PSA for sales clerks

Acknowledging a costumer's existence can increase your sales.

Will you forgive me a mini-rant? I hope so, because I'm going to do it anyway. Customer service SUCKS in this town (maybe everywhere). Latest example:

Last night I went to Belks to look at shoes. Now, I'm not even sure they carry much in my size but I thought I'd try, since they are now the biggest bestest department store in town (Sears' shoe dept is very small; Penny's hardly carries anything in my size and was a sucky dept with rude service last time I looked, about 8 years ago.) So I look around a few minutes and start picking up shoes. One associate passes as he's putting shoes back in the displays, I think he said "hi". I end up with 4 shoes in my hand that I want to try on and want to ask if s/he can bring out anything similar in my size. (I know it's asking a lot of a clerk to have some idea of their stock but hey, why not try?) I stood about 4 feet back and to the side of the register counter and a couple of feet from a row of chairs, facing the register, attempting to make eye contact with a sales clerk. One is ringing up a sale, one put up a couple of shoes on the other half of the dept but mostly stood at the contour, the other two are putting shoes up, straightening up, etc. One of them looks at me, no eye contact, walks on, offers to help another customer, puts the shoe(s) where they belong, and returns to the counter. I stood there for several minutes in total. I put the shoes in a chair and said, mostly to myself, 'if they don't want to sell me shoes, fine I don't need buy shoes,' and leave the store. BTW, this was at approximately 5:15 (no where near closing time) and there were six-eight people in the non-"selfserve" part of the dept, only one of whom was actually trying on shoes while I was there. (Clearance shoes are stacked on tables.)

Maybe I've missed a change in how one suppose to get a shoe department associate's attention? Am I now suppose to walk into the stock room myself? Hit a clerk over the head with a shoe to get his attention? The stand near counter and/or chairs with shoes in hand has always worked before. Needless to say it will be awhile before I hit up thier shoe department again.

Dress Codes

Chad, over at Uncertain Principles, brought up dress code today. (He was pondering this weighty issue thanks to Steinn and Incoherent Ponderer.) Then he asked his readers about their academic dress code. Well, I'm not an academic but I play one on TV. Just kidding, I work for the state geological survey and the dress of myself and my coworkers varies at least as much as it does for the academics who surround us here on this lovely campus. We have people how wear fairly traditional office attire and people who never wear traditional office attire. Most of us are somewhere in between. And then there are field days.

Officially we are to present ourselves in a neat and professional manner. Actually the only place I can find where anything is actually specifically said about dress is that we are to be "professional and conservative" in appearance when traveling, because we represent both the agency and the State to the people we interact with.

At the office most people dress fairly casually. The State Geologist often wears jeans. The Deputy Director actually dress up more wearing slacks and shirts most days. In the past the Oil & Gas Board (our sister agency, housed in the same building as most of the GSA) employees had to dress up a bit for work because the attitude was that anyone including the Governor might stop by and they had to look "professional", that's relaxed some now that office dress codes have relaxed in general. My office is in the other building, so we almost never get walk-in visitors, making the need to impress the public with our professional nature pretty much non-existent.

Personally, I usually wear jeans but avoid t-shirts; wear sandals whenever possible (with socks in the winter) and kick them off under my desk most of the time; occasionally wear skirts; wear loafers some in the winter and the occasional pair of heels. When I'm presenting at a conference I dress more "professionally" in skirts and heels and such. When we are having a meeting here I will dress slightly better.

In the field I wear what ever will be practical; in the summer that usually means jeans of khakis with a tank top and long sleeved over-shirt (tucked in), pants tucked into my socks, bandanna or hat (depending on amount of shade), tennis shoes or boots depending on the location, and lots of bug spray; in winter it is basically the same out fit except I'm wearing a long sleeved t-shirt under a flannel shirt or wool sweater, plus or minus a jacket.

