# Andover Shop - Old News?



## bd79cc (Dec 20, 2006)

I haven't visited any of The Andover Shop's stores in years but I don't recall it being like this:

https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?t=76689


----------



## longwing (Mar 28, 2005)

I like Barbara at the Andover location. She is very helpful and friendly. Sometimes I feel like calling her just to say hello.

Sadly, if I ever visit one of their B&M stores, it will probably be the one in Cambridge. Doesn't sound like much to look forward to. I'll be sure not to ask too many questions. I guess if I have a question I can try to reach Barbara on my cell phone.


----------



## Tom Buchanan (Nov 7, 2005)

With apologies to the original poster of the linked thread, that is one of the funniest things I have read in a while. A shopper being screamed at by a guy with a voicebox and another old guy for asking for a tape measure? I would pay good money to see a video of that. 

In all seriousness, there is no excuse for that kind of rude behavior. It sure adds some unpredictability to an otherwise trad shopping trip though. Next time I am in Boston, I will definately be stopping in to see what kind of treatment I receive.


----------



## tripreed (Dec 8, 2005)

Tom Buchanan said:


> With apologies to the original poster of the linked thread, that is one of the funniest things I have read in a while. A shopper being screamed at by a guy with a voicebox and another old guy for asking for a tape measure? I would pay good money to see a video of that.
> 
> In all seriousness, there is no excuse for that kind of rude behavior. It sure adds some unpredictability to an otherwise trad shopping trip though. Next time I am in Boston, I will definately be stopping in to see what kind of treatment I receive.


I don't know, I really have to think that there is another side to this whole story.


----------



## M. Charles (Mar 31, 2007)

I first encountered the Andover Shop at the Cambridge location. While nothing like that happened, it just seemed that no one was interested in helping me. The salesmen were kind of cold. 

I went over to J. Press and got the opposite treatment from a salesman who has apparently been there for many years. I can't remember, but I think he may have been Eastern European or something--he spoke with an accent. He was very nice, but I'm not sure how accurate his info was. He told me there were no fused suits in the store.

Although the service was good at Press, they didn't have the kind of suit I was looking for. The same day I wandered in to the Boston Andover Shop after going to Brooks on Newberry Street. I had the best experience there--the salesman was extremely friendly. I ended up buying a suit after he spent about an hour answering my questions and going through swatches. Very nice service. Of course that location is closed now.

I should add that since then I've had very good luck with Charlie Davidson on the phone at the Cambridge Andover Shop (he's the one with the voice box). I ordered a pair of madras shorts from him last year and asked whether I could also buy a few extra wooden hangers. He said he'd give them to me as a gift, no charge. This was obviously very nice.

So I suppose my experiences with Andover Shop are mixed.


----------



## hbs midwest (Sep 19, 2007)

Tom Buchanan said:


> With apologies to the original poster of the linked thread, that is one of the funniest things I have read in a while. A shopper being screamed at by a guy with a voicebox and another old guy for asking for a tape measure? *I would pay good money to see a video of that. *
> 
> In all seriousness, there is no excuse for that kind of rude behavior. It sure adds some unpredictability to an otherwise trad shopping trip though. *Next time I am in Boston, I will definately be stopping in to see what kind of treatment I receive.*


Perhaps we (the Forum) could arrange a group tour of Boston area spots, with a featured stop at...*GUESS WHERE??? :devil:*

And to think that Flusser had such glowing comments about the firm in _Style and the Man_...

Sounds like an entertinment value, if nothing else.

hbs


----------



## Acacian (Jul 10, 2007)

It WAS a very funny write-up. I know exactly who he's talking about too.

I have never personally had any problems there, but I can see how someone would. It isn't a "browsing" type of place, especially if you go in late in the afternoon when things are winding down.

Given the fact that it is a small store, there just isn't that much room for meandering, and they do prefer people who know what they want right off the bat.

I enjoy going there, although I can also picture this happening easily.


----------



## Tom Buchanan (Nov 7, 2005)

tripreed said:


> I don't know, I really have to think that there is another side to this whole story.


I agree. I read an article a while back about Eddie Jacobs in Baltimore in which the owner said that his customers were only buying items to replace the ones they already had. These places were not meant for browsing to see the latest style. Nevertheless, the image of two old guys yelling at a customer just strikes me as amusing.


