Yours Truly, Uniquely Singapore (5)

I was walking to the City Hall MRT Station and I cut through the mall on my way back from Raffles Hotel. I happened to pass by a Guess Boutique and thought the handbags on display were quite attractive. I hardly bought branded goods and thought the Guess bags might run into a few hundred dollars. Hence I was surprised when the sales assistant told me it cost $179/- and after 20% discount, it would be about $143/-.

Later, I spotted a black bag with white polka dots and a lovely little scarf and some accessories, and to my surprise it was even cheaper at $120/-. After discount it would be about $96/-. I asked if the bag could be cheaper and the assistant told me that if I had an UOB Visa Card I would be entitled to another 10% discount. I told her I do not have credit cards, and in fact they should give shoppers another 10% discount if the goods are paid by cash. After all, they would have immediate cash and would not have to pay any fee to the Visa Card company.

The supervisor of the boutique heard my comments and smiled. "You're right! Shoppers who paid by cash should be given more discount."

I told the shop assistant that I would probably look for a friend with an UOB Visa card so that I could get a total of 30% instead of 20%. I shared the incident with a friend, and told her that it would have been wiser for the boutique to accede to my request since I asked. In other words, it is better to strike when the iron is hot. After walking out of the shop, it is very unlikely that I would bother to bring a friend with a Visa Card. When I was running Rialto Italian Restaurant, I always tried to accommodate my customers' request. It does not cost me much to make a customer happy especially if his request is reasonable. I would try to adjust somewhat and whenever possible, relent a little for it is easier to retain a customer than to try to attract a new one. Customer loyalty is priceless.

Perhaps more retail shops could emulate Taka Jewellery. The shop assistants are trained very well to observe their customers and to adjust whenever possible. Whenever a sales staff is unsure about a customer's request for cheaper or for some unusual terms, he/she will call up the manager in charge. This probably explains why Taka Jewellery is doing so well.

It is interesting that people just do what is being promoted or given. Retail shops should be promoting their goods; not promoting the credit card companies, which just want consumers to spend and spend, even when consumers should sometimes curtail their spending. This is why I prefer to purchase by cash so that it is more
"painful" to fork out cash than to pay by plastic. Let us not let "consumerisation" consume us. Let us be determined not to end up with white elephants that later eat into our pockets and end up collecting dust.

Gan Chau