By Gan Ling Kai

THIS is what i found out: I'm good with women in their 30s and beyond.

Especially a middle-aged woman who bought a pair of jeans on my sales advice.

That's my secondary finding, after being a "sales assistant" for three hours.

My primary finding? That customers here are mostly polite.

And no, I have not stopped being a journalist. I was just looking for impolite customers.

The New Paper on Sunday did this as part of the Gems Up Campaign (Go the Extra Mile for Service) after being approached by the Singapore Tourism Board,which organises it.

Gems is designed to encourage businesses, staff and customers to put in extra effort to improve local service quality.

So from 5pm to 8pm on Friday, I posed as a sales assistant at the Levi's outlet in Ion Orchard.

In those three hours, I sold two pairs of shoes, two pairs of slippers, three T-shirts, a pair of jeans and a cap.

Not too bad for a beginner, said Mr Shahril Harman, 38, a retail trainer, who had given me a three-hour crash course before my stint.

If I were in this line for real, my training would have lasted a week, including an examination on product knowledge and a role-play test at the end.

And training would have gone on for two weeks, if I had been a foreigner.

"Unreasonable shoppers are rare. I get only one or two such customers every month." -Mr Jason Pang, an assistant boutique manager who has worked for Levi's for more than three years.

To the credit of local shoppers, I didn't discover any rude customers.

I faced a man who took advantage of the store's 7-day exchange policy and made many demands. But he wasn't rude.

My assessment of local shoppers was endorsed by Mr Jason Pang, 26, an assistant boutique manager who has worked for Levi's for more than three years.

"Unreasonable shoppers are rare," he said. "I get only one or two such customers every month.

"For example, there was one who complained about the colour of a thread after an alteration.

"But I could tell he was just trying to get a new pair of jeans.

"And another customer spent up to two hours trying on clothes but didn't buy anything.

"But we served them anyway, hoping they may comeback again and buy something."

My seven colleagues at the store also gave our shoppers here their vote of confidence.

But I have one little request.

Shoppers, can you learn to say "thank you" after being served, please?

I had knelt before you to help you try on your shoes.

I had scuttled around looking for jeans of your size (though it was more like getting the real staff to dig in the storeroom).

Made my day

I had to memorise all the different promotions so that I could give you the best shopping advice.

The few who gave me a smile and words of appreciation really made my day.

And yes, we all like to be served by humorous sales assistants.

How about learning to crack jokes as a customer?

Be like the middle-aged woman who told me self-deprecatingly: "Cannot lah. All the bling-bling on the jeans too young for an old woman like me."

I replied genuinely: "Fashion is for everyone. You don't look old anyway."

Result?

She left the store a happier woman - with a new pair of jeans.

And she did have a youthful air around her. Wearing a smile is the safest and best form of "plastic surgery".

Said my mentor for the day, Mr Pang: "I feel like a doctor sometimes.

"We help people with their problems. When customers leave the store with a brand new look, it gives me great satisfaction."

Moral of the story: While a smiling sales assistant is more likely to achieve a good bottom line, an appreciative customer is more likely to find a good fit for his or her bottom.

ganlk@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The New Paper.