90th post! LANDMARK(Shop) Attracts .. Billing counter Repells!

LANDMARK

2wentyears!

The 90th post! Today was the 20th anniversary of Landmark !
Landmark celebrated its 20th anniversary today. (Landmark since 13th Dec 1987)

"Keeping up with modern times"

They say...

"Keeping up with Customers satisfaction?"
I ask..

This morning we decided to visit the LANDMARK shop to get some books. Mom,Dad, me & my sis. It was pretty good time there. We do not visit landmark very often, but only odyssey or Higginbothams. We had been to the Landmark at Spencer plaza this time. When we saw the crowd in Landmark we were taken aback, though majority of the crowd went missing in the books section. And we did not have much time to spend in other places so we finished our browsing picked few books then came to the billing section after few hours of browsing. When I reached the billing section, I was like “ WHAAAAAAAAAAT!!! ”

The queue(s) were really long…I knew it was going to take time. So I told my dad & mom to sit somewhere (There were no chairs near the billing section for people to wait or rest). I waited… then this “loosu” boy came & asked me to split the queue & take a new one. IDIOT HE WAS!

“Why do you ask us to start a new one there? Are there anyone to bill us here? I don’t see any counter!”

And he went like “This que is growing longer …”

Me: “Yeah… Try getting them note this & be quick. What do expect us to do there? Stare at the wall? Or create more confusion?”

By this time my sis who was adjacent to me said “He is trying to create an impression like it’s not over crowded for more people to come in & queue up! Do not bother to split the queue. Let us stay where we are.” She asked “Is there a counter there?! “and gave a look to the guy that chased him off :P Hehe…I love her! :D when she does that..ERRR URF URFF!

Dad preferred to stay back & wait for me while sis took mom outside. And we waited… waited.. for a long time… long long time.. Almost 45 mins! YEAH you read it, 45 SOLID MINUTE. After 15 mins of wait & me pestering dad to take a seat, he got tired of my BLAH BLAH & went back to look into the new arrivals. Then Dad came back for me after 15 mins & just 2 people had cleared out in my queue. And Dad was like “IS THE QUE MOVING AT ALL?”

Dad went to browse more books as I told him it would take some more time. I felt these books were getting heavier after the wait. Thank goodness we had only been to the books section or I wonder how long they would have made us wait. We were probably the early ones to come to the billing counter.

By this time there were enough of.. “ Shhhh…” … “ Ufffffff “…” Oh….” And a few “ Grrrrrrrrr “ and I happened to say this aloud even without noticing am loud “ Are they using Pen & Notepads to bill ?” And the girls in front of me went like “YEAH! L Seems like that.. we have been queuing for ages! ” …

By this time these girls started to chat & we were talking. I enjoyed the chit chat with them. Poor girls, they waited to pay for “CHAK DE” & a couple of Hindi movies. The wait was too much to get just that. And time went on… Dad came back, and he saw me stand as 3^rd in the queue. I wasn’t done yet. He said “Its been FORTY FIVE MINUTES! What is taking them so long!!” And in the mean time one of the supervisors recognized dad & came to him. Already fuming, Dad said he would like to meet the manager … Very inefficient… blah blah. And the man was like “very sorry sir.. This is one of the busy days. We have our anniversary being celebrated with a sale , so the crowd is pretty more. …”

And Dad was like “DO NOT TELL ME YOU DNT EXPECT A CROWD! You should have been prepared with more counters & manpower ”

Then this guy went like “Very very sorry sir! I will make sure this do not happen…Blah Blah ”

Dad did know all these were mere excuses he is making so that Dad doesn’t make it an issue & complain. By this time, we were finally THERE! I just wanted to pay the bill & get the hell out of that place. Usually I smile or say a thank you before I recieve the bag & leave. This time… MHUM!! I WAS NOT READY FOR EVEN A LOOK! When I was about to turn to leave this guy rushed to give me their souvenirs & some Chocolates. And I was couldn’t help asking him “FOR WAITING SO LONG?HUH!” . He simply smiled! I waved to those friends I made there & left. I knew Dad was pretty pissed off too.

Then we came to have something… yeah we were tired after 4 SOLID hours. It was nice that time . Eating what we like with whom we love . OI! MY MOM, MY DAD, MY SIS :P

Only the Billing time was HELL, rest of the day was really enjoyable.

# Why have only few counters (was it 4? I don’t exactly remember the number) on a busy day- special day – UR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SALE DAY? I would say they just did not bother about keeping the people happy.

# Probably because you know we come to billing after deciding what we want & after spending so much time & picking the books or whatever. Dad told me something after 45 mins when I was the third one “Lets put them back & go home! That should DO!” Hearing this, some people who were far far far behind us in the queue :P DID DO IT!

Well next time I see a shop where people work at this speed (Speed? The very word cannot be used here. It would be an insult to the word speed!) I will throw the things back & SIMPLY LEAVE. The wait was too much. Imagine how those girls should have felt. They were waiting to pay for only2 or 3 DVD’s. It’s not worth the wait. The offer was just some 20%!

# When you have a shop that has a larger space for accommodating more people – with some math you should also have more number of billing counters to accommodate the people to wait in the QUEUE without any grudge or irritation. (And necessarily not have a “loosu” boy asking people to take a new line to avoid their embarrassment.)

# If you are not CAPABLE to HANDLE THE CROWD … then why concentrate too much in publicizing or advertising about your shop. Then try not to get noticed!

# Before announcing a sale, you should also equip yourself (Man power & the goods) prepare to face double than what you expect.

I wonder how it would have been after 6 in that place. That’s the time office goers and most of the crowd would land up.

# I don’t know what great business books tell you to be successful. But as a customer, I can tell you that you need to have people LEAVE YOUR PLACE with a happy face if you want them to come back. One irritating occasion is enough to stop them coming back, at least for the sensitive few this is RULE.1. They won’t give you excuse , for there are many others like you to sell their goods.

# Do not pay all your attention in making people pick the goods ( Sir..idhu vangikonga.. idhu nalla irukum… You will love this once you use it.) but also in making sure they are comfortable through out the stay till they step out.

# I remember the places where the shop may not look very HIFI but people work dedicatedly, provide you good that you like & want, and who do not compromise in quality. They will have better profit than what we can imagine.

Landmark did have good books & also a decent place (?) but the billing section, such a small place had spoiled all the Joy in visiting the shop. TALENTED!

PS: Yesterday in spencers I have managed to do something I have never(wanted to) done in my ENTIRE LIFE. Had it not been appa to hold my hand and say..”Come on! Climb on…its real simple. You Have to dear! … It’s JUST AN ESCALATOR!” YES!

YEAH LAUGH! :P I HATE these machines, that creep up like worms & to climb on one of those and creep on…YIKES! I HATE IT!
I have always managed to use the lift & avoid these creepers through out my life. YESTERDAY! I made it…I finally used it!

But when we came back down – I insisted this time they let me come ONLY BY AN ELEVATOR & NOT AN ESCALATOR. We all used an elevator ( Why call it just an ELEVATOR/LIFT when it also helps u come down? NOW THAT IS A QUESTION YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT. Hahahaa :D )

And hey, I do not propaganda negatively about landmark. DO visit the shop , may be that day was their worst day too. It must have been hell for them handling such huge crowd.

DO visit the place , they do have good books & if you see a VERY LONG Queue then these guys haven’t learnt their lesson. You kindly put the books back & leave the place. Come home blog about it :P & let me know you have a post! :)

ADIOS!
~Maruthu