We're Not Just a Hershey Bar!

This past week we had a mother and her 3 younger children come shopping in our store.  We had a good time observing the kids who were walking around the candy section checking out all the candy we had.
The mom had apparently said each could spend a certain amount of money and when that happens, it is truly amazing how much time and thinking a kid puts in to not waste their "allowance"on just any ole thing.
These 3 kids were searching for the sorts of candy they were familiar with:  Hershey bars, Snickers and so on. 
Sweet Tooth just doesn't carry those brands of candy.  We gently explained to them that Sweet Tooth attempts to offer all sorts of candy which cannot be found in drugstores and groceries.
All of that presented a problem for these kids and was just exactly what the mom wanted to see happen.  It was her intention to bring her children to a store which wasn't part of the mainstream, didn't carry the "ordinary" chocolates and candies.  In her world she wanted to broaden the awareness and the taste of what we at Sweet Tooth think of as "specialty candy and chocolates".
It was actually fullfilling to hear a customer comment that our store was different...that we had items not always available elsewhere, and that the "allowance" given to her children should be spent in a new world of confections.
Toeing the delicate line between very special candy and the perceived value of these confections is a tricky challenge.  The media is full of warnings about unhealthy eating, about calories and weight.  There is, of course, a great need for this information.  Who has time to read all the labels and count calories and carbs?  Those who make it a part of their shopping experience are fewer in number than those whose time is spent otherwise.
As a retailer, we want to adhere to many of the healthy guidelines while at the same time offering a special treat in our candy section for "just the right price and value".
It actually takes a lot of time, research and effort to make that happen.  We attempt to know what candy might be gluten free (not too much yet), what will happen if someone eats a candy which has been manufactured in a factory where nuts are used (peanut allergies being very prevalent), how many carbs are in a Sugar Free chocolate for those who can't or don't want to eat sugar.
Not many people who work in groceries or drug stores can answer those questions for their customers.  Being able to do that is what small specialty retailers like Sweet Tooth call "customer service".  We are aware of the available information and want to provide it for our customers.  Many times we hear from a new staff member that they never realized how much there is to know about candy or how many questions we will get from customers.
In the world of Sweet Tooth, we are both sweet and serious about the work we do.