A super quick post today, with a longer one to follow!

It is amusing to be seeing the ‘resurance’ of the awareness of the importance of customer service!

People are talking about it like it is a new planet; “The way to build sales and ensure your business’ longevity is to focus on customer service”, “The key to success is serving your customers as they want to be servied”, “This x will transform your business because it will help with customer service”, “Look at the customer as a person”….

I started my working career as a Grace Bros Management Cadet and it was drummed into us that CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY for everyone in the business.  Above all we were to ensure the customer was served and do whatever we had to do to ensure the customer felt important BECAUSE THEY WERE IMPORTANT.  I have carried this focus with me through my working life and it has served me well.

You may have heard of the term Shopper Marketing,we used to call it ‘knowing your customer and tailoring the business to serve your customer’.

‘Multi-Channel’ is also simply being where your customer is – makes sense doesn’t it?

If you have been to a Department Store in the last few years, you will know the reason why non of the cadets in my class still work in Department stores anymore.  It is absolutely beyond my comprehension that they would spend millions on store fitouts yet not put staff on the floor.  Really it is not a case of ‘enough staff’ anymore, it is just staff – where are they? Who is supposed to help us, unlock the security bands to try things on, open the cabinet, help us choose between 2 items, give us product information, look for more stock etc?

I was listening to the radio this week and people were talking about no service in Department Stores; one said she answered the ringing phone out of frustration after waiting for someone to serve her, hoping that it was another staff member; another one said they could not get served at a cosmetic counter on Christmas Eve??!!

Not having any staff on the floor to serve customers is just the beginning of a long list of BAD EXAMPLES OF CUSTOMER SERVICE, they also include:

• not having a website
• not engaging customers – on and offline
• not being aware of the importance of communicating to your customer, online through Social Media & offline
• not being in stock
• not being able to order stock and have it delivered quickly
• not having ‘pick-up in-store’ as a checkout option on your online store
• not understanding the sales process and language
• no product training

etc etc

At the last Social Media Women, of which I am co-founder, meeting, guest speaker Kate Carruthers said ‘Sometimes you just have to forget about the technology and just do the marketing’.  How true is that? In this example:

Just focus on the customer and serving them well and use the best tools possible, on and offline!!

For those of us who have been using Pinterest for a while now, we are not surprised that Pinterest has become the ultimate connecting & sharing tool.  I started using it in May 2011, I try almost everything new, it’s my job, but Pinterest was different from the beginning, I LOVED IT and found it pretty addictive! One click leads to a board which leads to another……

From the start, Pinterest was a god-send for me!  I had been saving images to my computer in folders and taking up a lot of space, on and offline!  Now my pics are available online. & in groups and I can share them.

Pinterest, for those who do not know what it is; is an online bookmarking tool / online pin board.  It is total Eye-Candy; beautiful, delicious, creative Eye-Candy!! Reminds me of when Facebook was new and we all uploaded and shared our pictures – that is what drove us to adopt it easily.

But Pinterest is better!  The minute you start there is a wonderful world that awaits your discovery.   You become a curator of what you see online.  Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility!

Pinterest have created a tool, the ‘Pin It’ Button,  which allows us to do what comes naturally;

• see a picture we like on the web
• ‘pin it’ to a board (save it organised in a group / theme)
• check out our friends’ activity
• share and like their pictures – on Pinterest and on other social media sites

It also makes these things easier than ever before:

• find new friends / contacts  / influencers / products / customers / suppliers – based on common interests
• find new sources
• ‘follow’ people, businesses and brands we like
• gain insight into a person’s creativity

I was instantly impressed by the quality of the images and the variety of people on Pinterest.  Over the last month or so, I have noticed a lot of the ‘geeks’ have started boards, so this will add another dimension.  Whether this will be popular with hard-core Pinners will remain to be seen.

Unlike other sites, Pinterest does not manipulate us to do its bidding,  as users we don’t have to do anything that is odd – we are simply flicking through pages of the web and cutting the pics out that we like and pasting them to a board… online!

