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

[AtraBecca]

Chapters. They are my go to store for books, and always will be.

[White Dragon]

I had the pleasure of sending this email today:

Dear Bentley,

I am writing about your staff at the ZZZZ Mall location, in {City}. The staff at this store have provided exceptional service and I wanted to make sure it was noted. I don't know if your company has any kind of employee recognition program, but the staff at this store are certainly deserving of special notice.

Our first visit to the store was several weeks ago. The store is very small and crowded with stock. A sale was on and the store was extremely busy. In spite of this, the staff were all cheerful, patient and gave each customer their full attention. They handled the crowd quickly, but no-one felt rushed, or brushed aside.

We were looking for luggage for an overseas trip and the staff was very knowledgable about what size was allowable for our airline and was able to make excellent suggestions. During this time, we mentioned that the trip was to Scotland, to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.

The items we needed were not in stock, so we ordered them. The store called us a few weeks later to let us know the items had arrived.

When we went to pick up the bags, the staff remembered us. (We were first time customers from a very busy day, so this alone was surprising.) They remembered our trip and got us our items. While I was paying, the staff presented me with a gift from the store staff. It was a 25th wedding anniversary photo album, to commemorate our trip.

At first I thought this was something Bentley did, and the album would be Bentley-themed or something. It was not. The store staff had gone to another store in the mall, and purchased the album as a gift for us.

We were - and are - extremely touched by this spontaneous generosity. It was far above and beyond what I would have expected and we are grateful for the gift and the sentiment behind it.

I will of course be visiting Bentley again and have gone on to recommend them to all my friends and family. I will also be returning to the store when the album is complete, as the staff asked if they might see the pictures. (And yes, a photo or two may feature Bentley luggage!)

If there is any means of using this store as a training ground for excellence, or of tangibly recognizing their work, I encourage you to do so. They deserve it!

Thank you Bentley, for a job well done.

Regards,

Mr. & Mrs. Dragon

[jayhawk]

Oh, White Dragon!  That was so kind of you and made my eyes start leaking!  What great service and how sweet of you to recognize it.  We want to see your Scotland pics, too, by the way.

[JenJay]

Texas Roadhouse!

The other night DH and I had a craving for a good steak (as opposed to taking our chances grilling some at home  ) so we went to TR. We'd been there once before and I had the best filet mignon of my life so we decided to go back. We order 9oz filets, medium, and DD orders a sirloin, medium. When the food comes out I noticed that my "filet" was only about an inch thick and oblong, in fact it looked much like DD's steak. DH's is the same and it's cooked to medium-well. He flags down our server and explains, she sends over the manager.

While all this is going on the kids are eating. There's a slight delay while we wait on the manager so by the time she comes over the kids are 3/4 finished. She agrees that the cuts we got are not filets. I've been eating on my steak, DH's is basically untouched. She offers to put two new orders in for us but we explain that the kids are nearly done and we really don't have time to wait. We ask that she remove DH's steak from the bill and correct mine to reflect a sirloin. She insists on removing both dinners from the bill, even though DH and I have shared mine, which really impressed me. We make some jokes about how, somewhere in the restaurant, another couple is raving that they've been served the thickest, juiciest sirloins of their life, and she leaves.

Here's the kicker - when the waitress brings our check the manager is with her. She sets a to-go box down, saying "I know you turned me down on this, but I just couldn't let you go home without your filet. I put the order in as soon as I left your table and asked (the waitress) to try to stall bringing you the check." She apologized again, we thanked her again, and we look at the bill - still no charge! The over cooked sirloin I expected removed, but she didn't charge us for the one I was served (and split with DH) or the filet she sent home with us! We tore into that baby as soon as we got home and it was excellent - at least two inches thick, perfectly seasoned, medium pushing med-rare. They even included an extra cup of chili as a side!

No contest where I'm going next time I want a filet!!

[CakeBeret]

Texas Roadhouse is my favorite too, Jen Jay. I've been to gourmet steakhouses where steaks are $50 and up, and Texas Roadhouse still cooks a better steak.

