I go out of my way to seek out small businesses, especially in my own neighborhood of the French Quarter. I have bought items for my mother from this store (albeit years ago), and have sent many people to it. Sadly, not any more.
Friends were in town before Thanksgiving, we passed by and I commented on how lovely this store's items have always been, even pointing out an item hanging from the mannequin outside, idly mentioning was a pretty color. Lo and behold, I received that item from those friends as a thank you for hosting their visit. Unfortunately, as delighted as I was to receive it, it was neither the right size nor the right style. I looked online to see what the exchange policy was, could not find it but did find many Yelp reviews giving good marks for customer service, so I went in with high hopes. The woman behind the counter wasn't particularly welcoming, but I did come in rather quickly and directly to the counter (as I know the layout well!) so I may have taken her by surprise. The item in question was still tagged and in their bag; I asked for an exchange, saying that it had been a gift. In reply, the woman asked me for my receipt (I must say, with a bit of a scowl: no niceties or "let's see what we can do") I told her I did not have it, repeated that it was a gift (and since I am not sure which friend paid for it, I am loathe to ask them to produce a receipt from more than a month back.) She flatly told me, "we cannot return anything without a receipt."
I was so upset by this ironclad no without any conversation or attempt to find a solution that I simply left the item there and walked home.
Honestly, I love the items in this store, but I cannot afford them on my regular budget. I was so pleased at being able to pick an item out that I really liked thanks to my friends, that her brusque reply just took out the air from me. Let me be clear: No RETURN was requested by me, just an exchange.
Here is where my many years of shopping in small businesses and working in high end retail come in, to offer some advice: If there are NO exchanges without the receipt, (a) put that on your website to reduce the embarrassment of my encounter, (b) buy a 5.00 stamp and stamp NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES on the price tag of all garments.
However, I'd like to help them not lose any more business, so I am suggesting to them that they:
(a) produce a GIFT receipt or (b) buy a 5.00 stamp with the date and "GIFT" when purchased on the garment price tag so exchanges can be offered.
At the very least, soften your tone and do your best to APPEAR as if you care to SOLVE the problem for a customer rather than sounding as if you want to rid yourself of an unwanted interaction as quickly as possible. It's important to point out that great customer service is measured at the point when you handle a tricky situation well and everyone leaves feeling that the situation was handled fairly, not by how cheery you are when you process the credit card!
This is the very type of interaction that reduces the number of locals and of savvy visitors;I've seen it happen dozens of times in businesses that forget that every new person through the door can be made into a return customer. We get millions of visitors every year to our neighborhood and I know that retail staff can forget to think about the local folks but they should remember that with only a few hundred thousand residents in our city and fewer still that come to the Quarter with their guests to encourage shopping, they'd do well to build a better customer service loop. I can guarantee that I will do my best to steer people away from this place, which, honestly makes me sad. I DON'T want to post a bad review or see any local businesses (especially one that has been around as long as this one!) not thrive, but I also want people to have a great experience when they come to the Quarter. I sincerely hope the owner and her staff think about exchanges and how they can refit their policy to encourage more people to be happy with their items rather than seeing another person never return. read more
