Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Brittany Traynor

ENT3003 Forming an Opportunity Belief

Due: 09/08/17

            I believe an opportunity that exists is better training for Walmart employees, as I have noticed that customer service at virtually every Walmart is subpar. Employees do not offer much help at all, and when you ask them for help they often do not even know how to help you. I feel that the tasks that they have are not too challenging, and they should know how to navigate customers through the store and direct them to store items at the very least. 

            Almost anyone can have this need as Walmart is a store that many people shop in. Anyone who goes to Walmart and seeks assistance from one of the employees will most likely feel this need as I have virtually never encountered a helpful employee in any of the store locations I have been to. I feel that this need has possibly always existed, as Walmart has been around for a long time, but it is gradually getting worse as Walmarts are expanding to Super Walmarts. With this change, more products are being added to the stores, the locations of certain items in the stores are being changed, and the volume of people shopping in the store is increasing. All of these factors make shopping at Walmart a little bit more challenging, and therefore employee assistance is in higher demand. I think that with all of the innovations and improvements in Walmart stores nationwide, the expectations for employees are being raised and not met. I would say that I am about 75% sure that this need exists, as Walmart prides itself on being a relatively inexpensive, convenient store to shop in. Although the prices are fair and corresponding to their mission, their service and therefore convenience is not.

            I interviewed 3 people who shop at Walmart. One was a classmate of mine who does not go to Walmart as often but has been before, one was a friend of mine who shops at Walmart frequently, and one was a friend of my parents. My classmate who does not frequently shop at Walmart said that he had one recent negative experience that stuck out to him. He said that he did not necessarily always recognize the need for better training in Walmart employees, but that he has never liked shopping at Walmart and after his recent experience there he was extremely disappointed in their employees’ performance. He was looking to buy his sister an inexpensive instant camera for her birthday, and he went to Walmart to get one. When he got to the technology section, there was not even an employee present for that department. He asked a different employee to call the technology representative, and it took a while for him to actually be helped by an employee from that section. When he finally got help and picked the camera he wanted, he asked which film went with it and the employee didn’t even know. My classmate ended up figuring it out on his own but he was frustrated and dissatisfied with the service he received.

            My friend who shops at Walmart often did not have as specific of an experience, but she said that he has noticed on many occasions that customer service quality is lacking. She said that after her Walmart became a Super Walmart, many of the items in the store were moved around. On certain occasions, she would run in for a quick item and ask an employee where she could find it, and they were just as clueless as she was. She said that now she just looks for things herself and does not even bother asking an employee because it is not even worth it to her. If the employees had any training in learning the different departments in the store, it did not show. She felt that at a minimum, they should know what items are carried and where those items are located within the store.

            My family friend said that he has shopped at Walmart many times throughout his life, and has noticed that the service has never really been great. He said that he personally takes notice to the fact that in certain stores, employees will approach customers and ask if they are finding everything okay. Similarly, stores like Publix have employees that will almost always ask you if you found everything you were looking for at check out. Walmart, however, if different because you often have to ask employees for help. They do not appear to be trained to walk around and assure that customers are finding everything they are shopping for. This is frustrating because it demonstrates that the employees should have better training.

            After interviewing three people, I realize that other people feel the way I do about shopping at Walmart. I personally shop there often, and I love the store but feel the customer service is a major turnoff. After speaking to these individuals, I also learned how large of an impact can be made from one seemingly small experience. For my classmate who does not normally go to Walmart, he was even more turned off because of one specific employee who was not great at his job. Had that employee been simply present at his/her department, or helpful in showing my classmate which film goes with each camera, my classmate probably would not have such a negative view toward Walmart. I think that enhancing the training curriculum for employees of Walmart could make the shopping experience there more pleasant for the customer, which would be better for the profitability of the company.

            I think that much of my original opportunity is still there. I think that many people can agree that customer service can make or break a shopping experience, and therefore companies should always strive to make their customer service the best that it can be. Walmart is obviously a huge, successful company, so it is not like this need is urgent for the sake of the company’s success. However, if there truly are many people who have had negative experiences with employees at Walmart, or at least just taken notice to the fact that the employees are typically not particularly friendly or eager to help the customer, then something should be done to change that. I did not really adapt my original opportunity in this situation because the people I interviewed seemed to agree with me overall, but I do think that it is absolutely necessary to edit or adapt opportunities based on customer feedback. It would be hard for the opportunity or idea to lead to success if most people did not agree with it. I believe that typically, an opportunity or idea can be altered to best fit customer needs through customer feedback, and that it why it is so important.