michaeljcummings — 11 years ago(June 12, 2014 06:53 PM)

I helped her in a store I once worked in on the upper west side of Manhattan back in 1987. She bought a striped top and seemed very tall and a bit shy. She had great posture and poise and was striking and when I saw her credit card and realized it was she, I thanked her for all the films I had enjoyed and she was gracious and a bit surprised, perhaps because I was so young at the time (19). Cut to 4 years later and I was working in a different store in a different neighborhood (chelsea) and helped her again! I told her I had helped her 4 years before, told her what she had purchased and she seemed tickled and amazed that I remembered. Alas, she remembered the top but not me! She seemed like a very nice lady, a bit of a poker face and somewhat intimidating but that made her smile an even bigger payoff. I worked in retail for 8 years and dealt with many, many celebs and, IMO, how a celeb treats a salesclerk (or anyone else in service) is a pretty good indication of their character. Barbara Steele seemed gracious, classy and just a little bit fragile. Nice lady.