Can you think of any place or occasion when you have been able to go into a shop and order the same thing that you found there six years ago? Well, this is what I was able to do when I went to Laura Ashley to get some fabric to replace some curtains, once gently glowing and resplendent, but now sadly frayed and tatty.
Making this purchase gave me the opportunity to experience some more of what Laura Ashley is about. To be honest, I must confess that I am surprised it is able to survive in a world where lots of design is about either minimalist clean-lines Scandi or cosy hygge-inspired Scandi. A quick check online reveals that it is struggling and looking for better opportunities in emerging markets where British floral fancy might have more appeal.
The main part of my time in the store was spent getting through the process required to sign up to the store card. I only consented as it seemed silly to throw away the opportunity to get a 10% discount, but it ended up being rather complicated. How come? Well, I blame the checks and balances put in place to ensure consumers are not being mis-sold. Legal requirements they may be, but from a customer experience perspective, they are not positive. This is why:
- I had to watch a video which explained my rights and what I was signing up to. But as this was a shop, I effectively had to sit at the desk in the corner where they check orders. It just felt really odd and uncomfortable.
- Worse still was providing all the personal information needed to apply for a store card. It wasn’t just stating one’s age but also one’s annual household income – all on the shop floor.
- Doing the above and filling in lots of forms end up taking 30 minutes. I am not sure it is worth spending half an hour to get back £20. It raises the question of what is the balance of saving time vs money…
And obviously, I cancelled the card as soon as I got home. It had not been even explained to me that there were incentives beyond the initial purchase discount.
But all that being said, to go back to my opening question, I was really rather pleased that Laura Ashley are ‘consistent’ in their stock. Fingers crossed my duck egg Villandry will still be there when I need to replace curtains again in the years ahead.