The Lucky Duck — Local services in Memphis

An experience with extremely poor customer service and an unexpected souvenir.

We’ve always loved visiting the Peabody and the gift shop seemed like the perfect place to browse for a little keepsake while we waited for the famous ducks to arrive. Little did we know, we’d be leaving with a very special (and very broken) souvenir—a ceramic duck, which we’ve since named Chad after the manager who questioned our honesty.

The incident itself was an innocent accident—our young daughter gently bumped into a low table, causing Chad the Duck to take an unfortunate dive. No reckless behavior, no mishandling, just an unfortunate placement of fragile items in a high-traffic area. Instead of a reasonable discussion, we were promptly required to purchase the broken duck and were met with skepticism when we explained what happened.

What made matters worse was how dismissively the staff handled the situation. Despite us bringing the broken duck to their attention ourselves, they refused to engage with my wife, avoided eye contact, and simply wrapped Chad up in silence like an awkward mob exchange. To top it off, they even tried to throw away Chad’s foot—rendering him about as useless as his namesake—until we insisted on keeping the whole duck (if we were going to pay for him, we were at least taking all of him home).

We understand that stores have to account for losses, but making customers pay for accidents caused by poor store layout and handling it with such cold indifference doesn’t exactly scream hospitality. That being said, if anyone is in the market for a soon to be repaired ceramic duck with a great backstory, let us know—Chad is looking for a new home.

While this experience was disappointing, we still love the hotel and hope future visits bring more relaxing memories…and fewer unexpected purchases. Who knows we might bring Chad back to see where he came from.

*Update - Added photo to the review. It shows Chad in his pre-surgery state: footless, confused, but still holding it together (except for his foot of course). Turns out he’s not actually ceramic but a mix of wood and resin—much like the store staff, a bit rigid and not the most welcoming, but...

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