Was really bothered (and surprised) by unfriendly boutique staff

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brett8x6

brett8x6

Member
Sep 8, 2019
79
270
#1
I want to start out by saying I don't want to offend anyone, it's not a rant, and it's not anything against Coach as a company because I consider Coach to be my home. It was just unexpected at a time when malls and department stores are closing right and left. I bought my first Cassie today and the boutique CSA that assisted me was terrific, but the other CSA in the store, OMG, I don't know if she was uncomfortable with a man wanting to buy a purse for personal use or what because she glared at me the entire time, I mean "daggers" glaring, every time I looked away she'd still be giving me a cold dead stare when my gaze shifted back in her direction, I could see it in my peripheral vision, and this really surprised me for a Coach store at a high end mall, albeit a suburban one. And just in case some of you are wondering, I'm pretty much a normal acting guy, yes I play for the other team, but I don't set off sprinkler systems. I wasn't doing anything shocking except modeling a couple of bags in the mirror to see how they blended with what I was wearing.

Now this wouldn't be the first time for such an experience, as a man into handbags I could write volumes on the various interactions with clerks and even other customers that I've had over the years, but I didn't really expect this from Coach. Initially I wasn't even really bothered by it, I was too excited to finally be getting my Cassie. But the more I thought about it today the more it hurt my feelings. I didn't get thrown out. I was dressed appropriately. This wasn't Vivian from Pretty Woman, but I kind of understand how she felt from the overall snootiness of Rodeo Drive. And if I hadn't been making a purchase for something I really really wanted, I would have surely left on my own.

I realize I wasn't spending thousands of dollars or even something from the $400+ category, but collectively I have spent a lot of money on their products. More importantly, purchasing from a boutique is a very special experience for many of us. Why ruin it for us? Not all of us can buy a new bag every season. Many people have to save for months on a bag and hope it's still around once they finally have the funds. Then there's the excitement of the shopping day itself, we mark it on the calendar, we take off work, we look forward to it for weeks. I'm lucky that there are several in my backyard (this was the closest), but I know a couple people that have to drive for hours to get to one.

Maybe she was just having a bad day, but hey, I've worked in retail, even on your worst days you paste on your fake smile that you long ago mastered. You have to or you'll be sent home which is what they should have done to her. I absolutely love online shopping and ordering from Coach.com is just as special, even more so because my anticipation builds as I await the Fedex delivery. More than likely I'll be returning to it.

Maybe I just needed a hug!

Edit: spelling
 
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#5
brett8x6 said:
I want to start out by saying I don't want to offend anyone, it's not a rant, and it's not anything against Coach as a company because I consider Coach to be my home. It was just unexpected at a time when malls and department stores are closing right and left. I bought my first Cassie today and the boutique CSA that assisted me was terrific, but the other CSA in the store, OMG, I don't know if she was uncomfortable with a man wanting to buy a purse for personal use or what because she glared at me the entire time, I mean "daggers" glaring, every time I looked away she'd still be giving me a cold dead stare when my gaze shifted back in her direction, I could see it in my peripheral vision, and this really surprised me for a Coach store at a high end mall, albeit a suburban one. And just in case some of you are wondering, I'm pretty much a normal acting guy, yes I play for the other team, but I don't set off sprinkler systems. I wasn't doing anything shocking except modeling a couple of bags in the mirror to see how they blended with what I was wearing. But even if I was a bit more o

Now this wouldn't be the first time for such an experience, as a man into handbags I could write volumes on the various interactions with clerks and even other customers that I've had over the years, but I didn't really expect this from Coach. Initially I wasn't even really bothered by it, I was too excited to finally be getting my Cassie. But the more I thought about it today the more it hurt my feelings. I didn't get thrown out. I was dressed appropriately. This wasn't Vivian from Pretty Woman, but I kind of understand how she felt from the overall snootiness of Rodeo Drive. And if I hadn't been making a purchase for something I really really wanted, I would have surely left on my own.

