Anyone experienced a problem with the shop Mrs Robinson? (Lounged)

[Acid Casual]

Well Asset, as my user name suggests, I spent most of my youth traveling all over The UK and Northern Europe by train engaging in football related nonsense with like minded other youths, until I realised that other things were better fun than getting run over by 300 Millwall.

If you are of a similar age, you will know that clothes are a matter of some pride to your common and garden football casual. Obviously, I am now older and a footy casual no more, but I will always have the casual state of mind when it comes to clothes, and it's not all about who can spend the biggest wedge. You can spend thousands and still look like a tool. Any premiership footballer will show you that.

You'll notice that none of the names I mentioned include the expected brands, and that was always the point of being a casual - to look different, not the same. Somewhere along the line that all changed and that's why you see idiots on the train to South Bermondsey in their uniform of moody Burberry and the like.

Sorry, a bit off topic, but there you go.

[Asset]

Have you read the book by Robert Elms "The Way We Wore"? You might like it.

I read your name as Acid Casualty first ha ha, different thing entirely

[Acid Casual]

No, I'll look that up.

A few of my mates have written large chunks of various books on the subject of the clothes of casual culture. One even appears fairly regularly in photos in them. I won't however. I can't risk being recognised by clients (my boss knows however)

I think that people underestimate the impact of casual culture on fashion because they tend only to recognise the stereotypes, and probably with good reason. I still keep in touch with a few old heads, who have moved on and like me have decent jobs and family responsibilities. The unfortunate fact is thought that for ever decent, bright but bored kid to whom it was a phase of a few years, you get someone who is a vicious sociopath. Not nice and not the sort of person I'm sorry to have left in the past.

Some good days and some good laughs though...

[????]

As a soulboy, you Casuals were just our younger brothers,,,,,er, which was exactly what my younger brother was

[????]

..and being West Ham we never got run over by Millwall ;-)

[????]

...but we digress, this isn't a site for ex-hoolies, let's get back to Trinket shops

[citizenED]

Louisa, yep, I am in Customer Services of sorts, a big shot in the world of bending over backwards with a special line in mealy mouthed sucking up. Not.

[Tru]

Thanks for the bits of much needed humour (awards especially for the 'cheese' 'fish' dialogue (very Monty Python/Victoria Wood) and AnotherPauls 'official complaint' stationary.

Mrs Robinson - only ever afforded some woolly gloves in the boutique (gift for quite an individual type individual) - it had only just opened and they were pretty nice to 'cheap glove buying' me...Furniture Mrs Robinson - bought a card - again no complaints about service, in fact seemed quite nice. A friend bought a massive 1930's type mirror, poss in sale, so far he has had no need to complain, and the mirror is gorgeous and now lives on a wall in Brixton!

A place where I've always received good service though is Grace a Favour, I especially like the 2nd hand rummage in the back room (oooh err) - the staff always seem relaxed, friendly and happy to work there - so as a customer I feel relaxed and happy to be there

[Sherwick]

Tru Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> A place where I've always received good service

> though is Grace a Favour, I especially like the

> 2nd hand rummage in the back room (oooh err) - the

> staff always seem relaxed, friendly and happy to

> work there - so as a customer I feel relaxed and

> happy to be there

This insinuates that you haven't always received good service at Mrs Robinson and that you do not feel relaxed and happy to be there either.. ::o

[Sue]

Sherwick Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Tru Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > A place where I've always received good service

> > though is Grace a Favour, I especially like the

> > 2nd hand rummage in the back room (oooh err) -

> the

> > staff always seem relaxed, friendly and happy

> to

> > work there - so as a customer I feel relaxed

> and

> > happy to be there

>

> This insinuates that you haven't always received

> good service at Mrs Robinson and that you do not

> feel relaxed and happy to be there either.. ::o

xxxxxxx

How on earth do you deduce that from what Tru said????

:-S

[Sherwick]

The use of the word 'though' and the need to add 'as a customer I feel happy and relaxed to be there' when referring to another store..

[AnotherPaul]

That is deep.

[Sue]

Deep maybe, logical not :))

Edit to say: Had you read the original post, you would have seen that it said s/he had no complaints about service at Mrs Robinson!!

Edited again to say: I read the last part of Tru's post purely as a recommendation for Grace and Favour, but maybe Tru would like to comment since deep (?!) things are being read into it :)):)

[Sherwick]

The use of the word 'though' could be critical...

