I had a most unfortunate conversation with Audrey a week or so ago. Before I give my thoughts on that, I'd like to give some of my background. I come from a family that ran their own grocery store in Summit County for over 55 years. We were a small business that could not compete with every large grocery store due to our size. The larger you are, the more products you can buy in bulk, giving the business a price cut. This, in turn, allows the owner to set their inventory at the MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) so that the owner can turn a profit. We were not able to make a large profit since we were unable to buy in such large quantities. We didn't have the prices that every other grocery store you could shop had. What we DID have was customer service. We listened to our customers and tried to rectify if something was done incorrectly or if they had a product they were unhappy with. We went out of our way to drive groceries to our customers' doors if they were sick or if they were elderly and incapable of shopping themselves. We provided customer service. We may have not been a large corporation, but what we lacked in inexpensively priced items, we made up for in other areas. I understand customer service. I work for a local business that bends over backwards for their clients. I grew up around customer service oriented people. I don't feel that Audrey understands what that means.
I have heard stories from co-workers, from friends, from family members. I listened to their stories of discounts that were not given or returns that were hard to complete, but did not judge because I have been a customer of Audrey's since I moved to Wayne County. I have had pleasant experiences with her employees while shopping. She does not offer items that you can't get anywhere else, but her establishment itself is unique. I buy locally, I tried to order something from Audrey before shopping elsewhere. Our conversation was not constructive once she learned that I had been promised a sale percentage by one of her employees. She was unwilling to uphold her employee's offer to me, to uphold that customer service of someone that was representing her business while she was on vacation or to even give me another option in order to keep that business. Audrey came across with a tone that was unprofessional as well as unnecessary. She was determined to let me know that she was the owner, not the employee that was representing Audrey's Attic. The employee, I believe, was trying to make their customer happy as well as keep a sale. Referencing that MSRP, Audrey would not have lost money if she honored the 25% discount her employee said they'd give me, she would have not made as much, but she would have still turned a profit. I can buy these items anywhere else in the world (thanks to the internet). They were not handmade locally by a Wayne County resident. They are not lifesaving items such as a pacemaker or insulin. They are not items that I can't live without. I prefer to decorate my new home with items from local vendors. Unfortunately, my items will not be coming from Audrey.
"review" : to consider something in order to make changes in it, study it, or give an opinion about it
A review can be based on someone's own experiences. They can be wonderful, they can critique, they can raise awareness. The only thing that would jeopardize Audrey's business is Audrey herself. I encourage anyone to visit her establishment. Have your own experiences, but please know that if your experience is an unprofessional one, you're not alone and don't take her personally. I truly hope that she learns from her experiences with customers and their transactions; that they may not always go smoothly. I hope she tries to make her business a respectable vendor of this community and works on treating everyone that comes through her doors with respect and dignity. read more
