OK, sometimes I wish it were. I want to be Miss Merry Sunshine to all my customers. I want to greet everyone with a rosy smile and a “how do you do”. But, like everyone else, sometimes I have a bad day.
Furniture Works, because we carry just about every kind of home furnishing ever made, has lots of variety and, because prices are pretty reasonable, there’s lots of change in what we have. That means that lots of people come by to see what we have, essentially idea shopping. So I say hello and, after I’ve let them roam around a little, usually ask them what they’re looking for. Often, I get a “I’ll know it when I see it” or a “I’m just browsing”.
OK, I’ll be blunt. I find this incredibly frustrating. Not just because I put in a lot of hours during the week and I haven’t just browsed in a store for about 5 years but because I know that there’s far more home furnishings out there in the world than a customer can possibly see. Walking around Furniture Works to get an idea of what’s available is like clothing shopping. There’s far more clothing available (or home furnishings available) than you can see just walking around a single store. And I know about consignments (or things we’ve bought) that are coming in, or items that we can order, or even things that other stores carry. So the frustration isn’t just from Not Making A Sale, it is that I don’t even get the opportunity to help. And that’s really all I want to do. I want to be able to help.
Well, maybe it is a little more than that. For me, there’re lots of criteria that goes into making a good purchase for my home. I want to know that the quality of manufacturing is good. I want to know the piece is durable. And those are things that I can’t tell just from browsing, just from looking at something.
I’m also not truly convinced that folks really “know it when they see it”. Sure, not everyone can say “I’m looking for a burgundy leather couch with upright arms, pillow back, no more than 7 foot long but I’d consider a microsuede in the same dimensions.” And maybe “know it when I see it” is a reflection of flexibility, of a willingness to consider alternatives. But I don’t want my customers to suffer from buyer’s remorse, to be swayed by the whim of the moment, to by something they happen to like on Tuesday (and hate on Wednesday). Or, from my perspective, hate it on Tuesday when they’re in the store but might love if they thought about it a little more.
So some of the frustration is that I’m busy thinking all the time about what to put in the store, should it be this chest of drawers or that chest of drawers. What is it that my customers want? And when I get an indifferent attitude, I get (you guessed it) frustrated.
Of course, when you’re six foot five inches tall and well over 300 lbs., being pouty and pushy can be more than a little over the top. I don’t mean to say that I don’t need you, care about you, respect you or aren’t glad that you’re there. I really do. No, I mean it. I really do. It just gets hard to show it sometimes.
So, how can you help me to be nicer (as if you really cared, and there’s no reason for you to)? Just give us a chance to help. You don’t have to buy something, but talk with us. We know stuff about furniture and the process of articulating your needs and wants (sometimes you should be able to get stuff just because you want it, not because you need it), can help clarify that it exactly meets your goals…and mine.
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