By Kim/cdnchk

I should start this by stating that I imagine I’ve been so accustomed to mediocre customer service for such a long time that I’m just bowled over by the fantastic customer service I received at this small business on 2nd Avenue in Downtown Saskatoon. And for the record, I’m not shilling for them; I just had such a great experience there that I’m still smiling and can’t stop talking about how great they are!

Serenity Apparel is an independently owned yoga wear, casual fashion and athletic apparel for men and women store located in downtown Saskatoon. Their store is located in the former Hub City Collectibles building, and they are looking at opening another location in the Centre Mall sometime in mid August or so until the end of December as a trial run.

This is a slightly long-ish story, so bear with me; it totally adds to the whole experience I had with Diane (the owner of the business) and Serenity.

I had seen their advertisements in the local paper for a while, but I’ve always been a bit lazy about going downtown. The parking, the busy, the whole having to leave the safety and familiarity of my suburban bosom was just not worth the hassle. (I know, I know, it’s just Saskatoon. But add to this my not “needing” stuff and my non-shopping moods and it’s just so easy to stay at home.) Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the Annual Second Avenue Sidewalk Sale allowed me the excuse/opportunity to visit the store and check out its merchandise. I was there with a friend, who was also reluctant to acquire more stuff.

It was a busy day, as it was the first of a three day sale event that stretched three city blocks and a bit more. We’ll cut through some of the non-essentials now and get to the end of that day’s events/haul. I purchased two pairs of pants of the same style pant (in two different sizes for now and post-weight loss) and a top for running, while my friend purchased one pair of the same pants I purchased. We will note that due to these items being 70% off the regular price, they were a final sale, and not eligible for exchange, refund or any of that. We decided that since the pants legs were a touch too long for both of us, I’d hem them after washing.

Washing and hemming done and pants delivered to their respective owners later, I decided to put on one of the pairs of pants (the now size) and go for a morning run. Well, suffice it to say, I couldn’t run, since the pants were too loose and kept slipping off my hips. I went home, checked the paper tag, and saw that they were the correct size. Yet when I checked the tag inside the pants, it turned out the pants were an entire size too large for me (and thus not the size stated on the paper tag). This was completely unexpected, since it is customary that the pants size should match the size on the paper price tag.

Now imagine my consternation when I thought of how I could not wear these pants, and could not yet wear the smaller size because I have not slimmed down enough yet. I thought I was stuck with a pair of pants that I could not wear, though really the fault could not be said was solely my own. I decided to give the store a call and see if there was anything that could be done, thought I did not think anything could be done, since these were final sale items.

I spoke to Diane, and she was very understanding. We concluded that the tagging was factory error. She then stated that I could come in any time and that she would replace the wrong sized pants I had with one of the correct size. This was very unexpected, but was a pleasant development.

So off I went today, since I had other errands to run in that area. I walked in, and stated that I had called the day previous. Diane recognized the situation at once, and after looking over the receipt and the offending (! haha) pants, she led me to another rack and helped me pick out some pants to try. I tried one pair in black and purple on, and it was perfect. I couldn’t decide between the black and purple and the black and green, though they were the same style. Diane then generously declared that she wanted me to have both, since she felt so bad about the sizing (though I stress that it was no fault of hers, her employees or her store) and factory error as well as the hassle that I had to go through.

I had to dash, as I had to go run some other errands and make a trip to the airport, otherwise I’d have picked up some more items. But having received such great customer service at this store, I know I’ll be back. I heartily recommend this store to everyone here, and to all of my friends and family. Diane demonstrated that her customers are important to her, and she went above and beyond to provide satisfaction. Though the fault with the sizing was not hers, she was willing to make amends and ensure that a first time customer was satisfied with her purchases and thus would become a repeat customer.

Diane and Serenity Apparel obviously know the importance of customer service and satisfaction. I encourage you to visit and check out the merchandise and see what a wonderful shopping experience can be like!