In the past I have been highly critical of the treatment that people receive when they walk into a store, money in hand, trying to do their part to support the economy. However, I now consider retail clerks to be the unsung heroes of the American economy. No, customer service hasn't improved any since the last holiday shopping crunch. If you have to wait a long time to pay for a purchase, don't blame it on the men and women behind the counter. Blame it on the folks who hired them.
Retail is a tough business with narrow profit margins.
Some of the country' s largest department store chains have seen their earnings plunge and their stock prices follow. All of their shares are trading at half the price they were last year at this time. So, when cash flows dry up, expenses have to be cut. That means fewer people available to help customers at the point of purchase. These workers catch the brunt of frustrated shoppers, and their compensation hardly makes up for the abuse they receive.