Local or type of place I am shopping in should not dictate how good or bad the service is. But it often does.
I try to avoid tire shops, fast food joints and any grocery store on the weekend.
Some the worst service I have ever had the displeasure of were in fact places where I should have received the best service or at least the most caring, this is the doctor and dentist offices. Those offices, that I no longer go to. They no longer have the pleasure of treating me poorly by their long waits and then charging me exorbitant fees for their mediocre services. So long suckers.
I always expect courteous service at Nordstrom. The Anchorage store has been failing miserably on all counts of service for several years now. Almost to the point of hilarity.
When purchasing my mother in law a fairly expensive hand painted vase I asked the clerk to please wrap it up. "Oh, really, okay, I'll be back in a few minutes". Maybe she is new and not up to date on the fact I should of been offered wrapping right from the get go.
So after about 15 minutes of perusing the fine jewelry department, a nice looking but rather rushed young man asked me my name, confirmed it was me and handed me the standard large silver Nordie bag. Not even looking, I took the bag and out the door I went.
Arriving home I opened the bag to attach the card. What the HELL! It looked like a drunk raccoon had tried but failed to wrap the simple rectangular box. It was poofy on one end and all around crinkled and wrinkled with an enormous amount of tape. It was hilarious. Too funny to even re-wrap.
It was delivered to my husband's mother, story in hand. But in the end, we all agreed that the service had come to an all time Nordstrom low.
This brings me to my Salvation Army experience yesterday, another all time low, but in a much different way. I do not expect exemplary service from this store. I expect cheap craft things that my boys can play with, color stamp and destroy at a few bucks or less. Summer is coming and I need fun thrills at affordable prices.
I walked up to the oddly placed counter, put down my four boxes of pen and ink stampy things and waited while the woman rang them up. I looked behind me and was relieved I hadn't meandered around the books. There were now six people in line behind me. All holding various articles of clothing and housewares. Whew, I got lucky.
Back to counter ringing woman. "Do you have a military discount" she asks? A common question in this military laden community. No, I am not military, I say.
Then she drops the S bomb. " SENIOR DISCOUNT?" Are you fucking kidding me lady? Senior discount? Really, you stupid, ill sighted cow?
I say nothing. I am calm, cool, my steely composure hiding the fact I want to spring across the cheap glass counter top, ripping her eyeballs out and tossing the useless orbs across the crappy clothes filled store.
I refrain. I pay. I know karma will get her. And if karma doesn't fulfill her destiny. I suggest she never cross my path on a cool, dark trail, deep in the woods.
Just sayin.
I try to avoid tire shops, fast food joints and any grocery store on the weekend.
Some the worst service I have ever had the displeasure of were in fact places where I should have received the best service or at least the most caring, this is the doctor and dentist offices. Those offices, that I no longer go to. They no longer have the pleasure of treating me poorly by their long waits and then charging me exorbitant fees for their mediocre services. So long suckers.
I always expect courteous service at Nordstrom. The Anchorage store has been failing miserably on all counts of service for several years now. Almost to the point of hilarity.
When purchasing my mother in law a fairly expensive hand painted vase I asked the clerk to please wrap it up. "Oh, really, okay, I'll be back in a few minutes". Maybe she is new and not up to date on the fact I should of been offered wrapping right from the get go.
So after about 15 minutes of perusing the fine jewelry department, a nice looking but rather rushed young man asked me my name, confirmed it was me and handed me the standard large silver Nordie bag. Not even looking, I took the bag and out the door I went.
Arriving home I opened the bag to attach the card. What the HELL! It looked like a drunk raccoon had tried but failed to wrap the simple rectangular box. It was poofy on one end and all around crinkled and wrinkled with an enormous amount of tape. It was hilarious. Too funny to even re-wrap.
It was delivered to my husband's mother, story in hand. But in the end, we all agreed that the service had come to an all time Nordstrom low.
This brings me to my Salvation Army experience yesterday, another all time low, but in a much different way. I do not expect exemplary service from this store. I expect cheap craft things that my boys can play with, color stamp and destroy at a few bucks or less. Summer is coming and I need fun thrills at affordable prices.
I walked up to the oddly placed counter, put down my four boxes of pen and ink stampy things and waited while the woman rang them up. I looked behind me and was relieved I hadn't meandered around the books. There were now six people in line behind me. All holding various articles of clothing and housewares. Whew, I got lucky.
Back to counter ringing woman. "Do you have a military discount" she asks? A common question in this military laden community. No, I am not military, I say.
Then she drops the S bomb. " SENIOR DISCOUNT?" Are you fucking kidding me lady? Senior discount? Really, you stupid, ill sighted cow?
I say nothing. I am calm, cool, my steely composure hiding the fact I want to spring across the cheap glass counter top, ripping her eyeballs out and tossing the useless orbs across the crappy clothes filled store.
I refrain. I pay. I know karma will get her. And if karma doesn't fulfill her destiny. I suggest she never cross my path on a cool, dark trail, deep in the woods.
Just sayin.