----------



## JohnnyVegas (Nov 17, 2005)

I have never been to the Andover location. The Cambridge shop is tiny and while I felt welcome, it may have to do with the fact that I truly was interested in learning more about their gorgeous tweed offerings, especially something MTM. And the Clarendon St locations was fantastic.


----------



## dbgrate (Dec 4, 2006)

Like Tripreed,I'm a bit sceptical about this and the OP's self portrayal as a complete innocent in this.Spontaneous combustion? I doubt it. When I've been to the Cambridge store,I've always appreciated being "left alone" as I browse.Quite the opposite of BB,where one is assualted within minutes,with someone tailing me around with suggestions and telling me what is desirable....I prefer the attitude of,"feel free to browse and if you have any questions,just ask". This is the attitude experienced at the Andover location,which is several times larger than the Cambridge location.


----------



## kforton (Oct 26, 2005)

dbgrate said:


> Like Tripreed,I'm a bit sceptical about this and the OP's self portrayal as a complete innocent in this.Spontaneous combustion? I doubt it. When I've been to the Cambridge store,I've always appreciated being "left alone" as I browse.Quite the opposite of BB,where one is assualted within minutes,with someone tailing me around with suggestions and telling me what is desirable....I prefer the attitude of,"feel free to browse and if you have any questions,just ask". This is the attitude experienced at the Andover location,which is several times larger than the Cambridge location.


I agree. I posted this on the other forum: "I think that this post is quite mean spirited. Does anyone believe that Charlie at the Andover Shop (who you sickly refer to as voice-box guy) would throw anyone out for asking a few questions. I do not believe that this happened.

The Andover guys in the Cambridge store are not overtly friendly. They let you poke around on your own for a while, as many people come to browse the excellent selection of ties and other accessories without buying anything. I think people are disappointed in the shop when they find that shopping there really requires help from the sales staff. The stock is not easily accessible because it is not a self-serve shop like Old Navy. The men in that shop really know the goods and select them very carefully. They are very low pressure sales, which can make it look like they don't care if they sell anything to you. Though, this is not far from the truth. They have plenty of long time loyal customers who enjoy the service--that's how they stay in business."


----------



## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

I think the guys obviously full of it. How much do you trust a guy who came up with that threads name and continues on to call someone "cancer throat"? He's seems like a prime canidate to be thrown out. He's definatly not welcome here in the Trad forum.


----------



## PersianMonarchs (Dec 7, 2005)

*Charlie is one of my favorite guys*

I share the, to put it mildly, skepticism of many of the replies. I have shopped at the Cambridge Andover Shop for years. Their personnel have always been great to work with. Charlie is one of the nicest, brightest, and most entertaining guys I know. The tone, the tale -- everything about -- the original posting strikes me as highly improbable.

While the Andover Andover Shop can be pretty arrogant (the affectation of the catalog -- written in the Andover Andover Shop, not the Cambridge location -- the Clarendon St. store has been closed now for a couple of years) and in my experience gets my orders wrong more often than it gets them right, the Cambridge store has been wonderful to deal with. I do hope no one gives any credence at all to the original posting. It simply can't be remotely accurate.


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

The one and only time I have been in the Andover shop in Cambridge was quite a few years ago, while I was attending The Federal Executive Institute hosted by Harvard's JFK School of Government. As I recall, I was one of two customers in the store, with an equal number of employees apparent. While it does seem a bit odd, looking back, I do not recall a single word being exchanged between the store staff and customers, the only shock I experienced that day was sticker shock from the prices of the goods being sold! The staff did not strike me as overly friendly but, I certainly would have no basis for concluding they were abrupt or rude.


----------



## Taliesin (Sep 24, 2004)

My favorite Andover Shop moment was watching some fellow parallel park his Aston Martin in front of the store in Cambridge. I just found that amusing -- the prices are about "Aston Martin"-worthy. I've walked past the Cambridge location more times than I could count, and have never seen more than 2 customers in the store at a time. I've also never heard anyone make the kind of allegations the OP made about the staff. I'm inclined to be skeptical.


----------



## fenway (May 2, 2006)

I live near the Andover "Andover Shop" but when I look in the Cambridge store's window with my 5 year old boy, they always wave to him and wave at me to come in.

We get our hair cut at LaFlamme on Dunster Street, which is pretty trad, come to think of it. 

For those that have access to the Atlantic Monthly's website, check out https://www.theatlantic.com/issues/95nov/bowtie.htm. Pretty funny.


