ALEXANDRA JACOBS GOES SHOPPING: Overkill Oversell Edition
May 12, 2011
In today's Thursday Styles, Critical Shopper Alexandra Jacobs falls vicitim to the sort of "selling skills" at Columbus Avenue's new Comptoir des Cotonniers unit that typically drive customers crazy. They are all based on the presumption that if you keep bombarding customers with attention, they will buy stuff. They range from examples such as "Make sure to greet customers withing X number of seconds of their entering the store," or "If she tries something on, be sure to put X number of related items in the dressing room with her as alternatives," which all make perfect sense if you think of customers as mindless, guileless creatures open to the slightest suggestion that will increase your store's item per transaction averages. They don't work so well, however, if your customer is the New York Times' Critical Shopper, scrutinizing your every move.
Walking into a dressing room, I discovered — along with what I’d sent there — two additional striped dresses and a selection of tan leather belts in various widths.
At first, I thought this was the reject pile of a previous shopper, somehow fortuitously (if not exactly) corresponding with my tastes. Then I realized that the items had been put there on purpose after close observation of my outfit — a gesture that, while thoughtful, also felt a bit reminiscent of “Single White Female,” the 1992 Bridget Fonda-Jennifer Jason Leigh movie filmed a mere five blocks away at the Ansonia, with its gaggle of gargoyles.
Oh well, how many times is that person going to come shopping, anyway?
Twice, apparently.
Overall, anything Ms. Jacobs might have liked about the store is overshadowed by the store's overeager staff. It seems she likes the clothes, even if she wishes that more of them were actually made in France (never mind that it would probably triple the prices at the very least). Of course, Comptoir des Cotonniers is still relatively new to New York, where even the casual shopper is a seasoned pro by the standards of most other cities. It doesn't take more than a few seconds of excessive attention for her to bark "I'm just looking!" in such a way that informs any salesperson that under no circumstances should he or she speak again until spoken to. Give the store a little time. It should adjust.
Critical Shopper: Could This Be Paris? No, Leave Me Alone By Alexandra Jacobs (NYTimes)
Comptoir des Cotonniers 184 Columbus Avenue between 68th and 69th Streets, Upper West Side
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