If you want to work in a luxury store

Last week I received an e-mail from someone who was keen on working at a store. And not any regular high street store. A fancier one that we can categorize into the more luxurious department. She was seeking some advice and wondered if we could write something to help get her prepped. Ask and you shall receive: the things that you should never (ever) say when you work in a luxury store.

The term shop is way too tacky when you’re representing a chic brand. For brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Hermès you always refer to it as ’the boutique’ and for other cool high end brands, it’s known as ’the store.’

The fancier the store, the harder it is to locate a price tag. A tip from the wise: in bags and purses you’ll usually find the price tag in a small pouch inside the bag. So you’ll know where to peek if you want to know whether or not you’re going to have to live off of bread and water for the next two months. When you work at a fancy store and you hear someone ask: How much money is it?/How much does it cost?, subtly correct them and say: “The worth of this matte lambskin is 2300 euros.” (Side note: some stores have specific names for various animal related materials. You don’t want to scare your customers when you mention the animal breed, but evidently you can fill them in if they would like to know more.)

Your customer isn’t half-witted. He or she will know that a bag is a bag, pants are pants, and so on. Be nonchalant. Talk about a clutch, or a flare or a cardigan.

As soon as you’ve got a hunch that someone will be pulling out their black card, pull out all the stops. Offer them something to drink. Coffee, tea, some water or hey, why the hell not; offer them a glass of champagne. Girl, before you know it, you’ll be employee of the month!

So when you’re discussing the store, you either call it a store or a boutique. The same goes for a chain. I think we have the rap community to thank for that slang term. Refer to it as a necklace. Seriously though, a chain is what you use to lock up your bike, and not something you use to spruce up your neck line. You don’t call your watch a clock do you?

As exciting and thrilling as your stories might be, it is (always) all about the customer. They have absolutely no interest in your stories and even if they did, I doubt your manager will be thrilled that you’re wasting precious sales time talking about other things. And if you’ve got kids, don’t mention them. The customer is king.

When you work at a luxury store, you never hand your customer the bag filled with their purchases over the counter or register. Walk to the front side, hand them their bag, open the door for them (unless you have a porter), wish them a pleasant day and perhaps even shake their hand before departure.