Google/Yelp reviews of businesses: how much do they matter?
March 10, 2024 9:39 PM   Subscribe

Do you read reviews of businesses (such as restaurants or shops) before visiting? Do the reviews affect your experience and perception? Do you leave a review after visiting?

My partner owns a brick and mortar (a vintage shop). I get notified when folks leave reviews. Mostly they are positive reviews, but occasionally we receive a one or two star rating. I obsess over these, especially if they are filled with false statements (for example, a two star rating from today noted that half the zippers in the store are “busted. I’m intimately familiar with the merchandise in our store so I know this isn’t true). Leaving a bad review for a small business just feels so unnecessary to me, unless you truly had a horrible experience.

Do you read reviews before visiting a new shop or restaurant? Do you put a lot of stock in reviews in general? We recently visited a thrift store in a small town that had a 2 point something rating (and it was called “Pancakes in Heaven” so we had to). We went in expecting a bad time, but the store was actually fine and the cashier was friendly and kind. Normally I’m very aware of how a business rates online so this was a good reality check.

Our business is doing fine, and I don’t know how much Google and Yelp reviews matter. Do they matter to you and do you leave them?
posted by sucre to Human Relations (32 answers total)
 
I might take a look but if there are less than 20 reviews I don’t place much stock in them. I’m looking for a consensus, not a bunch of anecdotes.

I’ve only left reviews when I’ve had truly exceptional service, and I usually ask the owner where they would like me to leave them and in some cases for thoughts on what to emphasize.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:48 PM on March 10, 2024 [3 favorites]


Reviews matter most (at least for me) for deciding among multiple similar options, and for when I'm in an unfamiliar area. If there are a bunch of vintage stores in the neighborhood, or you rely a lot of traffic from tourists, you probably don't want to be the low-rated one. On the other hand, if you're the only game in town, and serving mostly locals, I'd suspect it matters far less.
posted by kickingtheground at 10:11 PM on March 10, 2024


I probably leave reviews for excellent and poor experiences, wouldn’t bother otherwise. Do reviews matter, yes, however I also read the content of the reviews. I ignore star-only reviews and ones that seem off. Someone complaining about zippers at a vintage store would ping as “off” to me. I try to suss out fake positive reviews also.

Not to worry you more, but I have heard of competitors leaving nasty reviews, any way that’s possible? Some small business owners are “interesting”.
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:18 PM on March 10, 2024 [1 favorite]


I always look at Google reviews of restaurants before going to eat there. There are a couple of places with 4.9/5.0 star average with 100+ reviews and they have all been amazing.

I actually look at individual reviews to see photos of the food, maybe specific comments they made. I leave a review if it's 5 stars, usually say something nice to the owner to hopefully make their day. If I didn't like the store I usually don't leave a review, I give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they had a bad day. Only time I'll leave a bad review if it's an expensive place and I feel particularly aggrieved (eg, I paid $20 for the food and it sucked, whatever, but if I paid $50 for the food and it clearly sucked I'm going to be mad lol).
posted by xdvesper at 10:41 PM on March 10, 2024 [5 favorites]


in tokyo at least, people seem to definitely use them. as a result, I've started using them

as others have said, how much stock I place in them depends on the score and how many reviews. a place with a lot of reviews that's above a 4, and certainly above a 4.5, is usually very good. I will admit that when just scanning an area, I'm going to check the highly rated stuff, though if the number of reviews is low, I don't put much stock in it. I also generally will check what people are actually saying (regardless of score, eg if there's a place in the 3s that looks otherwise interesting) to sort of calibrate if it might be a "great food but the service was awful 1 star!!!" type situation
posted by wooh at 10:53 PM on March 10, 2024


