I’m sure you’ve been doing your holiday shopping, either on-line or in that ever so retro mode of going from store to store in person. I’m kind of a last minute person although now that we’re getting into the “last day for free shipping” window I’m getting more focused. The Mrs. has been at it fast and furious as well and she had an experience over the weekend which reminded me of a very basic business lesson that often gets forgotten during the holiday crunch time.
She was trying to buy something very basic – socks (I hope this isn’t spoiling someone’s gift!). I guess they’re of a very particular type and she tried in person at one store with no luck. The person at the store told her to go try another branch of the store nearby and wished her luck. After coming home, she made a call to the other branch of the store which didn’t have them either. However, the person on the phone offered today’s lesson (without knowing it, of course).
“Let me make a couple of calls and see if I can locate them for you,” she said. Remember, we’re not talking about top of the rate card stuff here. These are socks! She called back in about an hour, saying she had found them in another store and they would be in her store by mid-week. She would call us back when they arrived. Wow. In return for a few minutes on the telephone:
- Her store gets the sale
- Her store gets as many future sales as we can bring them
- I’m telling all of you (Plaza Too – and I encourage you to go!)
The time to make a special effort is when business is really booming, not when it’s quiet and you have the time. You’re seeing many more new and return customers. Leave an impression (a good one, duh) as did this salesperson.
Have you had any great shopping experiences so far this year? How about horror shows?
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Consult Keith 
Great shopping experience: When I began wrapping gifts, I discovered that an item was missing its tag. I also misplaced the receipt. My dilemma: if the item didn’t fit or was not desired by its recipient, how do I return without a tag or receipt? I went back to the store, explained the problem, banking on the trust factor — that they would believe me when I told them that I did not take the tag off myself and worn the item, and had indeed left the store on the day of purchase not noticing that the item was missing its tag. Of course, it was my fault that I lost the receipt, so where was the proof that I bought it at this store? No problem! They believed me, plus my purchases are logged onto their computer. With a smile, and understanding, the sales clerk made a new tag. I could return for full store credit, if necessary, even without the receipt. The store? WISHLIST, in Westport, CT.
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