Comment: My trip to TK Maxx shows service is key

As the card wasn’t marked with a set amount of money, I queued (for ages, as there was only one till out of eight open) to ask a cashier to check how much Tom had to spend.

Initially, I was met with a point-blank denial that it was possible to check the balance.

Then I was told that the only way to do so was to scan an item.

Then, laughably, the cashier said that the balance would have to be reduced by the value of the item she had grabbed from nearby to scan as there was no way to cancel my ‘purchase’!

Eventually, a manager was found and she figured out how to complete this ‘challenging’ task, but not before I had made a vow never to return.

What the whole incident showed me was that even a reputation for bargain prices isn’t sufficient to tempt me if the customer experience is poor.

The good news is that research carried out for Dubai Tourism suggests the same is true for many customers looking to book a holiday.

They understand that prices may be lower in certain channels, but the service, assistance and value of a good agent is enough to make them willing to pay just a little more.

The crowds in TK Maxx suggest there are plenty of people who value bargains above service, but there will always be those who want their holiday purchase to be as stress-free as their holiday itself.