentley Shanghai. "As an exclusive agent in Shanghai, a noble brand, it is not only simple to sell cars, but also important to provide a series of services that are closely linked to each other, so that customers can feel the full and meticulous care and enjoy the honorable and respectable courtesy". According to the actual visit effect of journalists, they seem to only serve the customers in their eyes.

　　 LV "to face" DIOR refused to introduce.

The reporter came to the glasses counter of LV store in Huaihai Middle Road, and explained that he wanted to buy a pair of sunglasses for his girlfriend. His face was similar to "goose egg face". A waiter who interviewed the reporter politely said, "please wait a moment, sir. I'll ask another waiter to pick you up." After a while, another waitress came over and said, "I'm not a goose egg face," and walked away. Reporters do not know who the service staff are angry with.

Before DIOR's watch counter, the reporter wanted the waiter to help introduce the style of the watch. The waitress pointed to the glass showcase and said, "here, look at it yourself." When asked about the price, the waitress said, "which grade do you want? More than 30 thousand to about 400000." The reporter pointed to one of the watches and asked if he could take it out. The waiter gave the statement: "our watches are all made of advanced custom." The reporter then asked, "what is the custom method?" the waiter did not make any further introduction, and continued to chat with a waiter next to him.

The reporter summed up the similar attitude of many luxury stores after visiting the survey: when the door is just entering the door, the eyes of the salesmen will sweep up and look at people up and down. It seems that they are marking you. If you dress casually in a luxury store and walk a little over two counters, the waiter will not follow you, but is looking at you from afar. And those who are obviously "unusual" will be surrounded by several service personnel after entering the store. {page_break}

　 Rest outside the Peace Hotel showcase.

In Shanghai, although the Peace Hotel is not a luxury sale point, it does not allow luxury stores. When the reporter consulted the the Peace Hotel, he was told that the most expensive set of river view rooms were 12000 yuan per night, plus 15% service charge, and the least expensive one was 2200 yuan per night.

The the Peace Hotel with a long history is known as "the first building in the Far East". The European style architectural style, the classic revolving hall door, the lobby floor is paved with ivory Italy marble, the top bronze engraved chandeliers, the luxurious elegance, and several restaurants and reception rooms are inlaid with exquisite Deluxe art glass ornaments, flower and bird screens, flying pigeons spreading wings, and fish shallow bottom, so that people will feel that this is not only a restaurant, but also a work of art. But these descriptions of the Peace Hotel can only be written in words. If you do not want to go in for a visit, you may not be as casual as you enter other hotels. Chen told reporters that he was in a blocked experience: Mr. Chen was a cultural man who wanted to write a book about Shanghai's local customs. So he wanted to enter the the Peace Hotel of Shanghai famous hotel, but he was blocked by security when he entered the door. He was told that he would not enter if he did not stay there.

In March 13th, the reporter came to the Peace Hotel in Nanjing East Road. There were several passers-by resting on the glass window of the hotel, and two peddlers stood nearby to hawk small toys. A few minutes later, a staff member of the hotel came over. "Please don't sit here, the image of the restaurant is bad, it will affect the mood of the foreign guests eating in it." Subsequently, several passers-by had to disperse. When the reporter said he wanted to enter the hotel, the staff laughed and said, "refuse to visit". Only consumption can enter. At this time, reporters did not indicate whether consumption. Ten minutes later, when a taxi stopped at the door of the restaurant, the waiter at the door courteously greeted the door, and a woman wearing a designer dress came out of the car.

It is understood that ordinary tourists can only take photos at the door, so it is difficult to visit them. Many tourists can only look through the window when passing. "Once I saw a movie called the Peace Hotel, at that time, I thought I would have seen it with my own eyes, and now I have come to Shanghai for the three time, and I have not yet fulfilled my wish." Foreign visitor Zhang said with regret.

　 Self defense of service students

In order to reduce the need for "useless work" and "snobbish", it is a professional need.

"We all have sales tasks, wages are linked to sales volume, and we have to face so many customers every day. If he really does not want to buy, there is no need to pay so much attention, just follow the same token." A salesperson working at Heng lung said that snobbery is a "professional need". Customers who enter the door will definitely look up and down. It is necessary to make some basic judgments, such as whether wearing a diamond ring or wearing a famous brand. If you wear fake brand names, your attitude will not be enthusiastic and keep a certain distance.

Is there any difference between customers in the eyes of salesmen? How do they distinguish? Reporters interviewed two attendants who had had sales experience in luxury stores, and they agreed that "there must be some differences". Luxury stores can make less business, and more people come to see unusual things. If they do not distinguish carefully, a lot of energy is being spent on "useless work". As for how to segment, it depends on the personal experience of salesmen. Many years of sales experience has allowed many practitioners to accurately and accurately identify people belonging to which class they belong to at the moment when guests enter the door. Naturally, those who are judged as "visitors" will not be so active, and this experience is different from each other.

Miss Shao, who once sold luxury goods, told reporters that in her eyes, "customers who want to buy things will ask after the entrance examination, their eyes will also stare at a few things that are desirable, but those who do not buy things are generally not targeted. If we look at them, we will introduce them to him and introduce books to him. Others will follow." Similarly, Mr. Zhu, who also had experience in luxury goods sales, said: "when a guest appears to be a combination of lovers or mothers and daughters, or when the guests come in, they will ask the salesmen to recommend it, and the chances are higher. Other circumstances usually do not take the initiative to attack."

