Can I rate with negative stars???
On Friday night I had one of the worst shopping experiences of my life. I went to the Gap in Longmeadow, MA, to purchase an outfit I intended to wear on an important date later that evening. The store was fairly empty when I walked in, but for one or two customers and about six sales associates. As soon as I broke the threshold into the store I must have become invisible, because I was ignored from the start. I made eye contact with every associate as I struggled my way thru the length of the men's section trying to find an outfit for my date that night. After about six or seven minutes of frustration I finally broke down and asked for assistance. I believe I must have spoken with the manager, but I'm not sure. She was wearing a headset and seemed to be a bit cold or focused on something else. She immediately pawned me off to another associate. This new associate was of no help, because she lacked enthusiasm and was unfamiliar with my needs as a result of working in the children's department. Associate number two summoned a third associate after resigning to her own struggles of not helping me. This new associate wasn't much better, tho she was at least a bit courteous and gave it half an attempt. I couldn't take this ineptitude any longer, but I was on a time constraint and had to buy something. I resorted to calling another store in Columbus, GA, 1133 miles away for assistance.
When Stephanie answered the phone on the other end of the line I was relieved. Stephanie is my subject matter expert on all things fashion, and has actually become a good friend of mine as a result of a pleasurable shopping experience about a year ago. Her enthusiasm for fashion, and genuine desire to make people happy by matching them with the perfect attire is without rival among her peers. She does not sell clothes, she sells confidence! I was happy to spend close to $2000 on myself this year based on her recommendations alone. Anyway, before I digress too far (I can easily write twice the amount of positive feedback about her and the entire Columbus, GA, crew as I can write negative feedback about the people in Longmeadow) I explained my situation to her and she began to advise me on what to look for over the phone. She described a few items (the really cool items were not stocked) that I was able to pair up, and once I got a visual on them I loved it! But, it just wasn't in the cards for me. The perfect outfit was not available in my size. Completely disappointed, I thanked Steph for her help and hanged up.
As I was about to leave I was approached by one last associate. She was the most pleasant of all I had interacted with up to this point. She took a minute to listen to my concerns and then attempted to help me find a resolution. She understood that I had an important date in less than hour, and I was running way late. She said that what I was wearing at the moment was fine, but that I could dress it up with a crew neck shirt/v neck sweater combination. Her suggestion looked good so I immediately made the purchase, thanked her and went on my way. Thanks again cashier 2075102, but for your last hail mary attempt my visit would have been a complete loss.
I guess the morale of this rant was that personnel and customer service make a world of difference. I thought I really liked the GAP, but I guess I just really like the Columbus, GA, GAP. Clothes on rack are just that, but the right clothes on the right person is art. Without people like Stephanie or cashier 2075102, the transformation process from plain canvass to da Vinci's Mona Lisa cannot be appreciated. As a consumer I can and have told people about all the good aspects of the Columbus, GA, GAP, and will tell others about all the poor aspects of the Longmeadow, MA, GAP. The first step is this discussion post, the second will be Yelp, and the last will be word-of-mouth. read more