By simply adding the ‘Pin It’ button to your internet browser toolbar, you can ‘Pin’ almost any picture online to a board of your choice.  Almost you ask? Yes.  You can’t Pin pictures from Facebook and sites who opt out of having their contents pinned.

GETTING STARTED

New accounts are still by invitation only from a Pinterest user.  You can request an invite on the site itself or  email me and I will send you one (there are a limited number of invites I can send so be quick).  I did see people requesting an invite on the Pinterest Facebook Page although Pinterest seem to  have turned this off of late.

You can only start a new account via your Facebook or Twitter log-in so get one or both if you don’t have already (I am sure all business owners reading this do right?).  More on linking later!  You can’t have more than one Pinterest account feeding into one Facebook account and one Twitter account.  At the moment, Pinterest only adds to your personal Facebook timeline and not your business page.  Hopefully this changes soon!

You will need to select a Username with less than 15 characters (I hate that!).

Pinterest starts you off with:

• People to Follow Suggestions
  • First select the topics you like
  • Then it automatically follows people in that category (you can unfollow at this stage or later but they are probably great and I always think it is good to look outside your current reference zones in any case)
  • A few general boards and you can add your own as you go so you aren’t starting in the dark!  Don’t be concerned about the names of the boards before you start Pinning, you will edit and add to these as you start pinning.
  • Easy and clear instructions for adding the ‘Pin It’ button to your bookmark bar

Some suggestions to get you started:

1. Fill in the Profile information about yourself so that people get a good sense of you, include your website & business name.  Keep in mind that this is not LinkedIn so adapt your profile to the audience.
2. Put in your Facebook and Twitter details too so that they are linked under your profile as well as to increase followers.
3. Start pinning before you start following – this will do a couple of things, it:
   1. Won’t colour your activity by what you see your friends doing
   2. Will let you explore ‘under the radar’
4. Start on the www.pinterest.com  page, you will see this on the top of the boards:
   * Pinners you follow     * Everything     *  Videos     *  Popular     * Gifts
   Click  on each one so you can see all that Pinterest has to offer and orient yourself.
5. Remember you will be pinning for years to come so be discerning about what you pin,  make sure that your boards are interesting and attractive.
6. Don’t pin in ‘chunks’ – space out your pinning so that you are ‘woven’ through the feed rather than appearing all at once and then disappearing.
7. You can add friends through Facebook or email.  Use the search box to find people and brands you like.
8. You can follow all of their boards or just the ones that resonate so check before you click (this is one of the many things I like about Pinterest).  Don’t follow boards that don’t interest you – it will clutter your screen.
9. Add the ‘Pin it’ Button to your Bookmark Bar, click here to go to the page and drag it onto your bar, if you didn’t do it at start up
10. Once you find an image you like in Pinterest, you can:
    1.  ‘Repin’ it onto one of your boards – or Create a Board if you don’t have something suitable already set up (it is an option in the list of boards)
    2. ‘Like’ it – it won’t be attached to a particular board but is placed in the ‘Likes’ section and the Pinner will know their image has been appreciated
    3. ‘Comment’ this will show under the picture but the image will not be pinned to one of you boards
11. If you find an image online you want to add to a board:
    - Click your ‘Pin It’ Button
    - Select the image you would like to pin – all of the images show on one screen
    - Follow a,b,c above  (10)
12. You can upload a picture on the website or take one using your phone and the app and Follow a,b,c from point 11.
13. You can rearrange and edit your boards at any time
14. Pinterest sends email notifications of new followers and all activity with your pins, so act on this; reply, re-follow, comment

The site has a great ‘Help’ section which is simple and easy to use and follow.  Click here to view.

Here is a snapshot of some of my Pinterest boards, as you can see my interests are diverse:

 To date, this is my most pinned image (left).  Not hard to see why is it? Timeless: Dior in Paris.

This was an image I have loved since I was a youngin; I have bought cards with it on the front, I have clipped it out of Magazines and I have stuck it on my Eye-Candy wall in my office over the years.

