Shoe Sales One-Oh-One
We had the pleasure this past weekend to meet one of the best shoe sales persons you could ever hope to have serving you. Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet her until after our money had been scorned by one of the worst you'd ever want to encounter.
Let's start with Mr. Dumbass, shall we? He works for Harry Young Shoes and we met him at their 67 Front Street East location, although he told us that he was only "on loan" there from the Yonge Street branch. He was going to help us with shoes for my daughter, who wears a B width and has a rather narrow heel compared to the front of her foot. This can mean the shoe salesperson needs to have a little patience, a little more willingness to actually perform the duties for which they were hired, since it is rare for the first pair offered to be the one she takes. That said, however, the number of shoes brought out for her to try is often no different than that brought out for many a woman who simply wants to find the nicest pair, the most comfortable or fashionable pair they can. If the salesperson has that aforementioned skill set, they may well see their efforts end with a satisfied customer trekking to the cash register, wallet in hand. When you get right down to it, isn't that what any sales clerk is supposed to be after - that walk over to ring in the purchase and add to the profit margin of their employer? It would seem to make good sense for a salesperson who wants to help their employer to continue writing pay cheques.
Mr. Moron, obviously, failed Sales One-Oh-One. He started out by measuring my daughter's foot and saying, "Well, you're not one of my narrowest-foot customers." Pardon me for asking, but what exactly was that supposed to mean? For most North American women, "B" width is regarded as the average. It is not out of the norm, so why did he feel obliged to say anything about it? Even if it were a little unusual, any salesclerk with a little bit of a pleasant manner would have nothing to say about it.
This public relations failure headed out back and brought back three pairs for my daughter to try on. With each one, she experienced the problem she so often does, which is that she "walks out" of the heel of the shoe when she lifts her foot in a normal walking motion, if the fit of the shoes is not just right for her. He very quickly began to lose interest, and even said to her about the last pair she tried and declined, "Well, I thought they looked good on you." Again, I have a question to ask. Was that comment supposed to tell her to ignore the comfort factor and buy shoes simply to get out of his way?
At this point, he said "We specialize in narrow fitting shoes." and then he seemed to shut down, standing there just looking at us for a moment. I had gone to their website before our shopping trip, however, and saw that they list themselves as providing shoes up to a "C" width, so I tried saying to him, "You know your stock. You know what you have available. Is there a pair of shoes that you think might fit her better than what she has tried so far?"
His response was actually, " I would suggest you try another store." Not exactly what you might expect to hear, right? Well, we took him up on that, and ended up at "K Shoes of England" where my daughter purchased two pairs of shoes, contributing over $300.00 toward the economic health of that store. The idiot back at Harry Young seemed to have no qualms at all in turning away a potential sale. It makes you wonder how many other times he does that in a day. It makes you wonder if his boss knows about his sales technique, or even cares.
The saleswoman we encountered at the second store was as different from Mr. Moron as night from day. She greeted us with a smile, and it reappeared repeatedly during the time she was helping us. She brought out pair after pair to be tried on, and never once acted as though it was the least bit of a chore for her to do so. She quickly understood what kind of shoe was being sought, (after all, it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to do that) and even brought out a couple of pairs my daughter had not looked at, saying when she did so. "Here's a pair I thought you might like to try. They're a little different from the others you were trying, so you can compare and decide which one feels best." Now that's one heck of a good salesperson. That's a clerk who actually does what she was hired to do. Her super pleasant, helpful manner is one that will bring repeat business to that store.
Both of those clerks provided material for word-of-mouth advertising, and I have no problem offering it to anyone who's interested in listening. As well as telling readers here about the two stores and the encounters we had there, I've already spread the word to various friends and family members. After hearing the details, which store would you rather visit?
Let's start with Mr. Dumbass, shall we? He works for Harry Young Shoes and we met him at their 67 Front Street East location, although he told us that he was only "on loan" there from the Yonge Street branch. He was going to help us with shoes for my daughter, who wears a B width and has a rather narrow heel compared to the front of her foot. This can mean the shoe salesperson needs to have a little patience, a little more willingness to actually perform the duties for which they were hired, since it is rare for the first pair offered to be the one she takes. That said, however, the number of shoes brought out for her to try is often no different than that brought out for many a woman who simply wants to find the nicest pair, the most comfortable or fashionable pair they can. If the salesperson has that aforementioned skill set, they may well see their efforts end with a satisfied customer trekking to the cash register, wallet in hand. When you get right down to it, isn't that what any sales clerk is supposed to be after - that walk over to ring in the purchase and add to the profit margin of their employer? It would seem to make good sense for a salesperson who wants to help their employer to continue writing pay cheques.
Mr. Moron, obviously, failed Sales One-Oh-One. He started out by measuring my daughter's foot and saying, "Well, you're not one of my narrowest-foot customers." Pardon me for asking, but what exactly was that supposed to mean? For most North American women, "B" width is regarded as the average. It is not out of the norm, so why did he feel obliged to say anything about it? Even if it were a little unusual, any salesclerk with a little bit of a pleasant manner would have nothing to say about it.
This public relations failure headed out back and brought back three pairs for my daughter to try on. With each one, she experienced the problem she so often does, which is that she "walks out" of the heel of the shoe when she lifts her foot in a normal walking motion, if the fit of the shoes is not just right for her. He very quickly began to lose interest, and even said to her about the last pair she tried and declined, "Well, I thought they looked good on you." Again, I have a question to ask. Was that comment supposed to tell her to ignore the comfort factor and buy shoes simply to get out of his way?
At this point, he said "We specialize in narrow fitting shoes." and then he seemed to shut down, standing there just looking at us for a moment. I had gone to their website before our shopping trip, however, and saw that they list themselves as providing shoes up to a "C" width, so I tried saying to him, "You know your stock. You know what you have available. Is there a pair of shoes that you think might fit her better than what she has tried so far?"
His response was actually, " I would suggest you try another store." Not exactly what you might expect to hear, right? Well, we took him up on that, and ended up at "K Shoes of England" where my daughter purchased two pairs of shoes, contributing over $300.00 toward the economic health of that store. The idiot back at Harry Young seemed to have no qualms at all in turning away a potential sale. It makes you wonder how many other times he does that in a day. It makes you wonder if his boss knows about his sales technique, or even cares.
The saleswoman we encountered at the second store was as different from Mr. Moron as night from day. She greeted us with a smile, and it reappeared repeatedly during the time she was helping us. She brought out pair after pair to be tried on, and never once acted as though it was the least bit of a chore for her to do so. She quickly understood what kind of shoe was being sought, (after all, it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to do that) and even brought out a couple of pairs my daughter had not looked at, saying when she did so. "Here's a pair I thought you might like to try. They're a little different from the others you were trying, so you can compare and decide which one feels best." Now that's one heck of a good salesperson. That's a clerk who actually does what she was hired to do. Her super pleasant, helpful manner is one that will bring repeat business to that store.
Both of those clerks provided material for word-of-mouth advertising, and I have no problem offering it to anyone who's interested in listening. As well as telling readers here about the two stores and the encounters we had there, I've already spread the word to various friends and family members. After hearing the details, which store would you rather visit?
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