My mom’s 54th birthday is tomorrow.
Most important thing you need to know about my mom: She loves Catos. (we call it Catos instead of Cato lol)
She eats, sleeps, & breathes Cato Fashion. That clothing empire has successfully dressed her body from head to toe for 30 years now. She even knows about all the Cato-drama! (another local store has been having AC trouble for a long time, & she was sad about it lol) Our local Catos (Statesville) is wonderful. They are always very friendly, the store is clean… Always great! Recently we had a conversation with our “Cato girls” that work in our local store, & they told us that a certain ‘John Cato’ owned the company & that it was based in Charlotte. They were telling us how they get email alerts when John is in the area – just in case he pops into their store location. My mom’s eyes lit up.
John Cato, whoever he is, was her ultimate hero. Lol
This conversation happened in June.
I knew that with her birthday coming up next month, that i had to try something crazy… Something so crazy, it just might work…
The following Monday, I went to the Cato Fashions website, & sent customer service a desperate email. In this e-mail, I detailed how much my mom loved Cato. I told them how her whole closet was filled with their dresses, & how she took near weekly trips to her local store. I told of how all the staff knew her there too… I put in a few stupid bits about how she worships them, etc. Lol & then I asked a seeminlgy impossible request of such a large company. I asked if there was any way possible that John Cato himself could send her a letter for her birthday – that she has recently learned of his existence & that it would really make her birthday special to get something like that.
I hit send, & thought they would toss it out instantly.
To my shock & surprise, a woman with Cato Corp. emailed me a few days later, named Diane. She said that my request was forwarded by customer service to John Cato & that he would like to send my mom something special for being a faithful customer all these years, & then she asked for her name, birthdate, & address.
I was shocked.
I had done it. OMG
A month later, on July 22nd – my mom got a large envelope in the mail. My dad brought her up to my house that evening (to help me work on some cushions for chairs on the front porch lol), & brought the envelope with him. I gave it to her to open, & she was DUMBFOUNDED.
It was not only a letter,
BUT A $54 GIFTCARD from John Cato.
“Your daughter send us an email telling us about your loyalty to Cato. Thank you for your commitment to the Cato brand over the past 30 years. It’s dedicated and faithful customers like you that are our real treasure. Cato associates, from the home office to the stores, are dedicated to delivering excellence in our quality, fit, fabrics and selection and to providing great customer service in our stores. I’m glad to hear that we have succeeded in doing that for you. Your daughter also told me that you are celebrating your 54th birthday this month. I would like to send sincerest wishes from me and The Cato Corporation on your birthday. We wish nothing but the best for you on your special day. I hope the enclosed Cato gift card will help make your birthday extra special.”
Regards, John
Happy (early) Birthday Momma!
I sent an email back to Diane with Cato, & told her to thank John for me – that this made my mom’s birthday special – & that we were going to Cato this weekend. LOL She said they were more than happy to do this for her, & that they just couldnt ignore my interesting request. Lol
campbellrewritten.com 