Having always been the one to wait patiently (all my thirty-something life) to be asked out, I found myself taking a leap of faith and made an attempt at being an ‘asker’ as opposed to an ‘askee’ for a change. Well, it wasn’t much of a question rather than a request (or possibly a demand). No eye-contact or verbal communication needed, making the whole process lot easier; the written word was the appropriate approach given the location!
Rewind 30 minutes earlier. I was browsing the bookshelves of a well-known shop for a city guide for my forthcoming trip to Valencia, when I noticed to the right of me a rather devilishly good-looking sales assistant. So engrossed was I in hunting for this city guide that I almost missed out on this hunk of a man! I casually called out for help in locating this sought-after book and he tried his best to locate it for me (bless him). Distracting me with his chiselled looks and hands the size of dinner plates however, I almost forgot what I was looking for and set this handsome creature with another task at hand:
“Do you have Lady Chatterly’s Lover?” I asked. Damn, why on earth had I requested that? He persevered in his search for said book, looking it up on the computerised system but it failed to come up (now, now, stop it, you dirty-minded folk). Well, I certainly wasn’t going to leave empty handed. I had to exchange something with this fine specimen even if it wasn’t going to be saliva.
“I’ll take this”. It was titled ‘Of Love and Hope’ – a celebration of all aspects of life and love. “I’m feeling poetic”. Urg, corny wasn’t the word! Still, I am sure I can put this book of poems into good use, reciting romantic verses while lying in bed next to beautiful man after our all night love-making session. Back to reality, I purchased said book, exchanged pleasantries and exited the shop.
Outside the shop, it was go for broke time. I scribbled my name, number and a simple ‘Call me’ on the back of the receipt of my recent purchase. I walked straight back into the shop and, having noticed that he was away from the counter assisting some other poor soul in searching a book of love (or pursuing him more likely), I shoved the note under his keyboard at the counter and dashed out faster than you can say ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
So, my theory is: the customer is always right and the right thing to do as a customer was to go back in there and ensure that the customer leaves completely satisfied, right?! And not only is the customer right and satisfied, but she got a text from bookshop man that very evening!
Customer service at its best! J
