Does good old-fashioned service still exist in retail-land?

Remember years ago, when you could go to a service station and somebody filled your car up and checked the oil and washed the windscreen? Remember when retail was an experience and not just an exercise in buying something as quickly as possible? Well, I am pleased to report there are still some very bright sparks on the retail landscape, and today I wanted to talk about two that made me smile. First up, to set the scene, on the weekend I was playing host to 17 very excited little girls for a birthday party, for three hours, at our home. Crazy right? Actually the reality was pretty cool, because a) they are great kids, and b) it was an all girls affair, so the entertainment had a clear target audience. As you could imagine, I was a little stressed when I headed out in the morning to source party supplies including some small gifts to give to the girls. Add to this a busy week work wise, four slightly grumpy tired kids, and well, you get the picture. Enter some brilliant service from a lovely young chap at Coles. Not only was he super-quick, and friendly, he then proceeded to walk around and lift all the heavy bags into my trolley!  With a dodgy knee already giving me grief, I could have almost hugged him for helping me out. Such a small gesture made a huge difference to my mood. Next up I ventured to a new store for tweens (Pavement) at the local shopping centre (Claremont Quarter), to see if I could find some little gifts for the  party guests. Feeling a little distracted, overwhelmed and already over it I was just about to walk out, when I heard someone ask if I needed help. I quickly ran through what I was after, and in no time at all I had a neat package with great little gifts, bags, ready to go. Complete with a smile. Faith in good service restored, I headed home feeling calmer than I had before and ready to host some very excited little girls. Have you experienced great service lately? Enjoy xx *Please note this is not a sponsored post, just a reflection on a couple of great experiences.