Don't Worry -- Be Harry
I’m shunning the nazi druggist here in Hoohooville. That’s my singular quest that began some two months ago. One crisp night this drained-looking professional stood behind his locked doors at five minutes until the closing hour, dressed in his clean white smock while pointing to his expensive gold watch , mouthing his words slowly, “We are closed”.
I yelled back through the glass that it’s five till, and I need that damn prescription tonight -- the one I called in thirty minutes ago, but then I stopped there before I added pinhead.
He stared blankly back at me. I needed an explanation, apparently. Our computer’s are shut down, was all the information I got from the man.
I tell you what. I’ll drive to the next town where they have real drugstores that stay open all night, and you can forget my business from here on out. At that point, I declined to add pinhead. There was no sense in making the nice gentleman mad by insulting him, plus I was tired and shivering. So I left there for another adventurous journey.
Last week, this whole thing came up again. Of course the timing was bad all around, being the end of the holidays. I thought I gave the wife a four-day heads-up by telling her about my needs, but that turned out to be useless. I tire of debating the issue with her, so I relented. The woman loves to go shopping, plus she likes to give Hoohooville her business, I suppose.
So would I, but I have a whole different idea on how to do that.
In any case, she later returns with the item and some good news, she calls it.
“They didn’t make me pay; they let me charge it.”
She looks so happy.
For now, I must retreat to the back of my cave, vowing to continue my quest.
posted by Harry | 8:00 AM
10 Comments:
Strange how we stumble upon the same solutions to common problems. Years ago I was swindled out of a fiver by a Woolworths teller who swore blind that I'd given a five pound note and not a tenner. From that moment I have never used Woolworths again. There must be some sort of moral in the fact that Woolworths no longer operate in the states whereas they continue in the UK. Has my withdrawal of business caused the failure of the firm in America or, conversely, has it ensured its survival in Britain? It is a most perplexing question...
What's with the tiny font, by the way, Way?
And a noble quest it is, Harry.
Fight the good fight.
Just more control gone, Gone.
Well done Harry. As one who is personally adamant about customer service, I have gone well out of my way a time or two to avoid such places. As the old saying goes, "when you're the only shop in town, you make your own rules."
I tend not to give my business to anyone who has really stupid or boring or insulting advertising.
What is advertising but a means of fixing the product name in the potential customer's head? In which case, be the advert irritating, infuriating, nagging or just annoying, if it succeeds in getting the name into your memory it's done its job.
I understand. After several frustrating attempts to pick up prescriptions from Walgreens, I gave up and moved all of my accounts to a different drug store...a block farther away but oh so much better. As consumers, we can make choices that will -- eventually -- impact businesses. I also wrote the local store manager at Walgreens as well as the corporate offices with details about why I left. (Harvie)
The art of customer service has been lost in the last 20 years. If we are lucky, the clerk will pause in her conversation with her boyfriend long enough to pass our items over the scanner.
In my dimly remembered childhood, not only would the clerk not be on the phone, she would actually chat with the customers-- a quick word or two if others were waiting, or an actual conversation, if there weren't.
Ah, I miss those days.
That's one thing I like about Hoohooville; most every place of commerce here still does that, Hannah. And by the comments above (with heaps of thanks to all), no one cares to be treated as unimportant. Any businessman worth his salt still knows this, too.
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