Let's get right to the point: what happens when a customer complains about something which has happened in our store?
I need you to know that we rarely get complaints.....and that is because our staff is top-notch, committed to customer service and to making all our customers feel welcome, at home and treated well.
Yet sometimes something goes wrong. It is usually a miscommunication or a misunderstanding which, with a little effort, can be turned around and the problem solved.
A critical aspect of making things right is listening to what our customer has to say and not working up an excuse while the customer is complaining. Believe me, that can sometimes be difficult. It seems personal, even though it isn't usually so. The complaint can be hurtful, can bruise our egos and we have to learn to separate the complaint from our personal feelings.
Now, a little secret...one us folks in retail don't like to admit. Sometimes a customer is simply in a bad mood, crabby, and gruff and when he or she comes into the store, that customer is looking for a reason to complain. And how do I know that? Cuz sometimes I am just that sort of person, too. Every day is not always the best for all of us and when things go wrong, and we are walking around with a black cloud over our heads, we can haul off and get upset about the least little thing.
Occasionally we forget that the person on the other side of the counter is not to blame for our bad mood. And sometimes we forget that the person who is ringing up our purchases is equal to us in every way. There is a kind of hierarchy in the retail world which may place the worker at a less important level than the customer.
In reality, we are all customers of some store. We all want to be treated respectfully. We all want to get the best assistance possible. We all want compliments and praise for the choices we make.
In our case, as a local retail store, there is no far away corporate office. There is no CEO somewhere in a highrise building we can email or write to with our complaints. We are onsite everyday. So when there is a problem, we are right on it, to solve it and put things in their proper place.
In this holiday season, when we are under a little stress, when there doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done, when we don't know if we are coming or going, we can be a little gruff. Take a deep breath and put that smile on your face. It means a lot to the person behind the register.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Shop Locally Day in Tulsa!!
Somebody, somewhere has declared that Saturday, November 24 is "Shop Locally Day".
Hey, I am all for that and yet I find it sort of strange that we have to declare a day set aside for patronizing our local merchants.
Yes, it is true that occasionally I order a book or cd online. In defense of myself I do this because local stores aren't carrying the book or cd I am looking for.
But since I am a local merchant I am tuned into shopping locally.
I also remember the day when only the Sears catalogue was used to order merchandise. I remember C.R. Anthony's, Renberg's, Borden's Cafeteria and the Golden Drumstick. I remember a time when everyone shopped locally and Tulsa had many local merchants. So it comes naturally to me to look around my hometown for clothes or shoes or accessories, books, music, etc. and purchase these items in local stores.
I am not a grump about the internet or the web or catalogues that come through the mail. This is our world and it is a great big open place to live in.
Hey, even today I sent a text message to a friend who is in Israel and then I sat back and admired how wonderful it was to do that.
Yet I still think it is a bit strange that all of us need to be reminded to look around Tulsa and patronize our local merchants. Hopefully the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, our elected officials, our local newspapers and magazines are always promoting Tulsa merchants. People say that small business is the back bone of our country.
My back bone occasionally gets a little sore when friends and customers tell me they bought something on line when I know for a fact they could have purchased it at a store in Tulsa.
I suppose the day is coming when purchases made online will be taxed just like purchases made locally. What do you think might happen then? Will there need to be a campaign to support local merchants or does it really matter to most of us if we pay tax or not?
We could talk about where all that tax money goes....that's a subject for another time and place.
I say: get out on Saturday and stop at all the local merchants you can. Spend a little of your holiday money in their stores. We'll be looking for you at Sweet Tooth.
Hey, I am all for that and yet I find it sort of strange that we have to declare a day set aside for patronizing our local merchants.
Yes, it is true that occasionally I order a book or cd online. In defense of myself I do this because local stores aren't carrying the book or cd I am looking for.
But since I am a local merchant I am tuned into shopping locally.
I also remember the day when only the Sears catalogue was used to order merchandise. I remember C.R. Anthony's, Renberg's, Borden's Cafeteria and the Golden Drumstick. I remember a time when everyone shopped locally and Tulsa had many local merchants. So it comes naturally to me to look around my hometown for clothes or shoes or accessories, books, music, etc. and purchase these items in local stores.
I am not a grump about the internet or the web or catalogues that come through the mail. This is our world and it is a great big open place to live in.
Hey, even today I sent a text message to a friend who is in Israel and then I sat back and admired how wonderful it was to do that.
Yet I still think it is a bit strange that all of us need to be reminded to look around Tulsa and patronize our local merchants. Hopefully the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, our elected officials, our local newspapers and magazines are always promoting Tulsa merchants. People say that small business is the back bone of our country.