It was one of the first images I pinned on Pinterest.  I have since gone and pinned images I have admired and treasured…. Which has been wonderful.  It is like discovering them all over again and sharing them with a new audience.

Before Pinterest, I used Polyvore, to create ‘story boards’ but was more limited to fashion.   It is a little different to Pinterest but was a predecessor, they do enable you to add your own pics but it wasn’t so easy to use.   There have been other Online Pin Boards sprouting up: We Heart It and Wanelo – I find these to be more Gen Y, fashiony & younger, Pinboard – this is not free and labels itself as ‘Social Bookmarking for Introverts’.

Where would a social media site be without its Apps?? Nowhere!   Apps just complete the experience and cater to the mobilisation of the user.  With the Pinterest App, you can upload images to your boards, add the location to the image, follow the activity on the go.

• Apps for iPhone have been available for at least 6 months but you could not ‘Pin’ until the new ‘Pin’ app was released January 2012 at a cost of 99c.
• The iPad ‘Pin’ App was released January 2012 and costs 99c.
• The Android App was released December 2011.  I find the iPhone App limiting but I am sure they are working on it.

FIND ME ON PINTEREST, please click here

 This is the first of 2 articles on Pinterest. The next installment, ‘Pinterest for Business’ will be published shortly.

I found myself in Macquarie Street Sydney yesterday and visited The Sydney Mint Museum & Cafe and The Hyde Park Barracks….and got lost in a time gone by AND learned a lot about the buildings and about life back then.

Walking around @The Mint & Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney (Hyde Park Barracks) you need to look up AND down – who needs a podcast when you can use all of your senses!!

There was a tour guide (who I later discovered was a volunteer!) regaling travellers and locals with tales of life when Sydney was born (did you know that Run was the most popular refreshment??) I wanted to join them!!

As  I moved through the building, I realised that while I ALWAYS visited historic buildings, museums and landmarks in my travels, apart from the major galleries in Australia’s major cities, I did not know and had not been to our very own historic jewels!!  As a kid, my parents took us to them but as an adult my appreciation is so different.

Of course I HAD to visit the store and was pleasantly surprised for 2 reasons!  1. I knew the person working in the store, she used to work in an old customer’s store, from Paper Magnolia days.  2. The products and assortment are REALLY great!  We have all been in Museum or Historic Building stores that were ‘twee’ and a little cliche and what I found was a mini ‘The Met’ store!

Inside The Mint store – they use the old gold safe, made by Chubb, for the books and cards!! Sooooo cool!!

I also discovered that Members have a lounge they can use any time with refreshments – an oasis in this crazy glorious city.

The Mint building is so lovely, I realised how important the Historic Houses Trust is, they preserve these valuable parts of our history from exploiters and commercial greed!

This and many other buildings, museums, collections and events are managed by The Historic Houses Trust.  Check out the Historic Houses Trust & their Museums, Buildings, Stores & learn about our history online here.

More pictures here or on Facebook here.

Inside The Mint store - they use the old gold safe, made by Chubb, for the books and cards!! Sooooo cool!!

Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney

For those of us who have been using Pinterest for a while now, we are not surprised that Pinterest has become the ultimate connecting & sharing tool.

Pinterest, for those who do not know what it is, is an online bookmarking tool / pin board.

The technology allows us to do what comes naturally;

• see a picture we like on the web
• ‘pin it’ to a board (save it organised in a group / theme)
• check our our friends’ activity
• share and like their pictures

Some of Nancy's Pinterest Boards

Even better, Pinterest gives you the ‘Pin It’ button that is added to the toolbar – too easy!

Unlike other sites, Pinterest  does not manipulate us to do its bidding, it has simply enabled people to make it easy to use.

When I started using Pinterest, in May 2011, I thought it was a god-send!  I had been saving images to my computer in folders and taking up a lot os space.  Now my pics are available online. & in groups and I can share them. The other thing that impressed me was the quality of the images and the variety of people.  Over the last month or so, I have noticed a lot of the ‘geeks’ have started boards, so this will add another dimension.

