Only One Left…

On the hunt for 'that much-needed item'

Time is running out and you haven’t organised that outfit to wear to the family wedding. You do a quick scan online (advised by your sister) to see what may be suitable. Online purchasing is my pet nightmare but that’s another article…

So, it’s a Saturday (the worst day to do clothes shopping, apparently) and if you’re anything like me, you just want to get in and out of the shop within record time.

You dislike the trying and on and "seeing if it fits", works with other possible items you may have in your wardrobe, it’s a mission.

Then hey presto, you find a possible item; the assistant is very helpful and tells you how wonderful you look in it and you ‘um and ah’ because you’re not 100 per cent sure about it. We’ve all been there, right!?

You say to the assistant, ‘I’ll be back, I’m going to have a think about it’ and race to the next shop.

You go through the same process again in the next shop but this time, "eureka" you’ve found the one. This’ll work brilliantly and before you know it, you’ve spent £120 just on the mustard coloured skirt alone, from French Connection. This does not include shoes or a top to go with it.

However, you have roughly planned the outfit in your head by saying "I have something at home that will work with this". So, you now hunt for the shoes and find them quick smart; bingo! Your eyes scan a pair of silver/grey glitter Park Lane by Kurt Geiger sandals for a measly £99. You try them on and they’re the best buy for a pair of heels, because they’re super comfortable.

Now your brain is working overtime as you’re thinking "do I have a handbag to match the shoes or something similar?" you say "yes" and make plans to go home, shopping is over, in record time phew!

Then a lightbulb moment goes off, and you think back to the first item you saw, race off to get it because it means you now have options. That Massimo Dutti navy pleated midi skirt - here I come!

You get there, only to be told; "There is only one left and it’s on hold for someone else for 30mins". Your face drops with disappointment, as you now become desperate for the skirt. "It’s true what they say, if you like what you see the first time always buy it, as it’s usually gone when you go back".

I digress… Time to start haggling with the assistant. Here are my feeble negotiating tips (LOL);

"I’m right here, ready to buy"…

"I’ve already tried it on and it fits me"…

"If you give it to me then you have a guaranteed sale"…

The assistant does not concede, she is sticking to her verbal agreement with the missing customer. That’s what I call great customer relations.

I negotiate with the assistant again, by agreeing to wait for 20 minutes, and if the customer has not returned within that time, then I can purchase the Massimo Dutti skirt.

By agreeing to wait for the customer to return, I show my determination (and craziness, I hear you say) for wanting to purchase "that much needed item".

The 20-minute time elapsed and I return to the assistant, she doesn’t even wait for me to speak but just hands me the skirt. I gleefully hand over £79.99 on the card (having already spent the cash LOL) and skip out of the shop, to race to the car park before the two-hour stint is up.

massimodutti.com
frenchconnection.com
kurtgeiger.com