Customer Loyalty
September 23rd 2010 21:00
As any business knows, customer loyalty can go far, especially when a certain business offers discount vouchers to their customers.
Browsing at Borders one weekend, armed with a 40% off any book voucher, I could not resist the opportunity to purchase a copy of Dewey: There’s a cat in the Library by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter. I had already read the adult version – twice – and was keen to take advantage of the special voucher to get the kiddies’ version. I had just seen a copy at another bookstore the day before but I had not purchased it as I know that the second bookstore also offers special discounts from time to time.
The trouble was although Borders had the book on their system, it had not been put on the shelf yet. The salesperson said only the inventory people had access to unshelved books but I would have to wait until the following Monday when they would be at work. He also told me the book technically had not been released yet. I then told him I had seen copies at Bookstore X so I thought it had already been released. He then suggested if I desperately needed it to go back to X.
“I don’t like them,” I said. “That’s why I want to buy it from your store.” That was true. As I get older I am finding I am getting less tolerant and will only support businesses that deserve my custom.
“What about Y?”
“I don’t like them either.” And Y didn’t offer special discounts anyway, so there was no point.
The salesperson looked taken aback by my forthright comments.
I’m normally not a pushy person but when I used to shop at the Borders Sydney CBD store, the staff there would try and locate a new release from storage if it wasn’t on the shelf. So I knew it could be done; I just had to talk to the right person. Ever since the CBD store has closed down, I’ve been forced to go to their suburban stores. Since this particular store closes early during most school nights, and with the voucher expiring on the following Wednesday, short of leaving work early, I could not wait til next Monday. I decided to ask for the manager and see if he could locate the book.
The manager explained to me that the book was not released until next Monday, which is why it was on the shelf. I explained that I did not live locally so I would prefer to get it now if it was possible. He then managed to locate a copy within a few minutes. I thanked him for his help and got it at 40% off. A very happy customer indeed!
| 90 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
