17. Professional sales staffs vanished from department stores in the 1970s and beyond
In the heyday of American department stores, the great merchandisers prided themselves on the professionalism of their staffs. For example, men’s clothing sales staff were trained on measuring and fitting male attire properly, knew which fabrics worked best for which articles of apparel, and could advise their customers, whom they often knew by name, on color, current fashion trends, and other topics pertinent to a sale. Shoe sales people knew how to fit their customers properly, as well as how much “room to grow” should be left in children’s shoes. Service was more than just a talking point, it was a point of pride. Retail sales wes a career for many in the department store era, rather than a temporary job to be held until something better came along.
As time elapsed in the suburban stores, the professionalism faded. Americans also no longer considered shopping to be an experience for which one dressed appropriately. As American fashion rules softened to the point that visiting national shrines as if dressed for a day at the beach became acceptable, attention to sartorial detail vanished as well. Personal attention and an eye for detail shifted back to smaller specialty stores, as the department store became largely a warehouse for clothing and other items, staffed with inexperienced and often indifferent clerks. The chief attraction to the major department stores became sales, rather than salespeople, and the chief source of customer satisfaction became getting in and out of the store in a hurry, with other places to go placing demands upon one’s schedule.
