David's Bridal: Not the place to go if you want good customer service

First I just want to say that you cannot just walk in and try on dresses. You have to make an appointment.  I wouldn’t try just walking in either. I went in one night to see the dress that I had picked out online. Seeing the dress in a picture and in person are two separate things. Anyway, they showed me the dress after telling me not to touch anything, take the dresses out of the bag or off the racks. And they never came back to offer any other help. Plus, when I left they didn’t even look up to say “Have a goodnight”. Strike one.

I decided I would give them a second chance, maybe if I have an appointment, they will actually help me. Wrong!!!

This weekend I had an appointment at David’s Bridal to try on some dresses for my wedding which is next year. I went in a little early and let the associate up front know that I had an appointment at one o’clock. I filled out some paperwork and let her know I just wanted to try some dresses on and I would be back to purchase the dress.

For the sake of identity I will change the name of the consultant who helped me. The associate introduced me to Mary. Mary asked me if I had any dresses in mind and I said yes, right away, she took me over to the dresses on the rack and picked up two (and only two) which were close to each other. She asked me to look at the clearance dresses and came back a few minutes later as I was browsing the rack. This is all within 10 minutes of walking in the door.

She says, “Let’s get you in these dresses we’re already running out of time.” Rushed already! I've been here for all of ten minutes and I'm running out of time? Seriously, you don’t say that to a customer, it’s a very good way of losing them. She kept commenting on how they were “so busy” and this was “bridal Christmas” and they’re always this busy. Like she was too busy to help me very long.  I was there to find a dress! I wanted to try on more than just those two but she never offered to go find any more of the dresses I picked out. When I did try on the dress she didn’t help me get it on. When I finally was able to get it on, she didn’t make any comments about it she just let me talk. This was the dress that I found online and said, “That is the dress I want.” I liked in the picture and I loved it on.  But seriously she didn’t tell me if it looked good, she didn’t offer to take pictures for me. She didn’t offer any advice whatsoever.

So I tried on the other one and yet again she didn’t help and when I didn’t come out for a few minutes, she finally came in and helped me. Although, she apologized I don’t think she meant it. I felt like she was only doing it because she had to not because she wanted to help. I felt like I was not important as a customer to her.

Anyway, what really makes me upset is the fact that the consultant helping the bride next to me was going out of her way to help her. She commented on the dresses she was trying on saying that that particular material looked nice, that color looked good on her, the style fit her body type. She even offered to find her some more dresses with a particular material and style for her to try on. Yes, I was listening to her exceptional customer service and wondering why I wasn’t getting the same service?

I went through the trouble to make sure that I had an appointment so that I could try on the dresses, and this is the service I get?  I have worked in retail long enough to know that you should give every customer excellent service. I don’t see how David’s Bridal is any different than Wal-Mart except for the fact that they should be even more attentive to their customers who will probably be shelling out a good chunk of change (try at least 500 between bride’s dress, shoes, accessories, undergarments, and bridemaid’s dresses). These consultants should do everything they can to make the customer happy.

I also did a little research and read reviews on DB’s around the country and it is no better anywhere else. That is truly sad.

Google Reviews for the Springfield store

and around the country ( I just picked random places)

Austin, Texas store

Raleigh, NC

Kennesaw, GA

Taylor, MI

All in all, I give the customer service one star out of five stars. If I could find another dress similar to the one I want from them I would not give my money to David’s. Horrible customer service equals bad reviews and that is what you are getting Springfield, David’s Bridal! I tried to do the customer experience survey on their website but you have to have the store number off of the receipt and since I didn’t buy anything that day, I cannot fill it out. L

See why didn't I get this kind of attention and service? They weren't going to buy anything, just to review the dresses!

I wish I had had the other consultant, maybe this would have been a bit more positive. Oh well every experience can’t be positive. But something I’ve learned is that negative experiences have a greater effect on a person and that person is more likely to do as I’m doing and posting it on the internet for everyone to see. In other words, negative experiences spread faster than do positive experiences and we tend to have more experiences that are negative in shopping, dining, etc…

One last thing the appointments are supposed to be an hour long, I left after about 30 minutes and declining the offer to get a store credit card, as well very displeased. Strike Two.

