Male or Female Staff

newman10

Hi All

Just looking for an opinion.

I have a shop which sell Quiksilver, Animal, RipCurl and I have Roxy and the Ladies clothing coming in 3-4 weeks so this is my Question

Ladies do you mind whether Sales Staff are Male or Female, or in a mixed shop does it matter.

Any opinion is greatly appreciated

orlaithd

Hey
Best of luck with the new shop.
Having worked in retail for years in both mixed & ladies shops I would advise hiring mixed staff.
For a number of reasons-
1. Some girls prefer a girl to help them (personally it doesnt make a difference)
2. Security in your changing rooms- its not correct to have a man the girls fitting room- I'm not saying they perve but it makes some women uncomfortable (once again not me) and some shop lifters will claim this so they get free reign in your f/rooms.
3. (And this has happened in a mixed shop I worked in) when a boy was in charge of the fitting rooms- we had a lady get stuck in a top- obviously she was mortified having to ask a boy for help- he was mortified & had to come ask me to come help get her out of the shop- if a girl had been then it would still have been embaressing but not so much! She was too morto to ever set foot in the shop again- as I would be in the same circumstances thus loosing a repeat customer!
4. From a sales point of view- some guys like buying from a pretty girl & likewise some girls like buying off a hot boy so it can potenially boost your sales!
Hope this helps!

personaltrainer

newman where is your shop? I love animal and roxy and live in carlow and cannot get it except when i go to dublin which isnt very often... by the way prefare female staff....

newman10

Personaltrainer

I am based in Kerry and will have the Shop fully up and running by mid Feb. Also in the process of doing a web site

fifomania

Have to say I don't mind men in shops but I prefer female staff. Some men I've come across seem a bit clumsy or out of place! Some women would prefer a man or some men would prefer a woman, it's just personal choice.

Toto Wolfcastle

I like good staff. Gender doesn't matter.

newman10

janeybabe wrote: »

I like good staff. Gender doesn't matter.

As long as tthe staff are helpful it is not an issue :cool:

Twee.

janeybabe wrote: »

I like good staff. Gender doesn't matter.

That's it really. Staff trained in customer relations and know the product/shop inside out. You want someone who makes the company look good.
As they say, good shop experience - customer tells 10 people, bad shop experience - customer tells 20 people.

A good mix is good though. My shop doesn't allow the male staff to work in the fitting room. Recently a customer did not want to be served by a male at the till because she was buying underwear. Switched staff quickly and customer was at ease.

Azureus

i dont have a personal preference, but id say hiring mixed staff would be a good idea as you sell mixed clothing. id be more likely to ask a girl questions about girls clothing, but if i was buying for a man which i often do with quiksilver, id like a guys view! when it comes to sizing and that kinda thing men are handy when buying for the oppposite sex, plus for security reasons its good to have men around (not sexist, but it is a deterrent)

RacoonQueen

Doesn't make a difference to me. It's always nice to have a few good looking guys to look at when you're shopping though.

PrivateEye

I like when you can tell the shop picked its staff on the back of their personalities, and not them having balls or not.

For instance, Tower Records and Urban Outfitters. While obviously I'm not opposed to cute girls working in any shop, I don't Joe Bloggs shouldn't be considered for a job merely because it was felt a half-arsed Joanne Bloggs was better.

Creamy Goodness

why are you only asking just for a ladies opinion?

do us men not count?

i find it especially odd asking for a ladies opinion considering you have no stock of ladies ranges yet.

kittensoft1984

Well it wouldnt bother me at all. But it would be nice to have some men to look at

As people have said though, it depends on the personality. I dont like the type of people who look down on you while shopping.

convert

As long as the staff are competent, helpful and nice and friendly, it doens't really make a difference to me. There's nothing worse than going into a shop where the staff are too busy having a conversation to help the customer. My other pet hate is when staff are replacing clothes on the rails and walk across in front of you or ask you to get out of the way so they can hang up the clothes. I've actually walked out of stores because of rude staff, though not before I've mentioned why to the manager. Me being fussy, I suppose.

Though in conclusion, as long as the staff are good I don't think it matters, though as other posters have said, having guys/girls in the relevant fitting rooms is a good idea to avoid awkward situations.

PrivateEye

though not before I've mentioned why to the manager. Me being fussy, I suppose.

Nope, spot on.


