Let's go shopping

A couple of days ago, I went and took "M" shopping. Nothing major just basic shirts and a pair of jeans - harmless enough, no?

Well, let us start with the closest mall that is to us, Solar de Abadia; a very nice swanky shopping area, lots of stores of various kinds and taste and then it has a food court and a movie theater. First I am looking for a teenager's pair of pants, do you know how tought it is to find a good pair of pants in here? Soo..anyhoo...we go into this store (that shall remind nameless - email me if you really must know!) and there were 2 sales people in there - jabbering away - the "guy" was the one mostly doing the talking to the girl ( he, must be the manager and her, the sales girl right?) then she walks up to us and was very helpful. In my meager spanish I was able to tell her that we are looking for a pair of pants for "M". Simple enough, she points us to the jeans and then to the corduroys. Very good so far. So "M" tries on the corduroy and then decides he wants not the brown ones but more on the "oscuro" side - dark blue - BAM! we have a sale.

She was nice to point out the shirts - none of which "M" liked - OK so we move one....then there was a moment or two of looking into jackets - but since it was starting to get warmer , weather wise , I said maybe we should look at Tshirts - ...then "M" looked at a couple of Tshirts and decides there is nothing else in this store that interests him. So we head to the counter - I take our my credit card and ID, and hands it to the girl, who hands it to the "guy", remember him? He was the one jabbering away as we walked in, well he was busy punching some keys behind the counter that he does not run my credit card into the machine until 3 or 4 minutes later after we started standing there - then he rips the printed receipt, hands me both copies, throws a pen at me and without smiling - hurries me to sign this and he pushes the receipt back (my copy) to me with the printed sales slip ( 2 pieces of paper). Transaction was cold and done with so we grabbed out bag with the corduroy pants and heads out of there. That store's redeeming quality was that young woman who helped us - the bitchy, "guy", I am sure he is a hell of a co-worker to work with I do not care for so much. I would have walked out the store if it was not for "M"'s need for an alternative pair of pants. That store leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. I hope the owner of that store knows what kind of worker they have over there - except for the girl - I am sure that bitch of a "guy" gives those who know customer service a bad name.

In contrast, still looking for that shirt, we went to KEVINGSTON - now I choose to name this store that is located in Solar de Abadia - because just like there is light to that pant store's darkness, the people in this store KEVINGSTON were short of spectacular!

There I am fair and not biased towards Argentina and the kind of service they can give to customers. In the very same mall, 2 totally different kinds of service, to the extremes, and guess what, though I paid a tad bit more at KEVINGSTON for the 2 shirts that "M" totally loved, I would gladly do so because the first store upstairs that sold jeans my experience was HORRIBLE, and why in god's good earth will I subject myself to that kind of horrendous service when I have a choice.

The gentleman at KEVINGSTON was sincerely helpful and attempted to speak english with "M" and "M" reciprocated by trying his 2 pieces of spanish knowledge, a more pleasant experience altogether. The shirts chosen were from a varied selection both in color and style, and we were showed an array of logos that we were leaning towards purchasing. And it was unfurled in from of us and shown how the merchandise they carry are of quality , I liked the complete all around quality that the store presented to us. Good energy was all around the very second we walked in. So now with the 2 shirts picked out and the prices made known to us early on we head to pay for our purchases. Now we get to the cashier - WONDERFUL lady - asked us if this was "para regalo" which we kindly responded - "no"; then she wanted to know if we wanted to avail of the DUTY FREE receipt - which we again declined, for we did not want her to go thru the hassle of preparing. Very, very pleasant. Now no one in Argentina can tell me that GOOD customer service cannot be found because by golly I experienced it. So there is no excuse for sad sacks and sour pusses to work in the customer service line of work if they are nothing short of the staff that one can find at KEVINGSTON in Solar.

Sorry to say this, but sometimes people who are in sales in Buenos Aires and claim to work to help you in stores - really do not keep that promise and they give you deplorable and hideous customer service. ARGH!!! Coming from the US and customer service is a priority and of utmost concern to store owners - here ..no one seems to really care...except...a very few.

Let us just say - KEVINGSTON has earned a place in my vocabulary of places to go when I need to reaffirm my faith in good people in Buenos Aires.

For those who think I am writing something negative about BsAs, I do not care what you think, but one thing is sure - if you walked away thinking the negative, then you are probably one of those who would work at the first store and if you thought the opposite then you are most likely to be rooting for the KEVINGSTON store. You picked which category you are and now - we know.

Ciao for now.