I realize I wasn't spending thousands of dollars or even something from the $400+ category, but collectively I have spent a lot of money on their products. More importantly, purchasing from a boutique is a very special experience for many of us. Why ruin it for us? Not all of us can buy a new bag every season. Many people have to save for months on a bag and hope it's still around once they finally have the funds. Then there's the excitement of the shopping day itself, we mark it on the calendar, we take off work, we look forward to it for weeks. I'm lucky that there are several in my backyard (this was the closest), but I know a couple people that have to drive for hours to get to one.

Maybe she was just having a bad day, but hey, I've worked in retail, even on your worst days you paste on your fake smile that you long ago mastered. You have to or you'll be sent home which is what they should have done to her. I absolutely love online shopping and ordering from Coach.com is just as special, even more so because my anticipation builds as I await the Fedex delivery. More than likely I'll be returning to it.

Maybe I just needed a hug!

Edit: spelling
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to hear that you had a negative experience. I am a guy but I've never experienced that. Instead, often I find that sales associates are trying to sell me things that may not actually look good on me. I buy a mix of men's items and some items that are for women but look quite unisex. There have been times when I wanted to buy something but I was a bit apprehensive because it may look a bit "feminine" on me, and the sales associates keep reassuring me that it doesn't. I swear that they would even say that a heart-shaped glittery evening clutch would look good on me, which I know is not true.

That being said, the sales associate in your case never actually communicated why she was glaring at you. It may be best to leave it at that, and not make assumptions of why she did that. We cannot read other people's minds, and when we attempt to, we may feel hurt based on what conclusions we draw. For instance, if we think that it is because she is judging guys who buy purses, then we may feel hurt from the disapproval.

Choose instead to think that we won't truly know why she was glaring. Then we won't feel hurt in the process.

Even if she was glaring because she disapproved, we can choose to ignore her. Not everyone will approve our decisions on a daily basis. People judge others based on everything from how they dress to how they talk. How tiring it would be to please everyone, and what an impossible feat that would be!

You should enjoy your new bag. After all, you bought it because you like it, and isn't that what matters most in the end with our purchases?
 
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#8
Sorry to hear of your unpleasant experience! Enjoy your new Cassie!! I have hardly put mine down since I bought it!
brett8x6 said:
I want to start out by saying I don't want to offend anyone, it's not a rant, and it's not anything against Coach as a company because I consider Coach to be my home. It was just unexpected at a time when malls and department stores are closing right and left. I bought my first Cassie today and the boutique CSA that assisted me was terrific, but the other CSA in the store, OMG, I don't know if she was uncomfortable with a man wanting to buy a purse for personal use or what because she glared at me the entire time, I mean "daggers" glaring, every time I looked away she'd still be giving me a cold dead stare when my gaze shifted back in her direction, I could see it in my peripheral vision, and this really surprised me for a Coach store at a high end mall, albeit a suburban one. And just in case some of you are wondering, I'm pretty much a normal acting guy, yes I play for the other team, but I don't set off sprinkler systems. I wasn't doing anything shocking except modeling a couple of bags in the mirror to see how they blended with what I was wearing.

Now this wouldn't be the first time for such an experience, as a man into handbags I could write volumes on the various interactions with clerks and even other customers that I've had over the years, but I didn't really expect this from Coach. Initially I wasn't even really bothered by it, I was too excited to finally be getting my Cassie. But the more I thought about it today the more it hurt my feelings. I didn't get thrown out. I was dressed appropriately. This wasn't Vivian from Pretty Woman, but I kind of understand how she felt from the overall snootiness of Rodeo Drive. And if I hadn't been making a purchase for something I really really wanted, I would have surely left on my own.

I realize I wasn't spending thousands of dollars or even something from the $400+ category, but collectively I have spent a lot of money on their products. More importantly, purchasing from a boutique is a very special experience for many of us. Why ruin it for us? Not all of us can buy a new bag every season. Many people have to save for months on a bag and hope it's still around once they finally have the funds. Then there's the excitement of the shopping day itself, we mark it on the calendar, we take off work, we look forward to it for weeks. I'm lucky that there are several in my backyard (this was the closest), but I know a couple people that have to drive for hours to get to one.