I actually would like to be able to share some boards with only certain people, clients, but that is a ‘would-be-nice’ item and not hampering my use of it today.

Initially, the T&Cs said that we could not use it for businesses so my excitement was a little contained!  But now we can share our products online.  However we have to do this n a very subtle way.  Overtly selling will result in the ‘community’ turning off you and your boards!  The community would not include you and this is the true power of social.  Interestingly, I had a look at Nordstrom’s boards and it looks like their website, I don’t find it interesting or creative and unfollowed – very disappointing as I love the store.

Before Pinterest, I used Polyvore, to create ‘story boards’ but was more limited to fashion,.  It is a little different to Pinterest but was a predecessor, they do enable you to add your own pics but it wasn’t so easy to use.   There have been other Online Pinboards sprouting up: We Heart It – I find this to be more Gen Y, fashiony & younger, Pinboard – this is not free and labels itself as ‘Social Bookmarking for Introverts’.

This week there has been a flurry of interest in Pinterest as a retail and marketing tool.  The key for businesses using social media and building their online presence is to build their authority and connect with their customers.  Pinterest makes this easy to do and share!

Pinterest easily integrates with Twitter and Facebook, for me integrations is the key to any marketing activity.  I think tools like this make ‘Social’ easier to integrate but also much more important to businesses than perhaps they are treating it now.

Apps for iPhone have been available for at least 6 months but you could not ‘Pin’ until the new ‘Pin’ app was released January 2012 at a cost of 99c.  The iPad ‘Pin’ App was released January 2012 and costs 99c.  The Android App was released December 2011.  I find the iPhone App limiting but I am sure they are working on it.  Apps just complete the experience and cater to the mobilisation of the user.

The infographic below is informative, not only does it help people understand Pinterest, but it shows that Social is driving more traffic than Search (not surprising is it though?):

source: Mashable “Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver for Retailers”

Visit My Pinterest here.

Happy Pinning and Enjoy the new tools!

I really enjoyed my ‘chat’ with Lisa McAuley @ Australian Institute of Export.

I am going to producing a lot of great podcasts in 2012.

In this podcast we discuss Social Media for business.  LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace: new media channels that are particularly powerful and cost-effective weapons in the battle to reach global audiences, provided they are used well and as part of a well thought out comprehensive global marketing plan. This podcast will demystify the so-called new marketing so that you can harness the power of social media in your marketing mix to reach new as well as existing customers while building your international brand.

Event cinema cheap tix $7.50 pre buy – good deal but WHY THE “Additional $1.10 per ticket booking fee applies when redeeming online”?

That is ridiculous!!

They have removed the ticket counters at the cinema with machines and actively encourage customers to order online – it’s quick and easy.  The system is in place whether they sell one ticket or 100 tickets – so why the additional fee?

The customer prints out the ticket on their own printer – so why the additional fee?

The swipe their own barcode at the box office when they get there – so why the additional fee?

There is no interaction with a staff member or labour  – so why the additional fee?

Really bad form.

Exclusive Friends & Family Sale:

For a short time only, you can pre-buy movie eVouchers for just $7.50* each.
These exclusive $7.50* movie eVouchers are only available to buy until 11:59pm AEDST 1 February 2012.
You can redeem your movie eVouchers now to see the latest movies between 30 January 2012 until 28 March 2012.
Hurry, this special offer is only for a limited time. Buy now and save.

Additional $1.10 per ticket booking fee applies when redeeming online.

click here to buy

Freedom Furniture I don’t want to give you my postcode, I just want to browse your site!!

This is what I got when I clicked on the Freedom site & I couldn’t click out of it.  A lot of American stores have this landing page too but you can just click out of it without but this is ridiculous…

Sadly it seems Freedom think having my postcode is more important than letting me into their site and losing my business!

