Lately, I have been shocked by the extreme lack of customer service in, well, every industry, and especially so during this past holiday season. As someone who worked in retail for years, and as a manager for much of that time, I know that focusing on the customer is the most important thing you can do to have a successful business. I hope that every customer of this site, or at any of my shows would agree with me that I always try my best, and my husband is baffled sometimes at how much I go above and beyond for some of my customers, whether it is making custom notebooks, looking for a specific item for someone, or answering my phone at wee hours of the night for a customer with a question.
I do it because I know I would appreciate things like that as a customer myself…which I haven’t experienced in a very, very long time. I am now used to being ignored when I walk into a store, even when there is an employee within 10 feet of me who could have easily greeted me with no effort whatsoever. Most of the time, I then hear them greet other customers when they walk in minutes later. Perhaps it’s because I dress mostly in vintage? I don’t look like I have money to spend? I’m really not sure, though I’d love to know why. I am used to spending time walking around looking for someone to help me or answer a simple question for me about something I’m looking to buy. I’m even used to scowls when I refuse to give out my phone number at the register (why on earth would anyone give their number out?!?). But last Sunday, I had the worst day of customer service ever.
I went to Bath and Body Works to stock up on smelly goodness during their after-Xmas sale. I was really sad to hear that my two favorite scents (Freshwater Cucumber and Pearberry) had been discontinued earlier in the year - when I was able to find and ask an employee - and had learned that they often put out the discontinued stock after Christmas, and put it out at a deep discount. I walked into Bath and Body Works prepared to buy every last bottle of lotion and body wash they had left in either scent. I was ignored by the greeter at the front of the store, and grabbed a bag to fill up with whatever I could find. I spent the next 20 minutes digging through bins trying to find what I could, watching employees help everyone else in the store, and continue to ignore me even though I had a number of items in my bag and was certainly obviously looking for specific items. Not one salesperson talked to me until I reached the counter (where I waited for a couple minutes until someone noticed me and walked up to check me out). Of course, they asked me for my phone number, to which I declined and got the usual snub. Sigh.
Next I was on to one of my favorite stores - Ulta. It’s a beauty supply place that carries everything from the super cheap to the super expensive, and they have a salon in the back of the store which I go to for a haircut every couple months. I love my stylist, and always recommend her and Ulta when asked about every new haircut. I love their makeup and they have great sales on Rusk hair products, which I love. Twice a year I treat myself to new makeup from Ulta and today would be that semi-annual day.
Again, I walked into the store and was completely ignored by the “greeter”. I stopped ten feet inside the door to look at a box set of fairly expensive makeup. I looked at all the different colors in the different boxes and spent a good couple minutes doing so, all the while, being ignored by several different employees who walked back and forth in front of me. So I decided to go with a cheaper line and headed off to that section, which had been moved low to the ground for some reason and was awkward to look at, kneeling on the floor. The display was completely messed up, so while I looked for the colors I wanted, I actually sorted things into their right places. I picked out a number of things (again being ignored by the salesgirl mere feet away the whole time) and was debating on a couple others when I overheard that salesgirl explain to another sales girl that she was keeping an eye on me because she thought I was stealing. I turned around looked around - yep, they were definitely talking about me. There was no one else around. Why would anyone think I was stealing anything when I have a basket on the floor next to me with items in it? Why on earth would you announce that within earshot? With that, I decided to not buy any more makeup and quickly picked up some hairspray and checked out. The girl who checked me out? Equally rude to myself and another customer in front of me who had to point out that she had double charged him for the one item he was buying. Several times, in fact, before she actually noticed herself and re-rang him up. Then I had to wait by the front door to be let out. They had locked the doors (and it wasn’t closing time yet). Needless to say, I probably won’t be spending as much time or money in that store anymore.
In this tough economy, why would any store manager or staff ignore customer service? The struggles of a rough holiday season’s sales should have had a reverse effect, you’d think. It’s frustrating, although I suppose it saves me money. I usually spend less in stores when I’m turned off by being disregarded by the staff. I suppose that’s positive for me, though not for them.
I hope you all didn’t have too many similar experiences shopping lately. Please know that at least one biz will always focus on you first (that’d be me). If you ever feel otherwise, please let me know and I will make it right with you. I appreciate every purchase, and I will never take a sale for granted! Thanks to all my fantastic customers!!!!
turboclaw posted a photo:
2008 was a great year for Reware Vintage! We picked up several new stores in Michigan that are carrying our record notebooks, as well as another in Tokyo, Japan, and had a record breaking year in notebook sales. We also hit a huge milestone - we have now made and sold over 1000 notebooks since we started making them over 3 years ago!
I was happy to join a couple more new events as a vendor, and I had a blast helping organize the Swap-O-Rama-Rama in Plymouth at the Green Street Fair with fellow Handmade Detroiter, Lish (and being on Fox news because of it!). With help from Phil at the Majestic, the Baar Bazaar grew and incorporated local bands and a lot more awesome vendors. It’s amazing to me to see the Baar Bazaar grow over the years from a few vendors in a bowling alley to an event with over 40 vendors and 700 attendees!
The DUCF moved to the Fillmore, and grew as well! Handmade Detroit is a wonderful group to be a part of, and I am proud to work with Stephanie, Lish, Care and Amy and witness their genius and love of the city and it’s crafters.
