Jos. A. Bank

Wow! What a profound disappointment. Noticed a really good sale on shirts (which i tend to buy a lot of), decided to get my dad a coat for Christmas since he keeps trying to steal mine. Most of the coats were sized using jacket size (makes sense) but i didnt know my dads size. «No worries» i thought, one of the «benefits» of them is they keep your measurements for just this type of reason. So after waiting some time i ask the attendant to please look up my dad’s size, and that i would like to be measured as well. Her reply «I doubt he is in the system if he hasn’t shopped here in the last couple of weeks» was met with my inquiry about all stores being linked, and that was one of the perks to shopping with them. «Oh yes we are all linked, but we changed systems a few weeks ago and we didn’t save anyone’s measurements» as though it was no big deal. I did make an attempt to call my dad and get his size, didn’t reach him of course. So i thanked her and said i would just have to buy him something somewhere else.
The massive loss of data, as an IT and migration expert, is astounding; but the nonchalant delivery of that news and the complete lack of interest or concern in losing customer’s over it is confounding. Customer’s data, or more specifically, data about customer’s is one of the most valuable assets a retail organization has. To not protect it, and additionally to be completely devoid of understanding the ramifications of losing that data, yes even by the sales associates, demonstrates a vacuum in leadership from the top of the organization down. It expresses to me, that as a customer, I am seen simply as a disposable commodity to simply be replaced in a whim. It does NOT Not impart to me that my business; past, current, and future; is valuable to them whatsoever. So while this lost sale (only around $ 1,000) doesn’t register a blip on the proverbial radar; future sales, hurt reputation, and by extension potentially other lost sales do tend to amount to something more noticeable. My advice, spend money with those purveyors that value YOU, and their relationship with you, as their most precious asset and the very reason for their existence.