Wedding Blog

I find it rude when a cashier doesn’t greet me as I enter their checkout lane. (At Walmart, the credit card pin pad asks you if your cashier was friendly today and I’ve been guilty of checking “no” when deserved.) I’m a no-pickle-on-a-cheeseburger person, and I always request it, so I really dislike getting attitude from a fast food clerk when I bring my pickle-clad burger to the front with hopes of correcting my order. With the way our economy is heading, I really don’t understand why more employers don’t stress the importance of customer service to their employees. My money is good at lots of stores, so please, earn my business by being friendly, courteous, and concerned if I have an issue.

That said, shopping for a bustier to support the girls on the wedding day brought a surprisingly awesome customer service experience at a major department store.

Before I tell you the good, let me tell you the bad. I had my first gown fitting over the weekend, so a few weeks before, I knew I needed to purchase the appropriate undergarments to go with my dress. I needed a strapless, nude, or ivory long-line bra, so I set out to what I thought would be the best place to find one—a bridal store. I’m not going to name names, but this was a bridal chain store for which I’ve read positive reviews for their bra offerings.

When I got to the store, I told them what size bra I normally wear, but told them I was unsure about size since I heard the long-line bras fit differently. The sales attendant handed me two sizes and showed me a dressing room. She said to holler if I needed help and then walked away. Well, I’m not Gumby, nor am I as flexible as an Olympic gymnast, so putting on a long-line bra by myself was near impossible.

I got the top hook closed, but it was a no-go for the rest. I, basically topless in the dressing room, called out for the attendant, but got nothing. I struggled some more with the bra and got a few more hooks connected, but I was getting frustrated. I took the darned thing off and decided to leave. I didn’t need their non-returnable, uncomfortable bra anyway.

In my state of “what the heck am I going to do now”, I decided to wander around in the mall nearby. On a whim, I walked into the Nordstrom store to see if they had long-line bras in their lingerie department. I didn’t see any on their racks, and just as I was about to leave, a sales person asked me if I needed help. I told her what I was looking for, and she said they have them in the back room, but only in strapless. Perfect! I gave her my size and expressed my uncertainty. She gave me two to try on in the dressing room and waited outside the door for me to let her know when I needed her help. She fastened all the little hooks for me and it was too big. She helped me get out of the thing and into the next one. It was a better fit, but still not quite right.

Since they didn’t have my size in stock, she told me they could order one for me and have it shipped directly to my house at no extra cost. Sweet! Although, I was still hesitant since I didn’t actually try it on in my size. No worries, though. Nordstrom would let me return it if it didn’t work out. So, it was delivered to my house in a few days and I was able to try it on with my dress. That was a much better outcome than what happened at the bridal store. I was even happier when I paid—the bustier was only $50. The non-returnable ones at the poor-service bridal store had price tags of $69 and $79 attached to them. It ended up being a perfect fit for me and my dress.

I was really impressed with the level of service I received at Nordstrom, but I was even more impressed when I got this in the mail about a week later:

This was my first ever purchase at a Nordstrom, so I’m not sure if this is their protocol, but I really appreciated the note. Outside of the time I bought my car, I never got a hand-written thank you/follow-up note in the mail for a purchase I made. Thanks, Lisa! The customer service you gave me will definitely encourage me to shop at your store again.

Where have you received great customer service while securing your wedding purchases?