BATON ROUGE, LA – While acknowledging the convenience of online shopping, longtime resident Barbara Landry said nothing can replace walking into Godchaux’s and having a woman named Miss Helen determine what her husband did for a living.
“Amazon tells everybody they have excellent taste,” Landry said. “Miss Helen made you earn it.”
Landry recalled dressing up to shop, carrying her good purse, and rehearsing how she would explain that she was “just looking.”
“She could point you toward the sale rack without moving anything but her eyes,” Landry said. “You don’t get that level of service anymore.”
Although modern retailers use sophisticated algorithms to recommend clothing, Landry said none can reproduce the experience of a saleswoman quietly removing a dress from your hand.
“The website says, ‘Customers also bought this.’ Miss Helen said, ‘Let’s be realistic.’”
Landry still keeps a Godchaux’s box in her closet, explaining that certain Christmas gifts require recipients to briefly believe she spent more than she did.
