Comparing Customer Service

Dear EMCO Shoe Retail Staff and Management,

Having your back turned to your customer while having a conversation and trying to resolve an issue is not only rude but shows lack of professionalism, as well, especially when you're leaning over the table and have your butt facing said customer.

I loved the sales assistant the first time I went there and bought my wedges but I won't be going back to shop at your store anymore after today's rude behaviour.

***

Dear Alberto Piazza Retail Staff and Management,

Your ladies at your clearance store were so nice and attentive. I was mentally ticking all the points of good customer service while I was being served. It almost distracted me from the dog poo smell inside the store and the dog poo marks on the carpet brought in perhaps by a previous customer who stepped on dog poo outside.

Dog poo aside, I bought a pair of new season high heels from your store. It was comfortable and pretty. The fact that it was made from Italy was an added bonus.

I will be visiting your store again.

The Making of a Chanel Haute Couture Outfit

Saw this on youtube. It's amazing how these ladies can look at Karl's drawings and just make a dress.

They don't even do flat patterns; they immediately go to draping which, for me, is hard.

You go, ladies!

US$ to AUS$ = 1:1

Good for importers and overseas travelers.

Bad for exporters and shoppers (creates a big hole in your wallet).

Everybody's having a Sale

It's probably because the American dollar and Australian is at near par. Bad news for exporters (like us) and great for importers (most retailers here).

I went to our accountant today to ask him about how to set up a Discretionary Trust. I read up before I went but it was still a bit confusing. After the meeting, I finally have a clearer idea and it'll be a useful thing to know should I do pursue that avenue.

After that serious meeting, I went in search of a Tony Bianco outlet. And I scored!

www.tonybianco.com.au

Got this baby from EMCO, a Tony Bianco stockist at Richmond. They were selling it for $135.00 while Tony Bianco's online store was selling it at $ 199.00 

Then I tried this one on and I had the strongest urge to get it as well. It was priced at $ 150.00 so I decided to let it go until the sales staff said it was further discounted to $ 135.00. Weeeellll, what's a girl to do? Place it on lay by. =) Next week, it's coming home with me. =)

www.tonybianco.com.au

And to think it's being sold online for $189.00.

Funny how a few months ago, I've been complaining how nobody seems to be selling wedges with thick soles and how a few months later, they're everywhere. 

Done with BI et al

Finished my temporary casual employment at Blue Illusion. It was such a stimulating experience. My brain was fried just trying to absorb everything J was teaching. But it was great! It just strengthened my belief that I should be on the business side and not on any of the creative side.

The space I occupied while at BI

***

I forgot to mention that MYER called me up a week ago. It was a bit funny since the HR person basically said I passed the interview but could I go to their website and apply online? Apparently, the one I sent via the school either got lost or wasn't placed in the system. So I did and the next day, the HR person said that I would have to attend a two-day orientation in late November. I haven't received any official documents though so I still don't know if I will be working this Christmas. Fingers crossed!


***

I finished and submitted my hat today.

It was a fun project although I found it a bit annoying how the sinamay started fraying / breaking while I worked on it.

I blocked the crown but I did free form with the brim.

In the afternoon, I went to Rich for work experience. S, who I bumped into on the tram, needed help with quality control and asked if I could help. In return, I could ask her questions with regards to the company for my assignment. And I asked heaps! In the end, it was a good exchange. I even got two free garments from their clearance sale rack. I might go back to buy some more garments. =))

Moon Cakes

It's the Mid-Autumn Festival and even though I don't have one drop of Chinese blood in me, I am one with them in celebrating this happy occasion. I say happy because this is the only time of the year where I can eat moon cakes. Yes, those yummy confection that blends sweet and sour, mochi and green tea, mochi and green bean paste, or whatever concoctions they come up with.

I don't remember the first time I tasted moon cakes but I do remember one particular moon cake. Somebody gave a family member a tin of mooncakes. They looked heavy and were heavy. I couldn't wait and took a fork. There was a big egg yolk in the middle of the brown coloured paste. One forkful and I was in heaven.  The sweet and sour taste blended perfectly. And that was all it took - one forkful.

Each year, I try to look for moon cakes but I wasn't able to until this year. This year, I told myself I'd go look for moon cakes no matter what it takes. I initially wanted my friend to post me some from Hong Kong but knowing how tight Australian Customs are when it comes to milk and dairy products, I knew it would be impossible. So I did the next best thing, I texted a Taiwanese friend. The standard reply: Chinatown. Anywhere else? Bread top.

And bread top it was. It was 8.35 in the morning and I was one of the few who were early buying moon cakes. They had pandan flavour, the traditional white lotus paste and what do I see? Mochi and green bean paste. The last one was yummy. But it was too heavy so after eating one piece I gave the other to a classmate who squealed with joy when she realised it was her favourite flavour.

I got two more boxes and still not satisfied, I went to Chinatown in Little Bourke and saw Maxim's Cakes. And there they were - mooncakes in tins. They had a buy one take one promo and discounted rates for others but since I wasn't sure V would share my taste for them, I bought the individual tins for AUD14.00 and got another one for free.

These should be enough to last me until my cravings are gone. =)

From Bread top, the mochi ones got eaten early on.

From Maxim's Cakes at Little Bourke St in the city.

When I checked the label, it says they were manufactured in Hong Kong. So, in the end, I still got my Hong Kong - made moon cakes.

MYER Group Interview

I didn't think I'd enjoy it although I did prep myself not to take it seriously and just to have fun. Especially since I thought I would be late for the interview as I left the house much later than planned. The tram was a bit slow, or maybe that was just me but surprise! surprise! I got to the city with plenty of time to spare. I quickly dashed into OfficeWorks to buy a folder since the email said to bring the resume.

I arrived at the MYER Learning Centre after following a very long corridor to find people in suits and very business looking attires sitting at the lounge area. And I noticed a friendly face from school! How's that? There was a bit of a wait then a lady came around asking for our names. Mine and Jo's and another's girl's name weren't there so we had to write down our names. Then they called us into a room with tables that had a maximum of 10 chairs each. But for our table, we had 8 since we were the last to come in, which turned out great in the end since nobody tried to dominate the conversation. I hope I didn't. I know I spoke a lot but I also tried to involve the other two guys who weren't very outspoken to speak up.

But before that, the HR Manager introduced herself and the other 3 ladies who would be monitoring us. Then she told us a bit of the company, what the general benefits are for team members, a brief history of the company, what the company is currently doing with their buildings, etc.

Then she gave us a problem-solving task. We had to come up with 5 key points in line with the store's international image. She said while we had to answer the questions, the main thing that they would be looking at would be how the discussion in each table would go. That's when I was glad that we had fewer people in our table as it would be harder to speak up in a bigger group.

The second part was a role-playing task. We were put in pairs and we had to play the part of a seller and a customer. We have to show that we know how to provide excellent customer service but at the same time how to sell products.

After that, it was done and we were thanked for coming.

For the results, we were told that we would be informed of the results after 3 weeks. If we didn't pass, we can apply again after 6 months. If we did pass, they'd keep our resume for 6 months while they try to match our qualifications with available positions.

And that's how it went. =)