taste tested

here's dat post i promised i'd try to salvage yesterday...on a whim Richard my good camp bro n miself decided to do a little shoppin yesterday...incidentally i also wanted to do a little, shall i call it, litmus test, across the board of service in da various class clothes joints/boutiques in Singapore(by wat they call themselves u can tell how classy they style themselves)

first we started off in the upmarket stores with e 3 to 4 digit price tags (so u noe its REAL upmarket) like Armani Exchange, Polo Ralph Lauren, Barneys n Les Amis before movin on to e mass market brands like Topshop, Zara, G2000 n Nautica before headin to the Singaporean brands like Samuel n Kevin as well as Jean Pierre at Cine (not Jean Paul Gartier mind u, dun do beng reviews)...n since i've been to the underground, alternative, guerilla joints like Commes de Garcon, New World Order, DCP's A Slurpin Ape, Flesh Imp n de like last week, i had a pretty good idea wat service there was like..

i, for one feel that the service at upmarket boutiques is very quiet except for Les Amis which actually got mi to stop in my tracks when i was leavin e store to try lookin for somethin i liked..i found a nice striped shirt of fine cotton...made in France n costin 300 plus...ouch..

at the mainstream shops service can be even worse...i guess its probabli due to the brisk walkin in n out of half-hearted shoppers n e occasional shopper-from-hell..too jaded i guess..overall very consistent service (or lack thereoff)..none even bothered to greet, smile or thank...mayb u'll say dats bein artificial..but its my money n i'm not spendin it at such places..period..

at e singapore brands, i found service better overall, Samuel n Kevin was good n Jean Pierre was excellent...i managed to find a tee in a colour i was huntin for e whole nite with a simple design n bought it at an affordable price...i think dat when u're small, lean n hungry, u tend to perform better n keep the things dat count on top of priorities...u're also more respectful, grateful n humble...dat settles it..i'm throwin my lot behind small n medium enterprises..

a point of note: at e guerilla stores such as found at Far East, dun expect upmarket service...pick wat u like (its very much a wat-u-see-is-wat-u-get sales phiosophy), make ur purchase n F*** off (or be F***d off by the staff)...n only basic, specific n short questions are entertained like do u hav this in____ colour or in____ size?but i like e underground..its like i find a new, alternative voice when i wear their clothes...one dat says i'm outta da commercial, mainstream loop by choice...since i've alwaez been the Outsider, e Outcast, Reject n Rebel, i dun realli mind now, do i?

to end it all, i feel dat service cannot be applied across da board in all stores the same but it is true dat some of e more prominent brands should buck up their standards man..though i generalli like to be left alone to shop in peace, if i'm goin to be payin 3 or 4 digit sums for personal clothin, i think i deserve a little service dats value for my dollar rite? dats part of dollar diplomacy sales frenz...