A huge week for expos this week!!  I’ll be speaking at both of them so come and say hi!!
Invest in your Business Owner Skills and Knowledge!

Thursday 6 & Friday 7 October
Australia Technology Park, Eveliegh

10.00 am – 5.00 pm

2.00 pm : Consumer Behaviour & Its Impact on Retail
4.00 pm : Online Essentials for Business

View the rest of the program here.
Register Here.

Friday 7 & Saturday 8 October
Sydney Showground

Friday: 12.00 – 7.00 pm
Saturday:  9.00 – 5.00 pm

Register here.

I am speaking both days on:

• * Retail Essentials
• * Website & E-Commerce
• * Social Media

See you there!

This is a little bit of tough love: Dear Retailers, It’s Not Me, It’s You! 

I constantly hear retailers blaming the customer for their situation, so I thought I would write them a Dear John Letter:

If Australian customers were to write Australian retailers a ‘Dear John’ letter as to why they have left them for another; it would start, “Dear Former-Favourite-Store, it’s not me, it’s you….”

Consumers are very vocal with their displeasure; in the media, online, on blogs, in social media, on TV and to each other. It seems to be top of mind with the media, journalists and TV shows mentioning it regularly. Dissatisfaction is rife. They feel retailers have let them down, don’t know what they want and lost touch…

So they vote with their feet and their dollar by going online, finding what they want and not going back to the stores they are unhappy with.

There is no doubt that retail has changed. Retailers seem to be blaming a myriad of reasons: from online shopping to fickle customers. But is it really a blame game? Does someone have to be at fault? Isn’t it more important to assess the market place and figure out what needs to be done to ensure survival of the business?

I have listened to retailers complain about the world they are now operating in:

• Customers are buying online and not from them;
• Customers aren’t spending as much as they used to;
• Suppliers don’t have as much stock to choose from;
• They can’t get anything exclusively;
• Freight is too expensive;
• Customers are more demanding;
• Competitors are copying THEM;
• They think social media is irrelevant, useless, too personal etc;
• They are too afraid of getting online;
• They can’t get their head around online shopping;
• They don’t know where to start.

And my favourite of all time….”Ahh the good old days, things are different now…”.

So although the above is ALL TRUE, it doesn’t help them adapt to the new environment and thrive. Let’s face it, it’s not enough to survive in business, it must thrive and grow.

I want to say this to Australian Retailers: It is not a blame game. The world has changed and you are where you are because you have not adapted to the new market and customer. The customer has gone elsewhere because they can’t find what they are looking for. It is not personal.

Yes this IS tough love in action. I love retail and I want to see Australian retailers succeed and prosper.

The statements and questions that retailers need to ask are:

• What is the current consumer behaviour?
• What changes so I need to make in my ranging?
• What operational changes need to be made to incorporate online store?
• How do I start getting a website and online store?
• What changes do I need to make to my website?
• Which social media sites should I get onto ?
• Do I need new suppliers?
• What changes do I need to make to my ordering and stock holding?
• What training do I need for myself and my staff?

These may sound basic and they are…..baby steps…..

Once these are addressed, then the fun begins!!

The longer the delay, the more there is to catch up on.

It is important to note: it is not the details that are the issue but the attitude and mindset of the majority of retailers. It is no secret that I think Australian retailers and brands have had it easy in the bubble of geographical distance. Like most bubbles it eventually burst and made a god-awful mess!

Retail is a business like any other and must be approached in the same way, especially in this climate. It is not enough to be an expert in the product or to really love it. Retailers need to be business people who make the hard decisions and change the business according to the market.

Consumers are miles ahead of retailers, they are using the technology, sharing information with their friends, connecting with their favourite stores and brands and singing the praises of their favourites!

Retailers who see the changes they need to make as challenges and achievements will make it through. Those who see it as a nuisance or hassle or are so overwhelmed by the task at hand that they are paralysed, I am sad to say, may not make it through, unless they seek / employ help to bring in the skills they don’t have.

