……’Cause it is my favorite holiday.

Whether you found this post before December 25 or after the new year via a link in our new enewsletter Chief Direct Marketer, chances are you’re feeling a little overwhelmed. If it’s the former, you’re snowed under in the crunch of last minute errands and shopping. And if it’s the latter, you’re waiting for the avalanche of bills to come in. Either way, welcome!

The holidays are an excellent time do an assessment of customer service, from sales clerks to fulfillment. How did the merchants you frequented fare during the 2010 holiday season? Here’s how a few who got some of my hard earned dollars did.

You Darn Dirty Mouse!!!!!

On Cyber Monday (or Black Friday, I don’t know, its all a blur now), I discovered a hard to find Club Penguin toy for my son on DisneyStore.com. And it was on sale! And there was a discount for orders over $100! And free shipping on orders over $75! The latter two factors certainly spurred me to add a few extra items on to my order, even though the site was extremely buggy, causing me to switch browsers and reload pages multiple times before placing my order.

And I was a happy camper when the order arrived—happy that my kids weren’t home, that is.

They would have went bananas if they saw the box with a big honkin’ picture of Mickey Mouse on it. Thank goodness it came at a time I could easily hide it in the basement. Now, I get why Disney does that. I’ve heard of branding. But….considering that parents are probably ordering the bulk of their wares in December (and year round, for that matter) as gifts, a little discretion would be appreciated.

Geeks are Cool

If you’ve ever browsed ThinkGeek.com, you know they’re quick with the clever copy (Sherry Chiger pointed this listing out in a recent tweet).

But extra geek points to them for taking advantage of the packing slip to get in a laugh too. As I looked over the slip with a recent order, I spotted this, boxed off below my billing/shipping info and over the order/shipping date:

LOLcat is pronounced / “Lawl cat” or “L-O-L cat” / Which makes haikus hard

Does it have anything to do with anything I ordered? Nope. But it’s pure genius and completely reinforces their brand positioning.

Did I Want This? No. But Ooooh, Pretty…..

My mom is gaga for Vera Bradley bags. I don’t quite get their appeal, but to each their own.

I ordered one for her in early December and swore I unchecked the box to receive emails from them, because I knew I wouldn’t order again until probably 12 months from then, at the earliest. But suddenly, I was getting daily emails from them. Oops. My mistake? Eh, possibly. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. I ordered late at night and maybe Craig Ferguson’s puppets distracted me or something. Still, their opt-out was quick and easy.

I’ll give them points (geek points even) for pretty packaging. The fulfillment on the order was excellent – bag was exquisitely boxed and presented, and ready for gift giving, making it look like a luxury item.



Now This is How to Play

After finally finding a deal on Nintendo DSis for my kids, I knew I better get them some good protective cases for the units. A little online research showed that the Nerf cases were recommended, so I called GameStop to see if they had them in stock and in what colors.

I called the closest location first, and the clerk told me, yes, they had them, but no he couldn’t check colors because he was busy. I’ve worked retail, so I get the need to serve the customers in-store first. But, there was no friendly “can you call back in 15 minutes” or “can I take your number and I’ll call you back?” Hmmm….

The next morning, I called a few other locations to see if they had them. I tried calling about 10 minutes before the stores opened the next morning, so I wouldn’t take the clerks away from customers in-store. One shop grunted their answers to me. The next was extremely friendly and helpful. And the third, the shop I had called the day before, didn’t answer their phone 2 minutes before their doors were scheduled to open. Again, hmmmm….

Which shop do you think I went to? Yep, the friendly one. I was waited on by the same clerk I spoke with on the phone, who was super helpful and upsold me on their rewards program (meaning my kids will get to pick out a few extra games). And he honored a sales price sticker on the packages, even though the sale was technically over three days earlier. Will that store get my business again? You betcha.

Cool Heads Prevail

Finally, two quick kudos to Best Buy. One is for an excellent follow up email to an electronics purchase, just saying thank you and offering a reminder of instore services, should I need them.

The other was for clerks remaining calm while a customer in line started screaming about having to wait in line. And I mean screaming. At the top of his lungs. For being in line for about 5 minutes, even though store personnel were constantly opening more registers to lessen the wait.

I guess no one had told the poor guy there was a major shopping holiday approaching. Maybe next year they’ll publicize it a bit more.