The labor shortage that also affects the retail trade does not go unnoticed: more or less a quarter of customers say that the service has deteriorated when they shop, depending on the store visited.
The decline in the quality of service is felt when buying a drill at the hardware store or a dress at the clothing store in particular, we learn from a survey by the Quebec Council of Retail Trade (CQCD). The broader sector of “current goods” is also particularly singled out.
As sad as this observation is, it is not surprising, indicates the director general of the Council, Damien Silès, who recalls that the retail trade is in deficit by more than 29,000 people in Quebec.
“It shows naturally,” he said. When you go out to a restaurant, when you go to the hardware store. »
It should be noted, however, that the majority of customers say that the service has been maintained and that many are aware of the labor issues faced by their merchants.
So where is the rub?
It’s when it comes to getting help in the store aisle that customers are disappointed. More than six in ten survey participants (61%) admit that they have difficulty finding an advisor who can help them.
But that’s not all. Once they get their hands on an employee, 57% of respondents say there is a lack of knowledge and about the same proportion say there is also a lack of supervision.
Richard Darveau, president of the Quebec Association of Hardware and Building Materials (AQMAT), knows the song: a CROP survey conducted for hardware stores said the same thing a few months ago. “We were told that two out of three customers are disappointed with hardware skills,” he explains. It’s not possible to have a cheerful, competent, underpaid employee who works crazy hours. »
The Association would like to reduce business hours, which would improve the customer experience.
Reduced opening hours
Knowing that merchants are struggling to find employees, some consumers (45%) are ready to live with a reduction in the opening hours of their businesses.
Richard Darveau believes that we need to start addressing this avenue more publicly.
If you open less, you reduce your administration costs. If you inform your customers properly, normally you will not lose sales. Provided that your competitor is also closed.
Richard Darveau, President of the Quebec Hardware and Building Materials Association (AQMAT)
“Opening hours are the sinews of war,” confirms Linda Goulet, president of Panda Shoes, more than half of whose employees now work part-time. Inevitably, under current conditions, service deteriorates, she acknowledges. “We are having difficulty recruiting. And we’re stealing our best employees. »
“Although we make every effort to prevent that from happening, says Linda Goulet, yes, there is sometimes a reduction in the quality of service. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Shoppers at Galeries d’Anjou
The service may be less good, but customers still like it better.
When asked if they would be open to visiting stores without employees, but provided with an app that would help them shop, more than eight in ten people disagreed. A meager 17% find this idea acceptable.
Richard Darveau believes that this is the advantage of merchants here, having a storefront, against the Amazons of the world: people want to talk to people.
More online shopping
Damien Silès, of the CQCD, believes that customers adapt their behavior to the changing experience in shops. For example, one in three customers now do online scouting before going shopping to be more efficient. And a quarter of Quebecers have turned squarely to online commerce, the Council’s survey tells us.
Will this change in habits be permanent?
We are not even talking about a digital shift anymore, but about a digital divide or tsunami.
Damien Silès, General Manager of the Quebec Retail Trade Council
“During the pandemic, people couldn’t get around and shopped incredibly online. […] This is part of the paradigm shifts we are experiencing today. »
Among the most popular online purchases in Quebec, food, clothing and beauty products and pharmacy products. These conclusions are drawn from the latest Council Barometer, which surveyed 1,019 Quebecers in April on their purchasing habits and intentions.
Learn more
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- 16%
- Proportion of consumers willing to visit only a virtual version of their business. Nearly 9 out of 10 people reject the idea of making an appointment before going shopping.
Source: Quebec Retail Council
- 51%
- One in two consumers welcome self-service checkouts and the idea of getting a discount for using one. A similar proportion of people find that the waiting time at checkouts has increased.
Source: Quebec Retail Trade Council