I know some friends who have worked in the big chain stores and, although customer service is a big marketing hype when the stores first open, in reality the employees end up being stuck in an impossible position. Managers want shelves stacked with stock and if an employee falls behind this task, they are reprimanded no matter if the reason for not doing that particular job is because customers need service. Selling stuff off the shelves is priority because they don't have to hire people to do that, just cashiers. It's true that customer service is not a revenue generating venue for corporations because bonuses for the managers and directors are based on profit not customer service.
Just my cynical take on it all. If I'm out to lunch on this opinion, please let me know. For some reason companies are not linking good customer service with better profits.