The other day I found myself at Tyson's Corner, Virginia one more time. I'm not a fan of Tyson's Corner : as a matter of fact I hate going there. I have now for many years avoided it like the plague. But recently for the last couple of years I have lost the fight with Tyson's Corner. I still have not changed my opinion of it, but rather have succumbed to my son's love for it and wanting to spend more time with him. It's either I take him and I spend this brief time with him or I lose this chance. I chose not to lose this time and I feel that as much as the experience makes me shudder and reel from the driving and the parking and sometimes great congestion and jams. Oh well, it's enough to hear the quick " thanks " that I get from my son perhaps three-four-five times during our shopping sprees.
I guess my biggest complaint in these shopping trips is the congestion and all the people and stores everywhere. My second complaint is the being told boldly/blatantly and thoroughly that I need all these things that all these stores are selling. My third complaint is the pricing of all of these things which I find very high and often unnecessary. And fourth my complaint is the merchandising of all of these products that I do not feel I really need, have the place for in my home and also time for to truly enjoy. On this fourth point I must concede that the stores and companies behind them do a masterful job visually and otherwise to entice us to buy one or more of them. My fifth complaint though is that I do not feel that the salespeople really reach out to me and assist me in my quest or questions unless I make the first move myself. Perhaps that is the way that it should be. That might be the correct way to give each of us our distance and respect our personal space and right to shop undisturbed.
I have now been to Tyson's Corner ( Virginia ) with my son perhaps fifteen or more times : I don't count anymore. It seems like a whole lot and I must admit that I am getting used to it. I look along with my son. We don't shop side by side, I usually linger behind him and look at those items that may be of interest for me. Now we go more often for the clothing and that involves a number of stores like American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Ruehl, the Gap, Banana Republic, and more. We originally started going there together because of my son's love of everything Apple and Steve Jobs. I became more and more indoctrinated with both of those and the clothes and clothing stores followed soon after.
I remember my first couple of visits to American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Hollister. It was really difficult. I certainly did not like the dark in both Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister. I also did not like the perfume and the packaging and total concept. Most of all I did not like the idea of having the logos plastered prominently somewhere on the product and having to pay what I considered exorbitant prices to wear a symbol of an eagle or a seagull or a moose is it? I get confused : the logos look a bit alike sometimes to me. I also did not like that these logos were often enlarged and took up quite a bit of space on a piece of clothing so that the wearer became not much more that a walking billboard for these names. And finally I did not like the fact that much of the clothing was torn and ruffled and faded as if they had already been aged/loved/worn to become this state from usual wear-and-tear. Here you did not have to have loved your clothes to bring them to this state : there was no involvement from the buyer because today they would already come as if they had earned these tears and stains and threads and holes. I really hated this : the lack of effort and commitment from the buyer. They would not earn these marks and worn clothes looks : money was enough to simply buy them to look as if they had already been worn and loved and aged over time. This all struck me as a very false premise and a false image. It said that money would take care of stepping past the normal steps necessary to arrive at these states. Dishonest, misleading and too easy. What ; pay more money for what looked for all intents and purposes as used / hand-me-down clothing?!? What lunacy. I admit these are simply my opinions. My son does not share them and cannot understand where I am coming from on these points. That's okay. That's probably the way it should be. I'm not going to argue that or be displeased about that.
I also remember being completely drawn into this idea of these companies selling their names and logos and images in such a obvious, relentless way. How could these teens escape their dogged pursuit of their imaginations and parent's money? I know, I know : I am being really harsh here. But it did get me to taking the words and trying to come up with some of my own poems and sales' pitches. Maybe I could sell one or more to Abercrombie & Fitch and cash-in on this bountiful/lucrative enterprise? I did write some and I did post them here on one of my blogs. I think that I did it on my blog called Qynothna.blogspot.com. I will have to go back and check that out later. I had fun writing it, that much I do remember.
Today my son and I went again to Tyson's Corner. We stayed quite awhile and visited many stores : more than usual as my son's interest in clothing has taken us to a broader range of these clothing stores at Tyson's. We did go to all of his regular stores and I had quite a nice conversation with the young twenty-year old boy that greeted me in the entrance room of Ruehl. He welcomed me to Ruehl as he was folding/displaying some items. My son had already dashed in before me and was way out of sight by the time that I spoke to this young man. That's okay again : the way that it should be.
I stopped to say to this young twenty-year-old that I was sorry that the store was closing. I expressed my dismay that it was in fact closing this coming January. He was nice and attentive to me as we spoke. His eyes also darted around to check and acknowledge all the other people coming and going. We spoke in a very friendly manner for a few minutes as I asked him his age and about him having to soon look for another job? He said that it was only a summer job and that he was assured another job with Abercrombie & Fitch.
I told him also how much my son liked all of these stores and how well he knew the product line of pretty much each and everyone of them as he had learned about a lot of them online. I told him that he surfed all these stores online selections and had a really good idea of what he was looking for and what he might expect to pay for them as he entered each of them. This seemed to get this young man's attention. I was about to excuse myself after telling him about my very pleasant and successful encounter the last time at Ruehl.
Again my son and I had gone to Ruehl and he disappeared and I was left once again to my own devices. I was used to it and I went slowly and a bit systematically as I walked from room to room examining both the products and how they were displayed. I loved the Frank Sinatra song that was playing as I walked through the rooms upstairs. I could not see my son anywhere and so I walked through the rooms and looked for a shirt that I could help him buy.
