The Consumer
The shoe fits but can you find its pair?
By Linda Bolido
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:47:00 01/13/2009
Filed Under: Retail, Lifestyle & Leisure
WHILE shopping may be therapy for many people, it can also be a source of so much aggravation.
Commercial establishments often see the big picture, like their window display, but overlook little things that may seem unimportant but can sometimes add to the stress already experienced by harassed shoppers.
Regular inventory check, for instance, is very important to make sure shoppers get what they are looking for when they want it. Putting on display something you no longer hold in stock or do not intend to sell will only lose you repeat business.
A mother was recently complaining about a major department store chain that could not find the pair of a shoe that was on display, which her daughter liked.
As many shoppers know, stores usually display only one shoe. The problem is, in many instances, shop clerks no longer know where to find its pair. If the shoe on display just happens to be your size and it is the last one left, your chances of getting the pair are often slim.
In the clothes sections, you find a garment on a mannequin that you like but, if it is the only one left, they may not sell it to you. I have been to places where shop assistants refuse to take the garment off the mannequin because it will leave the dummy bare.
If it is the only one left, why continue putting it on display if you cannot sell it to a customer?
Another consumer complains about the practice of foreign store chains to display posters of products that they do not have. The posters come from the catalogues of mother companies but not all overseas branches carry everything on the catalogue.
Customers looking for those products leave disgruntled and disappointed with the service of what is supposed to be a world-class establishment.
Eco-friendly celebrations
Romy Hidalgo, secretary of the EcoWaste Coalition, is urging Metro Manila’s 12 million residents to make any celebration cleaner, healthier and less toxic.
We have just finished one long holiday season and will soon be marking Chinese New Year, which comes early this year, Jan. 26. It will be the Year of the Ox.
Hidalgo said Filipinos should try to observe eco-friendly consumption by reducing wastes and toxics. He said they should constantly observe the “6 Rs” not just during the holidays, but the rest of the year 2009.
The 6Rs are: Reduce unnecessary purchases; replace toxic products on shopping lists with ecological or more environment-friendly substitutes; reject plastic bags and goods in multiple packaging; reuse unwanted items and leftovers; recycle glass, metal, paper, plastic and other recyclables; and rotting kitchen, garden and other biodegradable discards should be turned into compost.
Caring for the environment is necessary for our own survival and preservation of the natural resources that our lives depend on.
Feedback
Gerald Lay is one of those who have learned to read bills carefully before he leaves an establishment. He said in two separate occasions in two establishments in the Reclamation Area, he and his partner found themselves overcharged.
In one grill house on Macapagal Avenue that bears the name of a celebrity, he said they paid “exorbitant rates” for the cooking (this is one of those places that cooks freshly bought seafood from a neighboring wet market). When they reviewed their bill when they got home, they found they paid P6,000 just for the cooking.
Less than a week later, the bill from a Chinese restaurant in the same area showed they paid P425 for a Seafood Roll that was not served. They returned to the restaurant to complain and ask for a refund. They were told the restaurant had a no-refund policy. Instead, they could have a similarly priced dish to go. But the item they brought home, Lay said, turned out to be burnt, overdone and not fit even for the dog.
Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail lbolido@inquirer.com.ph.
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