I'm boycotting Toys R Us, Sick of this <censor>

[autobreadticon]

IMO the staff are plain roob, TRU could be so much more, inviting and friendly but its so wrong ,u get weird stares and no enthuiasm from staff members.

[GoktimusPrime]

The staff are plain noobs because TRU do NOT give them _any_ kind of training for stuff like product knowledge. I know someone who works at TRU and her boyfriend works at Bunnings; two companies whose employees seem to be at the opposite ends of the customer service spectrum. TRU staff are notoriously clueless while Bunnings staff are reknowned for their product expertise. She explained to me that her bf gets product knowledge training from Bunnings while TRU does nothing. She said that she would fully welcome any kind of training to help her better serve customers, but unfortunately TRU don't seem willing to do it.

[kup]

There has to be something more about the staff and management culture of TrU than just lack of product training. The Staff generally have this depressed 'I don't want to be here' attitude and are very disconected.

It's very often that you go to any other retail store and the floor people have no idea of what they are talking about but at least they try to help you in a friendly manner. In TrU the attitude is either completely disconnected or 'leave me alone'.

[Vector Prime]

If you think about it, most of the staff at TRU are teenagers and look like they're still in school or have just finished.

If you remember back to your teenage years, it was pretty much work at some fast food joint or as a junior shop assistant, so yeah, they probably don't want to be there and hate the job, but it's a means to an end.

Also being a teenager and being in an environment where you are surrounded by kids day in day out is not really 'cool' and it's probably the last thing they want to be doing.

Think about all the hissy fits, temper tantrums, screaming kids, irritable parents, kids running around, etc on a day to day basis and I think you would at least empathize with them a little.

I know if I was working there back when I was a teen, I would have hated it and not want to be there either!

The problem also lies with head office since it doesn't seem that they foster any sort of corporate attitude or discipline in their staff (let alone instigate any product training).

Just my 2c worth...

[TheDirtyDigger]

The problem also lies with head office since it doesn't seem that they foster any sort of corporate attitude or discipline in their staff (let alone instigate any product training).

Just my 2c worth...

Definitely the fault of head office. The culture in any organisation nearly always comes from the top down.

[GoktimusPrime]

Definitely the fault of head office. The culture in any organisation nearly always comes from the top down.

+1 QFT.

As they say, "a fish rots from the head down." TRU management should try to provide support and training to their staff to help them better do their jobs, and after receiving that training if staff still aren't performing up to par, then take further action (e.g.: additional support/training, disciplinary action, termination of employment etc.). And yeah, create/foster a culture about actually _caring_ about customers. That's what Bunnings does. The guy I know who works at Bunnings works in the paints department he's a complete expert about household paints; and it's not because he has a personal interest in paints or anything, it's simply because Bunnings _educated_ him about it so that he can be more better qualified to do his job! Ultimately it's management's responsibility to ensure that their staff are motivated, competent and performing to standard. Just a little thing called leadership.

I think that Japanese companies must do something similar to Bunnings because their knowledge is also impeccable. One time I was looking for Transformers at a Daimaru (which is just a regular dept. store, not even a specialist toy store like TRU) and they didn't have any new TFs that I wanted, so I asked the lady working there when they would be getting new stock. Whenever I ask someone at Kmart or Target etc. here the response is always, "we don't know," but at Daimaru the lady answered immediately with "Sunday 12:00." I went there at Sunday 12:00 and sure enough, they had new stock. I had another similar experience at Itoyokado (another dept. store) too. So clearly these employees are armed with product and shipment knowledge.

And knowing's half the battle!

If you think about it, most of the staff at TRU are teenagers and look like they're still in school or have just finished.

If you remember back to your teenage years, it was pretty much work at some fast food joint or as a junior shop assistant, so yeah, they probably don't want to be there and hate the job, but it's a means to an end.

Not necessarily. The person I know who works at TRU is like 19 or 20 years old and she's been working at TRU since she was 17 or 18. Her boyfriend is about the same age and works at Bunnings, yet his knowledge of paints is impeccable. I've spoken to her about this issue and she says that she wishes she had the same level of expertise about toys that her boyfriend has about paints, but the fact is that TRU won't train her.

[dirge]

Another thing that points to TRU's culture of disconnection is how slow they are to discount older stock. They sat on BM Supreme Cheetors - at full price - for around 5 years. If they managed their stock properly, it would have been $10-20 after that time, to clear the shelf for newer stock. Sure they lose on the sale but gain on opportunity cost.

[G1Optimal]

IMO this sounds more like a issue with "Customer Service" more than "Product Knowledge"...

as how, can they demonstrate "Product Knowledge" without "Customer Service".

[GoktimusPrime]

Well they're inter-related. You need product knowledge in order to better service your customers. If TRU actually gave a poop about customer service they would actually _equip_ their staff with the required knowledge to help them serve customers! (like Bunnings, Daimaru, Itoyokado etc.)

[i_amtrunks]

Not sure about other stores, but the Penrith store policy is only to employ 16-17 year olds, once they get over 18, and need to be paid more, they cut their shifts to no hours so they quit to get a job that will give them shifts.

Cannot be fun working at a store where you know you will only be employed for a year or two. Besides why would teenagers care about helping other people, they have too much other stuff on their minds!