The first time I went shopping in a Chinese store, the bevy of employees ready to spring into action surprised me. A little army of clerks dutifully watched each aisle and waited to pounce on any customer that happened to wander into their section so that they could offer the customer the one product they knew the customer truly needed. “This dish soap is the best. Or maybe you need paper towels? Look, this one cleans grout! This product is great for stainless steel. See, it says so on the bottle.” Well, that’s what I imagined the employees were telling me even though I couldn’t really understand them at the time. Subsequently, I’ve had this experience over and over again at department stores, grocery stores, shopping malls and basically wherever stuff is sold.
For me, this kind of “service” is not very useful. So it was with a welcome sigh of relief when I walked into the World Health Store for the first time and A.J. (the manager) greeted me in English and asked me if he could help me with anything. He didn’t try to sell me anything, he simply listened to what I needed and then showed me the product I really was looking for. Thinking it was a fluke, I spent 15 minutes poking around the shelves and watching the staff interact with a steady stream of customers. In each case, I noted the same caliber of service from the other employees as well. A.J. and his team were helpful without being pushy, and knowledgeable about the products and services (like free delivery) that WHS offers.
The store itself is not particularly large, but I was impressed with the range of products that WHS stocks on its shelves. Armed with my purchase, I bid A.J. good day, but told him I would return to shop again another day. With such great service, I’m sure there is something else I’ll need to buy there soon, especially if they open a branch in Wangjing. Now that would be good service.
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Photography: www.chrislay.com
Blog: www.beijing-kids.com/blog/beijingkids/Christopher-Lay