Because we are in a multicultural society, it is difficult for retailers to decide where the balance lies between assisted and unassisted selling.

A manager was amused one day to see a new salesman approach a Western lady who was trying on sunglasses. "What can I show you?" he asked, remembering the suggestion to always ask open-ended questions. Picking up what he thought was a suitable frame, he presented it to her: "Do look at this, it really is in fashion."

The lady looked at him with an expression of surprise and dismay and disgust, and hurried away, without saying a word. "It's a cultural thing," his manager told him.

"Europeans don't like salespeople interfering in their purchases. They want space, a chance to make their own choice. Asians, on the other hand, expect to be served," he reassured the shaken salesman, who was checking to see if perhaps he had bad breath.

Of course, in today's market, we cannot make such generalisations. I think it has more to do with lifestyle and outlook than nationality. It becomes all the more important for salespeople to have sharp antennas, to understand the behaviour of the customer in front of them.

This has been complicated by today's modern style supermarket and hypermarket and warehouse shops, where products are laid out on shelves and people are expected to pick up products.

Assumption

The assumption is the customer knows what he wants - a process greatly aided in the West, where these shops first appeared, publicised by best-buy publications and TV shopping programmes that raised the overall level of customer knowledge but are not available here.

The interesting local solution developed to overcome this shortfall is the appointment of merchandisers, whose task is to provide customers with information to help them make their choices. No doubt, this creates both opportunities as well as challenges for smaller retailers. As Anthony Stokam said: "Customers do not buy from stores, they buy from people."

The opportunity is to satisfy the customer by providing him with human interaction, which is the core of superior service. This is not just the welcoming smile and a cheerful thanks for visiting.

Much more than that, it lies in an involvement in sales, before, during and after the transaction; in providing a high level of product information and prompt after-sales service that smaller retailers are better equipped to provide. Customers are getting used to seeing goods with clear labels and prices, and the challenge is to give them this comfort upfront, clearly spelling out for them what they are buying and for how much.

Though it sounds so basic, this actually runs in the face of common practice in our markets where many shops - especially those dealing in such products as electronics, watches, hardware, textiles, among others - do not label products but quote prices based on the face of the customer, thereby leading to haggling and bargaining that the shop usually wins.

This being the accepted practice, when some shops do decide to charge fair but fixed prices, the resistance they face is real. It is not unusual for some customers to actually get upset and offended, walking out of the store in a huff.

As a result, even though it will actually result in an overall drop in their prices, a lot of well-established stores are unable to get out of this discounting dilemma due to a fear of upsetting their regulars.

Unfortunately, the problem is partly exacerbated by books and shopping guides that glibly note, "when shopping, remember to bargain to get the best price," thus tarring the whole trade with one brush.

As long as Dubai was focusing on transient customers, particularly with people buying large quantities to be resold, this was understandable. With the local market becoming more organised and with businesses focusing on building long-term relationships, customers will begin to appreciate the benefits of buying from dealers who are not bargaining, and who are providing better services as well as a human face.

The writer is a senior official with the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group