an Etsy endorsement or Why I'll Never Shop at the Mall Again!

Only very occasionally do I venture out into the *real* world to do any retail shopping. It is so rare in fact that I can probably count the number of times I've done it this year on one hand and still have a couple of fingers left over.

But the fact of the matter is that I simply can't get everything I need on Etsy: your place to buy & Sell all things handmade. Today's case in point were the shirts that my sweetheart requested. He had detailed specifications on the type of shirt that he wanted: brown, print, button down, button down collar, single pocket, short sleeves. Uh, ok. He refuses to wear a green hued shirt with green pants but that's a discussion for another day.

With this mental shopping list in hand I hoof it on down to the local mall. This monstrosity is an ailing dinosaur that is literally on it's deathbed. Evey few years it gasps it's last breath and is only brought back from the brink by a quick sale to a big corporation or some other shady influx of money. But it is the place I know has a good chance of having those elusive brown shirts, so I confidently storm the place like Sherman on the march.

Now I am not one to shop very often as I've already mentioned, so I naturally had to combine this rare mall visit with stops to two other stores in search of stuff for me that I simply can not buy on Etsy. I head to my local ladies shoe store to load up on the colorful athletic shoes that are a daily occurrence on my feet.

The thing that I hate about this store is that it's located across the aisle from the food court. Now I don't know about y'all but I get a little swoony when I get near that place. And I don't mean in a good way. Some sort of creepy feeling comes over me and the whole atmosphere seems to get wavy like looking through old timey glass windows. It ain't pleasant.

So I steel myself for that emotional onslaught and zoom lickity split into the shop. It's neat and tidy as a pin with not a customer in sight. Only one lone sales girl off in the corner. Gotta love that middle of the week day shopping. Or so I thought at the time.

I head for the seat to whip off my shoe to confirm the product number of my favorite shoe. The sales lady meets me there and asks what I'm looking for. I start to explain about the shoes that I want and she takes a swift glance at my shoe and quick as a flash bleats out "we don't have em". Unh. I'll be darned, I think as I look past her shoulder at the floor to ceiling wall of shoes with rows of my usual brand right there in the middle. Having battled the food court to get there I was in no mood what so ever to deal with the nasty nonsense of the underpaid sales girl. I simply stared at her in disbelieve for a heart beat or two. Then I replaced my shoe, stood up, and flatly stated "Well, I guess I'll go spend my $400 dollars online with a different shoe company" and I walked out. I'm pretty sure her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were goggling a bit by the time my feet hit the other side of the door. It probably took her that long to calculate the commission that she had just lost by her rudeness to me. I load up on shoes once a year y'all and this would have been quite a big buy.

Folks, I wish I could say that the ill treatment by mall sales staff ended there. Unfortunately, I was affronted by two other sales women in two completely different stores before I gave up in disgust and existed the mall empty handed. I shared with you today the worst of those offenders and I have only one question to ask. Why?

Why were they so hateful to me? Why were they abrupt and judgmental? Why were they so impatient? I was not mean, I was not in a hurry, and there were few or no customers to be waited on. So why on earth was I treated that way? I take my question back, I really don't want to know. But what I do have to say has every thing in the world to do with why I do most of my shopping here on Etsy.

The world is a busy place. Our society breeds busyness and our lives are crammed with things to do from morning until night. I turned long ago to the online world to buy stuff so that I could save my time from having to drive out to the time consuming mall. And, if truth be told, to avoid the agoraphobic inducing food court. Shopping online is great. Fast, easy, nice. But it was lacking something. Too impersonal, too cold. And that's when I happened upon Etsy.

I started out just watching this site the first year it was open. Then I opened an account and started buying. It was a couple years later that I opened a shop and started selling. And from that first moment I made a purchase I was hooked. Wow, personalized service! A real human being behind the shop front and a sweet one at that. Etsy, you had me. I am now one of the converted. This is why I shop Etsy. This is why I promote it to every one I know. This is why I participate in the forums and share my hard earned shop owner knowledge. This is why I prefer to do business with like minded folks who treat buyers, sellers, and browsers like the human beings they are. And if I could buy my favorite shoes there, I'd buy them too.

And in case you're wondering, apparently no one makes brown, print, button down, button down collar, single pocket, short sleeves shirts for guys.

End of rant.

Comments

[mare]

I feel your pain and can definitely relate. I rarely visit malls any more, am addicted to Etsy, and go to family or privately owned businesses when i need something from a brick and mortar store. The mall world is a crazy place, and i am crazy enough without it!

[krista]

etsy is brilliant. i also opened up my own shop and it's so easy to do and such a wonderful community to be a part of.
(that sounded so cheesy it kind of hurt to write but at least it's true!!)

[Mouse]

I'm all about Etsy as well - I buy my supplies there, my gifts, and even my lip balm! The service in stores is so crappy that I cringe when I have to buy anything 'in the real world' because Etsy sellers (for the most part) are super-awesome and we know how to treat our customers!!!

[Jennifer Rose]

I wish I could afford to buy everything I need on Etsy but sadly I have to go out to the mall or downtown to get some things. And I hate it because 75% of the time I get some snarky sales person who acts like I am pulling their teeth out when I ask for help. I want to and actually have a few times said to them, "you don't want your job, I am sure there are people that in this economy that would gladly work your job" usually shuts them up and then I just walk out anyway because if you are not going to help me or just give me attitude you don't deserve my money. I am always nice to sales people because I know it can be a hard job, but thats no reason for an attitude towards your customers for no reason.

[Marilyn]

I wish I could do all of my shopping online too. I know I can but some things are just more challenging to purchase online (ie: shoes & clothes). Sucks. I encounter a lot of poor customer service too when I go to stores, it's a shame.

[Sarah]

Oh, that happens to me in the 'real' world of shopping, too. I do buy all of my shoes new (just a preference) but I have, luckily, found places I can do it online.

Thrift stores, in my 'real' world shopping experience have really, really nice staff. Etsians are just fab, too. :)

I'm sorry you had that experience. :( Real world shopping is hard enough without snarky salespeople thrown in to the mix!

[sadira]

I love personalized service! I know of several people who have stopped shopping at certain stores because of their "service" This is why I try so hard in my shop to remember people's stories and say hello when they walk in. You also get the occasional "rude" customer, but they are far and few between and if you learn not to take it personally, it's much easier to have a great day!

[Flower]

Well, I don't shop at malls much but when I do...I get three of the same thing, in different colors and I'm done! We do have one store that has suprisingly held on to their personal service values! A rude sales person would be removed!
I am going to get a Janet Evanovich book!! A good laugh would be so great!!! Thanks for the tip!!