If you are seeking a genuine upscale consignment experience, don't bother…read more
I've given this store several chances when I've been in town, and the young women working behind the counter consistently come across as pretentious, vapid, Botox-ridden and far more impressed with themselves than the situation warrants.
In my final attempt to give this place a chance, I walked in while a frozen faced "influencer" was ambling around Like Jack Skeleton and filming content.
As she blurted out "boughten" instead of "bought" or "purchased" in front of a camera, I cringed. I casually mentioned to another girl at the counter, "You may want to let her know that 'boughten' isn't the correct word. It's bought or purchased--just FYI."
The girl at the counter's response was accompanied by a scolding voice and an ugly glare. Instead of acknowledging what should be a faux pas (to say the least), she censured me with "We don't need that kind of negativity here."
I interpret those words as we do nor care to cater to an educated and well-spoken customer base.
Ironically, the negativity was written all over HER face.
An older couple standing nearby heard the exchange, shook their heads, and said, "They clearly have no concept of grammar or what customer service is."
The girls behind the counter seem to be living in some sort of designer-label dreamland in which they believe they are in a position to size up the people walking through the door.
Here are some basic lessons in retail:
Never size up a customer. You have absolutely no idea who is standing in front of you, what they do for a living, what they are worth, or what they can afford.
Always remember what side of the counter YOU are standing on. One side "earns" a working retail wage while the other side (the customer) has leisure time and disposable income.
Many of the customers walking into a consignment stores are professionals who could walk into Neiman Marcus and buy new, not used, merchandise with concierge service.
Professionals shop consignment because they are discerning about how they spend their money, not because they need a retail associate deciding whether they look sufficiently affluent. Wealthier people are generally also educated in basic grammar. Ergo, poor grammar and low class behavior is grinding to them.
With that said, there is no shame in working in retail. However, when you are being paid to represent a retail business, customer service is quite literally the main part of the job.
Smile, be gracious, stop sizing people up, and keep your mouth shut when eloquent language eludes you.
If English is your only language, and you are creating public content for a business, knowing the difference between "bought" and "boughten" seems like a fairly low bar.
I've seen far better customer service with a genuine smile dropping off things at Goodwill.
NEVER To Be Continued...
