Rejected at Cartier!

[Harriet]

Sundial,
If you ever change your mind about the Cartier rolling ring, I highly recommend the smaller Madison Avenue store in NY. The manager is Keith, and he''s great even if you''re buying (what is for them) small items.

 

[princesss]

Haha, I was wondering about the bags too, gailrmv. I''ll admit they''re not the most attractive bags ever, but as somebody who is incredibly hard on bags, I love them! That canvas holds up to everything I''ve put it through.

That''s never happened for me with a bag before.

Anyways, sorry for the mini-hijack.

 

[Sundial]

The Longchamp handbag that I bought my daughter is a gorgeous blue leather that looks almost like denim, but I really don't find anything wrong with the canvas bags either. They are just kind of plain but functional. And thanks for the recommendation Harriet, but I am out west so Vegas would be a more likely Cartier stop for me should I feel the urge.

 

[cutes814]

i have worked at 2 jewelry stores in the past and when we start the closing process, we do not take any more customers. it is a safety issue and i think it had something to do with the insurance policies too. generally we start closing about 15 minutes before the listed closing time.

it takes a while to put everything away, lock up and clean the counters.

anyway, i don''t think it was bad manners on their part. it''s just a fact of not knowing the etiquette of jewlery store hours. mara brings up a really good example. ie, restaurants, we would never go in 15 minutes before a restaurant''s closing hours, usually the last seating is an hour before, at latest 1/2 hour before.

oh and just fyi, thought i''d also share the point of view from the sales people''s side, we used to get annoyed when customers come in last minute to look or shop for jewelry when we were in the closing process. it made it really difficult to close in time to get home to our families, ya know? plus, sometimes, we might look at them like they are the ones with the bad manners!

sorry you felt that way sundial, just know that it wasn''t personally against you. i''m even more sorry you couldn''t get the ring! i would have loved to see it!

 

[Sundial]

Okay I don't want to beat this to death so this is my final post on the subject. The three sales people at Cartier had not started their closing process. I could see inside the store and all three were standing around leaning against the counters chatting. When the one guy finally came to the door he came outside and started visiting with a woman who was obviously his girlfriend after he spoke to me. It is also not the same as a restaurant where they would actually have to go prepare something for me. I don't think that trying to buy something from a store while they are still open is rude. They can certainly choose not to do business with me fifteen minutes before closing and I can certainly choose to spend my money somewhere else.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 6/23/2007 10:52:09 PM
Author: Milly
i have worked at 2 jewelry stores in the past and when we start the closing process, we do not take any more customers. it is a safety issue and i think it had something to do with the insurance policies too. generally we start closing about 15 minutes before the listed closing time.

it takes a while to put everything away, lock up and clean the counters.

anyway, i don''t think it was bad manners on their part. it''s just a fact of not knowing the etiquette of jewlery store hours. mara brings up a really good example. ie, restaurants, we would never go in 15 minutes before a restaurant''s closing hours, usually the last seating is an hour before, at latest 1/2 hour before.

oh and just fyi, thought i''d also share the point of view from the sales people''s side, we used to get annoyed when customers come in last minute to look or shop for jewelry when we were in the closing process. it made it really difficult to close in time to get home to our families, ya know? plus, sometimes, we might look at them like they are the ones with the bad manners!

sorry you felt that way sundial, just know that it wasn''t personally against you. i''m even more sorry you couldn''t get the ring! i would have loved to see it!

all of this should be done after the doors are locked IMO. And the doors should be unlocked and the merch avail until the specified closing time.

 

[iheartscience]

I agree with Sundial and Cehra. A retail store should be open until its closing time...if closing time is 6 pm, it should be open until 6 pm, not 5:45 pm. Otherwise, make 5:45 pm the closing time! I think a restaurant is a totally different story.

 

[Elise]

that''s really unfortunate, sundial. perhaps it might be a matter of the attitude of the particular store. i live in asia and have always enjoyed excellent service in cartier boutiques in hk and singapore.

 

[Harriet]

Has service in Singapore improved since I left?

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 6/24/2007 6:34:51 PM
Author: thing2of2
I agree with Sundial and Cehra. A retail store should be open until its closing time...if closing time is 6 pm, it should be open until 6 pm, not 5:45 pm. Otherwise, make 5:45 pm the closing time! I think a restaurant is a totally different story.

