the_economist
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- Nov 22, 2008
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So a few days ago I was in San Francisco on an informal outing with my wife for the day. She wanted to spend some time looking in a big fabric store, and I had a couple of hours to kill in the Union Square area, so armed with my newfound sartorial knowledge (but no money and dressed in jeans, Chucks, and a sweater over a t-shirt--typical for me in grad school, but I'm working on assembling a professional wardrobe as I'm preparing to interview for jobs next month), I headed straight for Neiman Marcus and the like, fully expecting to be ignored by the SAs, but hoping that I wouldn't encounter any outright rudeness.
Overall, it went as expected--I was mostly ignored, which is annoying, but hard not to understand given that any assumptions they might have made about me were almost certainly true. I fully intended to purchase the right dress shirt(s) and a tie or two if I found the right deal (and at Saks I came close, and the SA was very helpful), but a few times I had to outright admit when I was offered a $350 shirt that fit my description that it was way out of my price range.
One occasion though, I'll never forget. I walked into an exclusive boutique, a place I knew I couldn't afford a thing they had, but I had to go in and admire the wares that I had seen discussed here. I had a short conversation with the SA, who was quite nice, but I'm sure realized in short order that she wasn't going to make a sale with me. I admitted that I had a lot to buy and I couldn't start there but I still loved what they had, and she made the case for a timeless wardrobe of a few nice things rather than a lot of junk. I spotted a bowl of silk knots on the table, and I grabbed a pair, which I had been looking for, but I didn't ask about the price until later. When I remembered to ask, she said they were $15. I tried to get out of it without looking like a jackass, but I knew I couldn't drop 15 bucks on something I could pick up for $3 elsewhere. Chump change if you're buying their shirts, but I couldn't do it.
I browsed a bit more, and a few minutes later I walked out as she was helping an obviously well-heeled customer. As I left I turned back and gave her a smile and a wave. I don't know what it was; I must have either been quite credible as a future customer, or perhaps she was sympathetic to a nice guy that respected them and their time (maybe you get tired of rich guys that look down on you and poor guys that waste your time?), but as I was walking down the street, maybe half a block away, I hear her running to catch up with me. "Sir! I wanted to catch you before you got away!" she says. She holds out her hand and gives me a little bag with the cufflinks I had declined to buy. "Merry Christmas," she says, and turns around and headed back to the store.
I hope you all have a similarly pleasant encounter this season, but alas, I know these are few and far between, so I thought I'd share the goodwill.
Overall, it went as expected--I was mostly ignored, which is annoying, but hard not to understand given that any assumptions they might have made about me were almost certainly true. I fully intended to purchase the right dress shirt(s) and a tie or two if I found the right deal (and at Saks I came close, and the SA was very helpful), but a few times I had to outright admit when I was offered a $350 shirt that fit my description that it was way out of my price range.
One occasion though, I'll never forget. I walked into an exclusive boutique, a place I knew I couldn't afford a thing they had, but I had to go in and admire the wares that I had seen discussed here. I had a short conversation with the SA, who was quite nice, but I'm sure realized in short order that she wasn't going to make a sale with me. I admitted that I had a lot to buy and I couldn't start there but I still loved what they had, and she made the case for a timeless wardrobe of a few nice things rather than a lot of junk. I spotted a bowl of silk knots on the table, and I grabbed a pair, which I had been looking for, but I didn't ask about the price until later. When I remembered to ask, she said they were $15. I tried to get out of it without looking like a jackass, but I knew I couldn't drop 15 bucks on something I could pick up for $3 elsewhere. Chump change if you're buying their shirts, but I couldn't do it.
I browsed a bit more, and a few minutes later I walked out as she was helping an obviously well-heeled customer. As I left I turned back and gave her a smile and a wave. I don't know what it was; I must have either been quite credible as a future customer, or perhaps she was sympathetic to a nice guy that respected them and their time (maybe you get tired of rich guys that look down on you and poor guys that waste your time?), but as I was walking down the street, maybe half a block away, I hear her running to catch up with me. "Sir! I wanted to catch you before you got away!" she says. She holds out her hand and gives me a little bag with the cufflinks I had declined to buy. "Merry Christmas," she says, and turns around and headed back to the store.
I hope you all have a similarly pleasant encounter this season, but alas, I know these are few and far between, so I thought I'd share the goodwill.
