Dear Nordstrom Shoe Department

For the very first time, I had a bad experience at Nordstrom. It was so disappointing, it makes me apprehensive to shop at Nordstrom again in the future, and I'm a VERY regular customer.

I know how much you pride yourself on customer service. And I will tell you that it is the number one reason I shop there. The Bare Escentials counter knows my name, keeps my information, tells me about events... the fragrance department has always gone the extra mile to help me find the perfect new scent for the season, and the womens department upstairs will run errands for me while in the dressing room to help me find that perfect fit.

Up until now, the shoe department has been my favorite, as it is for most customers. I know you make the shoe department your centerpiece in each store, and it was always what I appreciated most about your store.

From the moment I pick up my first shoe to try on, someone speaks to me. Often it’s a sales person, other times it is the head of the floor immediately radioing for someone to assist me. Most visits, I’m picking up many of your amazing shoes, and I have a sales person there to assist my every need.

Friday evening, on April 20^th, I was in your Alderwood location at around 6pm. My goal, a couple new pairs of shoes. I fully realize a busy evening, and this was indeed a fairly busy evening in your store. I can certainly understand it taking a few minutes for someone to help me. In fact, I like seeing each person get the individual service while I continue to take my time browsing the shoe floor and finding pairs I would like to try on.

I had about 4 shoes in hand, but the second I picked up the Via Spiga a saleswoman made a bee line for me. I can even understand that. Via Spiga is certainly a heftier commission. And I loved the shoe.

I am also a 25 year old professional, and certainly look the part, so it’s fairly obvious that when I’m picking up shoes, I will buy.

We sat down with a stack of 6 shoe boxes, and tried on the Via Spiga first. She unpacked the box, helped me into the shoe, and watched patiently as I walked around the floor testing it out. While the shoe was gorgeous, it fit badly on my heel and I had no interest in buying that shoe.

And the second I moved on from the Via Spiga saying it was not comfortable on my foot, the Saleswoman lost interest in me.

In fact, she disappeared, leaving me to open the other boxes and try on the shoes for myself. Typically the shoes are readied for the customer, packaging taken out of the inside of the shoe, etc.

I’m not a princess, I don’t need the shoes slipped onto my foot. But I do expect from Nordstrom the sales person to be there even if it’s not a $300 Via Spiga shoe to assist me if I need the shoe in a different size or color.

I had six pairs of shoes, out of the six I really liked two of them but needed them in a different size. And another separate two were fantastic, and I was ready to buy them.

I waited around for awhile for her to return after I had tried on all these shoes alone to get an exchange on sizes and have her walk me up to the counter for my purchases.

I finally packed up my purse and grabbed my jacket and started to walk away when she came running over asking “How did those work for you?”

I replied saying that none of them were really me, and she made no response to that and simply walked away.

I was stunned walking out of the store. I don’t believe at all your standards have changed, but I think it’s possible that some of your employees are so stuck on the commission element that it’s actually lowering your standard.

I’m sorry to that saleswoman that I did not like how the Via Spiga shoe fit. Maybe she should have paid more attention to the Taryn Rose shoes I wore into Nordstrom to see that I was a serious buyer.

However, even if I wasn’t, she still should have maintained the Nordstrom image of Customer Service First.

Had she spent more than a few minutes with me I could have gotten her name. But I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s job here. I’m simply letting you know that as a regular customer, and a young woman obsessed with shoes (what girl isn’t?) – if I wanted to be waiting around and doing everything myself, I could shop and get similar shoes at Macys. But I choose you.

I’m rarely one to complain, however I thought you would want to know.

Thank you so much for your time,

Shoe Gal


****DISCLAIMER****
1) This was one bad experience with ONE shoe saleswoman. Nordstrom remains my favorite place for shoe shopping in the NW. They have the largest selection of shoes online anywhere, and their service is usually the best you'll ever get.
2) Monday while at Nordstrom, I talked to my eyebrow gal along with the girl who works the Bare Escentials Counter, both who know me as a regular shopper, and mentioned this story - they both knew exactly what girl I was talking about, in fact one told me that sales girl had sent a customer in tears to her.
3) The dig against Macy's is simply that their shoe department does not have the same quality of service. Macy's always has great shoes, and if you don't care about a person putting the shoes on your feet and preparing each pair for you, it's a great place to shop.
4) I'm not usually this big of a bitch, or a princess. It's simply important to Nordstrom that they know some people they have working there may not fit their image.

