Tag Archives: Clothing

who is your mirror?

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looking in the mirror

I am your mirror

In essence, we all want the same things; comfort, food and attention. We relish seeing ourselves reflected from within our surroundings. Whether it is found in the clothes we wear, level of education, chosen profession, where we live or method of transportation (i.e. do you drive a Mercedes or a Hyundai?), we are revealing part of ourselves to the world. All of this and more is known, understood and accepted throughout society.

What I don’t comprehend is how people seem to dissociate from their mirror images when it comes to behavior. They act a certain way, then take no responsibility for their actions. Do these people think we no longer notice their reflections as they rant about things that should remain within their control?

SWI (shopping while intoxicated)

Recently, I read an article in Retail Wire about the perils of drinking while taking to computers for retail therapy. SWI is certainly safer than driving an automobile while intoxicated. By itself, the practice seems harmless as more consumers make online purchases.

It becomes a problem when the shopper habitually purchases online only to regret it the next day when the buzz has worn off, promptly returning all merchandise to the online retailer or worse yet a brick and mortar counterpart. Maybe there should be a public service announcement where the message is, “don’t let friends shop drunk.”

time to take another peek in the mirror

Understandably, people buy things and then suffer from remorse. Sometimes they return product while others simply hoard it (another topic altogether). The fit may be wrong if it is apparel or perhaps the item may not be as it appears online. I really don’t have issues with consumers who don’t wish to keep everything they purchase. Things happen/change, no big whoop.

The behavior I can’t stand is when a customer tries to deflect accountability for his/her poor judgment by blaming the e-retailer for a shopping addiction. In many years of retail management, I have seen customers become abusive when a return cannot be processed because of a thrown out or misplaced invoice or cannot return special orders once shipped.  With a thunderous shout, he expects everyone to bend to his will and disregard all policy and procedure.

I am not sure there is anyone to blame for SWI. Is it really necessary to accuse either party for irresponsible spending? Rampant accountability avoidance can be found everywhere. The economy is still slow and people continue losing jobs and homes. Companies as well as individuals who can afford it the most, sit on mounds of cash, failing to help boost the flow of money. Is there any wonder that some choose to escape for a little while by shopping online with money they cannot afford to spend?

Share your thoughts about SWI or shopping in general. What do you do to elude depression?

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sometimes the answer is no

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Don't let the bastards get you down!

I hate saying no! There is something deep inside my psyche that screams failure when I’m unable to please people, which is probably one reason I am so good at customer service.

Rule number one in customer service is the customer is always right. The reason for this rule is simple; if you don’t aim to satisfy, you have no customer. Unfortunately, some consumers take advantage of this mantra and use it as an excuse to abuse those who are trying to serve.

Ahh, the salad days…

Back in my bridal days, I would do back flips (not really, this is a metaphor, you know) and tap dance in order to please brides. It was my duty to make “yes” statements and fulfill their innermost wedding dreams. Overall, I loved being part of her fantasy wedding.  It was great fun when a happy bride returned and showed pictures of her fateful day.

Too bad it was not all champagne, unicorns and rainbows for all of us. Some brides had problems with their gowns. Others had issues with bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls, etc.

Perhaps it was my fault, or one of the other bridal consultants who worked for me. Dresses came incorrectly, people mis-measured themselves, brides called off their weddings. I could go on for days about what could or did go wrong. The point is, sometimes mishaps were controllable and others were beyond my control. Whatever the complaint, I reacted similarly and took care of the customer.

Back to the present

Recently I have witnessed some of the nastiest customers to date, both at work and while shopping on my own. I understand that the economy is still in the toilet and people are grumpy, stressed out and broke.

This is no reason to take aggression out on a sales person or customer service agent. While in line at a convenience store a woman was shouting at the clerk because the store was out of a certain brand of cigarettes. Maybe this should be a clue to stop smoking (I know, it is another story altogether). I was appalled and embarrassed even though I had nothing to do with the situation.

What the woman failed to realize is that sometimes the answer is no. We are out of the brand, size, or style you were looking for. It is nothing personal. There is no conspiracy to displease you and leave you wanting.

As much as I hate saying no, I abhor reactions I get even more. Why add to the world’s stress by being inconsiderate of others? Is it really the clerk’s fault the store ran out of something? People are spending less and in turn stores are carrying lower inventories. It is the way things work; Supply and Demand.

OK, enough ranting already!