[Sue]

Sherwick Wrote:

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> The use of the word 'though' could be critical...

xxxxxx

You've clearly got as much time to waste as I have :))

(except in my case I'm supposed to be working ...... plus I haven't got the least interest in Mrs Robinson so I don't know why I ever looked at this thread in the first place :))

[spark67]

Just to give a bit of balance, i bought a lovely piece of furniture there with no probs, they were helpful and were prompt with the delivery, we go in quite a few times just for a browse and to see if there is anything new and find the staff helpful and chatty. maybe thy need to just brush up their customer care skills when something does go wrong, they probably will when they have read this thread.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Restored for Social Historical purposes. (RFSHP)...

[woodie]

Lol teMpting to go in there to "see what happens.

[Duller]

as the sun is out maybe i will put on some shades and flip flops and stroll down lordship lane, have a browse in mrs robinsons and smile politely, then queue with the masses for some meat from william rose,organic you know, make my way down to the east dulwich deli,silently thinking how clever i am, then with my overpriced goods i may really disapear up my backside and 'drop by' the bishop to read some papers and guffaw with friends

[Applespider]

I've been into Mrs Robinson to browse quite a few times and have made a few purchases although they are pricier than RRP on some of their kitchenware stuff etc.

When I've been browsing and for most purchases, I've never really noticed the staff. They didn't go out their way to be charming and helpful but equally, I couldn't say they did anything wrong either. I suspect for the 99% of transactions that are simple payments and pack it into a bag, they're pretty standard.

On a couple of occasions though, I found errors in how things were priced or labels that made the price seem ambiguous on whether it was for single items or a pair, and then, the staff were pretty damned rude and unhelpful. After the second case of this, I stopped going back. As spark67 says, perhaps just a little more training on how to deal with the non-standard transactions/queries and perhaps a little empowerment on allowing some goodwill allowance would go a long way.

[Asset]

Duller Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> as the sun is out maybe i will put on some shades

> and flip flops and stroll down lordship lane, have

> a browse in mrs robinsons and smile politely, then

> queue with the masses for some meat from william

> rose,organic you know, make my way down to the

> east dulwich deli,silently thinking how clever i

> am, then with my overpriced goods i may really

> disapear up my backside and 'drop by' the bishop

> to read some papers and guffaw with friends

Duller by name and Duller by nature obviously. WTF is wrong with you people, never heard of live and let live? So fcking what if people want to stroll down their local high street, possibly buy something and then go for a drink. I think it happens all over the fcking world doesn't it.

I'm getting so fed up with all this fcking small minded petty inverse snobbery.

So Fcking there.

It makes me want to spit.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Exactly asset. Why do you think i have not bothered to post for 2 days. Pretty much. .

[Asset]

I'm just wondering what would be acceptable behaviour to these people?

Get the fcking reeboks on and pop to Iceland, smoke 50 fags, swear at few random people and then go the Vale? If that sort of stereotyping was suggested on here it would be shot down as being unacceptable. Why do some feel it is acceptable to mock and revile people who they perceive as different to them?

Grow the fck up.

[jimbo1964]

Hear, hear.

[Acid Casual]

Well said.

I think snobbery, inverse or otherwise is the sole reserve of those who are still ignorant enough to believe in the class system Asset.

They usually have quite deep seated anxieties either "Oh God these awful types from the estate/Peckham/Nunhead (delete where appropriate) will soon be on our doorstep" or just as bad... "Yeah, it's alright for them in their "big houses with their fancy shops etc..." The former is ignorance, the latter is self-validation.

Either way, it's stupid and wrong. Class is now an irrelevance to all but those who cling to it as validation of who they are because they are scared to experience anyone or anything different. I love the fact that I've got mates I've had since school who mix nicely with the people I've met since coming to London, and both are very different types.

The thing they have in common is sufficient social intelligence and lack of issues to get on.

Also, in my job I'm lucky enough to work in the department that comprises the odds and sods of what I do. That means at various times I've worked with; Oxbridge graduates, former military personnel, ex-social workers, former town planners, ex-political speech writers, table dancers, Mormons, christians, jews, athiests, gays, straights, ex-bouncers, Harvard graduates, ex-teachers, ex-club promoters, former legal secretaries amongst others, and of course, me.

It has opened my eyes and made me a better, more rounded person. Snobs or inverse don't get that opportunity, and I consider it the most fortunate part of my career. I really relish it.

If you're a tw@t, your a tw@t. If you're not, you're not. Why where someone chooses to live should mark them out as on or the other is lazy prejudice.