I stopped in at JC Penney in the mall yesterday with my wife to exchange a jacket for a different size. While she was tending to that and perusing that 50% off sale, I grabbed a bunch of sale Nike stuff and wandered over the men’s suits department. Boy, am I glad I did!

First off: I’m like a lot of guys…I’d buy more dress clothes if 1) I only knew what the heck I was doing, and 2) I had any idea what my size is and how to buy stuff that fits nice. I was in luck Sunday. An older gentleman there by the name of Dick came up to me and started out by helping me find my shirt size. This guy helped me out as if I was at a custom tailor. So we ventured over to the suits after finding my proper shirt size.

I’ve been meaning to get another suit (I love suits) and they were 50% off yesterday. So with Dick’s help I tried on a few, he explained how they should fit in the shoulders, waist, and sleeves, and we found one that worked perfectly. He spent all the time necessary to make sure both my wife and I understood what we were trying to achieve in fitting a suit. All the while he was very professional, courteous, and great conversation.

At one point another customer came up with a question. He explained that he was fitting a suit and couldn’t help them right away, apologized, and found another employee to help them. Talk about feeling like I was being attended to – again, as if I were at a custom tailor. I forgot I was in a department store.

Employees seem to be treated as a disposable commodity these days, especially since many of them seem incapable of proper customer service. A gentleman like this suit salesman at JC Penney stands out as one in thousands, perhaps even more rare than that. I am going to buy all my dress clothes from JC Penney in the future, as long as a guy like Dick works there to help me out.

So, if you’re like most guys – willing to dress up, but uncertain about (even intimidated by) shopping for dress clothes, go to JC Penney and see this man. You’ll be glad you did.

Aside: I value good customer service and professionalism in general more than most, or at least I make a bigger deal about it. When I have a positive experience at an establishment, I make sure that someone in charge knows about it. They need to; most of the time the only people who seek out a manager are the angry ones. Employees who go above and beyond deserve recognition, and I am always more than happy to give it.