----------



## MrRogers (Dec 10, 2005)

jpeirpont said:


> I think the guys obviously full of it.


Who are you to say? Were you there? I have a hard time believing that the OP decided one day to make up a story about getting thrown out of this store and post it in 3 forums.

MrR


----------



## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

MrRogers said:


> Who are you to say? Were you there? I have a hard time believing that the OP decided one day to make up a story about getting thrown out of this store and post it in 3 forums.
> 
> MrR


Who are you to say it did? Were you there? Someone of that nature shouldn't be believed.
I believe he has decided to leave out key parts of the story.


----------



## videocrew (Jun 25, 2007)

jpeirpont said:


> Someone of that nature shouldn't be believed.


Someone of what nature? Could you explain?


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

videocrew said:


> Someone of what nature? Could you explain?


Come on! Can you honestly say, regardless of the quality of the shopping experience, when a poster opens by describing a store's proprietors as "Fred Gwynn, weasel face and cancer throat guy", that the tenor of the post is anything other than distastful at best and mean spirited at it's worst. Even us cyber-saps are not that naieve!


----------



## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

videocrew said:


> Someone of what nature? Could you explain?


"Scum bag", "cancer throat" not terms used by the people I trust. Others, I suppose, have different standards.


----------



## qwerty (Jun 24, 2005)

I have known the staff of the Andover Shop (both Andover and Cambridge locations) for years.
I can see Larry being a bit surly, or even impolite (he's just not a bubbly person). But Charlie (the owner of the stores, the man with the voicebox) is one of the kindest people I have met in a retail store. I frankly do _not_ believe the story as it has been told in the referenced thread. What happened was surely _not_ unprovoked. Charlie would never do that. I know the man.


----------



## bd79cc (Dec 20, 2006)

fenway said:


> when I look in the Cambridge store's window with my 5 year old boy, they always wave to him and wave at me to come in.


I have trouble believing that people human enough to do this would chase someone out of their establishment unless offense was given or a misunderstanding was involved.

Although I'm loath to judge either NukeMeSlowly or The Andover Shop salesmen, I'm very curious about the latter's take on the occurrence.


----------



## enecks (Apr 25, 2007)

jpeirpont said:


> "Scum bag", "cancer throat" not terms used by the people I trust. Others, I suppose, have different standards.


They are, however, terms which might be used in frustration by one who believes he has been unjustly, perhaps even randomly, ejected from a store.

In psychology, the fundamental attribution error indicates that we have a tendency to over-emphasize personality factors and discount situation when assessing one's behavior. In actuality, however, situational factors tend to be far more important. While you jump to the conclusion that this person used those terms as a result of his apparently base character, you overlook the possibility that their use was predicated merely by a frustrating situation: i.e. he wrote with an angry tone because he was angered by the situation, not because he is an angry person.

The attribution error may also be applied to the proprietors themselves. Some have indicated that these gentlemen could not act in such a manner because it would be beyond their usual character. These arguments also overlook various unknown situational factors. Perhaps the gentlemen were having a bad day. Perhaps they had experienced a multitude of frustrating customers that day. Perhaps it was nearing the close of business, and they just wanted to go home. While such an ejection may indeed have been beyond their usual character, any number of situations could have given rise to their alleged behavior, and we cannot discount those factors' weight.


----------



## Hayek (Jun 20, 2006)

Sorry to hear that. I've been to the Cambridge location a few times and never had any trouble (browsed, never bought anything--though I also never asked questions). It seemed like a pretty mellow place though at the same time I don't find the story to be completely surprising.

Luckily J. Press is quite literally a 20-second walk away from Andover.


----------



## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

enecks said:


> They are, however, terms which might be used in frustration by one who believes he has been unjustly, perhaps even randomly, ejected from a store.
> 
> In psychology, the fundamental attribution error indicates that we have a tendency to over-emphasize personality factors and discount situation when assessing one's behavior. In actuality, however, situational factors tend to be far more important. While you jump to the conclusion that this person used those terms as a result of his apparently base character, you overlook the possibility that their use was predicated merely by a frustrating situation: i.e. he wrote with an angry tone because he was angered by the situation, not because he is an angry person.
> 
> The attribution error may also be applied to the proprietors themselves. Some have indicated that these gentlemen could not act in such a manner because it would be beyond their usual character. These arguments also overlook various unknown situational factors. Perhaps the gentlemen were having a bad day. Perhaps they had experienced a multitude of frustrating customers that day. Perhaps it was nearing the close of business, and they just wanted to go home. While such an ejection may indeed have been beyond their usual character, any number of situations could have given rise to their alleged behavior, and we cannot discount those factors' weight.


