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
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