I'm just a passer-byer!!

Our first week in Singapore saw us traversing the malls and stores at Orchard Street trying to get a flavour of a retail world that has seen it all - growth, maturity to a current attempt at rejunevation. Having said that, one has to agree that the shopping streets of Singapore exude a certain spirit, something missing from the large shopping spaces of Dubai.

The difference though is not just of size, but also the shopping experience. Walk into store here, there are a host of smiling faces waiting to greet you and serve your needs. More importantly, the smiling faces are equally equipped with a sound knowledge of the product in question, a stark difference from their Indian and Arab counterparts who appear to be part of a mere position filing exercise.

Interestingly, even this experience varies between stores. We happened to visit some of the high end stores Like Tiffany & Co., Mont Blanc and Louis Vuitton in the upmarket Ngee Ann City. Given our sling bags and casual clothing, it wasn't hard for a seasoned salesman to to guage out shopping intentions. Yet some of them were more than willing to answer our curious queries, while others were skeptical about their wasting their time. An interesting point made by our retail faculty was that we weren't the first such casual information seeking visitors. Everyday, these stores encounter many such 'non-buyers', some out for pleasing their eyes and other students and professionals for store comparison; which may be one of the reasons behind the reluctance and sometimes blunt refusal of stores to entertain such folks. But does this defy the core of all our theories of customer service? Is the store experience or even delight meant just for the sure shot buyer - maybe a food for thought!!