The semi-structured interviews conducted with the customers helped in revealing opinions pertaining to their experience with local employees who are not students. Customer A :
“I usually prefer interacting with the same service employee whenever I make a purchase from the groceries department. He is quite helpful to me in giving information about the new arrivals and new offers. He understands my needs and utilities as we have developed a sort of personal connection with repeated visits to the store. The reasons for strong personal connection may be due to the fact that he is empathetic, friendly and reliable.”
Customer B when asked about her experience said:
“I was always greeted by the employees I identified as the local ones soon after entering the store. Besides that, the body languages of the local employees suggest that they are quite accommodative, affable which is very pleasing.”
Customer C when asked about his experience mentioned that
“I found local employees to be more active and are characterised by socially acceptable facial expressions. This creates a cheerful environment at the time of purchase. Moreover, this ultimately leads to satisfied shopping experience .”