Recently, I launched a best and worst consumer experience feature on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.
I think looking weekly at these experiences helps us learn from our successes and mistakes.
Here are my most and least successful consumer transactions for this week:
My best consumer experience: Getting a good price on a new blazer
When I went shopping at the Gap with my daughter, I didn’t expect to buy anything for myself. However, I need some new blazers. So when I saw one I liked, I slipped it on. It fit, but the price was too much – $99.
My daughter mentioned she had a special card from the Gap that gave her 30 percent off for items not on sale and an additional 15 per cent off for sale items. That would make the blazer $70. That sounded better.
We found out when the blazer was rung up that it was on sale. With the additional 15 percent off, the price was $45. A real deal. I was happy.
My worst consumer experience: Confusion at the movie theater
My daughter and I arrived right on time for the movie at 10:45 a.m. However, no one was available to take the money for our tickets. An employee was fooling around with the design of the straps on post that show people where to line up.
After about five minutes, six people went inside to the customer service desk to buy tickets. I followed them. After a few minutes, my daughter came in, too. Then the employee who has been unhurriedly messing around went to open a ticket window. The family behind us in line at customer service dashed ahead of my daughter before she could get back to the ticket window.
Then as we approached the ticket taker inside, the first in a group of about a dozen kids got ahead of us.
We skipped the popcorn, so we made it in time to see most of the previews and the opening of the movie.
It certainly was a strange experience to not have an employee ready to take your money at movie time.
Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
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