A bygone era

For as long as I can remember I've been a keen letter-writer. During the summer-holidays to my friends from school, during the whole year to pen-friends, family and relatives.

When I had a letter-writing peak (early to late teens) I always recieved something nice in the letter-box - and in those days the postman also worked during Saturdays...

Back then you almost always wrote your letter by hand, for special occasions with a typing-machine. And since absolutely nothing beats a handwritten, personal letter I do miss those days, much more often than seldom.

For some years now I haven't, for various reasons, been a very faithful and good letter-writing-friend. I do manage to put a few words on a postcard now and then, to send some goodie-bags (to make up for being such a lousy keep-in-touch-letter-writing friend...?), to write a (short) e-mail from time to time.

About once or twice a year I might be able to actually write a proper letter on the computer - so those lovely letter-papers I've been sort of collecting over the years just keep collecting dust in the drawers... And why do I keep them? Is it because I just can't bear to part from them since I know they won't be used the they were born to be used, since "noone" handwrites letter anymore...?

I did get a lovely handwritten letter the other day, from my friend K in Berlin. *Thank you!* It was both so very nice to hear from her again as well as to actually recieve and read a handwritten letter. I realised just how much I do miss that personal way to communicate.

The thought of there actually being someone who cares enough to take the time to sit down, take a pen to the paper, put their personal words on that paper, just for me, is both endearing and comforting, don't you agree?

And that's also why I was more than happy when I did get another handwritten, very short version of a letter, from the Kiehl's shop in Stockholm the other week. Thanking me for being a customer there and welcoming me back - wow, that's really good customer relations!!

Not the average, boring mass-emailing-list, but someone had actually taken their time to take the pen to the paper, handwriting the address on the envelope and stick a stamp on it. What a thoughful way to keep in touch with customers!

And yes, I will be returning soon, not for myself this time but for part of a goody bag for M's birthday. I was suppose to get him something yesterday, but for reasons "unknown" I ended up with mostly things for myself... Like not one, but two pieces of something to wear with a name that begins with O and ends with y. I have absolutely no idea how that happened...

Another really, really good way to treat customers is to give them the chance to return even used products that doesn't work for their skin and change them for another bottle without having to pay for anything more than perhaps the slight difference in product-price. That's also a service you get at Kiehl's.

In the picture you can see the products I got the last time I went to the Kiehl's shop - accompanied by my long-time favourite algae moisture masque - a big jar of that olive hair masque I tried out with good result in the South-African sun; the ultra facial cream which I got instead of the panthenol protein moisturizer (that didn't work well for me); samples of coconut hair masque (great, will invest in a jar!); sample of calendula toner plus creme de corps body wash cream plus close-shaverettes shaving cream (all yet to be evaluated).

So, let's just say, a handwritten and personal letter always gets an A+ in my book!