I will now step off my customer experience soapbox. Ranting is a great way to vent, but does it really solve anything? We all need to relax and realize that we are all in this together. Look at the bigger picture and see what you can do to make a difference.

Instead of growling, smile and become empathetic towards others. Stop thinking about your all-consuming problems and focus on something/someone else who may benefit from a thoughtful comment. Be the solution and not the problem.

What are your thoughts about the current state of rampant overreactions? Share your thoughts and comments. Better yet, next time you go in a convenience store (or any other for that matter),  show compassion and ask the clerk how his/her day is.

 

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Service vs Product: which is more important?

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Back to school shopping can be exasperating for anyone. We are all looking for the same things (i.e. school uniform khakis, notebooks, dividers, shoes) and the closer we get to the finish line, the more likely stores will be out of what we need.

Added challenge: meet Sasquatch

My 13 year old Sam has always had big feet. I remember when he was born, the doctor, nurses, and my husband all gasped, “look at those tootsies!” As he now wears a size 14, it has become more difficult to find him shoes. Continue reading →

Which hat do you wear most?

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I Love Hats!

When I was searching for inspiration for today’s post, my mind went in many directions (no big surprise there), and I had a difficult time deciding which hat I should wear creating the post?

Did I just say hat? I happen to love wearing hats and can be seen sporting one often. Summertime means straw fedoras (tres chic) or the very occasional appearance of a baseball hat. Does a bicycle helmet count as a hat?

Enough about my hat collection, and back to my topic

There is a point to my going on about a love of hats. Another type of hat I wear is invisible and changes as I change roles in my life. Here is a short list of the invisible hats I wear:

  1. Mommy hat: True that one of my children is 20 years-old, but I am still a mommy to her and my 13 year old. Today, 2 of my 3 nephews is at my house and my mom hat stays tight in place on my head.
  2. Wife hat: I am fortunate enough to share my life with Robert for the past 15 years. If I could see this one, I wonder what it would look like?
  3. Cooking/Cleaning hat: OK, in reality, that one sits on a shelf in my closet somewhere rarely to be seen by the light of day. I am no domestic goddess and anyone who knows me, realizes I don’t like cooking or cleaning. However the hat is still there to be worn on special occasions :D
  4. Leader hat: I am very proud of the work I have done on my leadership skills the past few years as I worked on my MBA. This hat, never comes off when I am at work. I may not be the only leader in the building, but I always think and behave like a leader.

    Fedora anyone?

Lesson learned: we all wear hats

Whether you like wearing fedoras like me or just the invisible kind of hat, we all wear them. Which hat do you wear most often and why?

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Is it better to look good or feel good?

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we all work in a fashion fish bowl

I was shopping at a local retailer and was faced with a salesperson who was dressed completely inappropriately. She had on a skirt that was too short and tight and she was busting out of her blouse as well. The worst part was that she was at least my age (43). She looked desperate and like she was trying way too hard. This is when I wanted to take her under my wing and proclaim:

“It is better to look good than to feel good, and let me tell you darling, you look marvelous.”

Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas.

I am dating myself with a reference to Billy Crystal on SNL but the quote seems fitting for my topic. Does it matter how you look and should it? Someone recently posed the question whether there are any fashion no-no’s for salesmen? My immediate response was Absolutely! You don’t have to be one of the beautiful people to be successful in sales (although it doesn’t hurt) but you should look as though you care how you are perceived by others.

thoughts on fashion don’ts

Not all poorly dressed salespeople look like streetwalkers. I have also seen some that are dressed like frumpulicious (I don’t think it is an actual word, but it should be) rejects. Here are a few good standbys for what not to be caught wearing at work:

  • If I can see your socks, your pants are probably too short (unless of course they are cropped pants)
  • Shoulder pads are not flattering unless you are playing football
  • Pleated pants are passe and make your tummy look bigger
  • Hawaiian print shirts belong on 90 year old men paired with white sneakers and black socks
  • You are not fooling anyone by dressing in your teenager’s clothes

Whether you are selling clothes, services, medical supplies, car parts or anything else, it is important for you to look the part. As a salesperson, the first thing you sell is yourself. You want to become that trusted editor and an industry expert, you want to be taken seriously, and you want the sale! Stop kidding yourself by thinking that you don’t matter, because that is the image you are portraying to your customers.

