Public post, because this should be made known.
To all my Singaporean friends:
Don't bother shopping at the Dr. Martens flagship store here if you can already find the same designs of the Dr. Martens boots in the other places that stock it (Taka, etc. I think).
I expected better service for the kind of price I was paying for boots.
I expected better service from a flagship store of an established brand.
I paid nearly three hundred dollars.
It's not three thousand,
but money is still money,
and this is no way you treat a paying or even potential customer.
I'm going to list out what I thought was wrong with their attitude and service.
1. No welcome greeting?
2. I was expressing strong interest in a particular design, but out of the three shop staff there, not a single one approached me to ask if I needed help. The store was not crowded, and other than myself, there was only a couple who were browsing shoes at another corner. I had to walk over to the counter myself and ask for assistance from a girl who was just spacing out and obviously not paying attention to who was in the store. The guy at the cashier was only interested in rooting himself there. And the other girl was polishing her Macbook at the counter in full view of everyone instead of serving customers.
3. After finding out that the design I wanted didn't come in my size, all the shop staff did was retreat back into her corner instead of recommending more designs.
4. When I picked out a second design and the staff brought it out, all she did was unlace it and handed me the shoe. She did not bother to offer to even help me lace up the boot when I had put it on. I cannot emphasise more on this: if you are working in a store that specialises in shoes, it is basic service to offer to help your customer with the shoe. I have never, never encountered a salesperson/staff who did not offer to do so, both overseas and locally. Even in department stores, they offer to help you with the shoes!
5. After discovering that that particular design didn't fit comfortably, I handed the boot back, and had to look at more designs. The staff didn't bother coming forward to recommend similar designs in a different material. (The boot I had tried on was made of synthetic material instead of leather, and it was particularly stiff at the edges.) She didn't ask what sort of occasion I was planning to wear the boots to, or whether I was going to do a lot of walking with those boots, etc., but I think by now it's obvious that there wasn't a need to expect anything like that from her.
In the end I tried on another design, and of course she didn't bother to help with the shoe again.
Even at the end, I didn't feel like she was sincere with her "thank you", because of her service.
I am appalled. For such an established brand, they sure don't know what sort of people to hire for their staff team. Not for a single moment did I feel welcome in that store at all.
In fact, I got the feeling that they were looking down on me by being so reluctant in their service. And let me get this straight - the people who know me, know that I never go out look any less than presentable. I'm not saying I dress in branded stuff all the time. I mean that I don't go to town looking like I'm dressed for a casual day at the beach (i.e. flip-flops, beach shorts... you get the idea).
To the girl who served me today:
I didn't buy those boots because I was impressed with your service - far from it.
I only bought them because I had planned to buy a pair of Dr. Martens from the start and I was already at the store.
I would have walked straight out of the store otherwise.
Don't bother shopping at the Dr. Martens flagship store here if you can already find the same designs of the Dr. Martens boots in the other places that stock it (Taka, etc. I think).
I expected better service for the kind of price I was paying for boots.
I expected better service from a flagship store of an established brand.
I paid nearly three hundred dollars.
It's not three thousand,
but money is still money,
and this is no way you treat a paying or even potential customer.
I'm going to list out what I thought was wrong with their attitude and service.
1. No welcome greeting?
2. I was expressing strong interest in a particular design, but out of the three shop staff there, not a single one approached me to ask if I needed help. The store was not crowded, and other than myself, there was only a couple who were browsing shoes at another corner. I had to walk over to the counter myself and ask for assistance from a girl who was just spacing out and obviously not paying attention to who was in the store. The guy at the cashier was only interested in rooting himself there. And the other girl was polishing her Macbook at the counter in full view of everyone instead of serving customers.
3. After finding out that the design I wanted didn't come in my size, all the shop staff did was retreat back into her corner instead of recommending more designs.
4. When I picked out a second design and the staff brought it out, all she did was unlace it and handed me the shoe. She did not bother to offer to even help me lace up the boot when I had put it on. I cannot emphasise more on this: if you are working in a store that specialises in shoes, it is basic service to offer to help your customer with the shoe. I have never, never encountered a salesperson/staff who did not offer to do so, both overseas and locally. Even in department stores, they offer to help you with the shoes!
5. After discovering that that particular design didn't fit comfortably, I handed the boot back, and had to look at more designs. The staff didn't bother coming forward to recommend similar designs in a different material. (The boot I had tried on was made of synthetic material instead of leather, and it was particularly stiff at the edges.) She didn't ask what sort of occasion I was planning to wear the boots to, or whether I was going to do a lot of walking with those boots, etc., but I think by now it's obvious that there wasn't a need to expect anything like that from her.
In the end I tried on another design, and of course she didn't bother to help with the shoe again.
Even at the end, I didn't feel like she was sincere with her "thank you", because of her service.
I am appalled. For such an established brand, they sure don't know what sort of people to hire for their staff team. Not for a single moment did I feel welcome in that store at all.
In fact, I got the feeling that they were looking down on me by being so reluctant in their service. And let me get this straight - the people who know me, know that I never go out look any less than presentable. I'm not saying I dress in branded stuff all the time. I mean that I don't go to town looking like I'm dressed for a casual day at the beach (i.e. flip-flops, beach shorts... you get the idea).
To the girl who served me today:
I didn't buy those boots because I was impressed with your service - far from it.
I only bought them because I had planned to buy a pair of Dr. Martens from the start and I was already at the store.
I would have walked straight out of the store otherwise.