My back bone occasionally gets a little sore when friends and customers tell me they bought something on line when I know for a fact they could have purchased it at a store in Tulsa.
I suppose the day is coming when purchases made online will be taxed just like purchases made locally. What do you think might happen then? Will there need to be a campaign to support local merchants or does it really matter to most of us if we pay tax or not?
We could talk about where all that tax money goes....that's a subject for another time and place.
I say: get out on Saturday and stop at all the local merchants you can. Spend a little of your holiday money in their stores. We'll be looking for you at Sweet Tooth.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
What is Shopping Music?
For several years now, Jeff and I have had conversations about the music we play in the store. The debate was on the subject of "What is Shopping Music?"
Years ago, just because Jeff is still a theatre techie at heart, he thought it would be fun, for example, to play Sound Effects at Halloween. You know, creaking doors, ghosts flying, squealing, etc. Somehow I felt that such "sounds" would send people straight out the door. I couldn't imagine that Sound Effects would put people in a shopping mood.
At Christmas time, Jeff liked to find the most unusual holiday music. It might be lyrics of a humorous type put to familiar Christmas music. It might be some sort of jazzed up version of "O Holy Night". It might be dogs barking to the tune of "Jingle Bells" or cats meowing in the spirit of "Here Comes Santa Claus".
Holy cow! This music would really grate on my nerves.
I spoke up...not unusual for me...and told Jeff that these tunes were not "Shopping Music".
To me, music to shop by are melodies and even lyrics that are familiar to most people. Shopping Music is songs that cause people to hum the tunes or even quietly sing along under their breath. Of course, my generation is more likely to remember 50's and 60's rock and roll, which to our parents was music that was quickly turned off when it came on the radio.
In fact, I remember when KBEZ on Tulsa radio played only music, no lyrics. That was my Mom's favorite station.
Someday I suppose Rap and Alternative and Whatever will worm their way into "Shopping Music" and in some stores now those tunes are perfectly acceptable.
Just the other day I was working at the Gift Register at Sweet Tooth. I noticed a woman walking around, shopping. Pretty soon I could hear her humming to the music playing in our store.
Hoorah! I had triumphed!! Here was the living proof that my definition of Shopping Music had won over Sound Effects and crazy Christmas lyrics.
And just one more thing. Have you ever been in a store where NO MUSIC is playing? It is totally weird, causing me to turn into myself, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible (did I spell that word right?). We are just too accustomed to having our lives accompanied by sound to live in a completely soundless world. And as for shopping...I'll take that lady humming to the music any day over the store where quiet is so overwhelmingly loud!
Years ago, just because Jeff is still a theatre techie at heart, he thought it would be fun, for example, to play Sound Effects at Halloween. You know, creaking doors, ghosts flying, squealing, etc. Somehow I felt that such "sounds" would send people straight out the door. I couldn't imagine that Sound Effects would put people in a shopping mood.
At Christmas time, Jeff liked to find the most unusual holiday music. It might be lyrics of a humorous type put to familiar Christmas music. It might be some sort of jazzed up version of "O Holy Night". It might be dogs barking to the tune of "Jingle Bells" or cats meowing in the spirit of "Here Comes Santa Claus".
Holy cow! This music would really grate on my nerves.
I spoke up...not unusual for me...and told Jeff that these tunes were not "Shopping Music".
To me, music to shop by are melodies and even lyrics that are familiar to most people. Shopping Music is songs that cause people to hum the tunes or even quietly sing along under their breath. Of course, my generation is more likely to remember 50's and 60's rock and roll, which to our parents was music that was quickly turned off when it came on the radio.
In fact, I remember when KBEZ on Tulsa radio played only music, no lyrics. That was my Mom's favorite station.
Someday I suppose Rap and Alternative and Whatever will worm their way into "Shopping Music" and in some stores now those tunes are perfectly acceptable.
Just the other day I was working at the Gift Register at Sweet Tooth. I noticed a woman walking around, shopping. Pretty soon I could hear her humming to the music playing in our store.
Hoorah! I had triumphed!! Here was the living proof that my definition of Shopping Music had won over Sound Effects and crazy Christmas lyrics.
And just one more thing. Have you ever been in a store where NO MUSIC is playing? It is totally weird, causing me to turn into myself, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible (did I spell that word right?). We are just too accustomed to having our lives accompanied by sound to live in a completely soundless world. And as for shopping...I'll take that lady humming to the music any day over the store where quiet is so overwhelmingly loud!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Delivering the Goods!!
