Ring Bell (or Just Bellow) for Service.

[brighty18]

Poll Ring Bell (or Just Bellow) for Service

Unsurprisingly, I have thoughts on this issue.  You may read them in the comments. And, yes, I do realize that things are different in different regions or cultures, for example, encountering an empty store in Boston would be different than in Taos. 

Comments

[maystone]

It's all dependent on the situation. There are times when I will call out because I'm not sure anyone on staff knows there's a customer on the premises. I will also poke around but only in the public areas, again depending on the kind of store and how interesting the products are or how bored I am.

I've worked in small stores and been the only person staffing it. I do that now in our booth at the farmers market. There, though, you can have someone at a neighboring booth keep an eye out while you go to the bathroom or run to get a coffee. If it looks like a customer is looking around for help, the other vendor will (if they're not busy themselves) let the customer know I'll be back in a few. I've also put up a little sign on the counter saying I'll be back in a few minutes, but usually we vendors rely on each other.

I've also worked in small offices where I'll be in a back room when someone comes in. Then I call out that I'll be right there. See, I think it's rude to let a customer or co-worker stand around without acknowledging that I know that they're there. I hate when I'm on the receiving end of that behavior. I hate it even more when they can see me standing there but won't acknowledge my presence with just a glance and a nod.

[brighty18]

Interesting. Until I read your response it had not even occurred to me that someone might think I was somewhere where I could acknowledge them and simply be choosing not to answer. Seriously, that thought NEVER even crossed my mind - mostly because I've never encountered that before. Thanks for pointing that out, though.

If I am in a back room or something and position in which I can get away with calling out to a customer, I will do it, but that's been expressly forbidden in a few places I've worked. Generally, I just make it back out in less than a minute.