Something none of the guys touched on was hair. Guys don't have to worry about this as much. Mine hasn't been brushed since I combed it after my shower and probably won't be until I go to bed. I may finger comb it later and put it up. I don't blow dry my hair either, so it is often still wet when I get to the office - deal with it. I don't wear make-up to work because that is five minutes I would rather spend sleeping, besides then I'd have to worry about it all day.

I don't think people should wear lab coats unless they are actually in a lab and concerned about things spattering on them. Otherwise one just looks silly. One can be an uncausally dressed scientist without putting on a lab coat. Although I will not be joining their ranks anytime soon.


For the record, I am uncasually dressed today in a very cute outfit including heels. Although I will probably revert to my Birkenstocks before the day is out.

Feet are NOT the new face.

I think, it was two Fridays ago, when I sat down to watch "What Not to Wear" and got "Fashion Fanatic with Stacy London." I was a bit disappointed but it had some interesting stuff. The episode was all about shoes and handbags. Stacy talked with several shoe designers and went to a shoe factory (I think it was a Ferragamo factory) and made a shoe. Well, actually she cut the upper, sewed the liner, and put a heel on but they couldn't have all be the same shoe because there some glue curing days in between.

There was some good info on why expensive shoes can be better for your feet. (note: Not all expensive shoes are well made but most well made shoe are expensive.) It was depressing to hear the "woman on the street" clips of all these women saying things like "well they make my feet hurt but aren't the fabulous?" It isn't just your feet that are hurt by bad shoes, your knees, hips, and lower back are also. No one needs 4" heels.

Stacy went to an exercise class that is designed to help woman walk properly in high heels, to avoid excess strain on the body. And hopefully make them stop doing that stilted step with the-toe-first-I-don't-know-how-to-balance walk. Girls, they don't make you look sexy if you can't walk in them!

The last bit of the shoe half (or 2/3) of the show was off to a podiatrist. Amongst the cautions about the beginnings of bunions, descriptions of expensive gel-pillow injections to prevent toe joint pain, there was the acid treatment for the souls of one's feet. The acid is just like what's used for an acid peel for ones face, only stronger. It removes callouses from the bottom of your feet and makes them prettier. Yes, apparently feet are the new face.

I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused. I thought callouses formed due to repeated rubbing of the skin, either after repeated blistering or where lesser rubbing occurs but frequently. As in, they serve a purpose - protecting the lower levels of the skin. I, also, thought that part of the reason the bottoms of our feet are rough is to provide traction. That's why our skin is in little ridges on our hands and feet. I've even read horror stories of women who got a little too carried away with the callous remover during a pedicure and slipped in the shower the next day (no serious injuries were reported). So no thank you, I'll keep my tough rough feet if it means I can walk across the floor and not slip. (I can also step on medium sized thorns and not feel it but I go barefoot a lot.)

I'm also not real impressed with a doctor (fairly sure it was a D.P.M. and not an orthopedist, but not positive) who is willing to treat women so that they can wear bad shoes with less pain as much as they want. How about counselling woman to not wear the bad shoes so much? Pain is a warning signal.

My advise to all of you out there looking for shoes:

• If it isn't comfortable when you try it on, it won't be after wearing it for 8 hours.
• If you are going to wear the shoes for very long or very often, buy real leather and don't buy the cheapest shoes; leather lasts longer and will conform to the shape of your foot and you do get what you pay for.
• However, remember that expensive shoes are not always better, sometimes you are paying for the designer's name and not much else.
• If you find a shoe that fits well, remember the brand; shoe makers often use the same last to make all, or many, of their shoes styles. If one fits well, there is a good chance you can order another style and it will fit, too.
• By the same token, if a shoe hurts your foot be wary of buying other shoes by the same maker. And don't wear the painful shoes for long period of time or if you have to stand a lot.
• Last but not least, avoid wearing the same pair of shoes everyday. Shoes last longer if give time to rest (mainly dry out); if you wear the same shoes everyday get two pair they will last more than twice as long.