[mmswm]

I used to enjoy Texas Roadhouse, but the location in Fargo, ND really turned me off to the entire chain.  I should give them another chance, but my experiences in Fargo make me too mad to enjoy a meal every time I even *think* about that place.

[demarco]

I wanted to see  The Hunger Games as soon as it opened because there was so much buzz about it.  As it happened, opening week coincided with spring break in the local public schools and I thought there might be a huge crowd going to see it, even for the matinee.  So, when I went to buy a ticket, I asked the cashier whether she had sold a lot of tickets for that showing because I wanted to avoid a crowd.  The cashier told me that she hadn't sold very many tickets yet but if I bought a ticket and the theater got  too crowded I could leave and they would give me a pass that I could could use to see the movie at another time.  She told me that that was their policy.   

This is always my theater of choice anyway because it is the closest to my house but I certainly appreciate knowing they have this policy.  I also appreciate this theater because they will throw someone out if he or she makes too much noise.   I've seen them do it. 

 

[Elisabunny]

We've been having electrical problems lately, that culminated in the electrical portion of our furnace getting fried.  The company we tried (that can do both furnace and electric) were able to come by the same day I called them-a Monday, no less!  Their worker then showed up again the next day just when he said and got the whole system fixed within a few hours.  To top it all off, he discovered that a $350+ part that he and we thought was blown, was fine and didn't need replacing. 

So, an honest company that can come on short notice when they have said they would, and works  efficiently.  Yep, we'll use them again.

[stkatie00]

Red Robin for a meal...

I went there for the first time yesterday. I usually carefully avoid chains (ethnic 'hole in the wall' places are my favorite), and Red Robin is a very casual chain (about on a level with Denny's or IHOP) which usually I'd avoid entirely, but I had to try the "ghost pepper" burger.

I'm old and use a walker, and I tend to eat alone, and I know I don't look like any server's idea of a lucrative tipper, but they fell all overthemselves greeting me and making me comfortable, and making sure I got the most out of a menu I'd never seen before, and got out within my time limit. That server got a 30% tip on my small check, and everyone else got a heartfelt "thank you, I will definitely be back" from me.

There are better choices than the "ghost pepper burger" (it seems like a pointless novelty) but there are other choices I'll have to try, and the onion rings are wonderful, and who can argue with unlimited well-cooked steak fries?

They do have wonderful service.  A couple of winters ago I was really having trouble with my leg and couldn't get enough leverage with my cane to get up out of the booth.  The seat was just so soft that I couldn't get my legs under me.  A busser came over and helped me get up.  Didn't make a big deal of it.  I put a $10 bill in his hand. 

Unfortunately, that location closed recently.

I love RR for their service, too! Back when I was still going to my new moms group (run by the hospital I delivered the twins at), we would usually go out to lunch afterwards. It was a bit of a logistical nightmare-anywhere between 6-10 (or more) moms, plus kids, although I was the only one with twins. The local RR would open up a section just for us so we would have room for all our strollers, and they were always right on the money with our orders, no problem doing separate checks, and just generally going out of their way to make sure we had a great dining experience!

[jayhawk]

Texas Roadhouse!

The other night DH and I had a craving for a good steak (as opposed to taking our chances grilling some at home  ) so we went to TR. We'd been there once before and I had the best filet mignon of my life so we decided to go back. We order 9oz filets, medium, and DD orders a sirloin, medium. When the food comes out I noticed that my "filet" was only about an inch thick and oblong, in fact it looked much like DD's steak. DH's is the same and it's cooked to medium-well. He flags down our server and explains, she sends over the manager.

While all this is going on the kids are eating. There's a slight delay while we wait on the manager so by the time she comes over the kids are 3/4 finished. She agrees that the cuts we got are not filets. I've been eating on my steak, DH's is basically untouched. She offers to put two new orders in for us but we explain that the kids are nearly done and we really don't have time to wait. We ask that she remove DH's steak from the bill and correct mine to reflect a sirloin. She insists on removing both dinners from the bill, even though DH and I have shared mine, which really impressed me. We make some jokes about how, somewhere in the restaurant, another couple is raving that they've been served the thickest, juiciest sirloins of their life, and she leaves.

