Can someone explain what is going on with customer service these days?
While I can understand the need to downsize staff during tough economic times, there is no need to punish the people who do patronize your store as a result. I was in a restaurant with a friend and during the ten minutes it took for our drink order to be taken, two other couple walked out. We were really in the mood for their food, so we were a little more patient than the others, but it amazed me how rude the waiter was because they were short staffed.
What their management and others need to understand is your customer has come to expect a certain level of quality and service, that is why they return to your establishment, and any diminution of that service is interpreted as a breach of contract. If during prosperous times I receive fast service, then the same should be true during tough times, in fact, even more so. By continuing to meet your loyal customer’s expectations, you increase the amount of recommendation that result from their having discussions with others about the poor services they received elsewhere.
Cutting back on staffing and trimming wherever possible is a part of doing business, however, the sure way for your business to fail is to lower the quality of your product. A company would do better shortening its hours of operations and keeping a suitable staff, than staying open and having their patrons endure poor service.