RewareVintage.com went through a bit of a change, too. I pared down some of the different types of items that we sold and concentrated on what you the customers wanted. More crafts, more T shirts, more apparel! Online sales this year were the best ever, and after cutting way back on advertising, I was wonderfully amazed by that. Thank you for helping spread the word on us out there, and please keep doing so!
Dan created this blog at the beginning of 2008, and I hope everyone enjoys reading it! I really like writing on a regular basis again, and sharing a little of myself online. I also joined Twitter and created a Facebook fan page.
2009 is going to be a big year, too. We are planning a complete redesign of RewareVintage.com, and we will be switching shopping cart servers as well, when that change comes. No more losing your items in your shopping cart when you navigate backwards!!!! I am incredibly excited for that.
Almost a year ago today, Dan got a new job (which he LOVES) over an hour away from our home, and soon after we put our house up for sale hoping to move closer to his work. We haven’t had any luck yet selling our house yet, but are keeping our fingers crossed that we will in 2009. When we move, I am hoping to acquire a bigger office so that the website inventory can grow!
In 2009 I also plan on going out of my in-state comfort zone, too. I hope to be a vendor in at least a couple shows outside of Michigan this year, as well as add a few more stores outside of Michigan to sell our record notebooks. Want to recommend a show or store to us? Please let me know in the comments or by emailing me!
I want to thank everyone who I worked with this year, everyone who participated and came to all the different events I plan, help, or sell with, and especially all my online customers this past year! Stay tuned for oh-so-much more, and have a happy New Year!!!
Fresh for the new year, I redesigned Turbo Claw again for no good reason. Expanding on the “lifestream” (yeah, I’m getting pretty sick of that phrase too) concept from my last theme, I wanted to bring the rest of Beth’s and my content from other sources around the web into the main timeline, rather than just stuffing it in the sidebar. It may end up being too much content to be manageable, but I felt like giving it a shot.
The overall look was inspired by Josh Weston’s decidedly lo-fi design for his Einfach Skate site that we launched last month. The random backgrounds are all photos that Beth or I took and I’m sure I’ll keep adding more throughout the year.
Just like the last design, if you’re reading this in Internet Explorer, you’re missing out on some extra bells and whistles, but should still be readable, albeit with, shall we say, a “reduced experience”. (I spend all week long making sure sites work in IE6. I’m not pulling my hair out for you people in my spare time too!)
Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how it came out. What do you think?
Last year brought a lot of big changes around here. After five years at a job that I grew to hate, I landed a new job that I really love (despite the commute), doing great work with some really talented people. I saw old friends grow up and start new lives together and made some close new friends as well. Beth and I had a great ‘08 too. There’s so much that I won’t go into here, but you can chalk it up as one more year in disbelief that I’m lucky enough to have this amazing woman by my side.
Here’s to an even better ‘09. Happy New Year kids.
A few weeks ago Dan and I went to an estate sale and found some great things, including a very old Commodore calculator. I already have a working Texas Instruments TI-1200 that I use in my office that is almost as old as me and fun to use at shows, but this cute little Commodore calculator was calling to me. It was missing a 9V battery, so I couldn’t tell if it worked, but I thought it would be worth the chance just to see if it did.
I bought it and immediately put a battery in it when we got home. I was really excited when the screen lit up and I punched in numbers. Not so much when I actually tried to do basic addition with it though - this calculator spit out nothing but incorrect sums at me. So away it went on a shelf, still cool to look at, but completely unfunctional.
I was about to throw it out a few days ago, complaining to Dan that I didn’t want to save a calculator that didn’t work, and I couldn’t think of anything to try to make out of it’s parts, when Dan had a brilliant idea (as he usually does) - make a magnet with it!
So I did. I separated the faceplate and keypad from the large backing of the calculator, and snipped some wiring away.
Then I superglued the keypad to the plate and wrapped it with a couple rubber bands to hold it all in place while it dried.
Using the superglue again I put some heavy duty magnets on the circuit board on the back and let it dry overnight. The next morning my new (super cool) magnet was ready to be placed on my filing cabinet in all it’s glory! Thanks to Dan for always thinking of something crafty to make when I can’t!
turboclaw posted a photo:
Christmas was awesome! I hoped to have finally found a Pixies or Sonic Youth record to make for Dan by request for Xmas, but alas, I couldn’t. I did find a Raiders of the Lost Ark (his favorite movie) soundtrack record, and he was quite happy about that!
My favorite X-mas presents? A USB turntable so I can first make cds out of all the poor records that meet their demise at my hands (so exciting!), and a whole nativity scene that Dan’s mother made herself in pottery class when she was in college (I was inches away from crying when she gave me that).
My stepbrother Steven, and his (now wife) Sarah finally tied the knot on Saturday, and it was a beautiful day! Well, actually the weather was kind of bad, but in every other aspect it was a beautiful day, and really great to see the family again and have some fun together. Congrats Steve and Sarah!
It was a fun and relaxing and really great holiday. I hope that yours was too!
Saturday night was Steve and Sarah’s wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony, and a super fun reception! We had a great time and enjoyed the great food, un-weddingish music (thanks Mike!), photo booth machine, and especially hanging out with my family! Check out the Flickr set here.
Just realized I never posted these yet! More pics from Hope for the Holidays here.