Best answer: I don't leave reviews, but I read them because I'm curious. Something that I pay attention to, however, is how business owners engage with complaints. If there's no response or a brief, professional response (call # to discuss your experience), that's fine. When business owners really flip out and get defensive with reviews, it actually makes me question the owner and that's why I'd avoid a business. I work in a customer service-ish field, so I totally get having difficult customers, but there's no reason to get into the mud with them.
posted by VirginiaPlain at 11:13 PM on March 10, 2024 [27 favorites]


Like others are saying I look for a pattern and for whether the complaint matters to me.
Like, if the reviews complain about issues that seem like a one-off issue (one staff member was rude) or that don't really matter/seem par for the course (they had to wait in line, the establishment ran out of something, etc) then I don't pay attention.
However, what no one's mentioned and what does actually make a difference: I find it offputting when small businesses argue with bad reviews. "I remember you, it's not true we wouldn't replace your fork, you dropped 3 forks and we kept getting you a new one!" -- I empathize but it doesn't seem professional. I am more likely to give a place a chance when and if the owner responds they are gracious and, even if you don't feel you should apologize for something you believe is inaccurate, say something that assures readers that -- for example -- broken zippers are not your standard and you are looking into it. Or just don't respond.
posted by barnowl at 11:59 PM on March 10, 2024 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I leave good reviews if it's been a great experience and I'm asked to or know the owners. I leave bad reviews if it's been aggravatingly bad and I feel others should be warned.

I use reviews and mostly focus on the bad ones. Good reviews don't tell you much I don't think; everything was as advertised, great but that's kind of how it should be. Bad reviews are more illuminating but you have to bear in mind that while a bad experience was had that can be down to something either party brought to the table, including the customer. So if a review is bad but also unhinged I'll ignore it, to really take it into account I need to see what went wrong clearly and rationally spelled out and then land on the side of the customer.
posted by deadwax at 12:07 AM on March 11, 2024 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Reviews typically only matter to me for businesses that provide services — restaurants, hotels, hair salons, dry cleaners, plumbers, etc.

There's not much reason to read reviews for brick and mortar shops unless I'm looking for something specific and reviews could potentially point me in the right direction. As for vintage shops in particular, those are the kinds of places I'm much more likely to just casually drop in rather than research ahead of time.
posted by theory at 12:08 AM on March 11, 2024 [4 favorites]


+1 to what theory said.

For an actual shop, unless all the reviews are like "so dusty and dirty it set off my allergies", it doesn't really matter because I'm not obliged to buy anything. I'm more interested in photos if there are any, to see if you sell stuff I might want.
posted by pianissimo at 12:27 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


I rely on Google Maps reviews when choosing between similar places.

I've only left a few reviews myself. If you do so while logged in, Google Maps will periodically nudge you to write reviews about the places you visit. There's some sort of gameification to it where you get points for writing reviews and adding photos and confirming open hours etc.

So some people are probably writing reviews because they got a phone notification while they were there begging them to write a review and they only need a few more points to level up.
posted by Jacqueline at 12:53 AM on March 11, 2024


If a business has an incredibly high score, I'm more likely to prioritize it if I'm in the area. I don't avoid places with a few low scores unless that's all they have and the comments are all saying similar things that would bother me too.

I do give a bit of extra leeway to thrift stores though, and might put vintage stores in the same category. I've noticed thrift stores tend to get really terrible reviews for very minor things or things that I would expect in every thrift store (ex: items are not new, prices have gone up recently, employees don't seem personally invested in your shopping experience). I only avoid these types of places if the owners are arguing with the reviewers, as others have mentioned.
posted by Eyelash at 4:45 AM on March 11, 2024


I mostly ignore them, but when I do read them I disregard the 5 star and the 1 star ratings, and usually read the 3 and 4 star ones. I do look to see what percentage of the ratings are bad (1-2 stars), but mostly I think people who take time to write reviews are usually cranky and uninformed.
posted by terrapin at 5:41 AM on March 11, 2024


Best answer: The thing with reviews is that they can be untrue and true at the same time. Sure, it is unlikely half the zippers in your store are busted, but if someone came in and tried five things and two of them had zipper problems, to them that is half the zippers - it isn't literally true both because they didn't try on everything in the store and because they are rounding up but it feels true to them.

