Why Working Luxury Retail Is Hard... But Not: A Reflection on Customer Experience at David Yurman

If store experience were
limited to presentation and display,
DY would be flying high.

Author's Note: I have worked in food service for six years, retail for seven, and luxury retail for three. Though I now work in the non-profit sector and tend to write from a customer perspective, I feel my experience in the industry balances my point of view and allows for credible, fair journalism on my part.

I've had some really just terrible customer service experiences at David Yurman (like at their Chicago boutique on Oak St., which I used to hold in high regard). I've also had some day- and memory-making experiences at DY, interactions so fulfilling that they approached transcendence.

Neither variety of experience should altogether surprise me, really. Having made so very many visits to so many boutiques over the years, I should expect encounters that run the gamut, right? But here's the problem: For reasons I'll soon detail, I don't expect nor excuse, for that matter, the approaching-poor service experiences that crop up all too often throughout the year at certain retail locations (problem stores, I call them) and at nigh-all brick-and-mortars during certain times of the year (cue the sleigh bells).

At problem David Yurman stores and at Christmastime, subpar customer experience tends to be the rule rather than the exception, for reasons that are too often unacceptable in their needlessness, stemming from poor shopper impression and negative employee service dispositions.

SHOPPER IMPRESSIONS ARE MADE FAST BUT WITH LASTING EFFECT.

According to Roberts (2004), product impressions tend to be made in under three seconds. The same likely can also be said of store impressions. A positive David Yurman boutique impression starts with a doorman's welcome that is followed quickly by a salesperson's warm greeting. A negative DY boutique impression starts with an unresponsive doorman and finishes with salesperson neglect. Sure, ambiance and sensory touches have an effect, but it tends to be instant and predictably good. (DY's merchandising is seldom anything but masterful.) 

And so, as is so often the case, the make-or-break aspect is an altogether human one, hinging on two basic questions: One, was there a doorman, and did he open the door? And two, are sales associates floor aware and willing offer acknowledgement, full or casual, to new shoppers? Yes, from my experience, it all comes down to that--quick and warm personnel interaction--which, really, makes lapses in impression-making all the more egregious (because, really, how hard is a 'Hi, and welcome'?).

NEGATIVE IMPRESSIONS HARDEN INTO SERVICE INCIDENTS WHEN THE SALESFLOOR REMAINS COLD AND INDIFFERENT OR, WORSE, BECOMES SUPERIOR.

When I worked in luxury retail, I endeavored every day to remind myself I was an agent of one of the world's most prestigious, aspirational brands, which meant, like it or not, I would be held to a very high standard. Simultaneously I would call to mind that beneath all of the affectations and posturing people are people, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, presence, and  respect.

The service representative who consistently fails to deliver service is an individual who should be nudged, perhaps forcibly, into another line of work. The boutique whose collective staff consistently fails to deliver service is a boutique whose management practices are in need of an audit.

Incredulity creeps up anytime I have a poor customer experience in a high-end boutique (be the brand DY, Tom Ford, Bottega Veneta--whatever) as really, even on an individual or team's worst day, smiles can be feigned and egos kept in check. Too often, though, at problem stores and Christmastime, poor service professional behavior prevails as staff seem to forget that while they cannot control sales goals, customer demands, and corporate mandates, they can control their reactions, authentically or, if need be, artificially. At the end of the day, it is employee perspective that drives customer perspective. To my friends, acquaintances, and, yes, antagonists in luxury retail, I issue a plea. Be mindful of the fact that work is work, expectations are high--it's the nature of the upscale beast--and providing service is not just a key occupational duty and hazard but a brand- and livelihood-sustaining imperative.

So David Yurman Chicago (and all other problem stores or Yuletide-weary sales professionals), say it with me: 'Hello and welcome. We're happy that you're here. You matter.'

It's OK some days not to mean it. It's not OK not to say it all the same.

With hard love,
DYguy

David Yurman Unveils "Enduring Style" F/W '14 Campaign with Little Fanfare, Classic Photography

Image Credit: DavidYurman.com

Via an official website refresh, David Yurman unveiled today its F/W '14 campaign titled "Enduring Beauty," which yes, stars model Kate Moss, who has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the company since she first sat for its photographers back in 2004.