I know. You are right, he did this in the heat of the moment. He had his laptop waiting in his car.
You could very well be right. But, I can't imagine being angered enough to call one "cancer throat" especially for something as little being kicked out a store, it speaks to his character. I'd hate to see how he'd treat a person ,he knew was molested a child, that angered him.


----------



## Thornhill (May 14, 2006)

enecks said:


> They are, however, terms which might be used in frustration by one who believes he has been unjustly, perhaps even randomly, ejected from a store.
> 
> In psychology, the fundamental attribution error indicates that we have a tendency to over-emphasize personality factors and discount situation when assessing one's behavior. In actuality, however, situational factors tend to be far more important. While you jump to the conclusion that this person used those terms as a result of his apparently base character, you overlook the possibility that their use was predicated merely by a frustrating situation: i.e. he wrote with an angry tone because he was angered by the situation, not because he is an angry person.
> 
> The attribution error may also be applied to the proprietors themselves. Some have indicated that these gentlemen could not act in such a manner because it would be beyond their usual character. These arguments also overlook various unknown situational factors. Perhaps the gentlemen were having a bad day. Perhaps they had experienced a multitude of frustrating customers that day. Perhaps it was nearing the close of business, and they just wanted to go home. While such an ejection may indeed have been beyond their usual character, any number of situations could have given rise to their alleged behavior, and we cannot discount those factors' weight.


Granted. Still, the name-calling was beyond the pale, even in this unusual situation. The OP's reaction suggests that he has a birth right to browse the Andover Shop. Apparently, he doesn't. I've been to both locations. While neither would survive on King Street with the service, I've not minded. They've had what I wanted, the price was right, so a purchase was made. None of us were there, so have no reason to believe or not to believe the OP as to what happened at that given point in time. However, the OP's characterization of the salesmen does say quite about him. And it isn't positive.


----------



## longwing (Mar 28, 2005)

This Charlie has bragged to the press about how he shafted some guy because he didn't like the cut of his jaw, or something equally inane. I can't tell you where it was, but I have seen it.


----------



## MrRogers (Dec 10, 2005)

enecks said:


> While you jump to the conclusion that this person used those terms as a result of his apparently base character, you overlook the possibility that their use was predicated merely by a frustrating situation: i.e. he wrote with an angry tone because he was angered by the situation, not because he is an angry person.


I agree with you 100%. I think the frustration experienced by the OP as a result of the shop owners ridicolous behavior comes across loud and clear in his writing. Also, while noone else has been thrown out of the store as nuke has, how many posts have validated that the shop owners are a bunch of old farts that are borderline unfriendly and don't appreciate new customers off the street who stop in to browse.

In the end i'm glad nuke shared his experience with us who might otherwise have given them our hard earned money.

MrR


----------



## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

I wouldn't believe the original poster face-value, as I don't think a store that had customer service like that could remain in business. 

However, I've experienced similar treatment in retail establishments, extremely rude behavior for no particular reason. After escalating to the store manager, I get the same treatment. In a couple of instances the stores came highly recommended to me by a friend, who would swear by their excellent service. I once went back to the same store with the friend who recommended the place, to have the same employees pretend they have never seen me before.

I've worked in retail, and try to be as polite as possible when entering someone's store. I can't fathom how anyone could be rude to a customer right off the bat. The only plausible reasons I can come up with is some sort of incredible snobbishness, or mental illness, though I don't think there is much difference between the two.


----------



## bd79cc (Dec 20, 2006)

jbmcb said:


> However, I've experienced similar treatment in retail establishments, extremely rude behavior for no particular reason. After escalating to the store manager, I get the same treatment.


Didn't this happen to Julia Roberts' character in the movie Pretty Woman?


----------



## dbgrate (Dec 4, 2006)

May I suggest that the OP's forum name is quite literally a plea for a horrible grandiose death..I mean,how much abuse can one person ask for? Does this wish and 
predisposition accompany him when he goes browsing for a pocket square or whatever? Maybe he got what he was after?....just being facetious....well,....kind of...........


----------



## Acacian (Jul 10, 2007)

Unfortunately, his rant is on page 1 now when you Google "Andover Shop".