Sweet Tooth has entered that time of the year when retailers either make it or break it. You've heard of Black Friday, haven't you? The Friday following Thanksgiving day? Traditionally this is the first day of the year when retailers move from being "in the red" to being "in the black".
Of course it isn't always the case but the 4th quarter is truly the best time of the year for retailers. Manufacturers and vendors work all year long to court and woo retailers. In this case, retailers are the customers and manufacturers and vendors work hard to encourage us to purchase their products to sell during 4th quarter. They begin in January to point us retailers in that direction.
We can talk about how American culture has turned the 4th quarter into a shop and drop season. We can also talk about how much fun it is to purchase a gift for family and friends which truly puts a smile on their faces and warms their hearts.
Through all the pressures of holiday shopping, there is often that moment when we find pure pleasure in knowing that we have found just the right gift for that person who means so much to us. Personally, I like making my shopping list. I like reviewing it to see if it is balanced and authentic, if it represents how I feel about those who are on the list. I like purchasing the gifts and putting them in our Gift Tub and then one day bringing that Tub into the house for the final wrapping and taping the gift tag on each package.
At Sweet Tooth, we joke a lot about all the glitter that ends up on the carpet in the store during the 4th quarter. Occasionally pieces of glitter are there for months afterwards. We talk about how the "aisles" in the store get smaller at this time of the year. We worry about whether we have room for all the candy and gifts we have stored in our garage and now need to find just the right place in the store.
But nothing compares to the fun we have when our customers begin searching Sweet Tooth for just the right gift. Actually we have already sold 3 boxes of Ribbon Candy to a customer who came in last week to see if that wonderful candy had arrived. It was our first sale of the season! And as he walked out the door, I think I saw a little satisfied smile on his face...just the right thing for him.
So come on Black Friday. There is nothing better than seeing a customer leave our store with a smile and a wave goodbye. We are doing our job....who says there is no Santa? We have made our list early in the year, for all those people who count on Sweet Tooth and even without a sleigh and Rudolf, Sweet Tooth is delivering the goods.
Of course it isn't always the case but the 4th quarter is truly the best time of the year for retailers. Manufacturers and vendors work all year long to court and woo retailers. In this case, retailers are the customers and manufacturers and vendors work hard to encourage us to purchase their products to sell during 4th quarter. They begin in January to point us retailers in that direction.
We can talk about how American culture has turned the 4th quarter into a shop and drop season. We can also talk about how much fun it is to purchase a gift for family and friends which truly puts a smile on their faces and warms their hearts.
Through all the pressures of holiday shopping, there is often that moment when we find pure pleasure in knowing that we have found just the right gift for that person who means so much to us. Personally, I like making my shopping list. I like reviewing it to see if it is balanced and authentic, if it represents how I feel about those who are on the list. I like purchasing the gifts and putting them in our Gift Tub and then one day bringing that Tub into the house for the final wrapping and taping the gift tag on each package.
At Sweet Tooth, we joke a lot about all the glitter that ends up on the carpet in the store during the 4th quarter. Occasionally pieces of glitter are there for months afterwards. We talk about how the "aisles" in the store get smaller at this time of the year. We worry about whether we have room for all the candy and gifts we have stored in our garage and now need to find just the right place in the store.
But nothing compares to the fun we have when our customers begin searching Sweet Tooth for just the right gift. Actually we have already sold 3 boxes of Ribbon Candy to a customer who came in last week to see if that wonderful candy had arrived. It was our first sale of the season! And as he walked out the door, I think I saw a little satisfied smile on his face...just the right thing for him.
So come on Black Friday. There is nothing better than seeing a customer leave our store with a smile and a wave goodbye. We are doing our job....who says there is no Santa? We have made our list early in the year, for all those people who count on Sweet Tooth and even without a sleigh and Rudolf, Sweet Tooth is delivering the goods.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Chocolate Covered Edamame
I'm really not trying to be a Scrooge or a whiner. But Halloween always brings out the stories about the dangers of eating too much candy from Trick or Treating.
Nutritionists are called into play and even a recent article in the Tulsa World gave a list of candy which is TOO bad for your kids to be eating.
Of course the candy on that list is what we refer to as "junk candy". Most studies on the world wide consumption of candy show that lots of folks prefer to spend a little more to eat a better, finer brand of chocolate or candy while at the same time relishing the good candy over handfuls of junk candy.
Halloween is, after all, a one day holiday. When I was a kid, it was one of the most fun days of the year. People actually made popcorn balls and candy apples and cookies to give as treats. We were never afraid of eating candy and our parents didn't have to go through our treat bags to see what we had been given. Nutrition wasn't part of the picture and after a few weeks, all the candy was either old or gone and we didn't have to worry about what it was going to do to us.
