Yesterday I ducked into my home away from home (Westfield Carindale for those who might be new to the blog) to grab a couple of birthday presents for my nieces and present myself to the good people at Medicare in the hope that the medical bills I’ve forked out for in the recent months might qualify for some sort of reimbursement action.
I’m pleased to report that I was able to sort the nieces birthday presents out in record time AND I received a refund from Medicare* of almost half of the $750 bill I had to pay when I visited the Emergency Department a few weekends ago, so basically I was on a winning streak.
Medicare Waiting Area #quitecomfy
*Medicare is a publicly funded health care scheme available to all Australians, whereby we are all entitled to subsidised treatment from GP’s & free treatment in public hospitals, for the international readers amongst us who might not know what I’m banging on about.
Rude People In Shops
I decided to go to for the Shopping Trifecta and headed to one of my favourite stores for a bit of a browse and that’s when things turned a bit sour.
Now I won’t name the store, because that might embarrass them (although I highly doubt anyone there is reading this blog) but let’s just say this store rhymes with Mountry Foad.
Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a big fan of Mountry Foad for years. I shop there a bit, although usually only when their clothes are on sale or when their awesome Mend and Fave is on.
No, that is not a typo. Yes, I said Mend and Fave. Because all of their t-shirts get those annoying tiny holes in them after a couple of washes and/or wears and need mending or throwing out. Yet, like a retail fool and a marketers dream, I continue to buy them!
But that is not the point of this post.
The point of this post is that every single time I have walked into Mountry Foad in the last, oh I don’t know, say 6 months, I’ve been ignored. There has been not a single hello, or a ‘can I help you?’ or a ‘how are you today?’ or even a smile. Nothing.
And it’s not as if the staff working there haven’t seen me, or the other customers in the store, as they’re usually on the floor, making sure everything is neat and tidy, so how hard is it to look someone in the eye and give them a welcoming smile? Or maybe even a quick hello?
I will say however, that the staff behind the counter are delightful and very helpful, but now that I think about it, that’s probably because the counter is where the magic happens (i.e.: credit cards are handed over and sales targets are being met)
Yesterday I went in there specifically to try on a dress I’d seen online, but couldn’t find it on the racks. I also couldn’t find a staff member who looked like they might be willing to help me, so I gave up and left. I know it all sounds very FWP (First World Problem) but really, manners cost nothing and if I can walk in there with a smile on my dial, I reckon they can probably make a bit of eye contact and maybe even force out a smile back?
On the flip side, a little while later, I was in another store, which we will call Katies, for that is indeed its name.
The staff in there were so friendly (“Goodmorning! How are you today? If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know”) and as I was innocently flicking through a rack of shorts a reader of this blog introduced herself (“Excuse me, is your name Kirsten? I read your blog and recognised your curly hair!”)
We chatted for a while (Hi V! Thank you for saying hello. It was so lovely to meet you!), I tried on a few things, a staff member asked me if I needed help with any sizing and I bought a pair of shorts while the staff member asked about my last purchases from their store. And that, right there, is how customer service is done.
Previous Katies purchases
So if we overlook the sour bit in the middle, I think all in all it was a pretty sweet day and the shopping trifecta might have been won after all!
Have you ever been ignored in a store? Do you think manners are important? Doesn’t everyone look better with a smile?!
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