I don''t think a restaurant is a different story... when I was a waitress we served people that sat at 9:59, but there were some limits to it. The waitstaff was staggered and like of 3 people one left at 10, one at 10:30 and one at 11. The cook didn''t start cleaning his grill until 10:00 or when the last meal was ordered. Soup is something I wouldn''t recommend ordering at closing - there still might be some but ::shaking head::

 

[princesss]

Date: 6/25/2007 2:15:23 PM
Author: Harriet
Has service in Singapore improved since I left?

Boy I hope so! I hated going clothes shopping there. I was a US size 8 when I lived there, and one day my best friend and I decided to splurge and buy ourselves something really nice. She went into Versace to try on a dress she wanted for prom, and I was browsing while I waited. The salesgirl saw me and said, "I think you are a little too....curvy for our store. We don''t have anything for you."

But the Cartier and Tiffanys salespeople were always very nice when we went in to play with the sparklies.

 

[Nicrez]

Date: 6/22/2007 11:33:51 PM
Author: gailrmv
I understand your frustration, but I bet that most people who arrive 15 min before closing don''t already know exactly what they want... most customers in general take much longer to try things on and debate over any large purchase. They probably didnt want to stay past closing for just a possibility of a sale. I''m not saying it''s right, but that''s probably what happened. I''m sorry you weren''t able to purchase the ring, I''m sure it would have been a lovely memento of the trip.

Nicrez, why do you find those canvas bags annoying? I like them! (actually I like Herve Chapelier much better, but they are similar.)

Hey gailrmv! I don''t like the bags, because even though they are simple and hold up, here in NY you see them EVERYWHERE. It''s as if that is the only vision of Longchamp people have here. They have some really stunning bags, I would say, but of course the better stuff is in Paris.

Sundial, sounds like you got a beautiful bag! Sorry you had a bad expereince, but truly I would chalk it up to the sales people closing up a bit early because it might have been slow that day, and they figured we want to go home and drink...

In the end, it''s frustrating, but the company is a good one, sometimes people they hire are not at the top of their game. Sorry you lost out on the chance, but other stores, and other vacations (and other jewelry!!)

 

[Elise]

Date: 6/25/2007 2:15:23 PM
Author: Harriet
Has service in Singapore improved since I left?

Heh.. not sure when you left. But I find the service standard varies. Overall though, I must say that HK''s service standards far exceed those of Singapore''s. In SG, I get great service from the luxury jewelry brands like Cartier, Tiffany''s, Bulgari, etc, regardless of how I''m dressed. However, depending on whether I "look" like I can afford the goods, I get either great or no service from other brands (you know, the ones that sell handbags, clothes, sunglasses, misc pieces of jewelry and watches).

For taxi services, it''s just the other way round! Can''t begin to count how many times I''ve been taken for a ride in HK simply because it''s obvious I''m not a local.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 6/25/2007 3:22:04 PM
Author: princesss
Boy I hope so! I hated going clothes shopping there. I was a US size 8 when I lived there, and one day my best friend and I decided to splurge and buy ourselves something really nice. She went into Versace to try on a dress she wanted for prom, and I was browsing while I waited. The salesgirl saw me and said, ''I think you are a little too....curvy for our store. We don''t have anything for you.''

But the Cartier and Tiffanys salespeople were always very nice when we went in to play with the sparklies.

is right. I''ve never attempted to go into the Singapore Cartier and Tiffany.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 6/26/2007 1:25:41 PM
Author: Elise
Heh.. not sure when you left. But I find the service standard varies. Overall though, I must say that HK''s service standards far exceed those of Singapore''s. In SG, I get great service from the luxury jewelry brands like Cartier, Tiffany''s, Bulgari, etc, regardless of how I''m dressed. However, depending on whether I ''look'' like I can afford the goods, I get either great or no service from other brands (you know, the ones that sell handbags, clothes, sunglasses, misc pieces of jewelry and watches).

For taxi services, it''s just the other way round! Can''t begin to count how many times I''ve been taken for a ride in HK simply because it''s obvious I''m not a local.

I left in ''98. I think the government was conducting a service campaign then. As my mother says, sometimes they "see her no up."