Bravo, Lisa at Brooks Brothers in downtown Seattle

On a recent weekday evening, I rushed downtown with a big box containing a seersucker suit my husband ordered online for his brother's upcoming wedding. The size wasn't quite right; our talented and very honest tailor, Misook at Superb Custom Tailors, recommended we exchange for a better fit before alterations.

So there I was, after a little public transportation adventure. It was 7:05. My husband was supposed to meet me momentarily at the store. I saw an Audrey Hepburne-esque brunette with a navy sweater jauntily tied around her shoulders holding the door open for an exiting customer. I looked at the hours posted: NOOOOOoooooo, closes at 7:00?!? I could have sworn the website said 8:00!! I frantically texted my husband and pondered when we could possibly get back to do the exchange.

I asked the smiling saleswoman who was careful to make eye contact with me before she locked the door, "Do you really close at 7? Your website said 8!"

She said, "I'm so sorry. I will make sure we fix that! I would let you in, but all our registers are turned off."

I kept my maniacal texting.

Very quickly, the saleswoman returned and re-opened the door, "Come in! There's one register still on! What can I do for you?"

I started explaining how we got this suit online and it didn't fit, and we needed a different size we thought, but I wanted my husband to try on the other size before I handed in this one because I didn't want to get stuck without any suit for him to wear in his brother's wedding, blah, blah, blah, panic, panic...

The kind woman peeked at the box in my sweaty hands and kindly prodded, "Well, this says Jos. A. Bank on it..."

I did a double-take. I realized why the hours posted on the door and the hours posted on the website disagreed: I had come to the wrong paragon of preppy apparel. I was in Brooks Brothers, not Jos. A. Bank!!!! (This isn't quite as stupid as it sounds; they are just across the street from each other. But it is still REALLY stupid.)

So I have to commend Lisa, the kind woman at Brooks Brothers. Lisa, thank you for letting me in after your store was closed. Thank you for not contradicting me when I said wrong things about your website. And most of all, thank you for being so nice about my mistake! You almost convinced me I wasn't a complete doofus. Your customer service and people skills are superlative!