Cold Facts

Eddie Bauer manager Petra Swift sounded concerned. "We have company guidelines that say if the temperature is hotter outside than inside, the doors have to be closed," she said. When I told her the north doors were open, she said, "Let me check on that." A moment later, she came back. "You are correct," she said. "I assume that's because a customer walked in and opened the door. It's hard for us to follow each customer in or out."

Sheesh, I was glad I'd called, because the door had probably been open for a couple of hours by then. Apparently, no one on the sales floor had noticed.

Then I called Restoration Hardware. Hillary, the young woman who answered the phone, told me she was a manager.

"I don't know if it's corporate policy or what," she told me, "but I know we don't keep doors open all the time. And I can tell you we're probably one of the only stores on the Plaza that recycles everything we possibly can. We take cardboard to the recycling center, cans from the break room, everything."

When I asked for her last name, she told me she wasn't authorized to talk. She put me on hold. Another woman came on the line and wanted to know what the problem was.

The second woman told me I'd have to call corporate headquarters for the answer to my question. She'd identified herself as something like Marti or Marnie but wouldn't give me her last name, either. "You're hostile," she said.

I protested — calmly — that I wasn't hostile. "I'm just trying to ask a question about why it's a practice in the retail industry to leave doors open with air conditioning on."

"It gets customers to come into the store." (I want to note that she hissed these words, but that might be hostile.)

"OK, you've just answered my question. Can I get the spelling of your name?"

"No, you can't. It's my personal opinion. If you want to find out what our company policy is, you'll have to call our corporate headquarters."

I did call last Thursday, but the California headquarters never called back. It didn't matter anyway.

I just figure next time my mom's in town, I'll take her over to Restoration Hardware and introduce her around.

Editor's Note: The store referred to above as The Limited is The Limited Too.