Can a FLGS be TOO friendly?

A little story from yesterday.

I've been working in another city temporarily on business for a couple of months, commuting home for the weekend. After some bad storm damage on Thursday, on Friday morning they told us to just go home early for the weekend because they wouldn't have the transformer and breaker box replaced by close of business and we could back to work on Monday morning.

There is a nice FLGS in this town. I've stopped by there a few times, and decided I would go there for a look before driving home. It's well stocked with current and vintage RPG's, big shelves of board games, a huge wall of used DVD's and used video games, and a big section of miniatures (both collectable and conventional), and a big glass case of game systems and peripherals, not to mention being a fully stocked comic book store. In other words, a very nice FLGS indeed.

So, I set foot in the store. I am greeted by an employee in the first few moments as I'm glancing at video games, who asks if I need any help and tells me to just ask if I have any questions. Good customer service, being attentive, that's good. I usually take such a greeting as a good sign that it's a professional FLGS and not just a geek with a storefront.

About two minutes later, as I've wandered over to the boardgames, I get the same greeting treatment from a different sales associate. Kind of redundant at that point, but I just smile and say that I'm just browsing.

A couple of minutes later, I'm now wandering by the display of video game systems and peripherals (more like I had taken one step past the display case of superhero statues and figurines and was closer to the video game case). A third salesman comes up to me and strikes up a conversation, asking what my favorite system is and what games I'm currently playing. I'm a casual video gamer, the only modern system I own is a Wii (more for my 7 year old stepson than me, and we mostly use it for Netflix), and the only game I've been playing lately is The Force Unleashed, and only because I'm a SW fan and wanted to play through the plotline of that game. Well, he seemed to stumble a little when I revealed I am only a very casual video gamer and the only thing I really would want in terms of a peripheral was the lightsaber Wii remote controller that is hard to find nowadays (and they definitely didn't have).

When I wandered out the door (as I was just stopping by for a few minutes to look around before I left) I got a fairly wordy goodbye as I was leaving the store.

I honestly felt like they were TOO friendly. One greeting would have sufficed for good service, a quick goodbye as I walked out the door would have been okay. Three greetings within about 5 or 6 minutes seemed almost like I was being stalked in the store.

I was dressed in "business casual" clothes, and the store had a few other customers but wasn't super crowded or super empty. There were a few kids in the back playing a CCG and maybe 3 or 4 other customers milling around.

In retrospect, I did have one bit of feedback I wanted to tell them but forgot to. They have a website for ordering. There are some Star Wars miniatures I wanted to get, but didn't want to pay shipping for, so I was wondering if I could just pick them up at the store. I got a reply back saying their online sales were a completely different line of business and they don't offer any "ship to store" options. They don't have those minis in stock at their store (I asked once), so I couldn't buy them in person.

So, can a FLGS be too friendly? Have you ever felt smothered by the customer service?

Every store can be too friendly.

I am from a part of the country where we have a reputation to be grumpy and tight-lipped. A gaming store can get away with a greeting as you pass the counter, but anything else is borderline harrasment.
Just strolling around your shop to be visible when a customer wants to ask someone is a violation of privacy. ^^

If the store workers make people feel uncomfortable, then yes they can be too friendly. In this case I find it odd that each employee kept asking you what you were looking for, perhaps the day was slow and they were eager to make a sale or just do something. Or they are working on commission (seems weird, but possible) and try to push a little bit.

Can you be smothered? Certainly: if I am in a store to simply browse and may return later for a purchase, I don't really want to be hassled (especially if I tell them I can't buy but would likely return). I'll ask an employee if I have a question.

I had a FLGS that went out of business partly because the owner was a little too friendly and too little business man. I loved the store and he was a great guy, but some days I feel like I made more sales for him trying to help people find something and letting them know it could be ordered and picked up.

Sounds like the employees are avid gamers, and none of them could resist leaping on a new face. Most of the other customers are probably regulars, many of whom may be socially reserved. The employees probably thought "Whoa, someone who looks like he can string more than two words together, dressed in more than jeans and a T, who I don't already know! I must talk to this person!"

Or you walked into the store on new-hirelings training day.

Wingandsword, do you happen to be an attractive woman? Because that would explain it pretty fast.

I work at a library, and I have a coworker who'll talk the ear off anyone. But he's usually pretty funny, and generally people appreciate him. Once or twice he's tried his schtick with someone who's not up for talking, and the person sent a complaint. He got a talking to, and then promptly went back to doing the same old thing.

I dunno, maybe if you visit the store regularly and get to know the staff, they'll stop seeing you as "someone we have to provide [our own smothering brand of] customer service to" and instead talk to you like real people.

Or they could be robots. Try telling one of them, "This sentence is false."

Slow day? Boss is a retail sales guru? Employees work on commission?

Lots of reasons could cause your experience.

-I don't think it's too much if each associate only spoke to you once, and in a different section of the store. Probably a slow day, or they're overstaffed.
-It probably just stands out because we have become so acccustomed to lousy customer service in general.

Many retailers keep on customers like this to let them know they are being watched. It's supposed to cut down on shoplifting.

Sounds ok/normal.

You indicate three SEPARATE individuals greeted you with offers to help with their particular subdept/niche (board games, video games, etc) as you casually wandered thru what sounds like a rather large store; spending "several" minutes within each area - so its likely each was either unaware of the proceeding conversations and/or providing you with an opportunity to inquire asto where your particular interest might be located.

Its not like the repetitive occurrence had involved the SAME individual.

It could be more then customer watching or boredom. A former employer of mine forced me to go to a small business customer service training event once (sounds more important then it was, as it was hosted at our local civic center). Anyway, this particular group of three trainers felt that constantly engaging the customer, even to the point of shanghaiing other workers to go talk to them, helped to build some kind of rapport with the customer and let them know you were somehow vested in their experience and their satisfaction with their purchase.

Being as outspoken as I generally am, I raised my hand and interrupted the leader to ask him if he could see how that could be seen as smothering (not to mention blatantly pandering and annoying). The guy just looked for a long minute before going on with his lecture and making the assembled 30 or so people pair off in groups and role play this scenario.

This is the same guy that told the entire group that we were should personally supposed take the blame for any imagined wrongs a customer felt he had, regardless of whether it was related to our services or not, so I just basically wrote the whole thing off.

Now that I own my own consulting business, however, and have begun talking to other small business owners, I have that that there is apparently a school of thought which does encourage this sort of hamhanded customer service. I personally feel that it must be targeted at people without much service industry experience.

My point is that they could have just been doing what their boss told them to do. Especially after hearing the whole "No ship to store" option, which sounds like some one at the top didn't take the time to think it all the way through.

To directly answer the question, I am going to say that it depends. Too friendly to me means that they are genuinely interested in what I want from them, and how they can help me, but are just overly excited about the prospect to the point that they smother me. Annoying, but understandable if the person is passionate about what they do.

If, on the other hand, they are bugging me because they are bored, or because they think I could be a shoplifter, or because it's their training, or they are trying to pressure me into a sale, then I don't consider that friendly; rather, I consider it oppressive.

I agree with Yora; a pleasant greeting, answer my question if a have one, and a quick goodbye with a mention of upcoming sales is what I consider normal.