A brush with Wal Mart love
A few months ago I was applying to a journalism program at a college in Vancouver and needed a portfolio to encase my published work. Because I’m an non-creative consumer who dared to piss on the graves of my unionized forefathers by shopping at this revolting bastion of American capitalism, I was punished!
I needed the portfolio for the next day so I ran to Wal-Mart and bought the portfolio as well as the inserts. I had just enough pages to contain about ten years worth of clippings. However, when I opened the binder I was horrified to discover that nearly all of the inserts were marred with large tears! I had to cover the tears with clear plastic tape, it was functional in that it held the binder together but it adversely affected the overall appearance of my hard work. It looked crappy. I was pissed.
I fired off an angry email to their head office and received the following response:
Dear Mr. Christopher,
We were dismayed to receive your complaint this morning. Please send your co-ordinates and we shall cover the cost of the album and send you refill pages that you can use.
We do check our plastic inserts, which is part of our quality control. Obviously, your pages were not spotted. We apologize for this oversight and the inconvenience this caused you.
Bruce Patrick, Hutchings and Patrick
Just this morning I was very pleased to receive the inserts and a cheque for $16! That’s about two dollars more than I actually paid for the product. This is a company that obviously has a sincere dedication to the quality of its products and loyalty of its customers. I rarely use my site as a forum to promote products or services (especially those that are sold at Wal Mart), but today I will make an exception for Hutchings and Patrick. Aside from the ripped inserts the portfolio looked great and impressed the admissions committee so much that I was accepted into the program. I have no doubt that the presentation of the binder played a role in their decision.
I’d like to thank Bruce Patrick and the friendly staff at Hutchings and Patrick for their wonderful binder support!

A handwritten letter from head office.