Eddie Bauer, the Response

It took several weeks, but Eddie Bauer headquarters finally responded to my criticism of their hyper-aggressive retail sales staff. I'm proud to have my comments shared with their "leadership team" and sincerely hope that some heads will get banged together over their foolish, heavy-handed, utterly repellant customer stalking. Perhaps it's time for a re-visit, unless of course this email was written with "AutoResponder 7.0 software" and the corporation is so bureaucratic that it takes weeks for leadership to actually read and react.

"Dear [eValue-ator]:

Thank you for contacting Eddie Bauer regarding your recent experience in our store. I am pleased to hear that you have been such an ambassador of the Eddie Bauer brand for many years. However, it is always an immediate concern to hear when a customer is disappointed in our service. I genuinely apologize for any dissatisfaction you experienced during your visit.

We do ask our sale associates to follow five requirements that include greeting the customer and asking questions to ascertain the customer's needs to help them find what they are looking for. Certainly, your indication that you were simply browsing and did not need further help should have clearly defined your needs.

At Eddie Bauer, we strive to develop a sales staff that is attentive and enhances the selling experience by listening to the customer. Assistance should be offered but not forced. From your description, it certainly sounds as though we failed to listen to your needs and respond appropriately.

I appreciate the time you took out of your schedule to write us regarding your shopping experience. We take great interest in our customer’s feedback on the products and experiences on which our brand was built.

It is our practice to share customer comments with the leadership team responsible for your experience. We can only hope that you will remain a loyal customer and allow us another opportunity to extend to you the premier level of satisfaction our company demands.

Sincerely,

[name of responder]

Office of the President

Eddie Bauer"

High-Guilt Sweetener Drama

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has spent several years becoming the villain of health reformers and public-health do-gooders, taking the blame as an almost unstoppable force behind climbing levels of obesity, diabetes, and the other public health "epidemics." In fact, many health advocates say that HFCS is the latest tool of big, evil food companies (and/or the medical/industrial complex) trying to KILL us all! BAN IT NOW!

A new story in Scientific American ("Is Sugar Really Toxic?") reinforces what I have always believed: There is nothing inherently harmful about consuming modest amounts of HFCS, or any other sugar, as part of a balanced diet.

HFCS is a miracle of science, a cheap sweetener that brings pleasure and variety to our diet. Our family loves a good salad, a serving of freshly steamed broccoli, or a slice of whole-wheat toast. But we also enjoy an occasional can of ice-cold soda, scoop of Sherbet, or bowl of Super Sugar Crisp (now the absurdly renamed "Golden Crisp.")--all infused with HFCS. 

Jog on, food-control nannies--we're going to continue to eat modest portions of what tastes good, and let the joyless extremists vacillate between public denunciations of supposedly evil foods and the secret binges that feed the guilt they attempt to inflict on everyone else. (And by the way, our kids have far fewer cavities than my spouse and I, who grew up in an era before HFCS existed.)