Here's the kicker - when the waitress brings our check the manager is with her. She sets a to-go box down, saying "I know you turned me down on this, but I just couldn't let you go home without your filet. I put the order in as soon as I left your table and asked (the waitress) to try to stall bringing you the check." She apologized again, we thanked her again, and we look at the bill - still no charge! The over cooked sirloin I expected removed, but she didn't charge us for the one I was served (and split with DH) or the filet she sent home with us! We tore into that baby as soon as we got home and it was excellent - at least two inches thick, perfectly seasoned, medium pushing med-rare. They even included an extra cup of chili as a side!

No contest where I'm going next time I want a filet!!

We've enjoyed similar service at Outback.  We eat there fairly often because my husband earns money on a debit card for selling certain brands thorugh his job.  One of the places we can use the debit card is Outback.  One Sunday evening, we went to OB - apparently it had been slow earlier in the evening and they had let some employees go home, but it had then picked up.  DH and I both ordered a special meal deal they had (soup or salad, entree and dessert, IIRC). Service was slow due to a poorly-staffed kitchen and one of us had to have a substitution made on the soup because they were out. No big deal, we weren't in a hurry and these things happen. The manager came by and apologized and explained.  All is ok.  However, when the entrees came, they were out of the potato my husband had wanted and the kitchen had just substituted something else.  My DH didn't really say anything negative, but the server could tell he was a bit perturbed and disappointed (no garlic mashed! )  Next thing we know, the manager comes back.  He ends up comping our entire meal (for 4 of us, except the alcohol, probably due to a local law) AND gives us 2 $40 gift certificates for later visits!!  We did tip the waitress on the value of the entire meal.

I think that he appreciated that we were didn't throw a hissy fit at the waitress and try to be the type of customers restaurants want to have.

[JenJay]

We did tip the waitress on the value of the entire meal.

Yes, definitely! We usually try to tip well anyway and we certainly wanted it to reflect how happy we were that night! When the check came DH quickly figured up what it would have been, had we been billed for the 2 filets, and tipped 20% on that. 

[Softly Spoken]

This is not a chain store, but after today it is the only place I plan to go for clothes shopping. Any other plus-sized eHellions in the Seattle, WA area owe it to themselves to go there at least once. 
Two Big Blondes is a plus size consignment shop. I had been planning to check it out for a long time but I finally went today because money is tight and they were having a sale. I was worried it would be a nightmare but the employees made it an absolute dream. Everyone who works there wears the merchandise, and some even told me about contributing to the inventory from their own wardrobes. Since it is a consignment store it is a treasure hunt - you flip through 10 items on the rack going: "meh - nice but not my color - cute but wrong size - ugly - too slutty - okay but not really my style - too casual - CRUD MONKEYS! SO CUTE - too grandma - okay worth a shot"  But the best thing is, you should never find yourself saying "too expensive."

I was looking for black leggings (its cold and I need to layer). I was directed to the senior employee who "knows where everything is" She found a pair for me and coaxed me to try it them even though I thought they would be too small. They fit, but I noticed the inseam was threatening to unravel into a hole, which I was sure I would encourage since it was a snug fit. When I told the saleslady why I didn't want them - she gave them to me for free! 

When I used to (notice I say used to) shop at Lane Bryant, I would leave feeling frustrated because of their selection, size choices, and prices. Even though 2BBs is hit and miss, the sheer volume guarantees everyone should be able to find something. They carry lots of 24-30, which a lot of chain plus stores don't - I am a tricky fit (18/20 shirt but 26/28 pants cause of my hips , plus I'm on the short end of petite) so I am one of those people who wants to try things on in a store, not catalog order. At a regular store I am lucky to walk out with four items for under $100. Today I came home with twenty pieces of clothing. I got a beautiful, flattering dress for $20 (if they hadn't been having a sale, I would have paid the original $40 and still not felt ripped off). They had everything! It was random but it was all there! Actually, the luck factor based on the randomness of clothing that comes through the store makes you feel like you've won the lottery every time you find something you like.

