“Ms., can I help you?”

Some fabulous shoes in a shop window in Milan, Italy

I have been a full time real estate agent for 17 years. Before that, I worked in art galleries and before that I was a salesperson in a variety of retail shops (hats, clothing, jewelry, etc). Having spent the past 30 years learning to “connect” with strangers I am keenly aware of what feels like good, or bad, customer service. I detest being pounced on but I also hate being ignored. I know, from experience, that there is a happy medium.

I was at Nordstrom, a stylish, upscale department store and I was on a mission. I didn’t have much time. From the corner of my eye I saw a young, well dressed man approaching. He asked “Miss, can I help you with anything?” I replied curtly “Yes, I’d like to try these shoes on, I’m an 8”. He responded “You are a total 10 and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise”. I laughed out loud and said “You sell a lot of shoes don’t you?!”.

I knew I was right, because I bought three pairs.