peskypippi.comBecause I have a lot to say…

Here is my tale of two customers at Ikea customer service. Both returning unwanted items without receipts. Two demeanors. Two attitudes. And two outcomes.

One customer was a white-haired Grandmotherly-looking woman in a powder blue raincoat. She was snarly with the customer service person and raised her voice and threw a fit. She blamed. And spittle was even coming out of her mouth, from anger, apparently. She was pissy when the customer service person called over her manager to see how he could help. The customer was, well, she was a bitch. The manager even offered her store credit. She refused. And stomped away in her orthotics. With her unwanted item still with her—unable to return it–clutched in her spindly, mean old-lady hand.

The other customer was sweaty and a bit unkempt (and likely smelly), just dashing in from playing her morning soccer. She was friendly and calm with the customer service person. “I’m sorry,” she said with a shrug and a smile. “I don’t have my receipt, but here’s another Ikea receipt for the sofa I just bought. I shop here all of the time.” The customer service representative called over the manager. Smiles and politeness all around. The manager offered the customer store credit. “Ma’am, will that work for you?” “Sure, that would be great, thank you so much,” she answered with a smile. The customer might have been stinky, but she didn’t give the stink eye. Only sweetness. Everyone smiled. And she walked away with her store credit for $59.95 in hand. #winwin

See? Because looks can be deceiving.

Take aways:

• All Grandmother-looking women are not always nice and they don’t always call you “deary.” When in fact, some are mean old bitches.
• All unkempt, frazzled-looking women, who lose their receipts, and run errands in their spare minutes—without going home to shower first—can be as sweet as honey.

I mean, what if that customer service person is a mother or father? A grandmother or grandfather? Or worse…a blogger?

And what if, as a customer, your mean and rude behavior causes a negative chain reaction? As in, the customer service person goes home with a migraine and yells at her children…and the children do poorly on their tests the next day at school…and so on.

Lesson here: Don’t act like a poop turd. It’s just not pretty.

P.S. You can find Pippi getting sweaty on the soccer field two mornings each week. Peace out.