We had an agreement that I could pick the shirt that he would buy in exchange for taking him to Tyson's Corner. I walked out into the hallway and noticed a young brunette a bit down the hall arranging clothing. She was up and down the ladder and I was walking very slowly towards her. As I approached she said " hello " and asked me if I needed any help? I walked up to her and explained my quest to her. I asked her opinion about what shirt she would recommend and she showed me one immediately there and then in another room a couple of others. My son was still nowhere to be seen and she had to continue working as I went in search of him.
Funny, I found him within seconds and when we went back into the room with the two selections there she Olivia was nowhere to be found. Yes, I had discovered her name just as I had of the young twenty-year-old today ( Monday, July 6th, 2009 ). I have since forgotten his name and am embarrassed by that. I had intended to get a card from the store and write his name on it, but my son had come out so quickly and wanted to leave so that was that. I did introduce them, just as earlier I had introduced him to Olivia.
My son actually preferred a third shirt in the same room and he went to try all three on. He had wanted to go yet to another store to check out their selections and I said " no " that he would have to decide from one of these. That surprised him momentarily but he went along with it and actually decided on Olivia's first choice. He tried all three on and said that it was his favorite after that. We found someone to ring up our sale and who also asked if I was interested in any colognes? I said " no " but that my son might be. He quickly said " no " as well and so the shirt was purchased by me as a gift to my son and we started to leave.
Olivia was pretty much in the same place where we had originally met and so even though my son was walking briskly I stopped to introduce him. Of course this was much to his embarrassment and consternation. What was I doing now? Oh well, I wanted to tell Olivia the results of our shopping foray and to thank her. She seemed pleased and it was a brief interchange of words before we were quickly out the Ruehl doors.
Back to my title here : Olivia's help and original greeting and question if I needed any help pretty much guaranteed her and Ruehl this sale. She was attentive and listened carefully to my comments and then made recommendations. As you have heard her recommendation resulted in the final choice and our decision to buy the shirt. I wanted both to support my son and show him my willingness to buy him this shirt and not question his motives and I am pleased for that. I also wanted to reward Olivia for her time and attention.
We had met and I had immediately congratulated her and the store on their displays and attention to detail. She was quick to point out that I probably had no idea at all how much time and energy and focus to this very detail that there actually was from start to finish. She showed me right then and there how each of the clear plastic stickers on each piled shirt had to be exactly placed so that they were in complete alignment one to the other. I spoke about the music and the way the shirts and items were rolled and tucked and folded and hung, draped, coiled as in the belts, etcetera. Again just like today's our conversation was professional and attentive and I enjoyed both very much. I'm only sorry that I did not have time to study and observe much earlier this afternoon. That will have to wait until my next visit.
So, my point is that even though the clothes. belts, bags, sandals, flip-flops ( they don't call them that anymore I am sure ) and other things were beautifully displayed in original and compelling ways ( with really lively music that grabbed your ears while the lighting and the polish and wax, books, tall ceilings etcetera worked their ways into lulling and relaxing and selling you a very specific image ) : there is nothing more important than a salesperson ( Olivia was a manager ) reaching out, making one feel comfortable and asking them if they need any help or have any questions. This did not happen very often for me in all my visits to these stores. Yes, they greeted me as I entered but they never really engaged me in any real sense and often I felt that they were being nothing more than perfunctory. I was left alone and on my own most times and never felt compelled to connect with them. That's too bad for them because you never know when a bit of help and interest, really greeting someone warmly and as if you meant it might result in a sale.
So to all you execs out there be sure and train your people in more than making sure that everything looks just right and a certain way : that's only a part of the sale. In my humble opinion being in sales myself is that a genuine " hello ", " nice to see you ", " welcome to our store ", " good to see you again ", whatever greeting it may be is at least 60% of any sale. People are drawn to a friendly, professional greeting.
I am sorry that Ruehl is closing their doors this coming January. I'm not thrilled with the high prices and don't feel the need myself to buy my clothes there. But I do like supporting my son and he likes your store. Now I like the two people that I have talked to there and am very pleased to know that they have other jobs awaiting them when Ruehl does close. That's good news.
I'm sure that before they close we will return and pick up one or two or three more things, maybe more before this happens. I, for one and much more inclined to buy from people that have made me feel more welcome and appreciated in their stores.
In this case over Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister ( the only other example I remember clearly where I was engaged and felt a connection was twice at American Eagle where the young man caught and looked at me as he both welcomed me and asked if I needed any help ) Ruehl ruled/rules : is the clear winner for this father of a young son who pulls me along into these three stores where I might or might not buy him something.
Cheers twenty-something young man and Olivia for excellent service and both conversation and information. I wish you both well in the future and hope to see you yet again. TONY
P.S. I just added my four Morning Poems written this morning ( Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 ) in Virginia before going to work, inspired by my shopping trip with my son to Ruehl and to Tyson's Corner these last few months. go to: chatpoetry.blogspot.com to read the four poems.
Again, just like this piece the poems are written quickly and reflect spur-of-the-moment thoughts that I do not go back and revise much and edit as I want the purity of the thought(s) and the moments that it/they reflect. I like the serendipitous nature that this provides and I think it captures more of the moment as it happened and was captured/caught/then released as we own neither and they just pass through us and hopefully enrich and stimulate us. Cheers, TONY
P.S. I think that the last name of Olivia is Royal. I am adding this now on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 here from my home in Virginia at 9:28 AM before heading off to work. Went to Tyson's yesterday with my son once again and thought of Ruehl and of Olivia and of the excellent service she provided us before. Where are you now Olivia? What store are you with now? Good luck to you. Cheers, TONY
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