Ask a Shopkeeper - A customer tells me they can buy it cheaper online. What should I do?
Dear Shopkeeper,
I've started hearing this more and more. A customer is browsing in my shop, then they tell me "I can get this cheaper online." Sometimes they still buy it, sometimes they don't, but either way I never know how to respond. Part of me thinks it’s bloody rude and I want to show them the reality of our overheads these days. Another part of me thinks, don’t you care about keeping real shops alive in your home town?! Another part of me feels worried that I should rethink my entire pricing strategy. What's the best way to handle it?
Answer
I think you're actually asking two questions. One is, "What should I say?" The other is, "Why does this comment bother me so much?" I'd start with the second one.
When you've spent hours choosing products, pricing them, displaying them beautifully and creating a shop you're proud of, it's hard not to hear a comment like that as a criticism. It feels personal. But I'd encourage you not to take it personally. That doesn't mean dismissing what the customer has said. It means separating the comment from your emotions long enough to think about it clearly. One of the biggest mistakes we make as shopkeepers is assuming we know exactly why a customer has said something.
The truth is, we rarely do. Perhaps they're hoping you'll reduce the price. Perhaps they're simply thinking out loud. Perhaps they're comparing options. Perhaps they don't realise how their words come across. Perhaps they're naturally very direct. Perhaps they just enjoy winding other people up. Or perhaps they genuinely think you've priced something too highly. You don't know. And that's why I'd resist becoming defensive.
Customers are entitled to their opinions, even when we don't like hearing them. You can't set a boundary around someone else's opinion. The only boundary you really control is your own response.
I wouldn't try to win the argument either. In retail, winning the conversation but losing the customer isn't much of a victory. Instead, I'd aim for the best outcome for both of you. If that's not possible, I'd settle for the least collateral damage.
I’d suggest always keeping your response light and bright. Keep smiling. I know it’s not always easy but it is necessary. You might simply say, "Yes, that's always an option." If they're weighing things up, perhaps, "Of course. It's nice to be able to see it in person before you decide." If humour feels natural, maybe even, "True... but you're here now!"
None of those responses is magic. The words themselves matter much less than the atmosphere you create. A calm, confident shopkeeper tends to keep the conversation calm too. Then, once the customer has gone, ask yourself a completely different question.
If what they've just said was true, what evidence would I expect to find?
One comment is just one comment. Ten similar comments are a pattern. If you're hearing it repeatedly, it’s time to check the evidence. Look at your sales, what’s your most popular price point? How about your price architecture, do you have it all covered - impulse and entry level items, medium price points as well as some luxury lines? Is it one particular product or brand that seems to provoke that response? If so, check your pricing against others, are you truly out of step or not? It might be any of those things or then again it might just be a memorable interaction because it stung at the time.
Every customer comment contains information. Not necessarily truth, but information. Your job isn't to accept it unquestioningly or reject it defensively. It's to decide whether it's pointing towards something worth investigating. And only once you’ve investigated can you decide if it genuinely requires action. That's one of the hardest parts of shopkeeping. It's also one of the most valuable.