----------



## Corcovado (Nov 24, 2007)

PersianMonarchs said:


> While the Andover Andover Shop can be pretty arrogant (*the affectation of the catalog -- written in the Andover Andover Shop, not the Cambridge location* -- the Clarendon St. store has been closed now for a couple of years) and in my experience gets my orders wrong more often than it gets them right, the Cambridge store has been wonderful to deal with. I do hope no one gives any credence at all to the original posting. It simply can't be remotely accurate.


Wait, what's wrong with the catalog? I just got one this week and it's fine. I like the way they present the clothes as ensembles, rather than just a page full of coats, or a page full of ties. It's quite helpful.


----------



## Tyto (Sep 22, 2004)

LongWing said:


> This Charlie has bragged to the press about how he shafted some guy because he didn't like the cut of his jaw, or something equally inane. I can't tell you where it was, but I have seen it.


Its was this article in the November 1995 _Atlantic Monthly_ (unfortunately, you need to be a subscriber to read it now). It was "the cut of his jib" that CD didn't like, and to humor the guy, CD wrote down the order for a couple of MTM suits with no intention of fulfilling it. Once the fellow called several times and finally said something like, "do you fill these orders alphabetically?" (his last initial was toward the end of the alphabet), Charlie decided he liked the guy, and put his order in. No mention of taking the guy's money and screwing him.


----------



## enecks (Apr 25, 2007)

Tyto said:


> Its was this article in the November 1995 _Atlantic Monthly_ (unfortunately, you need to be a subscriber to read it now). It was "the cut of his jib" that CD didn't like, and to humor the guy, CD wrote down the order for a couple of MTM suits with no intention of fulfilling it. Once the fellow called several times and finally said something like, "do you fill these orders alphabetically?" (his last initial was toward the end of the alphabet), Charlie decided he liked the guy, and put his order in. No mention of taking the guy's money and screwing him.


Is this the text of the article?


----------



## SpookyTurtle (Nov 4, 2007)

jpeirpont said:


> I think the guys obviously full of it. How much do you trust a guy who came up with that threads name and continues on to call someone "cancer throat"? He's seems like a prime canidate to be thrown out. He's definatly not welcome here in the Trad forum.


What if he is telling the truth?


----------



## Tyto (Sep 22, 2004)

enecks said:


> Is this the text of the article?


Sure enough. Forgot that was posted here.


----------



## Acacian (Jul 10, 2007)

Regardless of the veracity of the post, I think it's unfortunate that it is now on the first page of a Google search for "Andover Shop". 

Not only is the Andover Shop the target of these characterizations of their employees, but it makes everyone on this website look like idiots.


----------



## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

SpookyTurtle said:


> What if he is telling the truth?


He'd still be vulgar.


----------



## Ron_A (Jun 5, 2007)

https://images.google.com/imgres?im...wn&start=42&gbv=2&ndsp=21&svnum=10&hl=en&sa=N


----------



## fairway (Sep 23, 2006)

My one and only visit to the AS in Cambridge was on Friday, November 30, 2007, at 4:30 P.M., following a nice visit at the nearby J.Press store. As I was looking around the store, a fellow appeared from somewhere on the upper level to track my movements and then just as suddenly disappeared. Thereafter, I did ask some questions of the salesman on the floor that did not seem to sit well with him. Coincidently, the same fellow from the upper level reappeared and the floor saleman responded to his inquiring stare that I had asked about some suit manufacturers and some MTM options. Once again the monitoring fellow disappeared. Little did I realize that "the cut of my jib" was being assessed in the event I did make an order of some kind, which I didn't.

Not my most pleasant shopping experience of the day. My patient better-half noticed all of the above and commented that we were wise to have made our purchases at J.Press. 

My experience at the AS suggests to me that, while the posting style of the OP may not be to everyone's taste, the content of the original post is believable.


----------



## rojo (Apr 29, 2004)

Charlie sounds like a wonderfully crusty old character. I quite admire him for running his shop his own way. It’s not how to maximize sales or add new customers, to be sure, but it’s his business to expand or run into the ground as he pleases. Thank goodness there are still some vestiges of property rights surviving amidst the creeping socialism in America. What amuses me is the number of fellows here who seem to think that they have constitutional rights to be treated politely, ask questions, spend as much time as they like in someone’s store, and never be refused service by anyone. Woe to anyone who says “No” to a member of Gen X, Gen Y, or a Boomer.


