This week, we had an angry designer march in to return some counter samples: “We did NOT appreciate you being so weird about the samples,” she said. “I'm returning them and letting you know we ordered from your competitor.” With that, she left.
Our crime? We lent her the samples and, after a week, politely called and asked the status of her project, and if we might have the samples back. She did not have a retainer with us, and wasn't listed as a client - we merely lent her the samples as a goodwill gesture to a fellow designer.
Now, it might have saved her a bit of high dungeon if, you know, she had simply called and said, “We’re still making up our minds; could we keep them another few days?”
I still can't figure out what I missed. I was in the showroom when our design assistant first made the call and didn't note anything to her message that wasn't polite or friendly.
Are we not supposed to ask for our own samples back or ask about their return status?
So, in the interest of those of you shopping at smaller companies, here's what you might not know:
- In a small company, we don't always get the service from the representatives anymore that the large companies do. After all, why service the mom-and-pop shops one at a time when you have a business that has 7,000 stores across the nation? So our samples can sometimes be hard-won.
- In the early days of doing business, we paid for samples. Still do for some. I watched my parents scrape together hard-earned dollars back then to pay for them, so I'm aware it's a personal trigger (especially when one of the samples under discussion was returned with chips on 3 corners.)
Some of you might argue, “So what? That’s the cost of doing business" and you're right: that's what samples are for. But there is also common courtesy, no?
You're not the target audience as I naturally assume you're all wonderful. *grin* But for what it's worth, here’s the etiquette portion to pass onto others:
- If you’d like to borrow the samples, please return them when you say you will. A phone call never hurts if you need more time.
- In a really small firm, someone may ask for the samples back early if a previously retained client wants them, which was the case here. Sorry, but a retained client trumps a shopping client every time. If you're the retained client, you can borrow as long as needed. In the event that everyone wants the sample - for example, when a new line just comes out -- there may be time restraints. We once needed a hot-off-the-presses sample for not one, but four clients. None of the other showrooms had it and people were calling and dropping by to see it, but that's a pretty rare case.
- I've had a lot of fun introducing clients to each other who are both borrowing the same sample. Some good stories there. My clients have always beyond awesome but I may be a tad prejudiced.
- Unlike big stores, small companies don't get multiple sets of samples. We've had to borrow samples from the good reps on pain of death to return them. (Okay, pain of...something.)
- Please take care of them. Do not a) run over them b) toss them in the back seat with your two German Shepherds or c) use them as teething materials for your toddler. (These are all true stories.)
- If you have absolutely no plans to order from the company and simply want samples, please order your own online. That's the wonderful thing - you don't need to give them back and you can care for them as you wish.
This goes double for professionals.
I'll just be out on my porch, swinging my cane and yelling at the young kids to get off my lawn, haha....
