S/O I'm Never Shopping There - What Businesses Will Forever Have Your Patronage?

[CakeBeret]

Zappos. Their customer service is amazing. The first time I ordered from them, the shoes didn't fit, so I called to see if they could do an advance exchange. (They ship the new pair right away, and you ship the wrong pair within 7 days.) The rep seemed surprised that I knew about their advance exchange, and I said that I'd read a positive article about them and that's why I ordered from them. The rep then told me that not only would she do the advance exchange, she'd overnight the new pair of shoes to me, and "since you said nice things about us" she upgraded me to VIP status. Which means that I get free overnight shipping on every single item I order from them, for life. They also offer free return shipping, so if you have to return a pair of shoes you're not out any money for shipping them back.

The second time I ordered from them, we'd had an unexpected snowstorm in early winter. I placed an order for snowboots for my DH on a Friday about 9pm, thinking that they'd arrive Monday or Tuesday. Imagine my surprise when they arrived on Saturday--less than 24 hours after I ordered them!. Zappos had gotten them to the UPS depot on Friday night and upgraded the shipping to UPS Saturday Delivery (which is ridiculously expensive).

[DottyG]

Sephora - Even when they mess up an order, their customer service was good enough I didn't care =)

No.  Evil, evil place!  They draaaaaaaw me in (both the actual store and the website) and render me unaware of what's happening.  And then they make me buy, buy, buy lots and lots of stuff!  I don't even know the money is being taken out of my account, those sneaky little buggers!



(I'm kidding!  I love Sephora - but I do find I end up buying a lot more than I'd intended when I see all the wonderful stuff they have!)

[SisJackson]

I agree totally with Zappos.  I am a VIP customer as well and I love that their reps are empowered to do what it takes to make their customers happy.  I called once to get some assistance on buying a particular color of shoe, and the rep suggested that I purchase the four pairs I was considering and just send back the ones I didn't want.  That sealed the deal for me and I'm now a hard-and-fast customer.

I also love Nordstrom.  The salespeople are so knowledgeable and helpful without being pushy.

I love the employees at my local Whole Foods.  They are pleasant, always ready to help find anything I need, make serving suggestions if I need them, and they sharpen knives for free in the meat department.

[GraceSullivan]

I really love Wegman's. [grocery chain]

The produce and meat are incredibly fresh, there is a gourmet bakery and a food court in my store, and many brands are carried.  The prices of the things I like are comparable to Walmart, and the customer service is supreme.

The only downside - I haven't found Alex Baldwin in there, yet.

I'm so jealous of my brother's Wegman's.  I don't have one near me. 

Ditto to Zappo's and Amazon.com--they contribute to my shoe, handbag and book addictions nicely! 

Strangely, Fast Park at the nearby airport.  They have the friendliest people working there and I refuse to park anywhere else!

[jedikaiti]

I love the employees at my local Whole Foods.  They are pleasant, always ready to help find anything I need, make serving suggestions if I need them, and they sharpen knives for free in the meat department.

One thing I love about my local Whole Paycheck is that it seems the cashiers are allowed to comp little things for random reasons. On one occasion, I'd had a lousy, frustrating day and was barely holding back the tears while I was in the store. The cashier comped my box of tea for me (and yes, it was comped, not "forgotten" - she put a little orange sticker over the bar code), but I was so upset I didn't even notice until I got home. I really appreciated it when I did, though! On another occasion, BF and I were grabbing a few things, including a mango, and the cashier mentioned that they had champagne mangos on sale (2 for 1 or something like that), and if we wanted to grab a couple she'd comp them for us so we could try them.

They are awesome.

[WillyNilly]

I refer to Sephora as "the mothership", as in I'm drawn into their stores like there's a chip in my brain or something. I love the selection, the ease of trying and the customer service. And FYI join their customer appreciation thingie - the rewards are good and easy to redeem.

I am a very loyal customer to my mechanic (Shammrock Auto in Williston Park NY). Even though they are far away from my home by several towns, and closed on weekends. They are just honest, and always willing to work with anyone on a budget.

I also love my local Keyfood grocery store. They are always clean and well stocked, their staff is very diversified but all have friendliness in common, and the management really listens to fedback. I've emailed asking them to carry items, and they started to, and emailed asking for more local produce and they have responded with signs touting local fares.

And I hope to remain loyal to my CSA farm, Golden Earthworm Organic Farm. Maggie is just the sweetest down to earth person, their produce is amazing and they are good about communicating with CSA members honestly. I've changed my local CSA but only because its still Golden Earthworm Farm.

[GraceSullivan]

I refer to Sephora as "the mothership", as in I'm drawn into their stores like there's a chip in my brain or something. I love the selection, the ease of trying and the customer service. And FYI join their customer appreciation thingie - the rewards are good and easy to redeem.

There must be something about Sephora...something...mystical.  I don't wear make-up, ever, I don't like perfume, and my hair is usually in a ponytail or braid.  But...I am also drawn to Sephora.  They must have some amazing marketing, decorating set up to draw us in.

[Lynnv]

Apple.  DH and I have been Mac users since the Amiga brand died and we had to replace our Amiga 2000.    I have to use Windows for work, but it is a lot more work to make it do things for me.  We have always had good experiences with our Apple products and will not change to Windows unless forced.