The important thing is for retailers to know where their customer is and be there. Once they are there, they need to be relevant and engaging. When they master being relevant and engaging, they need to be strategic and sales-focused.

So don’t wallow and feel sorry for yourself, embrace the new world and find your place in it!

Read it online here.

]]> http://www.magnoliasolutions.com.au/2011/09/30/article-in-my-business-dear-retailers-its-not-me-its-you/feed/ 3 http://www.magnoliasolutions.com.au/2011/09/29/gasp-big-mistake-huge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gasp-big-mistake-huge http://www.magnoliasolutions.com.au/2011/09/29/gasp-big-mistake-huge/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:59:28 +0000 Nancy Georges http://www.magnoliasolutions.com.au/?p=2914

After being out all day, I got back to my computer and found the world was talking about an email that was sent to fashion store GASP and their atrociously inappropriate reply.

My Daily Paper feed had picked up the story via @LouPardi

A friend has forwarded the actual email to me as she knew I would be interested in.

I was speaking to a colleague and he mentioned it.

IT IS EVERYWHERE!!!Check out the # of mentions on the 1st page of Google after the email below.

How and why did it spread so quickly and make such an impact?  Because of the web and social media!  In fact it became a trending topic today on twitter.  In fact someone mentioned that the stylist from Kath & Kim used to get the clothes from there!!

Keara I applaud and commend you for the way you have conducted yourself from the beginning of this debacle!

I will do a followup email but I just HAD to put it up and invite comments in the meantime…

EMAIL AS FOLLOWS:

I have marked the bits that I found sooo incredibly inappropriate from the GASP rep in RED (they actually made me GASP!):

_________________________________________________________________________________________

From: Keara O’Neil [mailto:Keara@mantoman.com.au]
Sent: Wednesday, 28 September 2011 4:10 PM
To: Elly Parker JBS
Subject: FW: customer complaint-Chapel St store
Importance: High

Dear friends, family and colleagues,

PLEASE READ THE BELOW THREAD

For your enjoyment I have decided to forward an email from a lovely employee at GASP Clothing, one who funnily enough chose to remain nameless. In quoting the company I have been advised to do them a favour and “not waste their retail staff’s time, as there are plenty of other shops that would appease to my taste”. To quote the gutless employee, I am what they consider to be a “broad customer”, if you too fit into this category then I suggest you also “side step” their store, as they have so bluntly asked.

Replying to the below email would be pointless, therefore I ask instead that you forward this email onto friends, family and colleagues, and by all means feel free to post on facebook or twitter, after all we would be doing GASP a favour by forwarding the below response on.

As my boss Alex has kindly reminded me, the internet is a very powerful tool and one in which a customer like myself would be silly not to utilise.

As shocking as it is, this email is real!! Happy Reading.

Thanks

Keara

_________________________________________________________________________________________

From: GASP Online Enquiries [mailto:enquiries@gaspjeans.com.au]
Sent: Wednesday, 28 September 2011 11:58 AM
To: Keara O’Neil
Subject: customer complaint-Chapel St store
Importance: High

Dear Keara O’Neil,

Having now had the privilege of having both version of events, I am now in a position to respond to your complaint.

From the very outset, one thing that you should be mindful of is; Our product offerings are very, very carefully selected, so to ensure that we do not appeal to a broad customer base. This is something which is always at the forefront of our minds when undertaking buying duties. The reason for this is to ensure that we only carry products which appeal to a very fashion forward consumer. This by default means that the customer whom is acclimatised to buying from “clothing for the masses” type retailers, is almost frightened by our range, sometimes we have found that this type of customer, almost finds our dresses funny, and on occasion noted comments such as ’it looks like a dead flamingo’. When we receive comments like this, we like to give ourselves and our buyers, a big pat on the back, because we know we are doing our job right, and modus operandi is being upheld.

Our range is worn by A list celebrities to the likes of Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez and Katy Perry to name only a few. Now, as one might appreciate, the style counsel for these types of celebrities are not ones to pick “run of the mill” type clothing, and they do so on the basis to ensure that the styles are cutting edge, and only worn by a select few. Similarly these items are priced such that they remain inaccessible to the undesirable.

