Fab Friday: Do You Zappos?

I know who I am.

I'm a loner, a rebel.

(name that movie!)

I like sweet & salty together, Fall, hot chocolate, old movies.

I am a decent cook, a marginal driver, and an excellent friend.

I am far more Old Skool than Cutting Edge. I was probably the last person in the U.S. to jump on the iPhone bandwagon (totally lived up to the hype).

I still own a VCR.

My cautious soul is hard-wired to be suspect of the new and the now, and so I feel I am once again behind the curve in my discovery of Zappos.

OK, so maybe discovery isn't the right descriptor. I've perused Zappos for a long time, but never took the plunge until this week.

I am a bargain hunter by nature, and have difficulty paying {gulp} full price for much of anything. As such, I have previously enjoyed Zappos' sister site 6pm.com. But with a Major Event looming and a very specific look in mind, I turned to Zappos to meet my footwear needs.

I can say with 100% honesty that this was one of my most enjoyable online shopping experiences EVER.

The Good:

1. Huge Selection. Bags? Shoes? Clothes? Check, check, check.
2. Great Filters. Search by brand, size, color, price, style.
3. Solid Suggestions. While you are browsing, the system makes suggestions based on what you've looked at.
4. Reviews. While I don't think another's opinion will determine my own choices, I appreciate clear, honest feedback.
5. Favorites. Find something you like? Save it to your account and view it in comparison to what else is out there.
6. Out of Stock? An email can be sent to you the moment it's available!
7. Payment. Along with all major credit cards, they accept Paypal. While this will be dangerous for my Paypal surplus, this is a boon for my bank account.
8. Turnaround. A Saturday order = Wednesday delivery. And shipping was free!
9. Return Policy. AMAZING. You have 365 days to return your purchase, return shipping is free, and exchanges are just a pleasant phone call away. And processing a return is super simple - click which items you want to send back, print out a shipping label from home & drop off the sealed box at any UPS location. Easy!
10. Customer Service. FANTASTIC. Seriously. I worked retail for years, and know that a business can be made or broken by it's customer service. While the custy is not always right, being fair and equitable can turn around almost any bad situation.

The Bad:

So far, so good. I can't think of anything negative yet. I guess all I can say is that their fabulous return policy and free shipping could encourage you to spend more than intended. Order several items to choose from & you may end up keeping them all. Still a win-win for all!

Here's how my experience went:

After shopping at my local retailers & finding nothing to suit my tastes, I began perusing the interwebs for footwear. Repeated searches failed to produce The Perfect Shoe, and so I began to rethink my strategy. A Sunday Morning Program yielded a segment on Zappos, and I was thoroughly impressed by what I saw - a smart CEO, happy employees, and an impressive record of growth. I searched, pondered, (and possibly even prayed) then ordered on a Saturday afternoon.

My selection of shoes arrived on Wednesday and a quick try-on session yielded both a clear winner and the need for a slightly larger size. A 3 minute phone call to customer service produced a size exchange, a status upgrade, and free overnight shipping. I had my new, larger shoes in hand by 2pm the next day.

Drumroll please.......

Franco Sarto Electra

And they were even on sale!! Silver may not be your cup of tea, but they are exactly what I was looking for. Plus, I think they are going to be adorable with cropped jeans for the summer.

Zappos, I will be a loyal customer for life. Thank you for doing things right!