When our daughter went overseas to study
it was at Ballantynes that we found souvenir gifts for her to take on her travels. When my mother was too frail to go shopping, it was Ballantynes who sent out clothes on approval for her to try on in her own home.
Response Tailoring Response on made-to-measure work is still an important part of Ballantynes business. The firm will just about make anything that can be made from fabric for the purpose of wearing. It still hand-makes clothes, shirts, ties, academic and ecclesiastic wear.
Timaru House Victoria House was opened in 1883. John Ballantyne believed that Timaru would go ahead as quickly as Christchurch and had great hopes for the business. The firm still trades in Timaru successfully in new premises built in 1986.
Courtesy Over the many years that I have shopped at Ballantynes I cannot recall an instance of discourteous treatment by a staff member. From the time when your docket and cash or the record of your account entry rattled along the Lamson tubes to the office and returned with the change, to the modern computer entries, the standard of staff service has never changed.
Mail Order The Mail Order Department of Ballantynes sends goods all over New Zealand and overseas.
Postage services I discovered the full value of the postage services when we responded to our daughter’s request for a New Zealand blanket made from real wool. She had not been impressed by the labels which stated that the blankets were made from “pure virgin acrylic”. When Ballantynes offered to post the blanket I was pleased not to have to try and wrap such a large item. When the assistant explained that if the blanket was sent direct from the shop to an overseas address no GST would have to be paid I was delighted. The saving on the GST paid for the postage.
Delivery of goods on approval For a small charge Ballantynes will deliver goods on approval to urban account holders and collect the articles to be returned. This is a great saving in time and allows the customers to ponder over their purchases at home and coordinate colours of clothes or furnishings.
Care for the individual customer I was in the store with a frail elderly friend recently and as we finished our shopping we were discussing where we would find the nearest taxi rink. Our conversation was overhead by a staff member who told us that part of customer service was ordering taxis and within minutes she was picked up at the Lichfield Street door.
The ‘service’ code can demand using all types of transport! In the days when the dressmaking workroom made wedding gowns there were two
brides of the same surname having gowns made. Unfortunately, the gowns were
sent to the wrong brides. Fortunately, with the use of horse and railway,
both brides were beautifully dressed in their own dresses on the wedding day.
Once a bridegroom purchased a pair of shoes for his wedding, only to find
on his wedding day he had two shoes for the same foot! He rang Ballantynes
on his wedding day and a light aircraft air-dropped a replacement pair on
his farm at the top of the Rakaia.
Tourist Shops The “visitor business” has always been important to the Company. It opened the first duty free shop in New Zealand at Christchurch International Airport in 1963. It lost the franchise in the 1960’s but still trades from outlets at Christchurch Airport.
Times of Difficulty Like all businesses, Ballantynes needed careful management during the years of the depression in the 1930’s.
Fifty years ago the business was hit by a disastrous fire which resulted in serious loss of life and the destruction of the buildings. However , it is to their credit that they rebuilt themselves after that tragedy to endure as one of the city’s most successful and well liked businesses.
The future Richard Ballantyne, the present managing director, admits that there are difficulties for retailers in the inner city as more people shop in suburban malls. However he believes that provided the principles on which
the firm was built are upheld Ballantynes will continue to trade successfully by being willing to change with the times and fit new ideas into the Ballantynes code of practice.
