How not to win customers
There is a certain store (well, a baby boutique, I'm sure) in Vancouver which shall, for the sake of covering my ample and expanding butt, remain nameless. This certain store I don't like very much, but rather regrettably it sells unique items that aren't widely available. And these items are all good quality, and many are imported from Europe. They sell Bugaboo strollers, but fortunately they aren't the only authorised retailer in the city, so we were able to avoid giving them that wad of cash. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the diaper bag I most liked anywhere else. I even checked at boutiques in Boston, with no luck. So they did get that sale.
But honestly, I wish we could have gone elsewhere. Why? Well, the staff is preachy, snotty, snooty, snobby, and somewhere between ill-informed and intentionally-misleading. I first went there in February, when I was searching for Preggie Pops. This unnamed store was listed as a retailer, so I tried there first. "Not only do I not sell them," I was informed by a clerk, "I do not believe in them. All women with morning sickness should eat lime sorbet, and only lime sorbet, for relief." Sure, let me pick up a litre for my purse and see how that goes.
Then there was the stroller. Yes, there are other retailers around, but this one really is most convenient for us. So, despite my misgivings, we went there for a look. We weren't ready to buy yet, and I couldn't shake the feeling that, since we weren't whipping out the credit cards, the staff wanted us to at least flash a bank statement as proof that we could actually afford a Bugaboo. Another time, I stopped in to ask a question about the stroller; we had decided that we wanted the new Graco SafeSeat infant car seat, but were unsure as to whether Bugaboo made an adapter that allowed the infant carrier to clip onto the Cameleon chassis. I had emailed Bugaboo's Canadian office a few times, but had received no reply. Since I was in the neighbourhood, I stopped in at this store. Different clerk this time, but comparable attitude. I had barely finished asking my question when she barked "No!" Of course, this store sells the other brand (the only other brand) that works with the Bugaboo chassis. And once I was finally able to speak directly with a Bugaboo rep, I was assured that, why yes, of course the adapter works with the new Safeseat.
The latest exchange happened just a few days ago. We had decided long ago that we definitely wanted a foam mattress for the crib, but were having a difficult time finding one. Well, we broke down and went to this same store to buy the diaper bag, and while we were there we asked whether they sold foam mattresses. "Yes, but why do you want foam?" Uh-huh. I didn't expect to have to justify this decision. This pushed my hyper-sensitive buttons, and I bit back with, "Because we have a very fine foam mattress on our bed and would accept nothing less for our child." Not my wittiest come-back, but the best I could do at the time. The clerk took us to see a mattress with memory foam. She assured us that, although it moulds to the touch, the baby wouldn't sink into the mattress. We were both sceptical of this... Oh, and the price tag? Over $200. Then Ms. "Eat nothing but lime sorbet" appeared out of nowhere. She blathered on about how her mattresses were the best anywhere, developed (!!) in association with Children's Hospital (or was it Health Canada?), blah, blah, blah, and since we were definitely choosing a foam mattress, she would absolutely see us back again because no mattress anywhere else was as firm as the soggy-feeling memory foam mattress.
We left, went two blocks down the street, and ordered an excellent foam mattress for under $100. And Bärchen will not be swallowed up by this mattress, either.
Really, just not the way to win over this customer. And I remember Melania telling me that she also avoided this store, but ended up going there for one item (nursing pillow) because she couldn't find it at any other retailer. So it isn't just me!
But honestly, I wish we could have gone elsewhere. Why? Well, the staff is preachy, snotty, snooty, snobby, and somewhere between ill-informed and intentionally-misleading. I first went there in February, when I was searching for Preggie Pops. This unnamed store was listed as a retailer, so I tried there first. "Not only do I not sell them," I was informed by a clerk, "I do not believe in them. All women with morning sickness should eat lime sorbet, and only lime sorbet, for relief." Sure, let me pick up a litre for my purse and see how that goes.
Then there was the stroller. Yes, there are other retailers around, but this one really is most convenient for us. So, despite my misgivings, we went there for a look. We weren't ready to buy yet, and I couldn't shake the feeling that, since we weren't whipping out the credit cards, the staff wanted us to at least flash a bank statement as proof that we could actually afford a Bugaboo. Another time, I stopped in to ask a question about the stroller; we had decided that we wanted the new Graco SafeSeat infant car seat, but were unsure as to whether Bugaboo made an adapter that allowed the infant carrier to clip onto the Cameleon chassis. I had emailed Bugaboo's Canadian office a few times, but had received no reply. Since I was in the neighbourhood, I stopped in at this store. Different clerk this time, but comparable attitude. I had barely finished asking my question when she barked "No!" Of course, this store sells the other brand (the only other brand) that works with the Bugaboo chassis. And once I was finally able to speak directly with a Bugaboo rep, I was assured that, why yes, of course the adapter works with the new Safeseat.
The latest exchange happened just a few days ago. We had decided long ago that we definitely wanted a foam mattress for the crib, but were having a difficult time finding one. Well, we broke down and went to this same store to buy the diaper bag, and while we were there we asked whether they sold foam mattresses. "Yes, but why do you want foam?" Uh-huh. I didn't expect to have to justify this decision. This pushed my hyper-sensitive buttons, and I bit back with, "Because we have a very fine foam mattress on our bed and would accept nothing less for our child." Not my wittiest come-back, but the best I could do at the time. The clerk took us to see a mattress with memory foam. She assured us that, although it moulds to the touch, the baby wouldn't sink into the mattress. We were both sceptical of this... Oh, and the price tag? Over $200. Then Ms. "Eat nothing but lime sorbet" appeared out of nowhere. She blathered on about how her mattresses were the best anywhere, developed (!!) in association with Children's Hospital (or was it Health Canada?), blah, blah, blah, and since we were definitely choosing a foam mattress, she would absolutely see us back again because no mattress anywhere else was as firm as the soggy-feeling memory foam mattress.
We left, went two blocks down the street, and ordered an excellent foam mattress for under $100. And Bärchen will not be swallowed up by this mattress, either.
Really, just not the way to win over this customer. And I remember Melania telling me that she also avoided this store, but ended up going there for one item (nursing pillow) because she couldn't find it at any other retailer. So it isn't just me!
posted by Melanie A at 7:09 p.m.
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