How to masterfully spoil the impression

Before the crisis, many manufacturers had the so-called “fifth collection” - the Christmas one. In which the designers took their souls, releasing creative thought into free flight. And for which the shoppers were hunting - because she was the most creative and the “shortest" - one New Year's Eve. During the crisis, the Christmas collection disappeared because demand was only for basic models. What now? How did the stores respond to recovering demand? How did they please buyers on the eve of the main holiday of the year? Were there any special promotions for selling evening shoes? Did she stand out even with special price tags? And how ready are the sellers to supplement the usual work standards with consultations on publication? Natalie Kirpa turned into a "mystery shopper" and carried out a reconnaissance in Moscow streets.

Do not exterior paint shop

Large shopping centers and large retail chains typically have in-house designers who, as autumn approaches, begin to devise New Year's decorations . At GUM, Pollini and Alberto Guardiani added a few Christmas tree baubles to the standard snowmen, while at FABI, a snow-dusted Christmas tree was added to the polar bears. Where are the season's trendy solid-color draperies and colored lighting, the oriental motifs, the still-fashionable traditional lace style, and the artificial snow on the outside of the display cases using stencils and sketches? There are only a minimum of hanging materials: baubles, snowflakes, Christmas trees, and various decorative arrangements. A festive atmosphere is created through interior design techniques, as well as color, lighting, and music. But the salespeople are masters at ruining the experience!

Warm and unfriendly atmosphere

No matter how attractive the stores, the impoliteness of the sellers nullifies all efforts to create an image.

Good afternoon is a much more pleasant option for greeting than a dry and neutral Hello. The best option is a personal idea: “Good afternoon. My name is Pulcheria. If you need a consultation, please contact. ” But I have never heard such a greeting in shoe stores. Usually sellers threw their duty “hello” or greeted customers with telepathy. ECCO showcases feature original red banners with laced Christmas trees, there are posters with 30% discount. By the way, here a young consultant even scared me. When I entered the store, he stood with his back to me and adjusted the models on the shelves. As soon as I took two steps, he turned around at 180 degrees and joyfully greeted me - so that his ears were blocked by such a loud greeting. I come to my senses, look around, decide to consult with the “Jericho pipe”. The boy, having tempered his ardor, did an excellent job with professional duties. And the other seller behaved with dignity: he carefully listened to the preferences of the customer, showed suitable models, spoke about the materials, the quality of the shoes.

Follow the White Rabbit...

The combination of French charm and disrespectful treatment of animals in window dressing "Rendezvous" surprised me. I ended up wondering about it. Everything was as usual in the store: crowded, shoes on racks arranged somehow, indifferent sellers lazily groaning, poorly orientated in assortment (which is very common in multi-brand boutiques).

But I already know what I want. The element of the upcoming new year 2011 is metal. That is, at the peak of fashion - white and golden colors, as well as red, coral, burgundy, crimson and orange shades. Polished leather. Luxurious fittings. Atlas, bows and rhinestones. Italian designers propose to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit in white boots, reaching the middle of the thigh, combining a small evening dress with rude-shaped shoes and steady high heels. And the Italians called the fur trim the main trend of the season.

Looking for!

Of all the brands presented, festive shoes pushed to the far end of the hall were found only in Loriblu. So who of the staff would be willing to pay me their precious attention? Two saleswomen were talking on a cell phone right at the workplace. One of them, running past, managed, not looking up from the conversation, to say hello to me. The rest looked so impregnable that even the mood was missing something to learn. But in another store of the same network I found not a seller, but a real treasure. The girl was just unusually sweet with an old woman who had already measured out about ten pairs of shoes. The woman wanted to buy boots on the platform, but the lightning on the model did not converge on her lower legs. Tired and desperate, she decided to leave, but the patient saleswoman drew the visitor's attention to the boots with a shorter boot, unobtrusively convinced, ran to the warehouse and brought several pairs to choose from, and the purchase was made to mutual pleasure.

I have long wondered: what determines the level of service? From whether the seller receives interest on sales or not? From age? Paul? Based on the relationship “price - level of service”? In every self-respecting shoe store, a unified system of requirements for employees has been introduced, corporate training and trainings are mandatory, certification is periodically conducted. And all the same, it happens that in the same network, but in different stores, seller consultations range from correct professionalism to outright rudeness. The conclusion suggests itself that everything depends only on the seller himself: if he wants to, it works well, if he does not want to, it works poorly. And to a light bulb to him the personnel policy of the store.

