common sense retailing

This sandwich board caught my eye the other day. Besides the fact that the board itself was in such good shape, I found the item advertised to be so right for our area. White Rock is essentially a beach town. There are flip flops available at any number of retail locations, and in every shape and colour. Have you ever noticed someone walking in front of you, wearing a pair of flip flops that looked so bad, so flat, so squished, that you wondered how the person could even walk in them? I have. I always wear shoes with arch support, as I walk A LOT. I am in no hurry to have any sort of knee or hip problems...so this product really caught my eye. The other thing that we have quite an abundance of in White Rock, besides sand and sun...are seniors. This product is right on trend for them.

I think that sometimes, retailers are too concerned with re-inventing the wheel. I don't think it is necessary, or wise to spend a great deal of time and energy trying to find the next 'IT' item. This business deals with feet. These flip flops solve a problem, AND look good. For people walking by, the message is loud and clear. How are your feet feeling as you pass our sign? Would you like to see if they could feel better? Come on in, and give these a try.

The only thing better...would be a location on the beach...to catch all of the tourists, whose feet are aching, due to a too-long walk on our beautiful Promenade!

Innovative Advertising

I had to take a walk uptown yesterday, to pick up some more bottled water. White Rock has been under a 'boil water' advisory for about a week now and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. As I walked the 20 or so blocks from my place to the White Rock/Surrey border ( 16th Avenue ) I kept seeing this message written in chalk on the cobblestones, at almost every street corner. The message was neatly and legibly written, in a bright coloured chalk, away from where people would normally walk. It got me thinking about the future of advertising, and the innovation of a small business owner. I had a clothing store for 17 years, and it was only in the last 5, that I started advertising through my website,something that I had never even considered in the past. I had always relied on local newspapers and specialty magazines to carry my message of " Casual, Comfortable, Canadian Designed Clothing and Accessories." or later on " Cavern Clothing has pants that FIT!" I had always had a mailing list, and at my peak, with 2 stores, I had about 1500 customers on that list. When I had a website made for the store I thought that I would photograph clothing for the upcoming season and use the website as a internet window into my business. But it was not long before I was completely eliminating the labour intensive, expensive, twice yearly mail-outs that had been a key part of my advertising plan. I would simply e-mail my customers when an event was upcoming, and direct them to the website for more information. It was so much less work. It was at that time, I started to almost eliminate my print advertising.
When I see the way businesses communicate with their customers these days, through a variety of social media, it really makes me wonder how newspapers and magazines survive. It used to be when you stared a business, you had to take out an ad in the local paper to let people know you were open and eager for business. It seems that Honest Work Gardening has a better, more innovative and cheaper idea. Even if the City makes them erase their 'ad' from the sidewalk...I guarantee that at least a couple of hundred people saw it last week. This economy calls for creative and cost effective methods to start and maintain a business. I wish Honest Work Gardening, the best of luck.

Do you know who you are?

I was walking down a street the other day, and came across this sandwich board. It was simple and clean looking, with an equally simple message. I walked inside the store, and in the first 15 seconds, knew that this business knew who it was. Even the color used on the sign reflected the feeling inside. It was simple and sleek, with a bit of a retro vibe, also reflected in the choice of the shade of blue used on the sandwich board. I remember reading that consumers walking through a mall look at a window display for an average of 15 seconds before deciding whether or not they will walk into a store. I am sure that today...15 seconds is a real stretch. Today's consumer is busier than ever, and with all of the research material available on the Internet, I believe that real store visits are becoming rarer, and shorter than ever before.

This particular store was skillfully 'edited'. By that, I mean that it had been stripped down to the essential items. These items were what the store believed in to be the best representation of their business. I understood...and decided to poke around, in order to see if our design sensibilities matched. They did. I took a little notebook out of my purse, and wrote down their web address. I do not think I was in the store for more than 5 or 6 minutes, but it was all the time I needed to establish a connection, and decide to visit them again.

Business Challenges=Innovative Solutions

I live in a small town and for the last couple of years, I have lived without a car. That means, if I need something, I have to either walk, or take the bus. I find it quite freeing, actually. I have had my drivers licence for more than 30 years now...so proportionately, I have done my fair share of driving. I find that walking not only helps me keep fit and trim...I see so much more, when I am on foot. I decided to make a new recipe for dinner last night, and I was short 3 ingredients. It was a lovely day...so I grabbed my cloth bag, and my sunglasses, and headed up the hill to The Bread Box. This little produce market has the best prices of anywhere around, and with the speedy turnover of stock, the freshest fruits and vegetables. The store has a great facade. It looks as if someone has filled their front porch with baskets and boxes of brightly coloured peppers, and apples, and whatever else is in season. The proprietor is Mary and she is a free spirit, with an amazing way of making everyone feel at home in her shop. She will give you advice on how to choose a ripe papaya or pineapple, and she always asks if you need some fresh eggs, amazing eggs with technicolour orange DOUBLE yolks. There is ALWAYS a line up at the cash...an achievement once in a while for most retailers...a daily occurrence for Mary. I only needed a couple of things, so I gathered my produce, and after a few minutes, had almost reached the front of the line. Then I saw the sign...

