DENNIS: WORKING AT THE WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE

i regularly help out one of my mother-in-law Sue's friends who owns a woman's clothing boutique. At Christmas it's coordinated outfits, at Valentine's Day it's lingerie. It seems there are always a lot of clueless men coming into the store looking for gifts. I match up outfits for the men, ensuring that their wives or girlfriends get something special; and, of course, i also maximize the money the men spend at the store. i make no apology for this. In fact, i'm always looking for ways to max out a guy’s credit card or empty his wallet; the woman in his life deserves nothing less. After all, what's the average guy going to do with money in his pocket? Probably spend it at the bar or sporting goods store. Far better that the woman in his life has a great outfit and accessories.

My benefit from all this? Well, plenty! Sue gets my earnings and store

discount, but i gain knowledge. i've learned so much about coordinating women's clothing that Nancy now trusts me to choose her daily outfits and pack her bags when she's going out of town. In a world where most husbands don't even know the size of their wife's bra and pantyhose, I think that's a real compliment as well as being another way to serve my wife.

By the way, i serve women at the clothing store, too. They don't expect much from a man, but are soon surprised that i have the same coordination skills as the female associates and do a darned good job of gift wrapping! It's another way to please and serve women at, i might add, a great price since the women get our best prices and discounts.

But the real benefit is serving women and, through my service-oriented behavior, showing them how men should treat women. My training at home is a huge help here. Women are initially skeptical that a man can properly serve them, so it's always a treat to see their attitudes change. I have women coming into the boutique who are even willing to wait for me to serve them, or who come in and specifically ask for me. That is truly flattering!

What do i do to merit this? Well, i look at every woman coming into the shop as a Goddess, someone to be served, someone to be addressed as "Ma'am" or "Madame." Women are the superior sex and men should be serving them. my experience at home makes this second nature. One of the niceties i’ve introduced is serving coffee and tea to our customers; i have a little setup in our kitchenette and will offer our female customers beverages on china, not Styrofoam cups. It makes their waits more tolerable during busy times. "Ladies, may I serve you coffee or tea?" is a greatly appreciated gesture. Women don't expect this of a man although they deserve it. i've told them that they should have husbands or boyfriends doing the same—my little plug for their taking more control!

Nancy's advice, "When women talk, shut up and listen" works particularly well at the boutique. It allows me to offer advice and work with our customer to coordinate things. i'll comment on colors, bags, accessories fragrances, and, of course, shoes, encouraging but never pressuring. i'll spend as much time as needed helping customers, whether it's a woman making a quick purchase or one who tries on nineteen pairs of pumps without buying one. When this particular woman apologized for trying on all those shoes, i told her no apology was needed. Far better that she be satisfied than make a purchase that didn't delight her. And I told her that it was my privilege to serve her. "You mean that, don't you?” she said.

"Yes," I answered, "I do." That woman has spent hundreds with us since that encounter. I love serving her; she can try on all the shoes she wants, whenever she wants.

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