At Carlo Pazolini, New Years is probably not considered a good reason to drive sales. Shop windows do not shine with a festive theme. The advantages of the store are a large assortment and the availability of sizes (there is a rare female 35 and male 46). And pads, unfortunately, often come across uncomfortable, and sellers do not suffer from excessive tact.

“If the shoes are uncomfortable, it's just that you don’t know how to choose them,” the seller “kindly” told me.

The decoration of the Centro pleases the eye. Silver Christmas trees, purple balls, banners with 20% discount, New Year's advertisement on plasma panels, separate zones for festive evening shoes, large pink price tags for discounted shoes. It seems to be a little decor, but a festive mood is created. But there are also disadvantages. Music in all stores has long ceased to be just a backdrop, and rightly so, but in Centro it began to solo, frantic rhythms sound so loud that being in a store for more than five minutes is extremely difficult. And the second drawback: although the interior, the assortment follows fashion trends and the price / quality ratio is quite acceptable, the staff does not bother with consulting, it works on the principle of "do not like it - do not buy."

What is our life? A game!

In order to experience the attitude to different categories of buyers from my own experience, I decided to connect my acting abilities and play different psychological characters.

Dreamer. Such buyers come to the store "just to see": to see new items, ask the price, dream ... They have no intention of making a purchase "here and now." So, the FABI store. Only the silhouette of a Christmas tree with balls lonely perched on the window reminds of the approaching holiday. On the ground floor, in my opinion, several models of the same type are presented, and with a variety of colors the store is sparse. Designers of the brand have always been of the opinion that shoes should first of all correspond to the inner world of a person, and only then be fashionable. Feels like. A saleswoman suddenly brought me out of a philosophical mood:
- What are you interested in? - she asked with demanding intonation in her voice, they say, either buy or fail.

- Thanks, nothing. I'm just watching.

The saleswoman, grumbling displeasedly under her breath, turns her back on me and loses all interest. In the same way, I lost interest and left the temple of practical elegance.

In Salamander, as in many other stores, a green representative of conifers is displayed in a window, as well as a pair of banners announcing the collection. A consultant immediately ran up to me:

- Hello, how can I help you?

- No, thanks. I'm just watching.

- You know, not all the models that we have are on display on the shelves. If you need anything, ask.

- Thank.

The interior is like a good make-up - thought out so much that it seems inconspicuous. Shoppers feel comfortable in the store. Shelves in warm colors and with exposed dark shoes look good. Moreover, the passages between them are wide, poufs for fitting are comfortable, there are good mirrors for fitting. According to my observations, the staff is interested in customers. The girls are friendly, they not only endure shoes and immediately offer other models if the client did not like something, but they are also ready to clarify by phone the availability of the desired model if it is not available in this store. It is a pity that the store strictly focuses on the coming season. Shoes for the holiday are difficult to choose.

Well, we will search. In the Gabor window, a blue ball with a percent image inside, two banners, a Christmas tree and seven pairs of shoes stand alone. Defile around the perimeter. Hyperminimalism in the design of the store, the prevailing black color of the presented collection, evoke memories of the vaunted German parsimony. Sellers do not greet (maybe they do not speak Russian?) And do not fit. I wanted to ask what they heard about fashion trends this season, which they can recommend. I cast eloquent glances at them - the girls chatting on "free" topics pretend not to notice. Having stood before the shelves, I silently leave.

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Bitch. Having shaken off the veneer of "softness and fluffiness," I went to the other extreme—unleashing my inner troublemaker. And with that attitude, I walked into the Gudiali store. The Italian brand's holiday spirit is reflected in literally every model: shoes are lavishly studded with rhinestones and embroidered with silver thread, ankle boots and boots are made of fir-colored suede. At Gudiali, although I did spot a ton of rhinestones on the sandals on the festively decorated runway, I didn't even bother trying them on—the soles had a price tag with the "precious" information: Made in China. Seeing how meticulously I fiddled with each model, a saleswoman who looked to be about eighteen or twenty years old approached me and chirped happily, nodding toward the shoes:

- These are the coolest right now! Super! Sexy! Look, what tiny stripes of leather! And what a hairpin!

- You have an Italian brand. And otshiv in China. And it looks like they are riveting in the basement - glue sticks out at the seams. The strips will come off. The heel will break. The sole will crack, ”I remarked sarcastically.

“What will you do in them ?!” - the saleswoman squealed in amazement.

“What do you care?” - I call for confrontation.

- Well, this is our holiday collection, you can go somewhere there, you can dance.

- Festive? They put it on right now, right?

- Yeah, they brought us this one.

It was not possible to anger the girl, she was not touchy, but she also did not manage to find out useful information.

In the windows of the Barbara Bui boutique there is a black advertising banner with the Arc de Triomphe, two mannequins in trendy golden black colors. And at the bottom left, a leaf of the A4 format is glued with a percent sign and the proud inscription “New Year's prices”. So he touched me ... The saleswoman instantly “put on” a wide fake smile: “What interests you?”. But it was worth saying that I went in just to see - and that’s it: they turned their backs on me. I was indignant and demanded a detailed report on the collection.

“Why am I going to tell if you don’t buy anything anyway?” - reasonably objected the girl. I could not play the role further - I was too angry.

Unsure. "It seems to fit, but not quite. The price is okay, but what about the quality?" For me, the salesperson is the most important authority in this role.

“Tervolina” attracts with festive window dressing made in red and blue tones. Here are banners, and tinsel, and sprigs of spruce, and "frost" at the edges of the windows. I hesitantly wander along the shelves and can not choose the right pair. A sales consultant comes up to me, an elegant woman of 45 years, is interested in what I need. After a confusing presentation of my conflicting wishes, we began to select options. The consultant turned out to be a master of her craft - she quickly orientated herself in the assortment, was extremely attentive to my questions and comments, and remained invariably polite, even after I never bought anything.

I continue the inspection. The bright red rectangles in the Camper display case and the seasonal discount at 50% from afar were eye-catching. At the entrance, a joyfully smiling saleswoman meets, greets, asks if I know this brand. Allegedly, I don’t know. The girl talks about the company, conducts around the hall, shows new models, describes in detail the advantages of each.

Right on target. Ekonika advertises a discount, but there's no other mention of the holiday. I walk in quickly, waving my arms. I have a goal, and I want it immediately. I resolutely head for the shoe rack and, as I approach, give a clear command: "I'll have that style over there, please. Color doesn't matter!" I don't need any advice, much less a conversation. But the experienced salesperson knew there was a chance I'd return after the purchase with a complaint: "What did you sell me? The color is so weird, and the style doesn't suit me at all." He politely clarified my requests, explained the advantages of the style, reassured me of my firm choice, and only then escorted me to the checkout.

In pursuit of prestige. My job is to ask salespeople about new arrivals and fashion trends, because I'm only interested in what's currently fashionable and extremely prestigious. For me, the most important thing is to rise above the rest and stand out. A high price is the only indicator of quality for me. I want the very best—the most fashionable, the most expensive, the most unconventional, the most unusual, the most original...

The design of Baldinini does not go beyond the proposals of the “regular” designers of GUM: bears, snowmen. The interior is generally quite good, there are mirrors to look at yourself at full height, quite comfortable ottomans, everywhere there are "spoons", an understandable arrangement of shoes. Here I was immediately captivated by the phrase of a sincerely smiling seller: “We have recently received a new batch of goods. There is a model in it that has not yet been found anywhere. ” Very competent, nice.

You paid us money, thanks, you can be free

The best store is where the customer is comfortable. This is ideal. In practice, there are options. In Il Quatro, for example, chaos reigned: narrow aisles, an abundance of shelving and poufs for fitting, loose shoes, and inflated staff. One saleswoman asked the buyer if they had put off his shoes, barked: “You have your own seller!” And disappeared into the back room. With a discouraged look, the man turned and saw that the other buyer was quietly trying on his chosen shoes. Here, next to the man, a saleswoman appears who served the “victim” and wonders: “Oh, they’re measuring your shoes!”

And what happened at the checkout of this store, I was just struck. While the couple paid for the purchase, the cashier rattled about with discounts, upcoming sales, gift vouchers, her companion could hardly stop laughing at the next cash desk. The couple, pleased with the acquisition, did not notice anything. The cashier at the same pace thanked for the purchase, congratulated them on the upcoming holidays, said goodbye, the customers left, and she sighed freely. And the second burst out laughing: “Well? Hardly talked this nonsense? ”

So, to summarize. In Europe and the USA, they always carefully prepare for the winter holidays in the fashion world - they release new collections and models, organize shows and sales, and most importantly, decorate store windows. Only the best designers trust decoration of festive showcases, and as a result, stores acquire an amazing, original and sometimes even fabulous look. Our New Year decoration is based on the principle of “cheap and cheerful”. Holiday collections are scarce and monotonous; in most stores, the emphasis is on seasonal rather than festive shoes. Sometimes there is not even a separate stand for such shoes. But our weakest place is the lack of professionalism of store staff.

Typical customer reaction to seller questions

Typical seller reaction to customer questions