If you are going to respond, go with polite and friendly and say something like "sorry you had a bad experience, we try to make sure all stock is in good condition but if you notice problems please point then out to the staff, hope you will return and give us another try". Do not in any way suggest that they are wrong.

That's the kind of owner response that negates a bad review for me. You are paying attention and care in a reasonable way without arguing with the customer.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:50 AM on March 11, 2024 [21 favorites]


I echo Jacquilynne. I appreciate when business owners respond to negative reviews with brief, positive/neutral/“next time..” comment: “I’m sorry to hear about this! We typically maintain high quality standards; please let us know in store if you find something broken, as we want to ensure it’s fixed before it’s back on the floor.”

When I see owner responses to negative reviews, I normally mentally discount/remove the negative reviews.
posted by samthemander at 6:16 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


I haven't used yelp for retail/vintage stores, but I do like to consult it for restaurants and people I'm looking to hire for services.

My goal, first, is to look at pictures. I want to get an idea of what it looks like before I go; for a restaurant, I'll also look at the menu.

As for reviews, if there are no five star reviews, I'll note that, and be a bit concerned. If there are some 1 or 2 stars, I'll read through them, but it won't turn me off. I agree with jacquilynne that a rational response to a few reviews is a good thing. Don't go overboard, and don't respond to every review. No matter how much you maintain your cool, you'll still come off as a bit unhinged if you need to reply to everyone.
posted by hydra77 at 6:18 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


I’ve helped run a business where Google reviews were a really big deal. Jacquilynne has it. Some other things:

- encourage regulars or people who are happy to leave good reviews. I always forget, but if a business reminds me and I’m happy with them, I’m glad to. Just real casual at the desk:
Customer: “I love your guys’ stuff!”
Me: I’m so glad! Hey, it helps us get more great inventory if you leave a positive review on Google. No pressure though.

- if you haven’t claimed your business on Google make sure you do. You can add pictures, sales, etc.

- if someone leaves a negative review, reach out in a friendly way like stated above. If the person contacts you back, try to make it right. They can update their review.

- it’s not the end of the world. We had a negative review campaign due to a disgruntled former staff person. It did have an impact but it wasn’t the end of the world. It’s not worth losing sleep over.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:33 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


Like samthemander, I very much appreciate polite responses to negative reviews. I once stayed at a hotel whose owner responded to a complaint from a customer who was kicked out with a list of the many violations the customer had committed, and a note that they still gave the customer a full refund.

For the zippers, I would totally discount the complaint if you'd responded with something like, "We're very sorry that you had trouble with the zippers on some of our merchandise. We carefully check all items, including zippers, but they very occasionally become stuck when other customers are trying them on. We encourage customers to let us know if they see problems with any of our merchandise so that we can repair it or remove it from stock if necessary." Most reasonable people would read that as "Nice manager trying to deal with customer who's a jerk."
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:48 AM on March 11, 2024 [2 favorites]


Restaurants: yes. Yelp reviews, to an extent, because there's generally some consensus. Google reviews only out of desperation (a lot of people who leave Google reviews are... not good at leaving reviews) or if I'm on my phone where Yelp forces you to use an app I don't have.

Shops: no. Unless a place is, like, obviously a consensus of 1-2 stars on the map, I'm gonna just not read reviews at all, or distinguish one shop from another by review. The only reason I'd look at reviews of a shop would be to answer the question: "Do they have the shit I'm trying to buy?"

Services: HELL YES. I found my mechanic by reading reviews carefully, and I'm loyal to him. The dentist down the street was temptingly convenient but I'm extremely choosy about dentists; it turns out she's amazing, which I found out via reviews. Our spectacular vet (who has since retired) was a review find. Glasses dude? Reviews. Services are all scrutinized closely by review.