Done it once or twice to be honest. Something I learned from my old lady though is to do the same when somebody is very good/helpful at their job. Obviously the member of staff appreciates it, and if something goes wrong on them on the job, at least it'll be remembered too.

eth0_

convert wrote: »

My other pet hate is when staff are replacing clothes on the rails and walk across in front of you or ask you to get out of the way so they can hang up the clothes.

What on earth is wrong with that? As long as they say "excuse me" and not "out of my way!" I don't see what you can be taking issue with?

naasface

friendly guy at the till makes me happy.
girl staff on clothesy issues i.e pulling me out of a dress etc.

mixed staff is best but as long as they're friendly I think it doesn't matter.

banshee_bones

naasface wrote: »

friendly guy at the till makes me happy.
girl staff on clothesy issues i.e pulling me out of a dress etc.

mixed staff is best but as long as they're friendly I think it doesn't matter.

+1

best of luck with the shop! wish there were more outlets selling that stuff but at affordable rates

Chinafoot

eth0_ wrote: »

What on earth is wrong with that? As long as they say "excuse me" and not "out of my way!" I don't see what you can be taking issue with?

It's pretty bad customer service tbh. If a customer is browsing through a rack of clothes the staff should wait until the customer is done before they start tidying said rack. (I don't think the poster meant she/he hates the staff simply trying to get past her when they're working in general, but rather when he/she is trying to look at the stock and the staff ask her to move so they can tidy.)

newman10

Hi All

Thanks for all the comments.

For those of you in Dublin, I hope the shop will have the feel of Tribe or the Quiksilver shop in the Stephens Green S/C and the staff will blend and be helpfull rather than in your face or downright ignorant.

The issue regarding staff is that most Guys dont mind whether a Guy or Girl is the assistant but it is not to cross the line regarding our Female customers

eth0_

Chinafoot wrote: »

It's pretty bad customer service tbh. If a customer is browsing through a rack of clothes the staff should wait until the customer is done before they start tidying said rack.

That's pretty ridiculous. The staff would never get to tidy the rails during the day in a busy shop like Topshop or River Island if they did that!

mkdon05

I think the main thing with your staff is for them to acknowledge a customer entering the shop with something like "Hey , let me know if you need help with anything" and then to leave that customer alone to browse at lesuire.
Nothing worse than goin in somewhere and the staff sit on your lip trying to show you stuff and being pushy. This would divert a lot of customers entering the shop, especially men.

eviltimeban

The putting things on rails thing happened to me recently in Topman, and actually happened 3 times in a row (I was in different places in the shop). It just made me feel like I wasn't important, like I was in the way, and not worth anything. I wasn't even asked to move. I was looking at the scarves and was trying to decide which one to pick up when this skinny blonde bint got on front of me and start hanging things up (she stepped on a ladder too).

Then I was looking at t shirts and she did the same. I was like, eh hello are you doing this on purpose? Luckily the guys who work in Topman are pretty friendly.

But it is important that they are enthusiastic and know their stock and their stuff - after all they are representing your business. A bad experience with them means a customer isn't likely to come back. Boy or girl doesn't matter, maybe get one of each to cover all the angles!

I think a girl will respond to a girl well, a girl may be intimidated or shy on front of a guy worker, a guy will probably buy anything a good looking girl tells him too, and a guy will generally try and ignore the other guy until the very last minute.

Chinafoot

eth0_ wrote: »

That's pretty ridiculous. The staff would never get to tidy the rails during the day in a busy shop like Topshop or River Island if they did that!

Having worked in a very busy clothes shop, I completely disagree. There's nothing "ridiculous" about it. It is very possible to keep things tidy without disturbing customers. You simply wait until there is nobody at the rack, jump in quickly and get it tidy. It doesn't take long. What you don't do is ask a customer to move so you can do it. It's guaranteed to annoy at least some of your potential customers who may then decide to buy elsewhere.

I'm not saying they should ignore the racks for the whole day in case they upset a customer, but a level of customer service needs to be maintained. I've had it doen to me numerous times when shopping in Dublin. It's rude. You can wait until I move away from the rack and jump in then. You don't ever reach across a customer or tell them to get out of your way.

convert

eth0_ wrote: »

That's pretty ridiculous. The staff would never get to tidy the rails during the day in a busy shop like Topshop or River Island if they did that!