Lesson Learned: it matters how you look

Whenever I have second thoughts about an outfit I am considering and I ask my husband his opinion, he always says that if I feel the urge to ask him, I should probably change my clothes. It is not the most romantic of comments, but he is right. When getting dressed, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you look marvelous, or professional. What is the overall look you are going for? What fashion disasters have you seen, or were you the disaster? Please share your stories.

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Don’t lie and say that you love me

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Why do people lie? As a customer experience connoisseur, I come across salespeople, managers and even customers who find it necessary to utter untruths. I have caught my 13 year old son in more than one lie regarding his homework, which brings me to a conclusion that a major reason for lying is to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

It is understandable that you can feel awkward telling a salesperson that you don’t want what is being sold. Reasons for not being satisfied vary, but the nagging feeling that you are hurting the salesperson’s feelings remains. Generally, people want to be liked and fear rejection. I want to be liked and take no pleasure in telling people no. However, I realize that I am doing the salesperson  no favors through lying.

Tales from the fitting room

In a high-service business, you become more involved with the salesperson who is helping you. For example, fitting room service in a clothing retailer should include an associate checking on you periodically to ensure that you like what you are trying on and to change out things that don’t work, while offering further suggestions. When the associate visits your fitting room, you should not lie to her and tell her that everything is perfect if it is not. Give her the opportunity to make wardrobe adjustments or to bring you something more suitable. After all, she is there to service YOU!

Here come the brides!

In my past life as a bridal shop owner, it was customary for a bride to try on several gowns before choosing one. Often, the bride would leave without making a purchase. She may revisit the store again, try on more gowns and still choose nothing. No, it was not fun for me playing dress-up with no perceivable end in sight. It was all part of the nature of the job. Choosing a wedding gown is an important task and the idea of committing to one dress (kinda like to one man) is sometimes stressful.

The point is that although I routinely placed girls in beautiful, expensive dresses that they may or may not purchase, I did not take it personally if I could not help them in their quest for the “perfect” dress. It is slightly amusing when customers walk into a store or business, look around then try to sneak past the salesperson on duty. Trust me, she sees you and it is OK that you are leaving empty-handed. The associate would rather you become a converted customer but she also realizes that she can’t help everyone and that she may not have what you need.

Lesson learned: wear your big-girl panties

A friend told me that when she gets up in the morning, she puts on her big-girl panties. She is not going to fall apart if you reject product she is selling. As a customer, you can remember that her big-girl panties will protect her from rejection. Next time you find yourself in a store fitting room, take the opportunity to let the expert working there help you. If she is any good, she will not attempt selling you items that look bad on you or are inappropriate for the occasion. Remember that it does YOU a disservice to tell the salesperson that everything fits when in reality you need something else.


It is OK to ask for the sale

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My reaction to a sale being lost due to ineptitude.

I just had one of those experiences that as a sales person and a leader, made me cringe. I visited the grocery store with my son to pick up a movie at Red Box and decided to take a detour to a shoe shop in the same shopping center. I have driven past this shop countless times on my way in or out of the parking lot and they never seemed to be open whenever I passed. Today must have been my lucky day!

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

 Walking into the store with my son, we were immediately greeted by a friendly sales associate (good sign) and she asked if she could help me find something. I explained that as a retail manager I am on my feet all day and was looking for some new shoes for work.

The moment should have given her a clue (a house falling on her head may have worked too) that I might be a paying customer. That is until she asked me what type of shoe I wear for work (still ok to ask qualifying questions). She proceeded to tell me that for about $20 I could buy an insert for my existing pair of shoes and avoid buying new ones.

What, What, What!!

Urgh! Did my ears deceive me or was she trying to talk herself out of a sale? The girl was probably trying to be helpful but the first rule of sales is ask for the sale! By sending me out of the store without trying a pair of shoes on, she lost a sale and worse, a customer.

Was it the associate’s fault that she blew a chance to make a buck? Truthfully, I would lay blame on her manager, as I am sure this was not the first time she sent a customer away empty-handed. People can be so concerned with the customer experience that they forget why they are in business in the first place. I may not have bought anything had I tried the shoes on, but we will never know.

Lesson Learned

No, I will not go back into the store and teach her how to sell me something while maintaining a high level of customer service. That ship has sailed. I probably will not go in there again. The lesson I learned is that I cannot take for granted that my associates are asking for the sale every time they interact with a client. It is my duty to continue training and coaching the associates to ensure that they do not talk a customer out of a purchase.