Now That's Customer Service!
... the very definition of 'above & beyond'
What follows is a true story from December 2007, which I used in my inaugural Feathers & Foxgloves post of May, 2024. When I decided to start publishing on this platform, I started by inviting a small handful of people to read & comment — so I imagine few of you have seen this before — unless you’ve explored my whole library of past essays in my archive of previous posts. This week, with Christmas on the horizon, I decided to repost it, with a few tweaks. Herewith, from a person who makes way too many lists & loses them ( & confesses fully in this post):
The Lost List
It’s 11:00 in the morning, a few days before Christmas, and I’ve finally finished all the grocery shopping. Now I’m scrambling in and out of all the stores in town, in search of last-minute gifts, when I suddenly realize I’ve dropped my list somewhere during the morning’s travels. I hurry back into the bookstore, where I think I remember last having it, and head for the information desk. The clerk behind the desk smiles in welcome and looks inquiringly at me.
ME: I’ve lost a little tiny red notebook – grubby little thing, only 3 pages left, but they contain my master list, everything I’m supposed to do and get today – on my last day out.
CLERK: Oh no – your master plan! You have a few moments of sanity, write it all out – and bingo, it’s gone!
ME: Right, you got it.
CLERK: Well, nothing’s come in to us yet. Want me to call you if we find it?
ME: Yeah, if you can — meanwhile I’ll retrace my steps and scan the floor …
[Which I do, followed by a scan of the sidewalks, and the parking lot, and basically the entire town … finally concluding that this is most likely a sign I should stop, enough is enough, etc. So back to the car, I give up my coveted parking space and depart town. Later that day, I’m back home making dinner, 5:30 pm. The phone rings, I answer.]
CLERK: Hi there! Did you get my message?
ME: No I didn’t!
CLERK: Oh goodness! I called hours ago and left a message on your machine! How did you ever make it through the day??
ME: You mean you found it?
CLERK: Yes, it’s right here!
ME: Well great! Uhh … are you terribly busy right now? Would you mind awfully just reading it to me?
CLERK: Oh fine! Sure, I can do that!
ME: Thanks SO much!
CLERK: Ok, now — let’s see here —
[Rustling of paper, as she prepares to read.]
ME: You can ignore the bookstore page – I did all that and crossed it out as I went — before I lost the notebook –
CLERK: Okay ... but — wait, why didn’t you buy The Perfect Storm??
ME: I did!
CLERK: Well, but you didn’t cross it out! Okay … Hanover it says up at the top of the page: Candy, argyle socks, return drugstore, Sebulex — I feel like I’m going through your underwear drawer — and then, at the bottom, 16 lottery tickets.
[She pauses before going on]
Then, on the next page … special glass, Krypto … argyle socks again, in bigger letters; Gift Certificates … and down at the bottom, with arrows coming in from both directions, in capital letters, CANDY – then on the next page Power House: argyle socks — I guess you wanted to be sure you got those! “Rita, lotion — Krypto, and tiny candy tins — ” Oh, do they have the tiny ones? I’m always trying to find those — then at the bottom it says, “Wendy” with a big question mark — oh, I see, the question mark goes with both names: Wendy, Dennis.
[She pauses]
ME: So is that it? Nothing else?
CLERK: Hold on a minute – on the back cover there’s the heading 'MAKE.’ Oh-h-h — well … it’s too late for ‘make’ —
ME: Well, what does it say under make?
CLERK: It says pillowcases, nut crunch, gift certificates …
ME: Oh boy … well, thank you so, so much!
CLERK: You’re welcome — and good luck with the Argyle socks!!
I just LOVE that store clerk. I love the way she entered into the scenario in a humorous and helpful way. Merry Christmas to her, whoever she is!!
It was high time for this to come around again! What a perfect Christmas story!