New Shoes

A friend of mine, George, purchased a pair of basketball shoes from Dick's Sporting Goods a couple of months ago. He had played about 10 times in them and his feet usually were killing him after the first game. He went back to Dick's to buy another pair yesterday and was talking to the sales person. What I would have expected from the sales rep is to adopt the company line and say "sorry we don't refund them after you have worn them." Especially in a down economy that would have been the easy thing to do.

Instead the rep asked if he had the shoes with him. He had George try them on, agreed that they were the right size and that there was a chance the shoe was defective. He gave him a full "store credit" and helped recommend a different pair to try.

In the end, George bought a new pair of shoes and was so impressed he called to tell me about the story. Not only did that single act create a little more individual loyalty, but he also created additional halo effect in that he was so inspired to tell others. And in the world of blogging, might have created more.