My qualified friends (respectively an MCSE and BA in Computer Science) always apply for a job at the local PX because it has been 3 consecutive years that the computer department does not have qualified personnel. When they apply, they are told that there are no vacancies. When I shop, there is rarely someone there despite the claim by the AAFES employment office that there is.
On each visit I had to ask the manager to send someone to the department because it is never manned and other customers wait invane.
On my third visit, I was told to come on certain days at certain hours to talk to a qualified salesman that could answer my questions on a laptop computer. Had there not been chaos in the department, outdated leaflets and proper price tags I could have helped myself, so I reluctantly agreed to come one more time.
On my fourth visit, I met the "specialist" told me he was a new hire and didn't even know if what I wanted was in stock and how much. He couldn't find not one manager who knew the laptop passwords and couldn't even show me the products.
After thorough research, he provided me with some scattered information, but now that I needed to compare the same data and features with two other laptops to decide which was the better deal, I reached my limit and drew the line.
I ended up buying one of these 3 laptops later online at a great price and after thorough research (after all, it was a $1,700 item)... This is business I tried to bring to AAFES, my so-called "hometown" store to help my fellow soldier. My qualified friends who have been applying for the sales associate's position shop elsewhere too. Every hour of the day, there are customers hanging out 10-20 minutes in the PC department and then leave...
In 15 years, I have had multiple problems with AAFES and so has everyone else. I believe that AAFES key to survival is the incredible patience (and complacency) that is prevalent in the military communities. Where else can one see long customer service lines, overworked and underpaid employees working at idle speed who for a fixed wage, honestly have no incentive to perform more or faster than a threat to loose their jobs?
The first complaints I hear from the managers is that it is hard to find good quality and qualified personnel; nothing could be further from the truth! Those who are qualified are told there are no vacancies and the underqualified, immature summer high school hires are always welcome.
Is AAFES afraid of having to pay more money to qualified personnel, give them incentive bonuses to sell more and hire better paid full time employees so that every customer can be served by a professional every single time they shop all year long?
When I think of all the customers that fall into AAFES lap each day only to end up shopping elsewhere after several frustrating visits, one cannot deny that the potential to create better, full time jobs for qualified personnel with all that lost revenue is definetly a win-win situation - yet AAFES still chooses not to. Could it be that in the bigger picture, it actually pays to keep the status quo?
When you fill out those customer comment cards all you get is a personal apology from the store manager; as if their position was created to do just that. It's sickening. How long until AAFES realizes that apologies can't cut it and that AAFES customers and surely AAFES employees want improvements all around? Wouldn't it be nice to have a good reputation in the community it serves for a change? I am positive sales would go up enough to implement improvements.
S
APO
Germany
0 comments