Tips for surviving the holiday shopping experience

Maybe not.

Shoppers can improve chances of getting good service by doing their homework on the products they want and being vocal when they don't get the service they think they deserve - and approaching the holiday-shopping experience with an extra dose of patience.

"The relationship between the customer and the retailer is built on past transactions and past history," said Richard Feinberg, director of the Center for Customer-Driven Quality and a researcher for the Purdue Retail Institute at Purdue University in Indiana.

Price can be an important customer-service issue for many consumers, according to researchers. They don't think being trailed by store clerks as they shop is necessarily good service. Customers are often happiest when they're left alone and can find what they want more cheaply than at another retailer, which accounts for why Wal-Mart scores high on many customer-service surveys, said shopper Ken Ferrel.

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