Being on par in terms of price and
quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game.
Tony Allesandra
I
recently purchased and new box spring and mattress. Truth be told my old
mattress was 20 years old and should have had a decent burial long ago; but
there are always so many other things I’d rather spend my money on.
Before
I made my purchase I checked out two stores – a major department store and a
chain of mattress stores with a stellar reputation. As a matter of fact my
first mattress came from the very same mattress store. I went first to the
department store. They had a large selection of beds to choose from, but not
much on sale. A salesman approached me and launched into his spiel – whether I
was interested or not. I wasn’t. I asked where the sale mattresses were to
which he replied (and I paraphrase), No one should have to pay full price
for a mattress. No one should even have to pay 50% off. You see this mattress;
I can give it to your for $899 (which was more than 50% off and not marked
anywhere). On the tag with the original price it said free local
delivery. I asked him if delivery was included to which he replied that
delivery (which costs $75) was included if I bought an extended warranty plan
for $69.99. And if I wanted my old mattress removed it would cost an additional
$30. I asked how long the sale price was good for and this sleaze-bag said as
long as he was in the store. What a hustle! I hate being hustled!
My
next stop was the mattress store. I walked into a sea of mattresses – all neatly
lined up. Each had a large tag with all the mattress sizes and the original
prices. When you flipped up the tag there was another tag with all of the
mattress sizes and sale prices – no mystery, no hustle. A salesman approached
me and asked if I wanted help or if I preferred to browse on my own. I asked
for help. I told him that I was a side sleeper, preferred a firm mattress, didn’t
want a pillow top and didn’t want to sell my car to pay for the mattress. He
gave me a pillow and said to try each of the mattresses with the same pillow so
that I would be gauging my experience on the mattress alone. He suggested that
I try four mattresses based on my criteria and I found the perfect bed for me
(number four was the hands-down winner). A 10 year warranty, delivery and
mattress removal was included. It was a lovely experience!
The
moral of the story is that there are a lot of people out there doing the retail
hustle. If you feel like you’re being hustled, walk away. There are retailers
who understand how to create a great customer experience. Don’t settle for
less!
Don’t try to tell the customer what he
wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to
work and serve the customer!
Gene Buckley
Make
someone smile today!
Geri