Insofar as our employee goes; Similar to our product offerings, our employees are selected with a similar approach. Chris whom served you is a qualified stylist whom has a sixth sense for fashion, and Chris’s only problem is that he is too good at what he does, and as I am sure you are aware, people whom are talented, generally do not tolerate having their time wasted, which is the reason you were provoked to leave the store.

Whilst I concede that you work for chain retailer, unfortunately that does not make us like for like. It is probably fair to assume, a lot of what I have said in this email, either doesn’t make sense to you, or you totally disagree with it all, which is what I would expect (unless of course I have you totally wrong –which I doubt). Let me guess, you would never, ever hire Chris in the course of your duty, would you? This is the very reason, why your comment “from one retailer to another” is so disproportionate, it’s almost as though we are in a totally different industries. Chris is a retail superstar, who possess unparalleled ability, and I am sorry you feel upset by him, but he knew you were not going to buy anything before you even left your house.

So if you would like to do us any favours, please do not waste our retail staff’s time, because as you have already seen, they will not tolerate it. I am sure there are plenty of shops that appease your taste, so I respectfully ask that you side step our store during future window shopping expeditions.

Thank you for your enquiry.

GASP Online Customer Care
P: (03) 9421 6812 | F: (03) 9421 1720 | W: www.gaspjeans.com.au

_________________________________________________________________________________________

From: Keara O’Neil [mailto:Kearax@mantoman.com.au]
Sent: Monday, 26 September 2011 3:14 PM
To: matt@gaspjeans.com.au
Subject: customer complaint-Chapel St store

Hi Chad,

I had the privilege of shopping at your brand new Chapel St store on Saturday 24th September with my three bridesmaids in tow. On the hunt for bridesmaids dresses and a hens dress for myself we walked into the store and were automatically pounced on by a male staff member, I understand that this is protocol for many retail outlets and ours is no different. The staff member was initially funny and extremely helpful with sizes etc. I chose a bright pink dress to try on but was unable to do the zip up so asked for the size up, when I eventually got the correct size and came out of the change room I was unable to discuss the likes or dislikes of the dress with my bridesmaids as the sales assistant kept saying “you should just get it”, when I told him I would think about it, he pulled me aside and whispered “Is it the price your worried about”. By now I was extremely frustrated, and again told him I’d think about it, I walked back into the change room and closed the door behind me, only to have it pushed open with the sales assistant half standing in my change room, again whispering “I think you should just get it”, when I gave him attitude and said rudely, “I already told you I would think about it”, he then replied, “With your figure I really think you should buy it”. I’m not sure exactly what he meant by that, but considering the attitude used to deliver such a statement I can only imagine that it was an immature dig in relation to my healthy size 12 frame. I got changed in a hurry and walked right out of the change rooms and out of the store, I could hear the sales assistant yelling out to me, but I just ignored him and continued to leave, assuming my bridesmaids would follow. After waiting down the road for my bridesmaids to come out of the store I was told by one of them that the sales assistant yelled out “Have fun finding something at Supre”, when one of them approached him in regards to his comments, he replied “I knew you girls were a joke the minute you walked in”. When my bridesmaids walked out of the store another two customers walked out with them, they too could not believe the immaturity of the sales assistant.

I have worked in retail for 12 years and have come across an array of customer complaints over the years, none of which come even close to what I encountered on Saturday at your store, I wish I was exaggerating but unfortunately for your company this person actually exists and is working in one of your stores. I am pretty laid back and was quite happy just leaving your store, it was my bridesmaids who felt the need to say something to him………I dread to think how many customers he has not only offended but how many customers have left your store due to the pressure placed on getting the sale, and then to be harassed when that sale hasn’t taken place.

Ring me, don’t ring, not fussed………I’m just one retailer notifying another of an extremely inappropriate sales assistant.

Keara O’Neill

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