friendlygoz
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In contrast, when I stopped by John Lobb Paris store the salesman and I talked for an hour about our love of dress shoes. I showed him pictures from my collection. He knew all about the quality of vintage Florsheims. I was wearing my Hartt tassel loafers. He had me take them off so he could inspect, and he was impressed with the quality. Then we talked about Lobb 's bespoke process for about 30 mins. He was passionate about the craft and eager to share his knowledge. Why can't they all be like him?!Not that I need to push this issue further, I was once at a Louis Vuitton store with an old flame. She didn't become Mrs. SFC.
As she shopped for bags, I was checking out their shoes. They were all north of $900. I asked a SA if any of them were GYW. He had a blank stare. He dutifully spoke to his colleagues. Finally a manager intervened and indicated they sell high end well made shoes. I showed them price points of John Lobb, Edward Greens, and Alden.
None of them had ever heard of those brands, let alone know what GYW was.
My dad used to tell me that at the Florsheim store in Hong Kong, the SA were dedicated professionals who knew their products inside and out. They even once called a US store to locate a specific size and style not available in Asia. They had it shipped to HK at costs. The store also had a complimentary shining service and repair shop.
The stockist that sold Dacks was likely the most impressive. He would discuss the latest NHL scores and his favourite Canadian beer brands. In the days without the internet. He actually had to research and experience the things he had knowledge about.
The days of those types of SA are swept into the crevices of history along with our favourite brands.