To: Crecente
From: Ashcraft
RE: Solder

Japanese service? World class. It's not only confined to ritzy retailers, but permeates throughout the country. Sure, sometimes it's shit, but customers have high, very high, expectations. Mrs. Bashcraft's part-time underwear selling job wrapped up. (She enjoyed working and is thinking about whether or not she wants to go back. We're tentatively planning to span another kid next year, so she's not sure if it's worth it to go back to work for just a few months. Anyway, her decision!) The Mother-in-Law went to spy on Mrs. Bash, and said that she was using the most polite, most gentle voice possible.

A few days back, she told me this story about her experience working in Japanese retail. Mrs. Bashcraft's job was at the elegant and refined Hankyu Department Store in Umeda — for many Osaka people, it's the department store. A saleswomen, she said, was helping a customer pick out lingerie when the customer went ape shit and started yelling at the saleswomen, saying, "This is the grocery store! I'm not buying vegetables!" The customer was livid.

Apparently, the sales clerk had guessed at the lady's bra size, saying that it would fit — something to that effect. The clerk continued to apologize over and over again, bowing repeatedly. "Her face was expressionless," Mrs. Bashcraft pointed out. "Totally blank."

Later, in the lunchroom, Mrs. Bashcraft spotted the sales clerk. The woman was sitting at the table alone, bawling her eyes out. That's Grade A customer service for ya.

What you missed last night:
Why Japan hates Xbox 360
Huge DS, Wii sales in Japan
Bad: drugs, porn, video games
Put Spam to DEATH

P.S. Yikes! Bummer about the finger. Sounded gross and painful!