I received a hand written thank you note today from the owner of a children’s shoe shop, where we stopped in to buy a pair of shoes a few weeks ago for our daughter. It was eloquent, long and completely shocking — in most stores in London, you’re lucky to get someone to wait on you, let alone smile, or help you buy anything. A thank you note?! Handwritten?! It’s as though we’ve moved to another planet.
We once bought a wardrobe in London, and discovered when we got it home that the wood on one side was warped. When we asked a customer service rep from the store if we could exchange it, she said no — we could only return it, because it was out of stock. Nobody we spoke to wanted to special order another for us, or somehow make sure that we didn’t return it.
We actually wanted to keep it. And we assumed the store would want to keep our money. But no — they insisted they take it back, and give us our money back.
Sometimes, I wondered if sales people in the UK understood that their purpose was the make money. Obviously, that’s the motive behind the children’s shoe salesman. But darnit, I’ll go back to his store, because he cared enough to send a note, AND offer a $6 discount if we bring the note with us.
Reverse Culture Shock 
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