My review process is thus:
  • Look at the review distribution. Is it a bunch of love, no middle of the road, and a big spike of hate? They probably changed hands or went downhill or there's something about them that a certain kind of person loathes. Is it just a blob of middle-of-the-road reviews?
  • Read all negative reviews. All of them. Are any of them coherent, reasonable, based in anything that could be reality, or recent? Do any of them corroborate each other?
  • Read some of the love: 4-star reviews can be revealing. Some people love a place and it's perfect but they refuse to leave 5 stars on principle. Some people have minor quibbles; some of those can be dealbreakers.
What compels me to leave reviews? Other than products, which I'll review pretty frankly across the board, businesses I'll review only two ways: if they're utterly awesome and I adore them and I want them to thrive. Or if they inflicted misery on me. I will gladly and cheerfully retaliate against a business by leaving one- or two-star reviews—even on platforms I personally don't use or care about, like Google—if they fail me in some fundamental way, by damaging my well-being, property, happiness, or wasting my fucking time.

This is all to say: The review game is a dangerous one.
posted by majick at 6:53 AM on March 11, 2024 [3 favorites]


I read reviews to look at pictures of the space and wares/food and sometimes menus. I also read reviews to understand if there’s a speciality - for example a Chinese restaurant that has AMAZING wings but everything else is average - and what kind of people/groups tend to like them. I live in a city with lots of tourists, so I skip restaurants with tons of tourist reviews or restaurants that are good with big groups if I’m only going out with one other person.

I only leave reviews if someplace is really good or really bad, but I do update locations for small business owners if they recently moved.
posted by A Blue Moon at 7:02 AM on March 11, 2024


My wife reads reviews for restaurants (and everything) and heavily weights the negative ones.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:42 AM on March 11, 2024


Definitely read them for restaurants, less so for other businesses. I tend to ignore the 5/5 and 1/5 reviews unless there is a lot of them. If there is a very large number of 5/5 then likely it will be good experience assuming it is an establishment I would otherwise enjoy. If there was a ton of 1/5 I am unlikely to go to it unless I have to.

I like reading the comments on the less than fully positive reviews to note a pattern or to see if the complaints are about things I care about or things that the restaurant has control over. For example, people complain about parking in a restaurant review...not going to care. A few months back we went to dinner at a restaurant in a nice hotel. The reviews were mostly positive but a common complaint that the service was slow. Indeed, when we ate, the service was slow. This was a laid back meal so I wasn't in a hurry but if I did have tight timelines I might have avoided.
posted by mmascolino at 7:44 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


I was recently asked to help my boss pick hotels for an upcoming conference, and she asked me to also read the reviews and sum them up. If a hotel I was looking at had any negative reviews, I'd take a quick look - and if it was about something like "the people in the room above me were making too much noise even though the hotel tried to shut them up", then I didn't take that into account.

I don't really read reviews myself as a rule.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:21 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


Best answer: For restaurants, I rely on them; for stores, it wouldn't even occur to me to look at them.
posted by escabeche at 8:38 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


The only reason I use yelp for restaurants is if I'm trying to find their menu and it's not online elsewhere. I don't bother with reviews because it feels like a significant portion of yelp reviewers think dining out = renting a servant for the evening, and anything else than fawning obeisance from those servants is a crime against humanity. I've gone to a lot of those "terrible service" restaurants and found the service to be perfectly fine.
posted by creepygirl at 9:09 AM on March 11, 2024 [3 favorites]


Do you put a lot of stock in reviews in general?

[Broadening the scope a bit, here] For movie reviews on the IMDB, yes. Takes a couple clicks, but I want to see User Reviews and then "Hated It" at the top. Because no matter what film, there's always some jokers who loved it, blathering on about how great it was, and I've learned in general these 10/10 reviewers have no taste.

