The two-sided coin of Customer Education

Disclaimer:  I'm going to do my best to not sound too ranty here.  So bear with me, please.

Ok.  Customer education is a topic we hear about more and more (mostly the lack of it), on the news, in blog posts, and on websites. In my opinion, it is two-sided, like a coin.

On the retail side, customer education and customer service go hand in hand.  When a retailer is trying to give good customer service, they try to educate their customers so that they make a more informed decision.  A more informed decision leads to more customer satisfaction down the road.  That may mean lovingly giving a dose of reality to that mom of 4 teens by letting her know that the shirt material she has picked has to be hand-washed and hung to dry (no matter what) because it will melt in the dryer.  It may mean making sure that someone knows that just because that brand is very popular and is the only brand that the "cool" people are wearing, it will shrink 3 sizes if it is in the same room as the dryer (just kidding, but close).  I am old-fashioned and believe that customer service is still a thing. So we try to help people make an informed decision because clothing and decoration has gotten so expensive.  It's important to make it last as long as possible.

On the customer side, customer education means reading tags, listening to retailer suggestions, and being realistic enough to know whether you have time to give a garment proper care. Then going a step further and being diligent in your laundry room.

There are so many different kinds of materials now.  100% cotton & 100% polyester are actually more rare than they were 5 years ago.  Triblends, sustainable fabrics, synthetics, and recycled materials are all things that sound wonderful when you're looking for that cool new thing.  Or you're looking for something so soft you can't even feel it on your skin. There are downsides to all of these "cool" new, planet-saving materials. Now, don't go there and complain that I don't care about our planet.  I'm almost 50 years old.  I've seen the changes just in my little square of the world since I was a kid, or even when my kiddos (now 29 & 21) were little.  So I'm thankful for the measures being taken to leave a better place for our future grandkiddos.  

But.  As with all other sustaining measures, recycling procedures, or anything else that we're doing to save our planet, there have to be extra steps taken and extra care given to how we live in and launder our garments.

In the next few issues, we'll discuss some old faithfuls and some cool, new additions to the fabric world.  Some of these I know all about because I've been decorating, and wearing, them for years.  Some things are new and I'm thankful I read all of the tags on new material brought into our shop or I wouldn't be able to give our customers a heads up on what they are buying.

So hang in there with me over the next few weeks.  If I don't explain something well, let me know & I'll try to do better.  If you see something that I've given the wrong info about, let me know & I'll try to correct my mistakes.  I can't wait to get started.  

I hope that wasn't too ranty...