#harmon's

My first stop was Bed, Bath and Beyond to return some lampshades and find some curtains. Did I turn into the Queen of England after walking in? These people could not do enough for me. Without hovering, associates seemed to emerge whenever I looked in-need ― and when I didn’t, they were busy with other shoppers or straightening shelves, always with an upbeat demeanor. The ratio of workers to shoppers was ideal: just the right number of associates to help with current traffic. My one-minute wait at a register was cause for alarm: a manager appeared from nowhere to apologize for the delay (what delay?), ushered me to a closed register and paged a cashier. She arrived promptly and also thought I was wearing a crown and red velvet robes. Now I can’t wait to go back to that store!

Next stop? Michaels. Oh, that poor, lone associate. Shoppers were roaming all over the place looking for assistance, with no help in sight. There was just one young cashier. I love Michaels, but on that day I needed craft information and advice, but could obtain neither. After waiting to catch the busy cashier’s attention and inquire about sales help, I was told, “Sorry, I’m the only one here today.” What!? On the maturity scale, here was WFM in its infancy. I felt sorry for that lone associate ― and for my ill-fated craft project, which was returned to my back seat.

I arrived at Harmon’s, a regional discount cosmetics chain and one of my favorite stores, about 20 minutes before closing. Wow. My first impression was, “Look at all these workers standing around doing absolutely nothing but draining the payroll.” Their glaring expressions said, “Get out. I want to go home.” That exact sentiment was declared right in front of me, the customer, when a car pulled up about 15 minutes later. “We’re closed,” one told the shopper as she hurried in, even though it was only 8:55pm. The frantic lady begged for a single purchase, which reluctantly was granted.

Meanwhile, about eight teenaged associates had been leaning back with arms folded, watching me roam the aisles. Let me tell you: finding a small jar of liquid vitamin E and certain personal products isn’t always easy! But not one of the associates offered to help, and when asked for it, they practically pushed each other towards me. OK, so at this store I’m not a queen, but am I now on Candid Camera? Of course, for most teens, closing time is much more important than actually working, but this bordered on bizarre. (I should add that one associate was busy vacuuming ― but almost ran my foot over when passing by.)

Once back home and on the PC, I had another terrific ― I mean OUTSTANDING ― customer experience. Zazzle is a fun online site where you can customize clothing, stationery, office supplies, posters, iPhone cases, coffee cups and more. You can use stock or uploaded images, select from dozens of fonts and colors, and spend hours into the night (yes, I did) designing personalized merchandise. My creations for the evening were in tribute to my son’s recent attainment of Eagle Scout. I created a set of invitations to his Eagle Court of Honor, some matching Thank You cards, and an “Eagle Scout Mom” T-shirt.

Customizing is easy once you get the hang of it, but since this was my initial visit to Zazzle, the online designing tools weren’t working for me. There are tons of help links and a toll-free support number that, when dialed, is answered promptly by a real person…a happy, patient and helpful person. Not just that night, but every time thereafter. Representatives don’t rush you but insist on answering questions in expanded detail, log into your account to walk you through any design challenges, send a follow-up survey to measure service quality, and provide generous discounts on future orders. Products arrive quickly and are beautifully done. I love this site!

If you have a birthday, anniversary or other gift-giving occasion coming up, consider personalizing a gift through Zazzle ― but only when you have a few free hours, because you may get addicted.