On a positive note:

The dress I am in love with is exclusive to David’s Bridal and it looks amazing on me. I am going to go to the Columbia store and give them a chance so I can try on the dress for my mother-in-law-to-be. So this is my solution, if all fails, I am going to order it online and have it shipped, that way I can skip the hassle at the store since I know my size and someone who can do the alterations  for me(probably much cheaper than DB).

Strike three and I will find another store to shop, we will see.

My dress and with this color too:

Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy Movie Review

Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy

I’m not an expert in movie critiquing but I do expect certain things out of the movies I pay money and spend time watching. That being said, I want to get something out of the movie, whether it is a laugh or a tear or heart-rending emotions. On a side note, going to the theater has always been a treat for me, and so I enjoy the whole theater experience, the sound, the people, the popcorn, the previews of upcoming movies. Even now, it is a treat for me to go to the movies and this movie is the first since last August.

This movie centers around an older retired British spy, George Smiley (Gary Oldman), during the cold war era sent on a secret mission to find a double agent in the British Secret Service and something called a “Circus” which after doing some research is the British Intelligence Agency. (Though I didn’t catch that innuendo.)   The movie introduces each agent who is suspected of being the mole one by one. And the retired agent has to figure out who the mole is without access to information or giving it away that he is looking for someone.  

The Good:

The acting was fairly well done. I realize now that they made the movie very realistic. At first, I thought that the lighting and settings and cinematic qualities were horrible, but after thinking about it, the movie is set in the 1970s. There was a lot of social turmoil and the world was a dreary, bleak world. Or at least that’s how most literature and movies portray the era of the Cold War. It just didn’t cross my mind at first . On that note, the setting, lighting and realistic qualities rose above the average.  We know that the director did his homework about that era.

I changed my mind about the acting after thinking about it and watching some clips again. The actors did a very nice job. They portrayed the characters very well, particularly Gary Oldman.  I like him as an actor and I think he did a good job portraying Smiley.

The Bad:

Not giving the audience enough hints is a big minus. We need to know the characters. Although it doesn’t necessarily have to be through dialogue. The code names were confusing and not knowing who is who is another big minus.  They didn’t develop the characters to where a general audience could follow the storyline. The audience needs more back-story and the director has to do that without giving away everything. The characters could have been more developed with what they said (or didn’t say).  I think the direction fell short on that note. ,I don’t feel like I know the characters well afterwards. Being an English major, I like getting to know the characters in a story, whether it be film or novel. The movie moved slowly for me but at the same time there was too much happening at once.  There were too many “empty” scenes where Smiley is just walking from one place to another or another character is just walking along. Some are okay in a fast-paced movie, it gives the audience time to breathe. Too much in a movie like this makes you want to say “Is it over yet??” . I wanted the movie to be over halfway through it. The sound quality could have been better. The theater was loud at some points during the movie and it was a little overwhelming.

I don’t particularly care for movies that make the audience figure out everything themselves. While it does work for some movies like Sherlock Holmes, for instance the audience is engaged and you have to be the detective . It just didn’t work for this one. There weren’t enough clues for the audience and on top of that there is so much going on that it is hard to pick up on the ones they do give. Or maybe it would work better if I had a rewind button?  But I don’t know if I could sit through it again or if I would want to.

On a scale of one to ten, I give this movie a two. I didn’t understand the plot going into it and I didn’t understand the plot coming out of it. There needs to be some clarity, that’s the point of spending millions of dollars to put it on the big screen. While the actors were fairly well known such as Colin Firth I recognized from the recent Downton Abbey series and Gary Oldman from the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight movie and as Sirius Black in three Harry Potter movies. Patrick Stewart from Star Trek, of course. Benedict Cumberbatch I recognized from the new BBC series Sherlock, in which he plays Sherlock.

