I've had a new kitchen put in - a hand-made kitchen. (You need custom-height units when you're a punctuation mark.) To save a bit of cash I bought all the hardware - the sinks, handles, pipes and so on - at B&Q, mainly because there's plenty of space to park and everything's in stock.
Only problem was, when I got the sink home there was a plug missing. It must have fallen out of the box while I was struggling with the hatchback or something. And what use is a sink without a plug? Well, I like to watch water gurgling away as much as the next person, which is to say - not very much. Save the planet!
There was nothing for it but to trek back to B&Q. Bouncing down the aisles in despair, a man in an orange apron asked if he could help. (I was bouncing, of course, not him.)
In the sink section, he took a close look at the demonstration sink (how do you "demonstrate" a sink that isn't connected to water, I wonder?) In a flash, he'd fished out the plughole from the show sink, and - wonder of wonders - gave it to me free of charge!
The plug wasn't doing anything; it couldn't be sold separately of course, but it wasn't needed on the demonstrator kit (no water) and I was a customer with a problem. What most impressed me was the way he made the decision - he didn't need to consult a manager, just did everything on his own initiative. Woo!
And that's why I love B&Q! They actually do care.
Just think: how many shop assistants, whatever the sector, are empowered to take business decisions like customer giveaways? Without even asking their manager? I've asked around, and it seems B&Q does this a lot. Maybe it's just a question of age and experience... B&Q does seem to employ a lot of... er, "life experienced" people.
Say what you like, there's no substitute for people who've been there and done it before. And if you look around B&Q, you'll see a lot of store clerks who've been doing it for many decades. B&Q is the last company you'd label ageist.
In fact, if the people at Rapide get bored of me I might apply for a job there myself one day!
In fact, if the people at Rapide get bored of me I might apply for a job there myself one day!