2005-07-10 - 6:01 a.m.
People can be incredibly, unexpectedly nice. A couple months ago I went to the Brooks Brothers at the Providence Place mall here to get a new suit. I had originally intended to have it for job interviews. But I mentioned the suit to my dad and he offered to buy it, which meant it got delayed until well after I�d decided to do my own business. (I used other suits, some from my old work, for interviews I had in the meantime.)
I went to the mall with my parents when they were visiting and walked into the store with considerable difficulty. I�ve since learned that the mall � and I�m an embarrassingly big fan of Rouse-developed (the pioneering company was recently acquired by General Growth) retail properties like this one � has complimentary wheelchairs for loan, but I wasn�t yet psychologically ready to use a chair at the time. I went to the back to be fitted.
Sally and another salesperson helped me out. She saw I was obviously having a hard time getting around and let me lean on her to stand up for my fitting. I guess I shifted around so much, it was basically like we were dancing. At the end she noted that, while they had my measurements now, the tailor wasn�t in that day and I might have to come back in when he was. I sighed and said I understood. I asked her to please call me if I did indeed need to hobble back.
She called a few days later. They�d be having a sale soon, if I could wait for my suit. But she�d thought about how I�d had a hard time going there and felt it was unnecessary for me to come in again. She�d bring the tailor to me. She�d drive to my place with him on her lunch hour. I was in shock. How cool is that? Now that�s customer service for you. Yeah, I realized (and maybe her too), I�m a gimp and I�m also buying a suit from Brooks. These things are not mutually exclusive.
Sally came with the tailor, an older Portuguese guy who insisted I�d been at his other store in Attleboro. He measured me again to his satisfaction. He even took my favorite shirt (a light green one by �Yorn� which I bought at KDV in Berlin and will never find a replacement for) to trim the cuffs, frayed from when I did a face-plant in it years ago. I thanked her profusely for doing this. She said it was really no big deal and she�d hope someone would do the same if she were in my situation.
She dropped off the finished suit the next week. Although I took her boss� name with the intention of writing a thank you note, I didn�t actually do so (lame, I know; I�ll rectify this now). It was quite nice, a simple, tasteful grey suit that would last me for years. Of course, the first time I wore it, I randomly almost choked to death and the hospital hacked it off me into tatters (I still don�t really think this was necessary, but again, it beats being dead). I had to call Brooks, embarrassedly explain what happened, and ask for a new one.
They delivered it Friday. Same size, same color, same everything. Feh. (I had to pay for it again, of course.) The folks who delivered it, in fact everyone at Brooks Brothers, called me �Geoffrey�, despite my introducing myself as Geoff to everyone I met. I wondered why, as I find this a bit patronizing and felt I was paying enough to be treated with at least pretend respect. Then I realized that my dad, who beat me to the sales counter on that first store visit, must have introduced me as Geoffrey, as he usually refers to me. That must have gone down in their customer record book. �Geoffrey � dark hair, glasses, MS. Almost choked � get second suit!� Ah well. Not their fault.
So please patronize Brooks Brothers. They treated me so nice. Get something for yourself or something for your boyfriend. (Or both, if you can.) Amazing customer service and you won�t go out of style for years. And if you�re in the Providence Place mall, stop in and give props to Sally. She�s so cool.
� 2005 Geoff Gladstone
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