I can see this movie as a very good novel, however. And apparently it is a super-seller written by John LeCarre. It is the first of a trilogy of novels. Some novels cannot be adapted well into movies so that the audience gets the same emotional ending as in a novel. I feel like we missed a whole lot knowing that this was a very large novel turn into a six-hour miniseries and then condensed to a two-hour movie. Sometimes novels can do things that movies just cannot, like give the reader details, even  subtle details I would rather read a book that I didn’t enjoy more than one time to catch the details I missed than watch a movie. It is harder to find those details in a movie because they move faster. Maybe this movie was only meant for a certain audience?

(2011 edition)

Audiences want to know what is going on; they want to be able to follow the plot enough to understand.  They don’t want to be dragged through the movie like a kid being dragged through a grocery store. There are better things I could have spent my six dollars on, like, say dinner. No offense to the actors; good actors, bad movie. I’m no expert, but these are my opinions, and I’ll stick to them.

(Even this reviewer seems like he was lost too!)

I was lost from beginning to end. I didn’t take anything from it. I must’ve missed the themes, though I’m sure they are there. But I’m not so sure it would be worth my time to watch it again. Maybe I went in expecting too much, maybe I just completely missed all the major points. Either way, I felt it was a waste of two precious hours and six precious dollars and I wouldn’t recommend it no matter if it is an Oscar nominated or not. 

Entertainment, Relaxation, and Drinks: Ernie Biggs Piano Bar

(the picture came from yelp.com through a web search)

I’m still new to the Springfield area and I haven’t had the chance to go out much and have fun yet.  This is due to a) I work at Wal-Mart and they don’t like to give us weekends off and b) I’m going to college and therefore I see my studies as more important than partying. However, I do enjoy going out every occasionally to see a movie or some entertainment.

This weekend my fiancé and I went out for an “Us night.” It was very nice. He took me to Ernie Biggs Piano Bar downtown. I really enjoyed the relaxed environment. There was a mix of older and younger people both male and female.

For a small cover charge $5, you go in and find a table and enjoy a show, laugh and have a good time. And what the heck have some drinks. That’s the point right? I’ve always had the mentality that a person can enjoy himself or herself and have a good time without drinking. But, I found that I enjoyed drinking more than I thought I would. Saturday night I drank the most I have drank in my life. But I found myself relaxing and singing to the songs (which I don’t do in public!) and laughing and actually enjoying myself, which I just don’t let myself do enough. Maybe a little alcohol is good for you every now and then?

We went in and finally found a table and enjoyed the pianist playing songs that the audience requested, they sing the songs, but they also mess with the lyrics, making it very comical. The point of a good show is to keep the audience engaged. I noticed that several parties stayed there the whole time we were there (about 3 hours).  One of the pianists didn’t know a song so he used his handy dandy Smartphone app to pull up the lyrics or the music (not sure which). They played anything the audience wanted to hear;  everything from Elvis to Lady Gaga to Carrie Underwood and I have to say I think I like their version of Lady Gaga better. They also had lighting for the show, which was cool.

You have to be 21 and older to get in, so I apologize if you are reading this and under 21. I highly recommend this place, even though I have only been there once.  The show is one that young and old will both enjoy while have a night out on the town. Oh! And if you do decide to go, I would recommend making a reservation because the tables fill up quickly!

While I’m not an expert on going out for a night on the town, I do know if you’re looking for somewhere that is in a relaxed atmosphere (not a crazy overly crowded place) this is definitely a place to try out.

One last thing: if you do decide to go out and drink a little, have fun and be safe.

Visit their website at Ernie Biggs Piano Bar

And a video (from KSPR) that explains a bit more about Ernie Biggs Piano here

How Events Around The World Affect the U.S.

So I don’t watch the news a whole lot or keep up with current events. The news I do hear usually come from my coworkers, classmates, and professors.  But for this week’s blog, I have to write about a current event.

I thought I would do something that I doubt anyone else will do.  I am going to Greece this summer to study abroad and so I thought I would write about global events.  Because though many Americans think that, we are invulnerable.  Though our economic crisis is bad here, it is even worse around the world, but we don’t know, don’t care, and don’t want to know about other countries’ problems.  The presumption being that what happens in other countries doesn’t affect us. Yet it does, what happens in the global economy directly or indirectly affects our economy, for example, certain events that happen in other parts of the world cause our gas prices to go up (or down).

