When I was a kid, I loved it when I would come home and mom would say there was mail for me! It happened about once a year, when my Auntie from Winnipeg would mail me a package for my birthday. It was usually something cool, like the Boney M Record, a new wallet and matching rainbow key chain, or a Bee Gees 8-track. After I moved away from home, I got mail regularly in the form of bills. Not as much fun, so I joined some message board quilt swaps and traded everything from 6″ squares of quilters cotton, to a full size quilt. Yes it was expensive. I eventually stopped quilting altogether and donated my fabric stash and many many quilt tops to the quilters at Make-A-Wish Foundation here in Edmonton. They make a quilt for every child in Edmonton who gets a wish. Pretty cool actually. Often those quilt blocks were signed by the quilter who made them. I received stuff from New Brunswick, Canada, Ohio, USA, and even Tasmania, Australia. I did receive packages from everywhere else in between. I loved mail day. It got to the point where I could not afford that addiction hobby any more. Now I enjoy my finished quilts and am thrilled I made lots for everyone. ChatterBox still has her pink lemonade quilt hanging on her wall. It makes me happy to see it there.
Sadly, I don’t get mail anymore. At least not snail mail. I often wake up to 13 email in my regular account, 10 in my Edmonton Tourist account and 1 or 2 in my third account. Mail I still get and it’s fun…usually. My favorite email comes from friends who live far away and we support each other’s goal setting. My next favorite is for plans about family picnics. Yes it’s true, my family emails each other instead of calling. I prefer text, but mom and dad haven’t figured that out yet. I get assorted “junk” mail or spam that I sign up for and for some I don’t. But the best one is Monday morning. Tiffany & Co send me their weekly update filled with lovely sparkly things. Now that I have been to Tiffany’s I know their pictures are crap in comparison. Yet they are still lovely to look at and dream about.
Then today in the mail I got this
A lovely hand written thank you note from Jill at Tiffany & Co. in Calgary. People’s Jewelers never sent me a hand written note, neither did Ben Moss Jewelers. This lovely hand written note was Embossed with the return address. I carefully opened the envelope without tearing it and discovered a gem! Tiny embossed non printed words that said
Tiffany & Co Makers New York
It was on the edge of the envelope where the “licked” part sticks to. I noticed it was embossed and not heat set. It was actually stamped with an embosser. I come from a family of Printers and Pressmen. Excellent quality paper is not lost on me. I love the feel of a heavy weighted paper as it comes out of the envelope. It screams quality. In consultation with my Aunt and my Mom, both worked many years in the family print business, we discussed the type of paper it was. Without feeling it and holding it up to the light, they could only give their best guess. My Aunt thought it might be Crains Crest. It is a high quality paper that is uses for the best stationery and the American US dollar (or at least it was back in the 80’s.) Then I talked to my mom. She is a savant when it comes to paper. She asked me to hold it up to the light and describe it to her. Through the light you could see tiny lines that looked like it was woven then covered with an imprint. Mom figured it was a linen paper. Linen is more expensive that Crains Crest. Then I held it to my nose and breathed it in. It smelled like the paper room at the family print shop, it smelled like a new book, it smelled like my grandpa without the extra ink he always wore. It made me smile.
As I opened the envelope, the words “Tiffany & Co” were perfectly visible in the V of the envelope. A detail that would be lost to many but not to printers and graphic artists. As I pulled it out, This is what I saw:
I read the hand printed script, it said:
Dear Robyn,
It was such a pleasure meeting you and your daughter.
It was an honor to be part of your first Tiffany Piece.
I look forward to shopping with you both again soon.
Best Wishes
Jill
Let me just say that I have experienced some of the best customer service in the world. Included in that is Disney. They treat you like you are a million bucks. But Tiffany took it up a notch, from the way they treated my daughter, to the way they treated me and the service during and after. Then the note. Lots of companies would do well to take a page out of Tiffany’s customer service manual. It is likely the reason they have been around since 1837.
Well Jill, I love getting mail from you, so I look forward to shopping with you again too.
Musings of The Edmonton Tourist 
That quilt you made me many many years ago still lives on my bed at this time of year, you know. Though it is beginning to show its age.
Wow, I honestly never thought you would use it! Nothing is nicer than a worn out quilt 🙂
That’s fabulous! As a retailer that gives me an extra kick! So rare these days to get a handwritten thank you note from anyone. Very cool, thanks for sharing.
My boss at work often will send a hand written note as thanks to her employees. I makes a huge difference creating creating loyalty. 🙂
Good job, Tiffany. They always say handwritten notes can make a big difference…it’s obvious in this case it has. Enjoy your super-cool awesome expensive paper!
Why does this feel like you are mocking me? I’m sure it is a similar experience to your glorious Spam adventure 😉
the very definition o how to get customers for life…nice
🙂
So Cool!!! I talked to Craig we have another business trip in Calgary and “Banff” (side trip to Banff seeing were going that way anyways) this month. We will definitely make a stop at Tiffany’s. I always wanted to go there when I hit New York City whenever that will be. Now I don’t have to wait. Wohoo!!
Love the stationery next time I see you I would love to see it in person. I miss the smells of the print shop and of course I miss Dad “Grandpa”.
When we bought our furniture at Cottswood our salesman sent us a hand wriiten thank you note. It went along way because I made 2 more furinture purchases from them because of that note. Great customer service goes along way.
You are going to love it!! You will be dazzeled by the sparkle and won’t want to leave the front counter. Nothing will ever feel as good again. Don’t say I didn’t warn you 😉
That sounds like “I want some!”Shoo wee- very special.
Xx
Wow, that’s a nice touch from Tiffany’s. I didn’t expect that they did stuff like that! And I really REALLY miss handwritten letters. When I first started dating Chef, he mentioned how he misses real mail, so I sent him a card with a hand written note that I was enjoying spending time with him. It seemed like it made his month 🙂 I should send more letters!
I think everyone should go back to sending hand written notes! Especially Thank yous and invitations. FB invitations just don’t hols the same appeal. I’m guilty of it too. A colleague of mine made me a handmade card with a hand written note to thank me for the year etc. It made me cry it was so thoughtful. Chef is right, not having real mail has left a void in my life.