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Pet Boutiques Can Avoid the “Pretty Woman Shopping Experience”

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Everyone has seen the 1990 movie Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts, right? If not, grab some popcorn and get your hands on the DVD. My favorite scene shows Vivian (Julia Roberts) paying a visit to the boutique on Rodeo Drive the day after a sales person looked down her nose at her.

“I was in here yesterday,” says Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) to the snobby store assistant in the boutique. “You wouldn’t wait on me. You people work on commission, right?” The shamed clerk at the exclusive Rodeo Drive boutique mumbles in agreement. “Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now.” And with that Vivian, dressed head to toe in designer labels and completely transformed from her streetwalker roots, sweeps confidently out of the shop loaded with shopping bags, wearing a beautiful smile on her face.

Apparently I’m not alone. TCM’s (Turner Classic Movies) website revealed in June that the “Big Mistake” scene in Pretty Woman is Britain’s favorite all-time movie moment. Barnaby Dawe, the vice president of marketing and communications for TCM, said, “We were quite surprised to see that the Pretty Woman scene topped the TCM poll. However, we have all come across the snooty sales person and perhaps this is why the nation identifies with Vivian’s revenge.”

Unfortunately, everyone I know has had his or her own version of the Pretty Woman shopping experience. Everyone can relate to Vivian because we have, at one time or another, been treated rudely, ignored, or received shabby service in a retail store.

As pet boutique owners, employees and managers, we have the opportunity to offer the best service in the industry. Make your boutique a store that Vivian would love to shop in. Train your team to give wonderful service to everyone that enters your boutique regardless of their appearance or age. Make everyone feel welcome and make it easy for pet owners to shop in your boutique.

The big boxes and chain stores may have wonderful customer service policies and training programs in place, but if the manager is pushing paperwork in his or her office, who knows what is happening on the selling floor? As pet boutique owners we know exactly what is happening because we actually work the selling floor. We are personally and financially vested in our businesses.

This week a young couple arrived at my boutique, Hyde Bark Fashions, with an adorable 10-week-old Maltese puppy. We congratulated them on their new puppy and went to work showing them all of the items that they needed for their new furry, family member.

The Mr. was getting a little bored after several minutes, so we invited him to sit on our sofa and offered him a drink. He looked surprised, thanked us, and for the next hour sat comfortably on the sofa texting while the Mrs. shopped. He would look up occasionally with a big smile and comment on the merchandise we were showing the Mrs. or trying on the puppy.

The Mrs. was having fun and so were we. The new puppy was accumulating quite a stack of goods at the register. Clothing, toys, bedding, crates, treats, collars, leashes, bowls, and grooming product—the stack grew bigger with each minute.

When we finished packing everything up the Mr. said he really appreciated our help. He explained that they were new to the area and had a bad shopping experience the day before. The couple, not wanting to leave their new puppy in the car, had placed it in his wife’s (very designer) handbag with its tiny head popping out. The couple went to pick up a few things for their new home at an upscale, discount, big box store. Their shopping cart was overflowing as they arrived in the pet aisle.

Moments later, several overzealous security personnel descended on the couple and evidently created quite the scene. They were informed that dogs were not allowed in the store and were treated with little respect. The couple asked to make their purchases and leave immediately afterward to which security refused. Soon a “member of management” arrived and they were escorted out the front door, as if they were shoplifters. The Mr. said that they felt humiliated and would never shop in that store again, anywhere. (Sounds like an Obama “teachable moment” to me.)

After thanking the couple for shopping with us, I asked for their phone number, address, and e-mail to add to our mailing list. The Mr. turned out to be one of our city’s NFL team’s 2009 draft picks with a $1.85 million dollar contract with a $112,000 signing bonus.

Big Mistake. Big. Huge.

Vivian’s Hollywood story had a fairytale ending. She shopped ‘til she dropped and settled the score with the salesperson by showing her what a big mistake she had made. In real life, customers who are treated poorly tell friends, family, and co-workers of their lousy treatment. Many vow never to shop in the store again. Rather than making this mistake yourself, be aware that the fact that other stores are selling snobbery can bring customers through your door. Be sure to hang onto them!

Cynthia Waldenmaier owns Hyde Bark Fashions, a pet boutique in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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