Customer Service

This past Tuesday, I was on a mission to get the kids some shoes for Easter. I have already acquired their clothing, and thought it was time to get the shoes, being that Easter is only a few weeks away. Ciara needed brown dress shoes to go with her dress. I usually get their shoes at Nordstrom, but have been made fun on since that sounds a little extravagant. This time I decided to check out some of the cheaper stores. I first went to Payless. They do not have any brown dress shoes. Then I went to Khol's. Again, no brown dress shoes, but some cute brown sandals that might be good for summer. I looked at the price, and they are $25. But I couldn't find Ciara's size. I also looked for Caden, but again, nothing. Either they didn't have his size, or they didn't have what I was looking for. Then we went to Famous Footwear. I have to say, I was quite disappointed in their selection. Mostly, they had tennis shoes, which is not what my kids need right now. I finally decided to go and check out Nordstrom. The new kids shoe department has this great fish tank with a coloring table right in front of it. The kids were in heaven. And Ciara loves shoes. She kept picking out new ones to try on. I found some really cute patent brown ballet flats for Ciara, and some stylin' skater type shoes for Caden. Of course, they didn't have their sizes. But the great thing about Nordstrom is that if they don't have it, they will find it and ship it to your house for free. Ciara shoes showed up on Friday. I had to hide them because she keeps putting them on. Caden's will be here in the coming week. The ballet flats were so hard to fit. They need to be somewhat tight so that they stay on the feet, but I hate buying shoes that fit so well, since they won't fit for long. Plus, Ciara has a really slim foot. We had to buy her ballet and tap shoes in a slim size. And most kids shoes do not come in a slim size. I decided to go a half size up on the flats anyway, so she can (hopefully) wear them through next year. The sales lady gave me some things to put in Ciara's new shoes to keep them on her feet (think Petals). She gave me 2 different kinds free of charge. That is why I shop at Nordstrom. Yes, some of their shoes are a little ridiculous (no, my kids do not need designer brands), but they do have great deals, and they really take care of me. Caden's shoes were only $5 more that they Payless or Khol's brand, and I would rather pay the $5, and have a better quality shoe and great service. So for those of you that think I am frivolous in shopping at Nordstrom, I no longer care. I love Nordstrom! The following day, I took all 3 kids (my 2 plus my nephew) to Albertsons to do some grocery shopping. It wasn't so bad with all kids. They were quite well behaved. I was having some difficulty finding things on my list. I couldn't find thermometer covers (we have one of the ear thermometers, and it needs the covers to work). I first asked at the pharmacy, and they said to check the baby aisle. Nope, not there. I gave up. We were checking out, and the check-out lady asked, as always, "Did you find everything you need today?" They always ask this, and I have always replied, "Yes." This time, I told her that I could find the covers. I thought she would just direct me to a different aisle, and I would have to come back and check out later. But someone else was sent on the search for me. Unfortunately, they didn't' carry them, but she suggested some other stores close by that would most likely carry them. I was quite pleased with the help. When we got to the car, Caden decided he didn't want to get in. I still have a basket full of groceries, and am trying to get all 3 kids in, and he throws a fit. Great. But one of the bagger/can-i-help-you-to-your-car? guys comes to my rescue. He came over, introduced himself (Adam), tried to calm down Caden, and loaded all my groceries in the car. I wanted to hug him. Just when I start to think that customer service is a dead language, I have a good week.