All the employees were so helpful. They all understand that being plus size and trying to shop for clothes usually sucks. I also loved the overall vibe - how all the customers were so patient and courteous with each other. No one was rude, everyone was just so happy to find fashionable, affordable clothes that fit! Sisterhood! 
I can't wait to bring some of my purged wardrobe to sell at this store. It's not just for the money, which I'll probably turn around and use to buy different clothes from the shop anyway.  More importantly, I love the idea that another woman will discover my (too big or too little) clothes and be happy with them. I want my clothes to give another woman as much excitement, joy and satisfaction as the clothes I found today gave me.

*sigh* Okay, I'm done gushing.    

[Wulfie]

Thanks for the tip! I am going to have to check them out!

[jedikaiti]

I do pretty well at Lane Bryant, but around here, that's about the ONLY place I can shop. Please ask 2BB to open a CO location! :-)

[nuit93]

This is not a chain store, but after today it is the only place I plan to go for clothes shopping. Any other plus-sized eHellions in the Seattle, WA area owe it to themselves to go there at least once. 
Two Big Blondes is a plus size consignment shop. I had been planning to check it out for a long time but I finally went today because money is tight and they were having a sale. I was worried it would be a nightmare but the employees made it an absolute dream. Everyone who works there wears the merchandise, and some even told me about contributing to the inventory from their own wardrobes. Since it is a consignment store it is a treasure hunt - you flip through 10 items on the rack going: "meh - nice but not my color - cute but wrong size - ugly - too slutty - okay but not really my style - too casual - CRUD MONKEYS! SO CUTE - too grandma - okay worth a shot"  But the best thing is, you should never find yourself saying "too expensive."

I was looking for black leggings (its cold and I need to layer). I was directed to the senior employee who "knows where everything is" She found a pair for me and coaxed me to try it them even though I thought they would be too small. They fit, but I noticed the inseam was threatening to unravel into a hole, which I was sure I would encourage since it was a snug fit. When I told the saleslady why I didn't want them - she gave them to me for free! 

When I used to (notice I say used to) shop at Lane Bryant, I would leave feeling frustrated because of their selection, size choices, and prices. Even though 2BBs is hit and miss, the sheer volume guarantees everyone should be able to find something. They carry lots of 24-30, which a lot of chain plus stores don't - I am a tricky fit (18/20 shirt but 26/28 pants cause of my hips , plus I'm on the short end of petite) so I am one of those people who wants to try things on in a store, not catalog order. At a regular store I am lucky to walk out with four items for under $100. Today I came home with twenty pieces of clothing. I got a beautiful, flattering dress for $20 (if they hadn't been having a sale, I would have paid the original $40 and still not felt ripped off). They had everything! It was random but it was all there! Actually, the luck factor based on the randomness of clothing that comes through the store makes you feel like you've won the lottery every time you find something you like.

All the employees were so helpful. They all understand that being plus size and trying to shop for clothes usually sucks. I also loved the overall vibe - how all the customers were so patient and courteous with each other. No one was rude, everyone was just so happy to find fashionable, affordable clothes that fit! Sisterhood! 
I can't wait to bring some of my purged wardrobe to sell at this store. It's not just for the money, which I'll probably turn around and use to buy different clothes from the shop anyway.  More importantly, I love the idea that another woman will discover my (too big or too little) clothes and be happy with them. I want my clothes to give another woman as much excitement, joy and satisfaction as the clothes I found today gave me.

*sigh* Okay, I'm done gushing.    

Ohhh, I love TBB!  Great store, great stuff...awesome sales!

There's another plus-size consignment store in Redmond if you make it to that side of the water.