Assume Shoppers May Not Understand Why

We can become better retailing professionals by using our own experiences as consumers. As an example, I shall use an episode which ended with a restaurant server bringing me an extra cloth napkin:
     During a trip last week to train and consult with retailers in Modesto, California, I stopped for dinner at the Red Lobster in town. As those who have restaurant-hopped with me realize, I’m a two-napkin eater. I like to place one napkin on my lap and have the other at the ready on the table. Since buttery seafood can get messy, I hold out for two cloth napkins at Red Lobster.
     When my server—I’ll call her Carolyn because that is not the name she used—brought the entree, I said, “May I have a second cloth napkin?”
     She replied, “I can give you a paper napkin.”
     And I replied, “I’d like a cloth napkin. If it's a problem, please send the manager over. I’ll ask him if I can have a cloth napkin.”
     And she replied, “The manager is a woman.”
     Her last reply struck me as non sequitur nonsense. But as a psychologist, I was required to ask myself, “Why did she say that?”
     The reason, I believe, is that she interpreted my “please send the manager over” as code words for, “Carolyn, you are incompetent.” She then fired back with her code words for, “You really have no business thinking I’m incompetent. You’re not even able to wrap your head around the fact that a manager of a restaurant might be a woman. Where do you get off putting down women like you just did me?”
     In reality, though, my words were code for, “I’ll bet your manager told you that whenever a diner asks for an extra napkin, bring them a paper napkin so we can keep down costs. If my request for a cloth napkin places you in a tough situation, let’s please take you out of the middle of it.”
     But I failed to say this. I used a shorthand with the assumption that Carolyn understood what I was thinking. It’s the sort of thing a retailer might do when assuming a customer knows why a price on a favorite item has increased or the delivery of a special order has been delayed.
     Of course, regarding the episode I’ve told you about, it’s also possible Carolyn is, in fact, incompetent.

Click below for more:
Explain Yourself to Female Customers
Explain Delivery Time As Quality/Talent
Explain Price Ups & Downs to Customers