[blindkid] question re shopping assistance

[Albert J Rizzi]

Wonderful thoughts for sure. yes in most every instance making an
appointment in advance is best. I have had great experience with personal
shoppers at Macy's and Bloomingdales and to tell you the truth, I am not
charged at all for this service. It is something that many stores do
provide. But your question about what was refused is a good one.  Did  they
turn him away without suggesting a better time? Did he need directions to
those departments where he would find each product he hoped to buy wherein
he would most probably have gotten assistance from the sales associate
responsible for that department.  So many things come to mind which will
most certainly empower our blind youth to work to maintain their
independence.  As sy syms said, an educated consumer is our best customer.
The customer service should have educated Susan's son on his options rather
then sending him packing. 

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it."



-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of holly miller
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 11:23 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] question re shopping assistance

I sometimes hesitate to throw in my two cents on issues we haven't had to
deal with yet because my son is only 9.  I know I don't have the full
perspective so I worry that I may come across as ignorant.  That doesn't
always stop me though LOL!

Here's what I'm wondering.
What exactly was requested and refused?

In my haven't been there yet mind, there's a difference between "I'm blind
and I need someone to wander around the store with me while I shop" and "I'd
like to buy the medium sized purple widget your store carries, is there
someone who could help me locate that?"

I think the original poster said her son had a list so I'm not saying his
scenario is the first one, just opening it up for conversation.
At a store like Nieman Marcus, you'd probably get a warmer reception to the
first request.  They also charge prices reflective of that.  Places like
Sears or Walmart simply aren't staffed for that level of service.  Perhaps
the way around that would be to call ahead of time, speak to a manager and
ask if you could make an appointment.  I'm pretty sure even the high end
stores ask you to make an appointment for that type of service.

Thinking out loud
Holly
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