However, these luxury salesmen do not forget to defend their customers' doubts. Mr. Zhu admitted that sometimes, after the guests left, he turned around and teased the guests with his colleagues, but he must be polite to his face. Miss Chen said, "we are also serving the brand while serving customers. If we conflict with customers, it means that the brand is in conflict with customers, and the consequences are very serious. Some customers tried many clothes, but they didn't buy them. Even if they were uncomfortable, they still had to smile. As for bad service, it is estimated that it is because of some personal reasons that salespeople will inevitably affect their work because of things in their lives. When a reporter asked if he had seen any language conflicts between the shop assistants and the guests, Miss Shao explained that some guests came to the store to copy the product numbers. When they returned, they opened a fake store in Taobao or planned to find a friend to bring it back from abroad. Once a clerk discovered it, he couldn't help it. He sneered at the guest, "do you want me to help you with the paper and notes?", and the clerk was severely criticized by the manager.

Business response

Fear of offending potential customers demands that shop assistants do not judge by appearance.

However, such a service with "soft discrimination" is not what luxury brands want to see. The brand itself does not want to distance itself from customers. No brand will put itself in a high position and ignore the vast majority of customers.

LV customer service telephone Miss Zhou told reporters that the company adopts a more humane service mode, and it will not stipulate the reception process and details of employees, nor have specific service standards. But it can guarantee that all guests will be treated equally and will not be treated with colored glasses. At any time, a salesperson can be arranged for journalists to experience. In response to the different experiences of journalists, Miss Zhou said that this may be a personal problem for salesmen. We need to investigate and educate the service staff who are not good at service.

In view of the "Refusal" of the Peace Hotel, the front desk Miss Wang told reporters that the Peace Hotel is private building, not a tourist attraction, but also located in the crowded area of the Bund. Therefore, visitors are generally declined to visit, and the guests inside pay the money, and everyone comes in. The guests who pay the money will feel unfair. When a reporter asked if there would be any suspicion of discrimination against guests, Miss Wang explained, "guests often come in and do not go after rest, which will affect their guests more or less."

Bentley staff told reporters on the phone that Bentley usually only received customers who had made an appointment in advance. If the other guests were only visiting for a short time, they could do it, but they could not sit down and rest.

During the interview, several luxury companies said they were also afraid that customers would be angry. "We repeatedly told shoppers that customers who can't afford to buy today can't guarantee that they can't afford to buy it tomorrow. They want the waiter not to judge people by their appearance, but to show the fine service, but this kind of differential service is inevitable." The staff explained that the luxury Brand Company had a complete training system for the waiters. The greeting language and clothing and make-up were very standardized, but when they were put into some shop assistants, they sometimes appeared very stiff and without a sense of intimacy. Miss Chan, who had worked in sales at Heng lung, told reporters: "we will have training before entering the office, but we will not train how to select customers. We will not tell you what clothes we wear and what tables we wear." {page_break}

　 Experts say

Discrimination is either discrimination or personal behavior.

Is it discriminatory to treat customers differently? Du Qinyuan, deputy director of Shanghai Institute of enterprise culture and brand research, thinks that in general, treating customers differently is certainly a kind of discrimination, but it is not obvious that there is no discrimination in the usual sense. It should be called "soft discrimination". "The luxury brand is well known and the recognition is high. People who want to buy will still buy it, so the effect of" soft discrimination "on these high-end brands is limited. On the other hand, this may have something to do with the quality of salesmen. Sometimes the brand itself is not the same, but some of the employees who work in luxury stores for a long time may be unaware of their brands because of their high-end brands.

Du Qin yuan believes that for the general industry, corporate culture is internal to the enterprise, and brand culture is external to the public. For the retail industry and service industry, corporate culture and brand culture are equivalent to some extent. Some high-end brands abroad pay more attention to the privacy of customers. Some customers do not want to be disturbed. They do not necessarily like the kind of service which is very enthusiastic when they enter. They prefer to maintain a certain polite distance service, but they still feel very friendly to customers. It is not allowed to treat customers differently. In the long run, if we treat customers differently according to their dress, manners and purchase, they will definitely hurt the brand image. No matter what kind of customers they are facing, or whether they buy or not, they should show the same treatment to their customers. But at the same time, each luxury brand's positioning is different. Although some luxury brands do high-end products, they still give people the same image. Some luxury brands pursue the mysterious and high-end effect without considering too many corporate citizenship responsibilities. In the ideal state, the pursuit of interests by businessmen should achieve a good balance with social responsibility. "Staff as a brand external window, we must have a yardstick to grasp, service should be in place instead of offside, be cordial, courteous, not too aloof or excessive enthusiasm. If you stick to it for a long time, customers will recognize your brand more.

Tang Jiansheng, a legal expert with the Shanghai Consumer Protection Committee, thinks that discrimination is a kind of discrimination, whether it is for the poor or the rich or whether to buy or not. But to neglect customers is sometimes not a company policy, but a salesperson's personal behavior. Many foreign salesmen are reading university students, have a good family background and upbringing, will work in luxury stores as an important life experience and exercise opportunities. And some domestic sales staff even have high school education, compared with foreign waiters, the overall quality does have a big gap.

"If you want to take up this high price, then the service level must also reach the high grade, and the high grade standard comes from the high quality business personnel." Tang Jiansheng said. But at the same time, we must also be mindset. Luxury stores do not have the obligation to provide more social services. They cannot afford more social and social responsibilities because they are luxuries. We can appeal to them to provide considerate services, so as to guide other businesses, create a good product image and business culture.