I hope we are this good

The kids are back at school, so my wife Martha and I went to Chatham in Cape Cod for the Labor Day weekend. It had been a tradition for about 10 years that Martha and most if not all of her six siblings and their children would descend on the town one week during the summer. Cape Cod League baseball, frisbee at the beach and a lot of barbecues. And while I don’t love to shop, Main Street through downtown Chatham has some fun stores to walk off an afternoon ice cream cone.

Now it has been about four years since our last visit, but during that last shopping trek Martha had returned an item for which she could only get a store credit. Being the frugal individual she is, Martha still had the receipt in her wallet. I would have long ago thrown it away or forgot that I even had it. This store, ‘The Artful Hand’, always has some fun items to get as gifts, etc. so that and the store credit ensured this stop was on our retail expedition.

As usual we received a cheerful greeting, and the staff was helpful and attentive without being overbearing. Getting ready to pay for the purchases, Martha pulled the dog-eared receipt from her wallet with print hardly legible and apologized for the condition of the receipt. The owner didn’t bat an eye, replying ‘no problem’, and started chatting about the purchases as she was bagging the items. She knew most of the artists and provided commentary about an item or two. She was clearly enthusiastic about her goods, and while I’m sure she wanted to sell more of her wares her communication came across as educational and a sharing of her passion. Finishing up, she noticed one decorative tile had a tiny crack and checked their inventory for another copy. Transactions completed; we left the store even more raving fans then when we walked in.

Given the work we do for our clients, I’m always focused on the level of service we receive when we are the customer. And when I have such a tremendous interaction, I can’t help but think about what we could do better to make sure our clients are as happy with our service. However, much more important than what we think is your opinion; so please let us know how we can help you even more.

The author of this article is Rick Ropelewski, Wealth Manager at U.S. Wealth Management.

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