Heel Hell from Via Spiga

I was shocked while shoe shopping last Friday. I'll have a full complaint written about my experience shortly along with the letter I wrote to Nordstrom, however my first complaint is about the first shoe I tried on.

This is one of Via Spiga's new styles, the "Suzzo". It's a great shoe for going out to a club, going dancing, or just looking uber-hot on a date, not to mention it has such a high heel and a platform that it lengthens your legs and adds about 5 inches to your height.

With all those positives, what could there possibly be to complain about? Well, the shoes are unwearable. Do you see the back of the shoe, where the straps criss cross then fasten around the heel?

Unless you have a heel that curves inward about a million inches, those criss cross straps will continue to slip right under your heel, leaving you constantly raising your foot behind you to readust the strap. I tried tightening the strap so hard that I cut off circulation to my foot and still after about 3 circles in the shoes department, you're stepping on the straps rather than wearing them.

Heel Hell. So, an open letter to Via Spiga with some design suggestions: You should know better. Many designers do. Let me point out to you some designers that GET IT.

Manolo Blahnik gets it with their Patent Leather sandal, that criss crosses in the front.

And the new Andrew Gn T-Strap I would currently trade my first born for, upon closer inspection adds a little holder on the back, so there is no slippage.

I hope you'll figure this out in the future Via Spiga. Until then...

Bluefly Shoe Sale

You gotta love Bluefly.com and I'm pleased to say they are having a bit of an extra sale on top of their usually low designer brand prices. First up, the Charles David "Artic" - which I'm loving. Teal/Turquoise is really a hot color for summer, and wedges are hot too. But a lot of people don't like the wedge, and this shoe gives you the best of both worlds. This shoe looks like a mix between a wedge and a heel. I'm absolutely in love with it and Bluefly is selling it for only $107.99. It's adorable. Charles David - you have some awesome shoes. Us girls thank you.

I also want to add on the high price of things the Dolce and Gabbana Peep toe Slingback. It's bright, it's jeweled and it's beautiful. And it's marked down from just under $800 to $596.99. I can't afford it right now, but if I could, it would be the first item in my shopping cart.

Ugh... Ugg

Girls, stop with the Uggs. They weren't even cute to begin with, but everyone was wearing them, so I get why you bought them.

But they don't work anymore. Your feet look huge, they don't match ANYTHING you could possibly conjure up for an outfit, it's garage sale season, it's time to put them in the free box.

Even the updated Uggs, the snow white ones - they may have looked very "snow bunny" at the time, but it's summer - put 'em away.

And while you're at it, stop buying crocs. In fact, Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdales, STOP SELLING CROCS! Or you can just wait a few weeks when I post the top 10 things Crocs are good for. And only one of them involves them being on your feet.

The dreaded cork!

I'm really really trying to love cork. I'm trying so hard, I finally purchased a shoe with cork. While it's not the cork base that I have so grown to loathe, it is a cork and leather stripe. This is the Pollini Woven Slingback, and I'll admit, from 5'7 inches from my feet, it doesn't look too much like cork, so it's workable. I'm slowly making my move into the cork base, and MAYBE after time, I'll finally move into the dreaded cork wedge. It's one of my biggest problems with Christian Louboutin (who seems to finally be moving away from cork with his newest collection), the constant cork base on some of the cutest shoes you've ever seen.

As far as this Pollini goes, it's rather comfortable, with the very in-style peeptoe. It's todays recommendation!

The Vintage Look

Always a style that's "in", quite possibly one of the greatest designers is sadly a Nordstrom only brand: Linea Paolo. I say sadly, because there's just no price comparing. Because Nordstrom has exclusivity, the price is the price, and there is no way to find "deals" other than the minor selection on ebay. And by Minor, I mean very very small collection... the reason?

The only way to get the outdated styles are by searching the Nordstrom Rack - sadly most of those are so beat up from being tossed around and slipped on, it's rare you'll find one that is still "new". When someone does find a good looking one, they'll buy it for themselves, or turn around and try to make a profit. Sometimes you'll find a pair that someone is cleaning out with very little wear.

Otherwise, you're stuck ordering full price through Nordstrom.com. Which I gotta be honest, in the realm of shoes, these are very reasonably priced... between $89-$199 - the higher price applies to boots. The styles come in multiple colors, in fact my favorite, the "La Rue" which is featured below, comes in 17 different colors I've been able to count!

The best part? Comfort. Something about the soles of the shoes makes them easy to walk around in. I've walked a mall for five hours in the "Lacey" pump (above) with out a blister. For anyone that's used to heels, you'll find an extraordinary comfort in Linea Paolo.