I'll Never Shop There Again©
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Harassed for a Bag at the Saks – how to alienate and chase away customersBy Amy, Kansas City, MO Spring 2000 The Spring of 2000 found me in college pursuing a degree in Theatre. I was in a performance of the 17th Century French comedy Tartuffe. To make it more relevant we had updated the script and set it in Beverly Hills. Think Tartuffe 90210. There was a scene in which the grandmother returns home after a shopping spree and her butler is laden with bags and packages of every sort. So, early one Saturday morning I headed down to the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City to collect some upscale shopping bags to be used as props in our production. I got there just as the shops were opening so they weren't busy. I brought the show poster with me. Having worked retail I knew that some stores have a policy of not giving bags without purchase. I was prepared to be told no. I was not prepared to be harassed as I was at Sax Fifth Ave. The make-up counter was there as you first walked in. I spoke with a lady there and explained my mission. She was actually quite nice and offered me the largest bag she had, however it was very small; she was only selling lipstick after all. The lady suggested I head upstairs to the ladies department. They had the biggest bags and for my purpose, the bigger the better! So up I went. I walked up to the to the first counter I found and politely explained the situation to the girl behind the counter. She looked a little confused and sort of muttered under her breath about store policy. Just then, a manager came out from behind a rack of dresses. That's when it got good. The manager informed me that it was store policy not to give out bags without purchase. I told her I understood the policy and the reasoning behind it. (To prevent shoplifting) And I showed her the poster for the play to let her know that I was legitimate. I even mentioned that this might be a good way to get a little free advertising. Boy was I in for it! The manager told me that Sax Fifth Ave. did not need to advertise. Bags were not to be handed out to people who walked in off the street. If I'd care to buy something they would be happy to place the item in a bag appropriate to the size of the item. If I did not wish to purchase anything then she would see that security escort me to the nearest exit! Obviously shocked I told her that I could safely see myself from the store. Then she noticed that I was clutching the very small sack the make-up lady had given me. She then had the nerve to tell me that she was actually being quite nice by letting me keep the bag I had but that of course security would have to escort me out to ensure that I didn't put anything in the bag. Well, if they were escorting me anyway, why not give me a large shopping bag? Ok, maybe that last comment was a bit snotty on my part but honestly! The security guard and I had a quiet walk to the front door where I had to show him that my tiny bag was empty. I was surprised the guy didn't pat me down and ask me to empty my purse! Well, I then went to the other upscale retailers on the street including Polo, Coach and Brooks Brothers. They were all super nice and gave me the largest shopping bags they had. When I told them the saga of Sax Fifth Ave they all nodded knowingly. This was not the first time they'd heard the of the bad service at Sax. I vowed that day to tell everyone I knew not to shop there. The bag the make-up lady gave me somehow never managed to be seen from the stage. Recently the Sax Fifth Ave on the Plaza closed its doors. I can only hope I played some small part in that! Bad service and rude sales people just don't pay! |
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