My recent experience with Louis Vuitton has left me a bit…jaded.
But today, an interaction with two extremely helpful store associates at uniqlo brought me back from the brink.
The wife sent me on the unenviable task of finding some innocuous sweater at the uniqlo store on 34th Street, that she had seen online.
It wasn’t an ordinary piece of uniqlo clothing – oh noooo.
She was looking for an exclusive promotional item from the uniqlo undercover line.
Apparently, she spied this fashion forward line, that was only going to be here for one more season, and simply had to have a piece from the collection.
So off I went, on my lunch break, to try retrieve a bauble for my boo.
Imagine my dismay when I walked through uniqlo’s doors, and saw the sheer expanse of store stretching out before me.
The store legend on my immediate right told me that there were three floors in this labyrinthian space.
Undaunted, I forged ahead.
Women’s – 2nd floor.
Up the multicolored stairs went I.
2nd floor.
The massive women’s wear floor beckoned.
Excuse me. Where can I find the ‘uu’ line?
Couldn’t remember the name of the line…uniqlo uniques? uniqlo uniforms?
Damn! Damn! Damn!
“Um, that’s back downstairs, on the left side. Near the kids’ section.”
Back downstairs?
We’ll she seems to know what I’m talking about.
So down the stairs I trudged.
To the left…
Aha!
uniqlo undercover!
Now, where are the sweater tunics?
Was that what they’re called?
Damn! Damn! Damn!
I can’t remember what she wanted!
Text her.
What’s the name of the sweater you wanted? Was it a sweater tunic?
Send.
No response.
Call.
No answer.
Voicemail.
“Hey babe. I’m at uniqlo. What was the name of that sweater thingy?”
Nothing.
Search frantically through the racks.
After several minutes of fruitles search, I caught the attention of one of the many black clad store associates, to ask for assistance.
With a wide smile, she bounded off to see if she could help me locate the item I so desperately coveted.
Hither and tither, she weaved through clothing racks, trying to find me the tunic sweater?
To no avail.
Then, she asked if I had a picture of the item.
Whipped out my handy-dandy iPhone, pulled up their site and navigated to the ‘lounge dress’.
There was no ‘tunic sweater’ after all.
Still confounded, she snatched up a store manager, who happened to be passing by.
After a brief rundown from Nancy, he asked to see the picture of it on my phone.
I whipped it out, once again, and showed him.
“May I?” he asked double-clicking on the image.
How polite.
He pulled up the PDP (product description page), got the product number, and was off!
Like a bloodhound he went.
Up the stairs.
Down the stairs.
To the back.
To the rack.
Back to the back from the rack.
And then (after what seemed like an eternity – but was only about four minutes) be beckoned me over to the rack he had previously gone to and fro…
And there, in neat little bins, were the lounge sweaters!
My quarry.
They were folded and tucked into thin plastic bags.
I would NEVER have found them on my own.
I was elated!
I thanked him profusely and asked for both his name (Martin) and the name of the associate (Nancy) who had originally aided me.
I’m sending a letter praising them to whoever runs uniqlo so that they know how DOPE their store associates are.
I’m just saying.
A little customer service goes a long way.
Dude could have easily given up on his many searches around the store to help me find my item.
But he didn’t.
He went above and beyond the call of duty.
And for that, I am truly grateful.
Wife was pleased that my trip was successful.
And my faith in store-associate kind has been redeemed.
Stephen Chukumba 