Penzeys.  There are other spice shops I will use, but Penzeys introduced me to the world of quality spices (as opposed to the supermarket spices I had used all my life) and the difference that good spices can make in cooking.  I have never looked back.

Our local motorcycle shop (Rocky Mountain Kawasaki).  We have used them since before they opened (we used the shop that everyone at RMK came from until they got bought out by another company).  Love the guys there.  We still buy our oil and filters there, even though they don't service our brand.  But they will always be the first place we look if we are looking for a new bike.  And once I am back on a bike brand that they service, they will have our full business gain.

Our local gear shop (MotoGear Outlet).  Love Mary & Ed, and they have taken great care of DH and I over the years.  The folks there truly care about getting you into the right gear for your riding-and it shows.  They do a huge internet and phone order business as well-but they never let it interfere with taking care of the customer they are working with.

[AreaWoman]

- I really love Virgin America.  They don't fly everywhere, just between certain cities, but the experience flying with them is so much better than any other airline I've flown (new planes, happy/friendly staff, great in-flight entertainment, plugs at every seat, cheap upgrades, plus they are in the new terminal at my home airport).  It's gotten to the point that we are considering certain vacation destinations just because Virgin flies there.

- I also love Tivo.  We used to have a cable-company provided DVR, which was not as functional or useful.  I'm convinced that the HD looks better on the Tivo than on the cable DVR.

[siamesecat2965]

How could I forget about Trader Joes?  ditto to what someone else said; they are sooo helpful, friendly, and always go the extra mile when you can't find something.  Also Wegmans, although there isn't one that close to me; nearest one is 33 miles.

Also my mechainc Mike, he always tells me what needs to be done, what needs to be done NOW and what can wait and how long.  And he won't give me my car back until he's sure its 100% right.

[Piratelvr1121]

There's a thrift store I went to recently that I will definitely be visiting again.  At first I didn't think there would be much there for me until I went into a room off the side where they kept furniture and I found a wonderful steamer trunk. <3<3!!!

Even better, the tag said $15 and the guy said he was willing to give it to me for $13...only I didn't have cash on me, and they would only take cash and the guy had already loaded it into my van since I was wearing piratebabe in a wrap.   I said "Well, do you mind if I run and get cash?" He said "Sure, there's an ATM less than a mile up the street."  I pointed to my van and said "Well, do you want to take it out?" He gave me a funny look and so instead I fished my license out of my wallet and offered it as collateral so he'd know I'd be back.  He waves if off and says "Eh, don't worry about it, I trust ya". 

I was thinking "But, I've never been in here, you don't know me from Eve!" But I didn't argue and just said "I'll be right back!" and he shrugged.

[finecabernet]

POD to Trader Joe's. Always love it there, and if they don't have something, they give you great suggestions for equivalents.

Another for me is Eddie Bauer. Once I forgot my outfit for my evening job, and they sold me the required blouse and sweater over the phone, and even ironed the blouse for me. They are amazing.

[PaintingPastelPrincess]

Crate & Barrel: I ended up with a gift card there a couple of years ago, so I looked online for something I liked that was the right price.  I found a 2-set of paintings, so I went into the store to look for them in person (I'm impatient, an hour drive is worth not waiting for it to ship).  I was wandering around, looking with no success, when a sales guy asked what I was looking for.

I described the two paintings, saying they were red & orange, kinda traditional looking, with frames, rectangular, and about 36" wide.

He took me straight to a set that was blue & green, modern arty, frameless and 18" square.  They were also the EXACT ones I meant that I had seen online.

Any store with employees that nice and, ya know, psychic, deserve my business for life.  I just wish I had the money to shop there more often.

[CLD]

My local mechanic has my business forever.

Something broke in my windshield wiper lever so that my wipers would come on whenever I would hit a bump.  Fearing a big repair bill, I lived with it for a long time and then took my car in for an estimate. My mechanic came out and said I had two option: 1) the $300 option of replacing the whole lever, or 2) the free option.  Free???

"Yeah", he said, "I already put a rubber band from the lever to the hazard button.  You'll have to replace the rubber band every few months, but there you go".

He could have charged me $300, but he took care of it with a rubber band.  I will go there forever because I trust him when he says I need a repair.

[twiggy]

Safeway. I haven't been to a Safeway I don't love. There's the one by my dad's house that I used to go to all the time in high school. A decade later, my favorite cashier recognizes me, remembers I had a son, and asked about him last time I was in. Then I got to show her pics of the rest of the kiddos. That's been my experience with every Safeway I've lived near. The cashiers and managers know who I am. It's not just the usual hi/how are you/did you find what you're looking for. It's "how did your roast turn out? Oh, where are the kids today? Is the baby feeling better? Did you see that DS's favorite cereal is on sale?"

Also, my mechanic. He is great, and honest. He gets stuff done in a timely manner, and I never have to go in to get the same issue fixed six months later. And, when I was driving cross country and broke down in Oklahoma, he talked to the local mechanic for me to make sure that what the other guy said was making sense, and that I wasn't getting cheated or taken advantage of because I'm a female from out of town.