For restaurant and business reviews it's kind of the opposite, because it seems like whatever the place most of the reviews with any substance devolve into what I consider petty complaints, mostly about service or some trivial aspect of the operation. Perhaps it's just something about Yelp in California that attracts these negative posters. And yet I rarely leave a review, myself; typically only doing so when asked.
posted by Rash at 9:20 AM on March 11, 2024


I only rely on reviews for things where I could be "trapped" into a bad experience or waste of my money, i.e., online purchases, plumbers, cars, hotels, attractions, maybe restaurants if I'm traveling and only going to have time for one or two meals in a city? For a local shop? I'll form my own opinion, nothing stopping me from doing a Grandpa Simpson if I don't care for the merchandise or the vibe.
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 9:51 AM on March 11, 2024


I'm on creepygirl's team, when it comes to restaurant reviews. I just don't find them helpful, save for maybe finding a pic of the menu.

I mean, how much stock do you really give Amazon reviews? Yelp's sort of in the same boat to me.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:14 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


I do for pretty much everything, even though I know how unreliable Yelp is (and how annoying and entitled many of the reviews are). It's really just a way to cut down on choices because often two things (restaurants, moving services, etc.) just seem equally appealing. The only time I've found Yelp reviews to be really valuable is when it's the only way a person can register a complaint that's likely to be seen by a lot of people around racist or transphobic service. A trans woman friend of mine had a terrifying experience at a club a few weeks ago (mistreatment by security) and the reviews were an effective way of warning other trans folks away from going there.
posted by lizard2590 at 10:30 AM on March 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


I glance over ratings for the average, # of total reviews, and the distribution when available (i.e. how many 5-stars, 4-stars, etc.). I generally expect highly rated places overall to have some 1-star and 2-star reviews since nobody's perfect and some aggrieved customers can be very loud.

I think I've only left a bad restaurant review just once, and it usually takes something way out of the norm - if the food is bad, or an order was slow to be served, or was forgotten/mistaken, these wouldn't merit the effort of a negative review from me. The one time I did it was because the waiter was actively rude and insulting, and people in charge of FOH didn't seem to take it seriously when I complained in-person. Honestly, I might not have even left the bad review if the manager had given any indication that they cared. But they didn't, so I left the bad review.

Like some others, it's never even occurred to me to read or leave reviews for stores. I suppose I feel far less pot-committed when it comes to stores, because if I don't like it there, I'll just leave without buying anything.
posted by obliterati at 10:36 AM on March 11, 2024


I look at images in reviews of businesses I might patronize to spot things I care about a lot but that might not be apparent from a star rating or a written review.

For restaurants and bars, this would be things like the cleanliness of any laminated/plastic-covered menus that have been photographed (are there tears or fingerprints?), the presence of TVs (what channels are on? are subtitles on so I might assume it’s muted?), and the layout/location of the bathrooms (is there a key? do I need to walk through a weird back hallway?).

For small businesses, I look for things that show me something about how the proprietor views their employees, like how dusty they allow it to get, whether I can spot if the workers have a chair or comfortable mat to stand on, or whether there are indications that the staff are unionized. I also look at whether anything stands out that tells me how welcoming the proprietor will be to customers some business owners sometimes treat as somehow less worthy of being there, like families with small kids, people using mobility aids, and teenagers.

Anti-homeless and anti-child/teen signage, policies and architecture are also often visible in review images and are real turnoffs to me. Only accepting cashless transactions, seats and benches chained to some immovable object, aggressive signs saying “bathrooms are for customers only” with seven exclamation marks or “shoplifters will be shot” with an image of a gun (two real examples!), no visible free tap water cistern, no bike racks, the absence of tables outside with any umbrellas or shading…there are a lot of decisions business owners make that they think might be invisible to the “average” customer, but review images reveal a lot more about their view of the community that keeps them open than I think many of them realize.
posted by mdonley at 1:54 PM on March 11, 2024 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: This has been illuminating. Thanks everyone!
posted by sucre at 10:07 PM on March 11, 2024


« Older Elder care social worker/coordinator in Phoeniz...   |   long underwear recommendations? Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments