Let's keep those percentages up!

Nordy Customers Everywhere

As a Nordstrom employee of many years, I’m a little embarrassed of how [the March 21 cover story] portrays employees to our customers (“100% Commission at Nordstrom”). I feel this is a misrepresentation of how the majority of us feel. Most of us enjoy our day-to-day with all kinds of people, no matter what kind of sale. I hope Nordy customers everywhere understand this is not what we salespeople feel as a whole about any customer who comes into Nordstrom’s doors!
Name Withheld
via email

How’s Business?

Kudos to Jessica Swenke and her article in the Reader (“100% Commission at Nordstrom”). She told it exactly how it is and has the guts to write about it. She hit the nail on the head, losing her identity and becoming an employee number.

I was in retail for 44 years. Back when I started, it wasn’t unusual for the company president (coming on a visit to my store) to say, “Hello, Rich. How’s the wife and kids?” Nowadays the first words you hear are “How’s business?” or “Let’s get those percentages up!”

Forget about what you’ve done; now it’s do more of it — and if you can’t, maybe you should find another line of work. The attitude from chain retailers today is that you are extremely replaceable with all the young and naive people out there who can fill positions with no minimum wage and loads of B.S.
Richard Lewis
via snailmail

Inspirational Meating

I am 76 years old with 38 years of sobriety. Angie (“One Steak at a Time,” March 14) spoke at a step meeting at the Church of the Good Shepard approximately one year ago. To say that I was deeply affected by her sharing would be an understatement.

From where she was in 2007 to where she is today is miraculous. From what she has accomplished in her vocation to her sobriety is an inspiration to everyone, whether sober or “normal.” If the readers of this article get a chance to hear Angie share a witness to God, please do. She is fantastic!
Jack McCarty
via snailmail

Loved Carpooling

I loved the article,“Carpool? With my Wife?” by Grant Madden (February 28 cover story). I thought it was well-written and humorous. I can’t say that about all the articles, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
TJ
via snailmail

Restaurant 411

I’m just questioning the restaurant blog reviews and why some of them don’t have addresses for the restaurant they’re covering. It makes it really hard to go there and try the food.
Randy M.
National City

No S.F. in S.R.

On page 81 of happy hours (March 21), under the Scripps Ranch heading, you list Stone Flats. This restaurant closed about six months ago; they moved to Encinitas. See stoneflats.com for evidence.
Name Withheld
via email