A few weeks ago at the end of January 2016 I walked past the new Tread + Miller store in the Canal Walk mall. Although I was on my way to an appointment I could not stop myself from pausing briefly to look at a pair of men’s leather boots which caught my eye in the window. It was an Arthur Jack Preston boot in a dark brown colour priced at R1499. I really liked them and wanted to buy a pair as soon as possible. Unfortunately I never got…
On 1/11/2015 I wrote a blog “Edgars – an unwanted shopping experience”. My main point was the extremely poor customer service with very few untrained staff members to be found in any Edgars store. Yesterday I read the below post from a friend on Facebook…….(5/01/2016) “How Edgars expects to survive this economy with thier shocking service and retailers like H&M around is beyond me. I currently have +/- R800 of merchandise and cosmetics in my hand and have spent 15 minutes trying to pay cash for it. Now at the…
Firstly let me say to Cotton On congratulations you have achieved amazing progression in a foreign country and taught the local retailers a lesson in thier back yard! Cotton On is a global brand with its roots in Australia. In 2011 it opened its first store in South Africa with a range of merchandise and price points the local consumers fell in love with. It was not long before the rapid expansion started, into top malls dominating the young fashion gap missed by SA retail stores such as Mr Price,…
The oldest and most exciting toy shop in the world is open and trading in the V& A Waterfront mall. Even if you don’t have kids, this store is a must for a visit for all. The amazing range of merchandise from traditional to hi tech offers something for everyone. You may not buy but the experience of walking through this environment and interacting with the product is fun for free! From Lego to play doh to cuddly toys to look alike babies, this store has it all. Get down…
I’m not sure how many people know Top Shop in the waterfront have a facility offered to customers called “Personal Shopper”. Essentially you as the customer can make an appointment to visit the store at a pre arranged time convenient to you and a dedicated personal shopper will spend time with you to assist you in choosing a wardrobe. Example. You make the appointment at 10am on a Saturday for mother and daughter. You arrive and meet the PS in a custom build private room which is designed for your…
Sometimes you can gauge a retailers commitment to customer service by driving an hour or so outside the metro hubs and do some shopping in a more remote location. I decided to try this on Saturday afternoon 21st November 2015 at the Checkers Centre in Hermanus Western Cape. This local mall has some national retailers and seemed like a good location for my trial. First store as you walk through the mall entrance is Edgars. At the front door you are met by a security guard, the only human noticeable…
On line shopping maybe here to stay but consumers still want to go to the malls. Retailers need to keep thier stores current and in tip top condition as customers still want to walk through your doors and buy from your store. Many consumers do shop on line and when buying an article where they can source from a web page this will always be an option. However most would prefer to drive to the mall spend a few hours in stores and enjoy the experience. Many make the outing…
It’s always exciting when new retail concepts open in our South African malls. This is especially so when the new store has also managed to create a unique experience you won’t find from its competitors. Tread + Miller is in this category opening it’s doors in the Canal Walk shopping mall downstairs next to Foschini. The store is focused on a range of men’s footwear and also offers a small selection of Ladies shoes . It definitely has a masculine feel when you enter the store driven by the rich…
As not everyone has the opportunity to visit the exciting new H&M store at the V&A waterfront in Capetown I thought I would do a little shopping and show you some items I bought. Firstly I just want to mention unlike shopping in Edgar’s, H&M have an abundance of sales associates. In fact they possibly have far too many however it confirms the attitude of this retailer, customer service is very important to them. Summer is arriving so a pair of new shorts would be a requirement. After browsing through a…
Gone are the days when you leave a retail store in South Africa and feel really great about the experience you have just had. Service is a perception which is built up in your mind through experience or hearsay. If I had to list 10 SA retailers how would you rate them out of 10 with 1 being poor and 10 being excellent. Be honest and go through the names quickly rating as you go… Game Pick n Pay Edgars Woolworths Mr Price Top Shop Checkers MTN Truworths Foschini Now…