----------



## A.Squire (Apr 5, 2006)

Rojo, little secret that you don't love me, but if you only knew me better you would.


----------



## Untilted (Mar 30, 2006)

rojo said:


> Charlie sounds like a wonderfully crusty old character. I quite admire him for running his shop his own way. It's not how to maximize sales or add new customers, to be sure, but it's his business to expand or run into the ground as he pleases. Thank goodness there are still some vestiges of property rights surviving amidst the creeping socialism in America. What amuses me is the number of fellows here who seem to think that they have constitutional rights to be treated politely, ask questions, spend as much time as they like in someone's store, and never be refused service by anyone. Woe to anyone who says "No" to a member of Gen X, Gen Y, or a Boomer.


he sure has the right to refuse to service certain people. it's just bad taste. in other words, he did nothing illegal, but he wasnt a gentleman.


----------



## jar2574 (Aug 30, 2007)

rojo said:


> Charlie sounds like a wonderfully crusty old character. I quite admire him for running his shop his own way. It's not how to maximize sales or add new customers, to be sure, but it's his business to expand or run into the ground as he pleases. Thank goodness there are still some vestiges of property rights surviving amidst the creeping socialism in America. What amuses me is the number of fellows here who seem to think that they have constitutional rights to be treated politely, ask questions, spend as much time as they like in someone's store, and never be refused service by anyone. Woe to anyone who says "No" to a member of Gen X, Gen Y, or a Boomer.


I must have missed the posts that claimed constitutional rights had been infringed.

Glad I wasn't around to see what customer service was like in the old days, if the alleged service would suffice.


----------



## fairway (Sep 23, 2006)

I don't know about any constitutional rights that might be involved in considering a purchase from the AS, but according to its most recent annual catalogue the shop invites and encourages questions to its experienced and caring sales professionals about prospective selections. Moreover, the AS represents that it is honored to be of service to its customers and is appreciative of their loyalty.

Of course, as has been adroitly observed, the owner is free to operate as he sees fit.


----------



## SpookyTurtle (Nov 4, 2007)

rojo said:


> What amuses me is the number of fellows here who seem to think that they have constitutional rights to be treated politely, ask questions, spend as much time as they like in someone's store, and never be refused service by anyone. Woe to anyone who says "No" to a member of Gen X, Gen Y, or a Boomer.


So you think it is unreasonable to be expected to be treated politely at a retail establishment? Or ask a few questions about the goods and services? It certainly isn't a constitutional right, but I would think anyone in business of just about any kind should have some basic people skills. Respect. Is that too much to ask for? Smile and take my money, then talk about me when I leave.:icon_smile_big:


----------



## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

Untilted said:


> he sure has the right to refuse to service certain people. it's just bad taste. in other words, he did nothing illegal, but he wasnt a gentleman.


Since when has being a gentleman required being an egalitarian?


----------



## steedappeal (May 10, 2004)

I was last in the AS about 8 years ago. It reminded me of a micro version of the old-old J. Press NY store. I was amazed at the selection of specialty items -especially their knit ties and fantastic fabrics. I was wearing a thread-bare chesterfield coat so I guess I past muster?

Service was cordial. I remember seeing one of the owners, Charlie, churning out sales slips by hand. I pretty much knew what I wanted and had little need to bother him or his colleagues.

ONE BIT OF ADVICE: most private-label merchants are protective of their product sources. It always puts them on the defensive when asked questions like "Who makes your _______".


----------



## kevinbelt (Dec 2, 2007)

I've kept to myself so far, because I've never been to the Andover Shop and thus I have no firsthand experience. I will say, though, that I'd much prefer someone following me around "tracking my movements" than someone following me around and constantly asking me if I need help finding everything, or if I'm still doing OK, or if there's anything else they can do for me. 

And as a someone who used to work in retail, when someone you've never seen before comes in, asks "where do you get your x?", and leaves without purchasing x, a majority of the time it means he's going home and purchasing x online. Perhaps I'm being a little rude here, but good riddance.


----------



## Untilted (Mar 30, 2006)

this reminds me of the Ralph Lauren stores I went to in China. The salespeople literally followed me around as if I were a thief!


----------



## longwing (Mar 28, 2005)

Can anyone explain the relationship between the two stores? Having looked at their catalogs for a few years, I get the impression that the Andover store, at least, is owned by someone with young kids and a dog. Doesn't sound like crusty old Charlie to me.


----------

