Figuratively Speaking: Customer service issues top shoppers' woes

Percentage of all consumers who report that they are ignored by sales staff, receiving not so much as a smile, greeting or even eye contact: 25

Percentage of shoppers who say that this lack of engagement turns them away from the retailer permanently: 3

Percentage of women who experienced problems during their most recent shopping experience, according to the Men Buy, Women Shop study from the Jay H. Baker Retail Initiative at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania: 53

Percentage of men who experienced problems while shopping: 48

Percentage of men who are less likely to recommend a store where they experienced problems than women: 20

Opting out online

In 2005, the percentage of retail e-marketers who provided e-mail opt-out links that led recipients to a preference page to make actual changes to their subscriptions, according to a survey by Silverpop Systems Inc.: 12

Percentage who do so today: 32

Employee theft

Percentage of retail employees who say they have witnessed a fellow employee stealing from his or her current or past employer, according to a study conducted by AMR Research: 29

Big brands

Rank of Heinz ketchup as the overall winning brand based on six base measures, including familiarity, quality, purchase consideration, brand expectations, distinctiveness and trust, according to the 2008 results from EquiTrend, the annual brand-equity study in its 28th year: 1

Ranks of M&M plain chocolate candy, Hershey’s milk chocolate candy bars, Hershey’s kisses, Duracell batteries and Cheerios cereal on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Word-of-mouth advertising

Percentage of business executives who report that they are highly likely to buy a product or service based on word of mouth, according to a study of U.S. and U.K. executives conducted by the market research firm Keller Fay Group and sponsored by Jack Morton Worldwide: 50

Percentage who pass on what they’ve heard to others: 49

Seasonal workers’ slump

Percentage of hiring managers at traditional hourly employment standbys such as retailers and restaurants who say they do not intend to take on any new seasonal workers in 2008, a consequence of the uncertain economy, according to a survey conducted by snagajob.com: 49

Taking care of business

Percentage of U.S. consumers who say they are more likely to do business with a company that offers the flexibility to interact using self-service, whether via the Internet, on a mobile device or at a kiosk or ATM, according to a survey by NCR and BuzzBack Market Research: 86

Percentage of respondents who say their likelihood to use self-service has increased over the past year: 56

Teen buying habits

Percentage decline in total fashion spending by teens from spring 2007 to fall 2007, according to results of the Taking Stock With Teens survey, a national study on teen spending habits and retail brand perceptions conducted by Piper Jaffray and Co.: 24

Despite moderation in spending habits, percentage of the total teen budget that the fashion category represented for the fall 2007 season: 42

Ranks of Hollister, West Coast Brands, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Forever 21 among teens as their favorite places to shop: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Ikea and Pottery Barn/PB Teen among teens as their favorite home furnishing retailer: 1, 2

Thinking about Christmas

Percentage of Americans who have at least one digital lifestyle product on their wish lists leading up to the Christmas season, according to a national survey by Solutions Research Group: 76

Ranks of a flat-screen high-definition TV (35 percent), laptop (20 percent) and a digital camera (17 percent) in the top 10 of wish list items: 1, 2, 3

Customer service kudos

Rank of L.L. Bean among U.S. retail companies in terms of quality of customer service, according to a consumer survey conducted by the National Retail Federation: 1

Ranks of Zappos.com and Amazon.com: 2, 3

Number of Internet-only retailers in the Top 10: 4

Idle thought

“Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation.”

—Oscar Wilde, writer

John MacIntyre is an author and former city magazine editor. His “Figuratively Speaking” column, launched in 1989, is published in more than 40 newspapers and magazines.