What quality means for the Japanese, American and French

The Japanese are known for their attention to detail and unyielding demand for quality.   I read this interesting anecdote from Dana Thomas’ Deluxe.

In the 1980s, Chanel’s Japan president Colasse used to work for another luxury brand. A Japanese woman returned a dress to the store and said it was defective. He inspected it and saw a 2-inch thread dangling from the hem. He exchanged it and apologized profusely. Then he did a test. He took the dress to a French woman. She tried it on, like it, saw the thread and said “I can cut it”.  He took the same dress to an American who tried it on, liked it and who never saw the thread.

Amazing how a 2-inch dangling thread can make a big difference to 3 nationalities.  :)