Screw Mrs. Slocombe
Remember my last rant about Grace Brothers and how I swore that I was going to switch to David Jones instead? Well, I did. I’ve been thinking of getting a nice new dressy winter coat (since my black vinyl one is coated in mold) and I saw that DJ’s were having a big winter sale, so off I went after work tonight. I’d only ever been in the food court before so I ran into trouble early on. I had to call the Snook.
Me: Hey! I’m in DJ’s but all I see is men’s clothes! Where the heck is the lady stuff?
Him: You dork. It’s in their other store, diagonally across the street.
Me: Ohhhh! Now I get it.
Him: Why are you whispering?
Me: Because I didn’t want the Armani suit guys here to think I’m an idiot.
Anyway, I eventually found the Elizabeth Street store and made my way up to Level 3. I was greeted by a bewildering array of lovely wool coats in too many styles and colors to deal with. After wandering around cluelessly for ten minutes, a nice saleslady named Elaine asked if she could help. I showed her the style I liked but mentioned that it felt too narrow through the shoulders (because mine are pretty broad). She agreed and spent the next fifteen minutes fetching different styles and sizes for me to try. She was fantastic, giving me advice on which styles were flattering and what tailoring I might want to have done. I eventually ended up with a dreamy long black double-breasted wool and cashmere(!) coat. Original price $300, sale price $220. A little more than I expected to spend, but it looks fantastic on me and it’s really nice quality. I think I might have to write them a letter and tell them how Elaine’s excellent service has made a loyal David Jones shopper out of me. (I know the pic is crap, but it gives an idea of the basic style.)
5 responses
Definitely write the letter–it can’t hurt and may brighten Elaine’s day at work. I’ve written letters not once but twice commending specific salespeople…of course, when I get crappy salespeople I just stew and fume and curse under my breath.
And great coat, by the way–I own a freaking brilliant Dolce & Gabbana winter coat (the real thing, not the D&G bridge line) that I bought a few years ago when it was on sale for 80% off. It makes me look (and feel) like a Russian General or something! Unfortunately, it’s only been cold enough down here to wear it out *twice* in the last 4 years (this thing is heavy, yo)…I hope you get more use out of yours.
I made sure to get her full name so she’ll get full credit. She was so nice. I thanked her profusely while I was there and said very loudly so everyone would hear that I was leaving Grace Brothers for David Jones forever. They all seemed to think it was pretty amusing. 🙂
I realized when I was modelling the coat for the Snook that it’s a total BUFFY COAT. It makes me look like a taller, rounder SMG, if I do say so myself. I was worried Snookums would freak when he saw the price tag but he was like, “$300? That’s CHEAP for a good coat!” It’s nice to have a boy who appreciates quality.
Oh, and I’ll definitely wear it. It’s been verrrry nippy here in Sydney the past week! I’ve been wearing my other winter coat (brown suede, nice but rather casual) along with a scarf. Today I seriously wondered if I should dig out some gloves too. Winter has arrived!
Kris, I worked in retail for 15 years and those letters really make a difference! Most department stores have some sort of recognition scheme for their staff who receive customer commendations. In my day it was a small cash bonus and morning tea with the managing director. It doesn’t sound like much, but it felt great at the time, and it was nice to know someone took the time to say thanks.
You should definately write a letter. I don’t know if they still do it, but when I worked at DJ’s if someone wrote a positive letter about a team member they got a box of Lindt chocolates and were nominated for a $100 gift certificate. This usually happened at the store’s monthly meeting.