having been one of these front end 'people'--it depressing to find, companies pay lip service to front end /first contact employees--they are charged with a lot of responsibilty, but are often (USUALLY) the worst compensated employees in the company.
They are held responsible for customer satisfaction --but when its there, and there is customer loyalty, its the managment, not the actual customer service provider that reaps the monitary rewards!
the janitorial staff is more likely to be organized into a union than the 'sales clerks' and get more a higher compensation-- the less contact an employee has with actual customer, the more they get paid...
so providing 'customer service' is valued (by lip service), but customer avoidence is rewarded by money.. hmm.. interesting.
-------------------------------------------------------
my own personal story about customer dissatisfaction:
i am (or have been) a dissatified customer (of Macy's department store)--30 years ago, when i had a toddler and infant, (in tow!) i walked (because there was no good public transportation to) almost 2 miles to 'local' Macy's store to make a purchase --i had a newpaper ad, featuring the item i wanted, and the ad noted the item was not avail at every Macy's store, (BUT was available in the local one)
so off i went.
when i got to the store, i looked, couldn't find the item, or any sales help. so waited on a long slow line (there was no help on the floor but at the cash register) asked were to find the item, and was told "We don't stock that." (NEXT)
i walked out angery as all get out.
i didn't shop in macy's (again) for over 20 years.
i have a large range of stores (NYC is a bit of shopping mecca) i had a choice--i exersized my choice. with 2 incomes, 2 kids (and 2 homes purchased during my marriage) i spend a lot of money--clothing, sheet, curtains, furnature, gifts--over the next 20 years. and not one dime went to macy's. i still don't shop at macy's..mostly now out of habit. (i don't know their stores, or stock or layouts, so it more inconvenient to shop there, so i tend to go to stores i am more familiar with...)
one clerk, with a few words, turned me into a lifetime macy's avoider.
once when i told this story, a long time macy's shopper said "she didn't offer to have it shipped to you? they can do that easy enough." --and i realize, if the clerk had followed up, "i sorry the ad stated we stocked the item, but i can order for you, and have it shipped to your home, would you like that?" i would have jumped at the chance. i ended up buying the item mail order anyway.. and i would have thought, "what a nice idea". certainly it wasn't an idea i thought of. (my parents were poor,and never would have paid the extra cost for shipping.. but i was middle class (econamically) enough that the small extra charge wouldn't have mattered.
