The high cost of buying cheap

Another Christmas shopping frenzy is behind us and once again I ask myself how much of the money spent on all those gifts is staying in this country. I'm guessing not very much.

I suspect that the stores selling this stuff didn't end up with a lot of the money because in order to draw shoppers they had to sell their wares at dirt-cheap prices. Which means they had to cut their profit margins so much, one wonders how they manage to stay in business.

And I know that few American workers profited from it because most of the gifts sold were made in other countries. There is much panic in this land over the high unemployment rate, yet I'm willing to bet that the people doing the loudest shouting about this are the ones who did all their shopping at (insert name of your favorite discount store here) where you'd be hard pressed to find something made in the USA. Can you imagine the jobs that would be created if the manufacturers of these products decided to bring the jobs making them back to this country?

But that's not likely to happen. As usual, greed and the dollar win this contest. Greed of the companies because the people at the top don't want to lose their very cushy lifestyles which they would have to modify if they had to pay American labor to make their goods. Greed of the stock market where the desired direction is "up", no matter who gets trampled on. And of course greed of the American consumer who wants to buy as many items as possible, preferably at prices that exist only because some person in another country gets paid ten cents an hour to produce that sweater, or toy, or whatever.

Do we really need hundreds of items in our closets? Instead of buying all that stuff that's made somewhere else, why not take the money and buy just a few items made here?

Remember, every time you buy something that's made in another country, you are providing employment for a foreign worker. When are you going to wake up and take an interest in the American worker? How bad does it have to get before you demand that your favorite stores carry USA-made product? Would you be willing to live with less stuff if it meant that some of your fellow Americans might have a job again?

Buying more and more things will not save this economy. Making wise choices that bring back American jobs will. This won't happen right away, and perhaps it's too late already. But does anyone really want the children of 2109 to read in school that their country was brought down by greed and mindless consumerism?

I didn't think so.

Happy New Year!

Getting the cold shoulder at Coldwater Creek

While on a mission to find a new pair of boots I stopped at Coldwater Creek yesterday. I knew that they sell footwear in their catalog and hoped to find some in the local store.

Upon walking in I glanced around searching for a shoe display but saw none. A sales associate approached and said: Do you have any questions? To which I replied: I think they're already answered. I've seen shoes in your catalog and hoped to find some here, but I don't see any. Do you carry shoes?
Well I don't know what shoes you're referring to, but we have some.
How about boots?
All that's left are riding boots. We don't have any of the short ones.

Does anyone else see what's wrong here? Obviously I didn't film this little episode and therefore can't share the visuals. But I can tell you that I left at that point because I was annoyed for a variety of reasons.

First of all, at no time during this conversation or her "greeting" me did this person offer a smile. Second, it was Sunday and I was dressed in my Sunday casuals. Jeans, sweater, a nice, very expensive coat. Yet somehow I was made to feel like a leper who had crashed a beautiful skin convention. Or maybe someone who might be planning to do a bit of shoplifting.
But it was her comment about the boots that really ticked me off. I don't know what made her jump to the conclusion that I was looking for short boots. In fact, my search was focused on tall ones. And the way she chose to deliver this bit of info was definitely not geared toward making a sale. Here's what she should have said (with a smile): We don't have a lot left right now, but let me show you what's in stock. I would have looked at them, maybe found what I was searching for, and bought them. As it is, I doubt I'll ever set foot in there again. Partly because of her snippy attitude and partly because I don't care to be "labeled".

Customer service can be a touchy thing. You don't want to overdo it and hover over someone, making a pain in the neck of yourself. But you should know how to properly greet ALL the people coming into your store. You should make them feel welcome and gently guide them toward a purchase. Because that is why they decided to visit you. They want to buy something and you want to sell something. And I'm guessing that all you salespeople in the big, corporate-owned stores work at least partly on commission.

I own a little store and I'm happy to say that I treat my customers a lot better than that. I make all of them welcome and what's more, I know that their visits are what pays my bills. So I'm always glad to see them. Perhaps the only person who didn't get his full measure of friendliness in my shop was the guy who robbed me two years ago, but that's another story for another time.