專欄教學│Personal shoppers -- are they worth it? 你的私人購物專家 – 他們是否值得? @ 看CNN學英文

Three personal shoppers defend their profession -- and fees. Here's the inside scoop on a luxury service some business travelers consider a necessity

三位私人購物專家告訴你，他們如何運用他們的專業，讓你心甘情願花錢在他們身上。也讓你知道，上流社會人士在旅遊的時候，這樣的高檔服務是一定要的啦!

News at:

http://travel.cnn.com/personal-shoppers-worth-it-469636?hpt=travel_hp_row5right

Personal shoppers: time savers and miracle makers.

私人購物專家可以幫你省時又可以為你創造奇蹟!

These people can replace your broken belt buckle, find a matching bracelet and pickup your bagel all before breakfast.

他們不僅可以幫你替換掉皮帶、找到一個完美搭配的手鍊還可以在早餐之前就把貝果送到你手上喔!

Wait,isn't that what Google and a (far cheaper) PA does?

講到這裡大家不禁會想，這不是Google和便宜又好用的私人助理可以做到事情嗎?

Why are pricey personal shoppers steadily becoming part of the upscale traveler’s lifestyle?

那為什麼這些高檔又昂貴的私人購物專家有辦法成為上流社會人士旅遊的一部分呢?

We challenged three experts shoppers -- Gabrielle Teare, London-basedfashion blogger and personal shopper; Angela Stone, author of “How to Become a Personal Shopper" and Fiona Foxon, lifestyle managing director of concierge service Quintessentially --to convince us that a personal shopper isn't just a needy human doing the Internet's work.

這三位購物專家分別來自倫敦的時尚部落客，還有一位是 “如何成為一位私人購物專家” 的作者，以及客戶服務中心的總裁，來告訴我們私人購物專家不僅僅只是替代網路可以做到的事情，他們提供的服務有過之而不及。

Personal shopping 101

Personal shoppers work one of two ways. They can function like a concierge service --you tell them what you want, they find it and bring it to you.

私人購物專家基本上可以幫助你達成任何需求，就像是飯店裡的服務中心一樣，你任何疑難雜症，都可以找他們幫忙，使命必達。

Or, they escort you on a bespoke shopping tour.

如果你想要去哪裡逛街，他們也可以成為購物導遊，帶你趴趴走

When you touch down in a city, local personal shoppers can act as personal guides to the best boutiques and stores, helping you find anything from art deco antiques in Shanghai to a Parisian wardrobe overhaul.

不管你去到哪個城市，當地的私人購物專家可以當作地陪，帶你到當地最頂級的精品店，或是幫你在上海找到古董，甚至找到巴黎時尚風格的衣服

CNN:I’ve just arrived in Hong Kong and have forgotten my shoes. I’m off to a party two hours after landing. Can you help?

Fiona Foxon: "Yes!Let us know what you want. We have members’ personal details and preferences on file and we can meet you at the airport or your hotel with some new shoes in your size.

"Members often come to us if they’re away on a business trip and have forgotten things like cuff links or phone chargers.

"We have 63 offices around the world and if we don’t have a physical presence in a specific location we organize fixers and use our local contacts on the ground.”

如果你在香港忘記帶鞋子，而你在下飛機後的兩個小時就要去一場重要的派對，私人購物專家可以馬上幫你在當地找到適合你的鞋子，並且帶到你面前讓你試穿，不管是在機場或是在飯店都行。

CNN: Why should I choose you over a guidebook?

Angela Stone: "Knowledge is power. I’m shopping on a regular basis. I know the brands and what’s good for your shape, size and age.

"Plus,I’ll assess your existing wardrobe and see what’s not right for you and what’s missing. I’ll take photos of you in new outfits consisting of garments you may not have considered yourself."

Gabrielle Teare: "People fly in from around the world to (see) me because they want to know where to find the best shopping in London. I’m an expert --I’m in the shops all the time. I’ll also go through what colors suit you and look at your body shape, then we shop.”

有些人就會問，那我為什麼要選擇這樣的服務，我自己用導覽，自己找就好啦?

私人購物專家回答，知識就是力量，基本上，購物專家非常了解當地的購物資訊，而且，也很了解甚麼樣的衣服最適合你。他們可以幫你徹底改造，讓你的衣櫃改頭換面。

How much is this gonna cost?

Not surprisingly, the personal shopper service doesn’t come cheap. Excluding the cost of whatever you buy, Quintessentially charges US$65 per hour on top of an US$5,160-$39,000 annual membership fee.

Angela Stone charges NZ$200 (US$165) per hour. A personal shopping session can last for several hours. She recommends seeing a professional shopper for a consultation every three to six months.

Teare doesn't reveal her prices, citing competitive reasons and the fact that she offers a bespoke service to her clients. But she says she works by the half day or full day.

In a nutshell, hiring a personal shopper is more expensive than buying from Net-a-porter.

講了那麼多，相信大家都很好奇這樣的服務是要收費多少錢? 答案當然不便宜啦!

像是Quintessentially這家公司會先向會員們酌收美金5,160至39,000的年費，除此之外，每次的購物專家出動，就是以時薪65美金一個小時計算。另外，AngelaStone的收費方式則是美金165元一個小時。