Then came the days of the Halloween scare. People were putting razor blades and glass in candy, or opening packages and tainting the candy. Parents stopped wanting their kids to go Treat or Treating. And there was good reason for that.
Families, churches and groups started having parties on Halloween so that kids wouldn't be out in the neighborhood facing what could possibly be a dire consequence.
Now comes the days of the Nutrition Question. How good is it for kids to have candy? I am not advocating that parents turn their kids loose, letting them eat and eat until they are sick. But it seems to me that every day of the year we all should be balancing our eating habits with a reasonable approach to veggies vs. sweets.
And how come we aren't overwhelmed with articles about the nutritional quality of candy on other holidays? Christmas is by far the biggest candy holiday, closely followed by Valentine's Day. But those holidays don't produce such articles. It's just the kids' holiday that calls into question how and why kids should be rescued from candy.
Okay. So I am a little bit of a whiner. Afterall, I have a store which sells candy. But Sweet Tooth avoids a lot of the "junk stuff" in favor of manufacturers who take pride in the ingredients they use to make their sweets. We work to bring the best Sugar Free chocolates to our store for those who need to avoid sugar. We are on the look out for possible new candies which are organic, are gluten-free and aren't made in factories which also use nuts.
Our staff knows how to check ingredients and to find answers to the nutrirional value of the candy we sell.
There are responsible ways to incorporate a little sweetness into our lives. And by the way, the latest candy item on the market is chocolate covered Edamame....so the day of mixing veggies and chocolate is already here!
Nutritionists are called into play and even a recent article in the Tulsa World gave a list of candy which is TOO bad for your kids to be eating.
Of course the candy on that list is what we refer to as "junk candy". Most studies on the world wide consumption of candy show that lots of folks prefer to spend a little more to eat a better, finer brand of chocolate or candy while at the same time relishing the good candy over handfuls of junk candy.
Halloween is, after all, a one day holiday. When I was a kid, it was one of the most fun days of the year. People actually made popcorn balls and candy apples and cookies to give as treats. We were never afraid of eating candy and our parents didn't have to go through our treat bags to see what we had been given. Nutrition wasn't part of the picture and after a few weeks, all the candy was either old or gone and we didn't have to worry about what it was going to do to us.
Then came the days of the Halloween scare. People were putting razor blades and glass in candy, or opening packages and tainting the candy. Parents stopped wanting their kids to go Treat or Treating. And there was good reason for that.
Families, churches and groups started having parties on Halloween so that kids wouldn't be out in the neighborhood facing what could possibly be a dire consequence.
Now comes the days of the Nutrition Question. How good is it for kids to have candy? I am not advocating that parents turn their kids loose, letting them eat and eat until they are sick. But it seems to me that every day of the year we all should be balancing our eating habits with a reasonable approach to veggies vs. sweets.
And how come we aren't overwhelmed with articles about the nutritional quality of candy on other holidays? Christmas is by far the biggest candy holiday, closely followed by Valentine's Day. But those holidays don't produce such articles. It's just the kids' holiday that calls into question how and why kids should be rescued from candy.
Okay. So I am a little bit of a whiner. Afterall, I have a store which sells candy. But Sweet Tooth avoids a lot of the "junk stuff" in favor of manufacturers who take pride in the ingredients they use to make their sweets. We work to bring the best Sugar Free chocolates to our store for those who need to avoid sugar. We are on the look out for possible new candies which are organic, are gluten-free and aren't made in factories which also use nuts.
Our staff knows how to check ingredients and to find answers to the nutrirional value of the candy we sell.
There are responsible ways to incorporate a little sweetness into our lives. And by the way, the latest candy item on the market is chocolate covered Edamame....so the day of mixing veggies and chocolate is already here!
Monday, October 22, 2012
It's Getting Close to Turkey Time
I am thinking about Thanksgiving which is only a few weeks away.
I was flipping through the November Southern Living magazine. Looking at the recipes in the magazine, I began to wonder what ever happened to down home Thanksgiving food? Like yams with marshmellows on top or my least favorite Thanksgiving food: green beans with those canned French Fries? One friend wasn't satisfied unless she could see the ridges which formed on the jelly cranberry sauce in the can!!
Everything now is a gourmet twist on holiday food. If you don't put something spicy in your beans or potatoes or you don't dolly up your cransberries and your stuffing, then you are really out of step with the rest of the world.
I always thought that holiday meals gave us the opportunity to relive memories of holidays past. We could sit around the table and tell the story of how my Dad thought it was okay to give our 10 month old daughter some pumpkin pie, with all those spices. The result of that taste of pumpkin pie created some interesting diaper moments.