While many bloggers and Twitter users were quick to express approval of Moss's work--Modelinia asserted the model "looks better than ever"--there has been, it seems, little reaction to the campaign as a whole. Perhaps this is because the unveiling was, well, strangely quiet. Recall, if you will, the unfurling of the F/W '12 campaign, which starred Gisele Bundchen. Days before the great reveal, teaser photos dropped. On Facebook, a date (and time!) of debut was set. Heck, a short film was shot, previewed, and then, at precisely 7:30 PM EST on August 1, released.

This year, there was a website update.

Yes, the photography is classic Yurman. Yes, Moss does, indeed, stun, but where is the publicity? Where were the buzz-producing sneak peeks? And I'm sorry; where is the social media synchronicity? (David Yurman's cover photo on Facebook hasn't changed in months, and the company's clearly-on-a-scheduler tweets are backward looking, promoting S/S looks.)

Well, I think I've made my position on this year's "big reveal" abundantly clear. I must say, however, that I am curious to know your thoughts, dear reader. Tell me: Has DY dropped the proverbial ball with the whole of F/W '14? Is the season just off to a rocky start? Do you have, perhaps, an altogether opposing opinion? (Maybe you feel DY moving in the right direction with its reined-in campaign launches.) No matter your view, sound off; post a comment or shoot me an E-mail.

David Yurman, the Man, Sits Down with Ken Downing of Neiman Marcus

Published this week to the official blog of Neiman Marcus was a conversation (think interview but more casual) between NM fashion director Ken Downing and the one and only Mr. David Yurman. Here are some highlights and images from:

Image Credit: Neiman Marcus 

On bringing Cable to the public at a 1982 trade show:
"The first moment was frightening."



On bracelets and bracelet stacking:
"I don't trust people who don't have good appetites or who wear only one bracelet. I don't care if it's my bracelet. It's bracelets--there's an 's' at the end."



On being preoccupied at school:
"I was ADD and dyslexic, but wasn't diagnosed with ADD until '75. I would daydream and find my language in drawing and lines."

The Preview of New Men's DY that the S/S '14 Catalog Didn't Give You

Those on the David Yurman mailing list were treated this week to a new S/S '14 promotional catalog... and that's about all there is to say about it. While the mailer was tastefully composed (as all DY catalogs are), none of its arrays especially dazzled, which can probably be blamed on the fact most of the product featured was standard 2013-2014 Yurman fare. Fortunately, for those of us craving the new or, better, not yet released, there is Instagrammer @carito410 who this week shared the following to the social media platform:

Southwest Dreaming: The David Yurman Frontier Collection for Men Is Here... and Coming (Updated)

Image Credit: whitewallmag.com

This is a developing story, and so, dear reader, I'll share what I know when I know it. (That means check back for updates.)

Back in January, Whitewall Magazine did a little piece on what is new and coming from David Yurman. (Yeah, I didn't catch it either.) Well, evidently, what was quietly teased then is now enjoying an equally quiet roll out--that is, for now, anyway. Here is what's up:



There is a new David Yurman Frontier Collection for men.
Details are scarce at this time, but inspiration sources appear to include cowboys and indigenous peoples, to say nothing of regional flora and fauna. Here's an anything-but-revelatory blurb on the collection, which surfaced on DavidYurman.com late this afternoon:

Oscars 2014 Jewelry Roundup: The Stars Step out in Designer but Snub Yurman

So the glitterati stepped out on Sunday in baubles captivating and beguiling, but this Yurman fanatic was disappointed by what proved nothing less than a glaring absence of visible Yurman. While some male celebrities (most notably, Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith) donned subtle DY finishings like shirt and ear studs, no statement Yurman pieces were on display on any celeb, man or woman. (OK, so two-bit Alexandra Daddario wore pave black-diamond earrings to the Vanity Fair after party, and the relative nobody Paula Patton wore some studs. Neither is worth mentioning.)

So whom did the A-listers step out wearing? Here's a rundown of the looks and designers featured:

Per usual, stunner Cate Blanchett
showed Chopard some love.

Image Credit: indianexpress.com