by Kirk W. Johnson

Created on: January 13, 2009

CVS is indeed a chain store without personal service and that should not be a surprise to anyone. CVS is intended to be a convenience style store. As such, they expect it to be primarily self-service. The average shopper is expected to know basically what they want and not to need a great deal of support beyond asking where the item is located in the store. On the whole, they fulfill this mission.

There are stores that provide "personal" service such as Neiman-Marcus, Bloomingdale's and even Bed, Bath & Beyond. These stores expect that you come to browse and shop for a while. Given that, their salespeople are instructed to spend time helping customers find items they want and to suggest other items that the customer This level of service goes with the average amount spent and the type of items sold in such a store. For example, you wouldn't this type of personal service in a supermarket, but you may walk out of a jeweler that didn't provide this type of service. Given that, CVS shouldn't be expected to provide "personal" service.

Now, if the issue is poor customer service, that's a whole new slant. All stores should provide good customer service. Their assoicates should be attentive and respectful when addressed or addressing customers. They should be interested and helpful when asked a question. They should be knowledgeable of where items are located in the store. They should be knowledgeable of store policies and promotions. They should be willing and able to solve problems for customers and if they can't they should be able to find someone who readily can. These are all hallmarks of good "customer" service.

Frequently, convenience/self-service style stores do not provide good customer service. The main reason for this is because it takes work. Management must consciously focus their attention on educating and training their associates on how and why they need to provide such a level of service. They need to be constantly aware that cashiers are focused on the person they are checking out and not carrying on personal conversations over their customers' heads. They need to make sure that when associates are asked a location, they know where it is and, if possible, actually walk the customer there. If management does not actively work on it, good customer service will not be provided.

CVS routinely provides mediocre customer service and that is the fault of corporate direction. They don't seem to view it as a priority in the corporate suite, so it won't be in your local store. As for providing "personal" service, that's not the focus of their store. If you need that, you're more likely to find that in your local pharmacy although you may have to pay more for it.

Learn more about this author, Kirk W. Johnson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.