We always looked forward to that special Turkey. Years ago we didn't eat turkey during most of the year. It was a dish we saved for Thanksgiving and my Mom's turkeys were always the best. Our Dad loved the neck and the giblets...no one dared touch any of those pieces without his permission.
Pumpkin pie didn't appear on an everyday menu either. What about mince meat pie.....ugh! we thought, who would eat that mess? but it was always on the dessert table. When I finally got up the nerve to try it, I had to admit that mince meat wasn't so bad afterall.
Around the store we always chuckle about Thanksgiving questions from our customers. It's just like St. Patrick's day....not a candy holiday. Chocolate makers have attenpted to get into that market, but for Thanksgiving the most we can do is sell foil covered chocolate turkeys or the Big Mr. Tom Turkey which weighs 3 pounds!
Nonetheless pumpkin has become an addition to Fall chocolates...pumpkin malt balls, pumpkin caramels, pumpkin bark and pumpkin truffle. When Thanksgiving is past, we will still have customers ask for one of these pumpkin candies.
People complain that retailers skip over Halloween and Thanksgiving in a rush to put out the Christmas offerings!! There is some truth to that comment..our society has definitely over-commercialized winter holidays. Looking at the situation from the retailers point of view, though, it is the 4th quarter of the year which makes the entire year financially successful.
So give us retailers a little slack...shopping locally will insure that our doors will be open year around.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
You may not know this, but the gift industry is very involved with charitable causes. HIV/Aids and Breast Cancer are 2 important causes which are extremely important to retailers, manufacturers, sales reps and other vendors.
Every trip to the Dallas Market is highlighted with signage about supporting a cure for HIV/Aids and lots of manufacturers donate funds from their sales to support research on Breast Cancer.
Yesterday late afternoon we looked south on Harvard and saw the pink police car parked in the Kiddlestix parking lot, lights flashing and people coming to talk to the officers, cars driving by honking their support.
It made me think about one of my most favorite gift lines which we have carried for years, since we met Meredith Baxter (actress and Breast Cancer fundraising supporter) at the Dallas Market
Meredith Baxter was promoting the sale of CAREN Products, a wonderful, luxurious line of lotions, scientifically developed to give your hands, your body and your feet a source for dealing with dry skin. Caren Products have light scents which don't interfer with perfumes or colognes, while still having the effect of reducing dry skin.
I personally love this lotion and use it every day. In fact I carry around the little sample jar which we have given out to our customers and refill it religiously so that I am never without a soothing scoop of that hand cream.
But most important is that Caren has formed a partnership with Breast Cancer Alliance and has also been a supporter of Enable of Georgia, Inc. which supports adults with developmental disabilities to live meaningful and active lives.
In 2009 Caren Products made a $130,000 donation to flood victims in the Atlanta area as well as other groups, by donating thousands of bath and body products to those people challenged by the flooding in that area.
Now when I reach into my pocket for a little scoop of hand lotion, or doctor my feet at night before bedtime, I can also feel just a little bit better that I am using a product whose developers and owners put their money where their mouth is.
Every trip to the Dallas Market is highlighted with signage about supporting a cure for HIV/Aids and lots of manufacturers donate funds from their sales to support research on Breast Cancer.
Yesterday late afternoon we looked south on Harvard and saw the pink police car parked in the Kiddlestix parking lot, lights flashing and people coming to talk to the officers, cars driving by honking their support.
It made me think about one of my most favorite gift lines which we have carried for years, since we met Meredith Baxter (actress and Breast Cancer fundraising supporter) at the Dallas Market
Meredith Baxter was promoting the sale of CAREN Products, a wonderful, luxurious line of lotions, scientifically developed to give your hands, your body and your feet a source for dealing with dry skin. Caren Products have light scents which don't interfer with perfumes or colognes, while still having the effect of reducing dry skin.
I personally love this lotion and use it every day. In fact I carry around the little sample jar which we have given out to our customers and refill it religiously so that I am never without a soothing scoop of that hand cream.
But most important is that Caren has formed a partnership with Breast Cancer Alliance and has also been a supporter of Enable of Georgia, Inc. which supports adults with developmental disabilities to live meaningful and active lives.
In 2009 Caren Products made a $130,000 donation to flood victims in the Atlanta area as well as other groups, by donating thousands of bath and body products to those people challenged by the flooding in that area.
Now when I reach into my pocket for a little scoop of hand lotion, or doctor my feet at night before bedtime, I can also feel just a little bit better that I am using a product whose developers and owners put their money where their mouth is.
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