Alicia’s POV: I Love Shopping Local and Small Biz BUT… I Want Something In Return

One of the things I love about living and working in Mountain View is that I can pretty much purchase any goods and services I need within the city limits: groceries, gifts, household items, automotive, clothing, shoes, etc.  Also, just about every genre of restaurant is present here.  So, the concept of shopping locally and shopping small businesses comes pretty easy. There is a wealth of stores at our disposal.

Now that we’ve entered into the holiday shopping season (hopefully you survived Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday relatively unscathed), many small and local businesses will court us to spend our time and dollars in their stores.  There are great deals to be had, but for me, there is something I want in return: great customer service.

We’ve all had our share of bad service, be it at a restaurant, clothing store or service provider.   I’ve noticed in my personal shopping experience is that as the push to incentivize people to shop their stores, the level of good customer service hasn’t increased much.  This ranges from not being greeted by a sales representative when I walk in the door to being given a hard-and-fast NO! when I inquire about alternatives and substitutions. 

I don’t ask for much, but I also come from the school of not forcing a business to take my money. If I step into a restaurant and wait at the host stand for more than 90 seconds without being acknowledged by any of the staff, I turn around and leave.  Worse is to dine at a restaurant, receive horrible service then receive the bill with the gratuity area highlighted by the server (note: you get the tip you earn). If I walk into a retail store and the salesperson seems uninterested in assisting me or comes off as dismissive, I walk out.  If I go somewhere to get my car serviced and the technician gives me short, close-ended responses, I’m out of there! 

Don’t get me wrong: this doesn’t happen too often, but it happens.  What puzzles me is when those delivering bad service are incredulous as to why they’re not getting good reviews. No abundance of Groupons or LivingSocial deals will excuse subpar service.

Bottom line: consumer dollars are valuable.  We’ll spend even when we shouldn’t, but that spend will occur at places we feel good about who also feel good about you as their customer. There is a reason why I will frequent a coffee shop or restaurant that’s a bit out of the way.  There is a reason why I’ll always go to the same mechanic, even if they’re not the least expensive option.  There is a reason I’ll give a generous gratuity at a particular watering hole or restaurant. That reason is great customer service.

While I’ve created my holiday shopping budget, I know I’ll most likely go over it.  Why? Because my trusted sommelier will make recommendation on a great bottle of wine to give as a gift, and I’ll most likely purchase it because he knows what I like and hasn’t steered me wrong in the past.  Because my favorite staffer at a local consignment store will point out an item that would go well with a piece I purchased from them a couple of months back. 

Shopping local and small businesses, combined with great service, benefits all involved.

What are your favorite local and small businesses in Mountain View?