An Express clerk helped me save $30 on this dress and scarf.
In one week I had two amazing customer service experiences at REI and The Express that saved me $40. Perhaps more importantly, these clerks endeared me to their stores, guaranteeing that I will return again. Has customer service influenced your spending?
At REI I was returning a too-small snowboard helmet when the clerk offered to check if a medium was available.
“Sure!”
She found one at an REI warehouse.
“You probably want free shipping to your house, huh?”
“If you can do it, absolutely!”
“Let’s add on raspberry energy chews to your order. You’ll get free shipping that way.”
“Okay!”
I walked away moments later with a new helmet in the mail having paid no restocking fee, no return fee, and no shipping fee. I spent an extra $1.49 on energy chews, and saved $10 in shipping. Score!
A few days later at The Express I found an adorable dress for a party coming up. It was $69.99 and – gasp – I did not have a coupon. So embarrassing! I asked a clerk if she had any coupons and she quickly
checked the drawers behind the register. No luck.
I whipped out my iPhone and checked for any coupons with a bar code that the clerk could scan. A friend found one, but it required a higher total. Could we find something else to buy? My friend tried on jeans. No luck. I found a $20 scarf that matched the dress but the total was still not high enough. That’s when another clerk approached us.
“Can I help you?”
“I wanted to buy this dress but I don’t have a coupon. Do you have any?”
“Oh sure, let me grab one.” He went into the same drawer the other cashier had looked in and pulled out a $30 off $90 coupon and a 15% off coupon.
“You save more if you use the dollar off coupons,” he said, putting my dress into a special garment bag. My pre-coupon total came to $89.98 plus tax. In the end I paid $70.83 for the dress and the scarf, pictured above. Score!
I don’t think the female clerk at The Express was trying to hide coupons from me, but the male clerk went the extra mile and saved me $30. I’ll definitely be shopping there again.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
I love that you shared great service. I too wanted to share when I had great help from Mo when I got my new cell phone. So I share too on my column:
NoHo: the Good the Bad the Ugly. Here it is.
http://nohoartsdistrict.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=288:great-customer-service-from-mo&Itemid=251
Yes I will complain but I also believing in sharing when someone goes the extra mile.
Thanks for your stories. It made me smile!
Jeanne
Great job! Beautiful dress and coordinating scarf!
I’ve found that nearly all the clerks at the Pavilions supermarket in Sherman Oaks are attentive, pleasant and helpful, and that includes the staff who work in produce, the meat department, the deli and the bakery. I can’t remember one time that I had any difficulty getting help with whatever I needed, and that’s saying something. Of course, I shop there on a regular basis, and enjoy using the coupons from their weekly ad inserted in the newspapers. I’m also able to use manufacturer’s coupons along with the store coupons, so that’s a double score!
@Jeanne ~ Thanks for sharing that story about Mo of AT&T, not a company known for good customer service. It’s nice to know that there’s at least one employee who cares about offering good service. I did not find that to be true at the AT&T store in Sherman Oaks. Where is the store in NoHo?
@BB ~ Love the dress and scarf, and know it will look great on your slim frame! What a wonderful bargain!
@EllieD Thanks so much!
Best thing you can do for these clerks is let their bosses know how happy you are with their service! Really great customer service seems so rare these days.