So here’s what has been going on in a nutshell: Greece is in a lot of debt. We though the economic crisis was bad here, it’s very bad there, so bad that the European Union wanted to push them out of the EuroZone. That would mean that they would no longer use the Euro. However, now they are trying to get another bailout from other countries

How will that affect us? One possible outcome (according to abcnews.com) will be that the countries lending the money will have less money to spend on American imports, thus leading to job loss here. I don’t know enough about economics to say whether this would actually happen or not. I do see how it would lead to European countries buying less imports from us? Would that lead to job loss here? Eventually, probably yes. Hopefully, Greece will come through on their promises of radical changes in spending and it wouldn’t have to come to that.

I hope that though all of this is going on, that it will not affect my study abroad trip in a negative way. I will definitely be very careful when I am there and I know that the University will take extra precautions to keep us students safe.

Here is a nice video from abcnews.com, it explains much that I have just touched on and I just don’t know enough about. I apologize if I don't explain everything really well. I just don't do current events very well.

Greek Debt Bailout Could Affect U.S. Economy - ABC News

All my information came from this article:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/greek-debt-bailout-affect-us-economy/story?id=13879426#.TztQLMWNOeA

Shakespearean Commentary: Taming of the Shrew

Although I have read Taming of the Shrew before, I enjoyed it in the Tenth grade, I can't say I understood all the sexual innuendos and a lot of the commentary was just foreign to me because we aren't exposed to Shakespeare enough. I didn't read anything by Shakespeare until 9th grade. That's what we need to do, though, is expose students to Shakespeare earlier. I think schools should definitely integrate Shakespeare in Middle School curriculum. Some of the more basic plays and most widely read Romeo and Juliet.

For example, when I read Taming of the Shrew, we spent so much time trying to decipher the language that we missed much of what it was really about. Plus our teacher was not very fond of the modern adaption, whereas I thought it was a good adaption, even then (and that was 7 years ago and I'm making myself feel old).

Personally, I love the story. Though it is debated whether it is even a love story at all. I say that it is not about taming Kate, but it appears to be. Don't get me wrong, in all appearances it is, but that's what the whole story is about, appearances. What people appear to be may not be who they really are. In other words, Kate is not a shrew and Bianca is not a sweet little girl, in fact, they are quite the opposite, they just choose to show the other side of themselves.

An updated adaption of the play 10 Things I Hate About You was made into a movie starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles.

The Good:

It gives a little more depth to Kate’s character as well as Petrucchio’s whose name is changed to the more modern Patrick. Plus the acting is pretty good, though I may be biased because I think that Heath Ledger is a great actor, it's sad that he passed away before he could keep trying new roles! Julia Stiles does a good job of interpreting Kate's character as well. She portrays her as more of a "leader, doer non-follower, do something different", than a follower as her sister Bianca is portrayed.

Because Shakespeare didn’t give any cues or stage directions, actresses and actors are pretty much free to interpret the lines however they choose. That’s what makes his play so flexible and timeless. You can bend them to any time period. You can pick and choose which scenes to leave in and leave out, just as Shakespeare would have done. You can add and improvise in places. Which is why I’m not quick to debunk this play turned teen romance comedy. Of course, I like sappy comedies, especially when they are based on Shakespeare’s classics! It gives one a little break from your own world for a little while, but it’s still almost believable. One thing they keep in this adaptation is that no one listens to her opinion. They make that clear with the teacher who asks her to leave the class even when she agrees with him.

  

The Bad:

Other than the fact that they twisted the plot in places and changed some characters around, there really isn’t anything bad about the movie. It’s a sappy romance comedy. Enough said.

Still you can definitely see the Shakespearean qualities, and it works for me anyway. I think it is good to see modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s play as well as theater performances with the original lines. This is how we KNOW that his stories are timeless. As long as the basic plot is there, it’s still Shakespeare.

I have included some scenes from YouTube of the Julia/Streep version of Taming of the Shrew and 10 things I hate about you. It was hard to find some similar scenes so I just picked my favorites to put up here.