High-quality customer service is attached great importance to by many, but actually keeping customers happy is easier said than done.                Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store  , but instead will alert their friends,  s, co-workers and even strangers. Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers frequently go to their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde Group and Wharton School.               "Storytelling hurts retailers and affects customers," said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde Group. "The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement." On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative review. The resulting "snowball effect" can be disastrous to retailers.                According to the research, shoppers who bought clothing met with the most problems. Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers. The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered   shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople.                During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved parking problems by getting moonlighting   local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance completely got rid of the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided the situation in which several customers eyed the same parking space at the same time.                Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.                Most importantly, salespeople should be good at dealing with different people and especially should be polite with angry customers.                "Retailers who're helpful and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren't so friendly," said Professor Stephen Hoch. "Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help."               Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by bringing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. It's impossible for retailers to improve when they have no idea what is wrong. Why are store managers often the last to hear complaints?
Most customers were afraid of complaining to store managers. Customers would rather complain to people around them. Few customers believe the service will be improved. Customers have little easy access to store managers.