"Servicing the Customer!"

[elfs]

I blogged a while ago about my bookbag giving up the ghost. I've been carrying it around ever since. True, the zipper's broken and it has no shoulder strap anymore, but dammit it still carries everything.

I decided the other day to try and do something about it. I'm rather picky about my bookbags, and what I want is something that looks rugged and, well, Indiana-Jonesy. Something khaki and canvas.

I walked into Bergman's Luggage, a downtown luggage shop, rather mid-to-high-end. It's next to Zanadu Comics, which is why I know of it. I was willing to pay upward of a C-note for a decent bag, maybe even exceed that. I've shopped at Bergman's luggage before, and even bought my laptop sleeve from them three years ago.

A woman greeted me. I presented my case: I was looking for a new laptop bag with a durable over-the-shoulder strap. That's all. I figured if I found what I wanted I'd know it, I just wanted her to lead me to the messenger bags and laptop attachés. I was dressed for work: my work drag is pure work drag: collared shirt, slacks (usually unironed), often with a day or two's worth of stubble but otherwise, y'know, software geek drag.

She took one look at me, up and down, and said, "You're probably not going to find what you want here. Maybe you'd be better off shopping on-line?"

I was stunned. She wasn't even going to try. "Fine," I said. "I'll do that." I'll take my business elsewhere.

But I have a small clue for her. Geeks are often very passionate about their bookbags. We have to carry them every day; they carry all our electronics and ephemera, and often much of our daily life is in the bag. They also get heavy, so we need to get one that's strong and sits well across the shoulder and back. And we need to know if they fit the big things, like the laptop. I don't want to shop "on-line" for a bookbag. I want to try them on, see how they balance, maybe slip my machine into it and make sure it fits well. I may not shop often, but when I do I try to find the best product possible for me.

I'm extremely annoyed that this woman took one glance at me and decided that she wasn't going to get a commission, and she said so. I mean, she should tell that to the last guy from the store who sold me something. Anyway, I'm just not going to shop there ever again.

Comments

[ladyallyn.livejournal.com]

T hirded!! This is Seattle ferdogssakes!!! It's chock full of geeks who have more money than she'll probably ever see -- especially if she tosses commissions out the door. Don't call the management, *write* the management in your ever inimitable way. Mark it cc the 'who's talking' or whatever it's called at the Seattle Weekly these days. Whether or not you actually send it tot the press doesn't matter so much, that they *think* you did does.

There is a national line of jewelers that I will never do business with again (comprised by Gordon's, Kay's and whatever they're called in other parts of the country). I walked into one in Texas intending to buy something BIG and Shiny and couldn't get sales help to save my life. That was more than 20 years ago and I still tell people what crappy customer service they had.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb003.html

[ladyallyn.livejournal.com]

Nah, not quite... have to retrain all the employees they're putting out on the street by burning the shop down to be decent, respectful human beings. Then I'd be satisfied.

[bldrnrpdx.livejournal.com]

I've got a jewelers in my life I'm the same way about. I had something a little out of the traditional in mind for my wedding ring. Four shops told me "sure, it'll just take some extra time and money". No problem. At The Shane Company though (it's kinda telling when I keep typoing it as "Shame"), which makes a point of saying they'll bend over backwards for customers, the saleslady (who was neither young nor new to the business) flat out told me "no, that's not possible", could she show me something else? No? Then walked off. There are just too many shops and salespeople willing to work with me for me to ever go back again. And I'm still quite happy to dissuade people from going to The Shane Company if I can help it.