differences

We are getting settled in Hamilton,

and my new job starts on Monday.

Along with moving to a new place there are a few new things we need to get.

Last week my fulla and I did a wee tour at The Base,

Hamilton's newest shopping centre.

We visiting a number of appliance stores looking fridges mainly

but also entertaining the idea of a new TV or whatever else.

We were on target so it was only fridges we looked at seriously.

Meanwhile Dae, with whom we are staying,

is in the market for a new laptop.

It's her birthday tomorrow and 

she has laboured with an extremely old, slow PC for a long time.

When I say old I mean parts of this computer 

were gleaned from all over the place.

Anyway my fulla and I took a bit of time to look at laptops too.

Now I've married for the first time late in life,

apparently.

I've happily spent 20 years single to varying degrees. 

Part of being single with a successful career 

is that you buy plenty of things under your own steam.

Yesterday we, 

being myself, my fulla and Dae,

headed to the stores to buy the birthday laptop.

Just before we entered Heathcotes 100% Electrical 

I pulled Dae aside and told her to go into the shop

with my fulla and experience the difference in customer service.

You see as a single woman walking into an electrical store,

or many other kinds,

you are ignored by the usually young male shop attendants.

I understand that these, often young men 

don't know how to talk to women who earn their own money.

Or, may I venture, to talk to women at all.

But I'm there to spend a fair bit of money so it is in their interests 

of these young men to speak to me.

So as I hung back, Dae and my fulla entered the shop.

Sure enough the young male shop attendant was at their elbow immediately.

Dae totally recognised the difference and
started to explain it to my fulla.
You see as a single or lone female entering an electronic store
you can spend an entire hour being invisible.

I have and Dae has spent time looking at items
with pockets full of money,
ready to pay cash for a fridge or TV or washing machine or computer
and no service is forth coming.

It is the most insanely frustrating experience.
And insulting.

Yesterday the second shop we entered was Noel Leemings.
In my experience this shop and Bond&Bond are often the worst.

Noel Leemings was super busy.
But it was a young woman who did the bookwork at the shop,
who approached us.
She found us a service geek who was great.
Raymond at Noel Leemings
was exactly what we needed to restore our faith in male shop attendant kind.
He was informative, helpful and efficient
even though he let it slip that his day wasn't going too well.

It didn't change the fact that as a rule lone females get ignored.
Nor did my fulla notice any difference,
and why would he.
He gets quick service as soon as he walks into the store.

Unfortunately for these shop attendants,
 they fail to understand
that it is the female who makes the purchasing decisions.
And these days females earn substantial amounts of money just waiting to be spent.
Not only that, but I venture to say
that females as a rule are less likely to default on hire purchases or store credit.

Imagine the killing a female shop attendant would make in these shops
even if they only focused on serving female shoppers.