STRAIGHTER JACKET

Last year I bought a jacket at Brooks Brothers. At $600 it was the most expensive jacket I had ever purchased but I thought it would last me ten years and that I would wear it all the time.

Unfortunately, it never fit right. I’m a size 39/40, but all they had in the store that day was a size 41. The salesman assured me that, with some minor adjustments, it would fit perfectly. It never did.

I went back to Brooks Brothers twice to try to exchange the jacket for a new one that fit me properly. No luck.

Determined to have a well fitting garment, I went to a tailor and spent an additional $40 on alterations. Even then, the jacket still didn’t fit correctly.

So, after taking your negotiations class, I took the jacket back to Brooks Brothers. I found the decision maker, the Store Manager. I calmly explained my goal of having a jacket that I feel good in. I complimented him on the jacket that he was wearing, which fit beautifully. I told him I wanted my jacket to look like his. He agreed my jacket didn’t look quite right, promptly fitted me in a 39, and swapped out the old jacket at no charge.

I told him that after a year of feeling bad about Brooks Brothers, I now feel good about the store. To show my gratitude, I’m writing a letter to Brooks Brothers to tell them how appreciative I am of the store manager’s great service.

Thanks for teaching me these negotiation tools.- Matthew Axelrod, Wharton MBA, 2011

---

SD Comment: This is great. You decided to negotiate, found the decision maker and didn’t make yourself the issue. As you can see, you were able to meet your goals even a year later.