The Green Coat

My wife is not a fan of buying clothes. It's not about saving money. It's more about keeping life simple and just getting good quality things when you need them.

I'd love her to occasionally splash out. So I was excited to see her eye drawn to this stunning green coat displayed outside a small boutique in the back streets of Stockholm.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I commented, watching her carefully. I had bought myself a stylish long coat a few days earlier from a cool little menswear shop (you can read about that adventure here) and was hoping she might follow my lead. While she gave me the usual, "No, it's okay, I don't really need a new coat", there was a hint of interest in her voice.

Non-encounters of the unbelievable kind
I suggested I find out a little more about it. She shrugged and I ducked down a few stairs into the shop. A woman was standing behind the counter staring at her phone. I waited for her to look up and make eye contact so I could ask her about the coat. There was just she and me in the store.

Because I am a retailer at heart, and love to see great service in action. I do get distressed when I see the opposite. There is no way this woman did not hear me walk across the wooden floorboards to the counter, or see me from the corner of her eye.

I decided to give her 20 more seconds to at least acknowledge my existence. 15… 10… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1. Nothing. So I turned around and walked back up into the street feeling frustrated and disappointed.

After telling Ann about my unbelievable non-encounter in the shop, she just smiled and said the woman was probably doing something important and continued to walk on. I looked back into the shop with a deep sense of loss, and reluctantly followed Ann up the street.

Another beautiful thing
A little further on, we came upon a stunning coloured patchwork jacket with black sleeves, displayed outside a similar boutique.

Again, I looked questioningly at Ann, and again she agreed it was nice but she didn't really need to buy a coat. And again, I offered to go inside and find out some more about it.

To my delight, the woman inside gave me a broad smile and with a warm Swedish accent said, "Welcome, please take a look around. All our garments are designed by us and made locally." I glanced toward the door and saw Ann peering inside. I beckoned her in.

While I can think of more fun things than standing in a boutique watching two women discuss and compare various jackets, I have to say this encounter was a high point of our trip. The care and pride shown by this retailer was inspiring, and her commitment to finding the right coat for Ann was touching. Ten minutes later, we headed back out into the narrow cobblestone street, feeling a little lighter, with Ann carrying a stylish jacket under her arm. Success!

The difference that makes the difference
Increasingly, businesses are investing in new technologies and expensive product development to stay ahead and differentiate themselves. Maybe an equally powerful strategy is to focus on embedding important behaviours into their cultures, like keeping phones out of sight and paying attention to customers in a warm and considerate manner.

Since this encounter in a Stockholm back street, I have a few times thought with a twinge of regret about that stunning green coat, waiting patiently for someone to take it home and wear it proudly. And then I shake my head as I remember the silly woman who thought that finishing whatever she was doing on her phone was more important than attending to her customer.

If you have a business that serves customers (and who doesn't) please remind them that the number one psychological need we all share is to feel seen and heard. On that note, I'd like to sincerely thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy day to read my hand-crafted musings. I hope you've found them useful.

Until next time.