Maybe she was just having a bad day, but hey, I've worked in retail, even on your worst days you paste on your fake smile that you long ago mastered. You have to or you'll be sent home which is what they should have done to her. I absolutely love online shopping and ordering from Coach.com is just as special, even more so because my anticipation builds as I await the Fedex delivery. More than likely I'll be returning to it.

Maybe I just needed a hug!

Edit: spelling
Click to expand...
 
#12
brett8x6 said:
I want to start out by saying I don't want to offend anyone, it's not a rant, and it's not anything against Coach as a company because I consider Coach to be my home. It was just unexpected at a time when malls and department stores are closing right and left. I bought my first Cassie today and the boutique CSA that assisted me was terrific, but the other CSA in the store, OMG, I don't know if she was uncomfortable with a man wanting to buy a purse for personal use or what because she glared at me the entire time, I mean "daggers" glaring, every time I looked away she'd still be giving me a cold dead stare when my gaze shifted back in her direction, I could see it in my peripheral vision, and this really surprised me for a Coach store at a high end mall, albeit a suburban one. And just in case some of you are wondering, I'm pretty much a normal acting guy, yes I play for the other team, but I don't set off sprinkler systems. I wasn't doing anything shocking except modeling a couple of bags in the mirror to see how they blended with what I was wearing.

Now this wouldn't be the first time for such an experience, as a man into handbags I could write volumes on the various interactions with clerks and even other customers that I've had over the years, but I didn't really expect this from Coach. Initially I wasn't even really bothered by it, I was too excited to finally be getting my Cassie. But the more I thought about it today the more it hurt my feelings. I didn't get thrown out. I was dressed appropriately. This wasn't Vivian from Pretty Woman, but I kind of understand how she felt from the overall snootiness of Rodeo Drive. And if I hadn't been making a purchase for something I really really wanted, I would have surely left on my own.

I realize I wasn't spending thousands of dollars or even something from the $400+ category, but collectively I have spent a lot of money on their products. More importantly, purchasing from a boutique is a very special experience for many of us. Why ruin it for us? Not all of us can buy a new bag every season. Many people have to save for months on a bag and hope it's still around once they finally have the funds. Then there's the excitement of the shopping day itself, we mark it on the calendar, we take off work, we look forward to it for weeks. I'm lucky that there are several in my backyard (this was the closest), but I know a couple people that have to drive for hours to get to one.

Maybe she was just having a bad day, but hey, I've worked in retail, even on your worst days you paste on your fake smile that you long ago mastered. You have to or you'll be sent home which is what they should have done to her. I absolutely love online shopping and ordering from Coach.com is just as special, even more so because my anticipation builds as I await the Fedex delivery. More than likely I'll be returning to it.

Maybe I just needed a hug!

Edit: spelling
Click to expand...

It shouldn’t matter if you spend nothing or thousands. It shouldn’t matter if you just go in and browse. It shouldn’t matter if you’re a faithful customer or not. What matters is this lady has a serious bad attitude, and in retail that is unacceptable. I’d complain if I were you. Don’t phone the store, phone corporate. I’m so sorry you had to deal with that. I’m sorry your special day was spoiled by a bigot. Hugs to you.
 
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#13
I have to agree with @coachlover1000. I know you requested nobody respond to this thread and I'm sorry to dredge it back up, but I have to say, it negatively affected your buying experience to the point where you were thinking about it long after the sale itself. I think that store management for that particular boutique deserves to know about it so that they can speak to their CSAs about how their attitudes and nonverbal behavior affects customers. There were plenty of other tasks that CSA could have occupied herself with but she instead chose to stare you down while you were making a purchase... why? It's a good teaching opportunity for management and they would likely be grateful for the feedback. How many other customers may have actually bought something but that particular CSA gave off a strongly negative vibe and ruined their experience to the point where they left without buying anything -- and may never come back?

I just ask this on behalf of all of those of us who are intimidated to even walk into the store in the first place, because we may not be dressed well enough or give off a posh vibe or what-have-you, regardless of how many Coach items we already own (can't wear 'em all into the store!). My tipping point is much lower than the norm for this sort of thing but that could be because my tolerance level for bad attitudes from others has dropped sharply with age! Very glad you are happy with your bag and your CSA was excellent, though.
 
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