I hate to not join the party but in my opinion, after 35 years working adjacent to retail, the poor service we now get is the inevitable result of the choices we have been making as to what products to buy and what retailers to patronize.
In general we have prioritized low price over everything else. And the impact of that starts with changing the quality of the goods we have offered to us, but ultimately affects the nature of the retailers offering the product. Price and convenience trump every other metric and have for 30-40 years. So we see the decline of quality products, the rise of disposable/non repairable goods and the total dominance of self service retail environments.
To change it, we, as a society, would have to prioritize other qualities in the retailers we support and the goods we buy. Its a long slow process and most didn't understand the destination once they started down that road.