You'd be surprised!

eth0_ wrote: »

What on earth is wrong with that? As long as they say "excuse me" and not "out of my way!" I don't see what you can be taking issue with?

And as Chinafoot said, I've no problem with staff hanging items up/tidying rails during the day (it often badly needs to be done!), it's when you've actually trying to decide to buy something and the staff member walks between the customer and the rack that's the isse. There's no excuse for that. It wouldn't be half as bad if they said 'excuse me', replaced the item and then asked if I needed assistance. It's the fact that the staff member gives me the impression I'm just a nuisance and in the way is what irrates me the most!

Corruptedmorals

There's nothing worse than tring to get a big bastard double rail down a (wide) aisle and people won't get out of your way despite the fact it's way easier for them to shift than to shift an awkward rail around them. When returning clothes to a unit, I wait until they've moved on from the particular top if there's a few people, place the top without getting in their way. If I'm tidying a unit and someone is browsing it, I'm hardly going to stop or I'd never get anything done. But the staff previously mentioned do sound rude.

Yeah you need mixed staff, it's generally a better atmosphere also. If it's just loads of girls, it can get unneccessarily bitchy.

challengemaster

You're selling every clothing item I like, yet you're in kerry.

Why do you torment me so

getoverit

convert wrote: »

As long as the staff are competent, helpful and nice and friendly, it doens't really make a difference to me. There's nothing worse than going into a shop where the staff are too busy having a conversation to help the customer. My other pet hate is when staff are replacing clothes on the rails and walk across in front of you or ask you to get out of the way so they can hang up the clothes. I've actually walked out of stores because of rude staff, though not before I've mentioned why to the manager. Me being fussy, I suppose.

Though in conclusion, as long as the staff are good I don't think it matters, though as other posters have said, having guys/girls in the relevant fitting rooms is a good idea to avoid awkward situations.

I work in retail, and you have no idea how annoying all youloser customers who have nothing better to do than complain are, get a life!

moonflower

getoverit wrote: »

I work in retail, and you have no idea how annoying all youloser customers who have nothing better to do than complain are, get a life!

Those 'loser customers' are the reason you have a job. You should try not to give them reason to complain.

Resi12

eviltimeban wrote: »

The putting things on rails thing happened to me recently in Topman, and actually happened 3 times in a row (I was in different places in the shop). It just made me feel like I wasn't important, like I was in the way, and not worth anything. I wasn't even asked to move. I was looking at the scarves and was trying to decide which one to pick up when this skinny blonde bint got on front of me and start hanging things up (she stepped on a ladder too).

Then I was looking at t shirts and she did the same. I was like, eh hello are you doing this on purpose? Luckily the guys who work in Topman are pretty friendly.

But it is important that they are enthusiastic and know their stock and their stuff - after all they are representing your business. A bad experience with them means a customer isn't likely to come back. Boy or girl doesn't matter, maybe get one of each to cover all the angles!

I think a girl will respond to a girl well, a girl may be intimidated or shy on front of a guy worker, a guy will probably buy anything a good looking girl tells him too, and a guy will generally try and ignore the other guy until the very last minute.

I get what ye are all on about but at times it just is so busy there's always going to be someone in the way and no one can delay work till closing and then do it all. Don't take it personally, You could ask them politely like excuse me. If you say nothing they won't know, sure they can't read minds!

eviltimeban

Resi12 wrote: »

I get what ye are all on about but at times it just is so busy there's always going to be someone in the way and no one can delay work till closing and then do it all. Don't take it personally, You could ask them politely like excuse me. If you say nothing they won't know, sure they can't read minds!

It wasn't that busy at the time. Plus I shouldn't be viewed as "someone in the way", I am a customer and my decision to not buy something that day was influenced by the behaviour of that girl. That's all.

PS I used to work in a shop so I'm not coming at this purely from a customer only angle.

MysticalSoul

It doesn't bother me, the only time I would want a female staff memeber is when I am getting measured/checking my size for a bra

Toto Wolfcastle

irishamethyst wrote: »

It doesn't bother me, the only time I would want a female staff memeber is when I am getting measured/checking my size for a bra

Some women wont even let a woman do it. Fair enough I suppose. Personally I don't care whether it's a man or a woman as long as they measure me properly.

newman10

Hi All

Finally opened today and I want to thank you for your contributions.

If any contributors are coming to killarney send me a pm and I will send you a discount voucher for you time

regards

newman10