RETAILER TAKES CUSTOMER SERVICE TO THE MAX

Loehmann’s inspired me to write about them in the Boca Raton Observer. My monthly column is called “As Seen by Feen.” I thought you might like to read it.

BUYING A BETTER WORLD
By Diane Feen

If there is a solution to world peace, I think Loehmann’s has all the answers. Who else could get perfectly sane women to make weekly pilgrimages to Glades Road and beyond to buy bits of cloth armed with colorful discount coupons?

As a veteran Loehmann’s shopper (and jaded fashion consumer) I always saw this designer discount haunt as nothing more than a place to buy stuff. And in a world with too much stuff it was low on my priority list of places to go.

But all that has changed. And not because I suddenly need more stuff - but because they have figured out a way to infiltrate my psyche and my inner circle. And that’s not an easy task - Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Bed Bath and Beyond and Rooms To Go have been trying to forge this delicate bond with me (and I assume with you too) for years.

And if Loehmann’s can make nice to all its shoppers, then why wouldn’t it work in say Iraq or Syria? We may not have Sunni’s and Shiites, but we have housewives, lawyers, punk rockers, socialites, new- agers and senior citizens all trying on clothes in one big room. And we all seem to co-exist quite nicely.

Part of my new fondness for Loehmann’s (and the certainty that they have a clue to peace-making) is because of their tactful, yet subtle way of getting me to see them as friend rather than foe (a good thing when resolving conflicts that have gone on for centuries, I assume).

Part of this goodwill started with emails. They didn’t really impose themselves upon me, but rather politely informed me that a new designer shoe collection was in stock. A week later I was told of an impending sale of all yellow ticketed merchandise. As the summer progressed, so did my correspondence with Loehmann’s. Not only did they persuade me to shop on Memorial Day weekend (when most obsessive consumers are summering in the Hampton’s or at the Breakers), but they sent me a premature birthday note.

“Don’t forget,” the email said, “your birthday is coming up and you will be entitled to a discount on all your purchases.” How nice, I thought. They not only invited me into their “Insiders Club,” (where you get discount coupons and points) but now they’re letting me know that our relationship has progressed from an acquaintance to a real friendship (they could really score more points with me if they let me know when it’s time for an oil change).

I am wondering if Condoleezza Rice offered anything this nice to the people in the Middle East. I always say, when there’s a conflict, go shopping. Show me a woman, or man for that matter, who can still hold a grudge while snapping up a Ralph Lauren cardigan for 40% off the sale price and I’ll show you a young person who eschews text messaging.

There is one problem with letting Loehmann’s do our peace-making abroad. And it’s not that the Pentagon and Ms. Rice wouldn’t approve. It’s because some people, no matter how nice you are to them, just don’t want to be reminded it’s their birthday.

As for me, I’m headed off to Loehmann’s to cash in on my birthday loot. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. And even people at war should know that.