Oh ok -right! Sorry...I'm a little slow, didn't realize you were referring  
to those stores hehe. So true because all though they have  'departments', 
'training' for their employees, etc., does not mean they are  'specialized' in 
that they have years of experience and knowledge. A definite  difference.
 
Retail employees for sure do not have the vested interest even that my  
cousin's store depends upon. 
 
The vanishing breed is so true too. My cousin has to cope with a Home Depot  
that just moved into town and is more concerned about a Lowe's that may be 
built  in the general vicinity of her store.
 
But the local community can do much to protect local businesses. I've been  
watching this in Stafford Springs, CT. A Walmart wants to com into town and the 
 locals are fighting to protect the local businesses.
 
So many towns in CT and throughout the US are selling out to big  business 
for the sake of adding to their tax base. We've seen this change the  entire 
character of towns.
 
It is interesting to see how the smaller businesses have coped and survived  
through this and sad to see how others have been unable to.
 
In regards to the retailers you are referring to -absolutely 'bigger' is  not 
better nad they are by far the wrong places to rely on for wall carpetting  
and many other products. I feel lucky if I do find an employee who is  
knowledgeable, but always, I try to get info from as many resources as possible  in 
order to make an informed decision.
 
So many times we are misinformed - only because an employee can't or won't  
take the time to do the research. One of my pet peeves is when they give  
incorrect info, if only to try to appease a customer, close a sale or they are  
having a bad day.
 
In any case - glad that you brought up that issue!
 
Pam
 
In a message dated 12/8/2005 3:35:23 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Pam, your cousin’s  store is part of a vanishing breed. In this day and age 
of big box retailers,  it’s harder and harder to find retail store employees 
who have substantial  knowledge about the product they sell. And I say this as 
someone who worked in  the carpet industry for a few years. It’s even more 
difficult to find a  retailer who has a familiarity with specialty products like 
wall carpeting. So  it’s quite comforting to know that there are still a few 
stores which take the  product and the customer seriously.   
 
Marshall Duell, Curator 
Old Courthouse Museum 
211 W. Santa Ana Blvd. 
Santa Ana, CA   92710 
(714) 973-6607 
(714) 973-6605 
(714) 834-2280 fax 
www.ocparks.com.oldcourthouse



 

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