Unique service

Press, 7 July 1977, Page 19

Unique service

Thomas's, the general drapers in the heart of Blenheim, would not be the largest or oldest drapery firm in New Zealand but it does provide what is believed to be a unique customer service in this country.

For the last 20 years — and very often accompanied by his wife — the present manager, Mr T. W. (Terry) Thomas, has travelled to England to select fashion garments for the four seasons.

When the stock arrives, careful selections are made by the firm’s staff, and posted oft, “on appro”, to selected clients throughout New Zealand. Few garments are ever returned.

Explaining this service, Mr Thomas said the firm kept itself informed of its customers’ needs and invited their comments on cloths and designs of stock

imported from England. The staff, expert in their knowledge of the customers likes and dislikes, and backed up by files detailing their comments and sizes, can thus supply to an approved list of clients the garments the firm considered they might wish to purchase. The scheme is an unqualified success, especially since, unlike many stores, Mr Thomas ensures the widest selection is for the middle-age group.

Thomas’s was established by Mr Thomas’s father, Mr J. E. Thomas, 60 years ago, in a small shop on part of the site of the present store. In 1960, an adjoining hardware store was bought out and this gave the firm the floor space it required. The present manager, Mr Terry Thomas, has been running the business since 1939.