It was a rainy day in New York.  My wife, some friends and I were looking for some respite from the downpour and we decided to step into Tiffany’s in the Village.  Now we knew we could not afford anything in the store but thought it would be fun to look around, besides, I love Tiffany lamps and I thought I might spy one and be inspired.

We made our way into the store and it was beautiful.  A nice foyer led to a series of rooms with jewelry cases containing some of the most beautiful rings and necklaces you will ever see.  Anyway, we were making our way around and then proceeded to make our move to leave when we stopped for a moment to look at a wall of artwork and photos.  Seated at a desk was Kate and Kate was lovely and charming.  See took an interest in our interest in the items on the wall.  She enquired as to where we were from and seemed to have no difficulty with the fact that we were not buying a thing.  We had a nice conversation where Kate proceeded to tell us the history of Tiffany and the details of various photos.  It was all interesting and made us all feel quite at home.

Why do I relay all of this?  Kate showed exactly the way it should be with customers.  She welcomed us in, she included us, she never tried to sell us anything, she accepted us whether we bought or not, she never looked down us in our shorts, flip-flops and wet umbrellas, Kate was hospitality personified.  The moral here, customers are people, not wallets with legs, and they deserve and even want to be welcomed, listened to, answered, shown interest and made to feel like they belong whether they buy from you or not.

Although I am not in the market for jewelry, if I had the funds, I would call Kate, she made me feel welcome.  If you, however, are in the market, call Kate, she will help you and make you feel good all along the way.  Thank you Kate for the lesson in hospitality and what really matters in customer service, making others feel valued for being people not for being money.