Right beside the cash register, on top of the large cooler containing fresh meats and cheeses, was a small jar with a sign that read: " We need a new cooler to keep our food fresh for you, our customers. Please donate one dollar to the cooler fund." The sign was handwritten and the jar was small, and it made me think about the number of customers who patronize that shop on a daily, or weekly basis. By my calculations, a dollar from each one, could go a long way to the purchase of a cooler. The sign also made me think about the relationship that people used to have with retailers. When you shopped every day at a butcher, or went to the same barber so long, that your son, and grandson went to him too, you got to know the owner of the shop. You had an investment in the success or the failure of that business. You cared about the owner...not the business...but the person responsible for the business being there. I simply can't imagine my town, without Mary, and The Bread Box. My order came to a little over 24 dollars, so I told her to put the change in the cooler fund jar. I appreciate the fact that she asked ME...one of her long time customers, to help her with a solution to her business challenge...in this case an aging cooler. I think sometimes, that in our bid to be completely professional, and put on the 'everything is just SUPER', face to our customers...we forget to let them know that business owners are just people, like the customers we serve.

Whole Foods at the Village at Park Royal

We have not had a great summer. For retailers whose merchandise is seasonal, I would guess this summer has been a disaster. My husband had to get his car serviced a few weeks ago, and even though we live in White Rock...we make the trip to West Van, to a car dealership that my husband considers one of the best in customer service, and quality...Park Shore Motors. One of the nice things about getting the car serviced in West Van, is the free shuttle service from the dealership. We asked to be taken to The Village at Park Royal, to have lunch, and arranged to be picked up in about an hour and a half.

After lunch, we had a wander around, and noticed a nice sized crowd, milling around the entrance to the Whole Foods. It was a great scene, with little kids wading in a fountain, and people lounging on benches eating lunch, or enjoying a coffee and a snack I noticed a BBQ set up, with a small line of people purchasing hot dogs and pop, and also noticed that the BBQ belonged to Whole Foods. There was a cute little chalk board with a charming image of a patio lantern that simply said " Take it Outside ". It looked like people were doing just that! How often do you see retailers making the effort to COME to their customers...instead of waiting for their customers to walk in their front doors and COME to them? This was an ordinary day. It wasn't a special occasion, or a civic holiday. Why would Whole Foods go to the trouble to fire up a BBQ, set up a sign, and pay a staff member to sell hot dogs and pop? I believe they were just being neighbourly...and showing an interest in their customers, AND their community. Small gestures like this, go a long way to building customer loyalty, and that elusive 'feel good' feeling. Judging by the prices, they couldn't have been turning a great profit. Besides that, the inside of the store had much more variety, and higher priced goods to entice their customers. I believe it was their way of saying, hey folks, we realize it hasn't been a great season, but today is a sunny day, and we would love to offer you a childhood favorite choice for lunch...a good old hot dog.
This kind of nostalgia, and neighbourliness was a home run! The smell of hot dogs on the BBQ brings back all sorts of memories, no matter what your age, or income level, or nationality. I believe that Whole Foods is a retailer that gets it. This small amount of effort is sure to pay big rewards. All because of a hot dog...

Stores with History

I took an old friend shopping the other day. We took the bus into Richmond, and then the Canada Line into Vancouver. We got off on Cambie Street, and walked a few blocks to The Dressing Room.

I used to have a ladies clothing store. In the early 1990's, a lot of people had clothing stores. That is certainly not true, anymore. This fact, makes the success of this independent retailer, all the more amazing. The friend I went to Vancouver with, used to be a customer of mine. The thing I hear most often, when I run into former customers is that since I closed my stores they don't know where to shop! Flattery aside, I believe them. Where can real sized women, of a certain age, purchase fashionable, good quality clothing? My poor friend confessed that she has been shopping at places where you can buy workboots and coveralls! YIKES!! She also told me that she has NEVER in her life, thrown away as much clothing as she has in the last few years, due to poor quality.

I remembered the Dressing Room, as a clothing store that carried both petites, and had sizes that went to a size 18, or an XXL. I find that with almost all of the clothing produced off shore, the sizes have gotten way out of whack. I weigh around 130 lbs, and was wearing a t-shirt yesterday that was an XL! I used to tell my customers that size was no indicator that something should or shouldn't fit you. That's what the sales assistant is for...to explain that this brand fits large...or that brand fits small. Nothing to do with you...at all. Even though it had been quite a few years since I had been to The Dressing Room...I was pleasantly surprised to see that the store looked and felt as I remembered. How many of us return again and again to a favorite store, simply for the ' FEELING' it gives us? If you could teach potential retailers how to produce this elusive feel good atmosphere...every single retialer in the world would be successful...and we wouldn't have the business failure rate that we have today.

My friend and I were on a mission to build a wardobe that flattered, would be versatile, and easy care/good quality. I am glad to report that we had a great time choosing, and had a wide variety to choose from. I don't know if I speak for most women...but one stop shopping is how I like to do it. The sales associates were very attentive, and eventhough I acted as the personal shopper, and bossy friend, they did everything they could to help whenever we needed a size, or another color, or had a question. My friend ended up with 10, great new pieces, and e-mailed me the following week to say that she was getting COMPLIMENTS on her outfits. Stores like The Dressing Room are rare, because they have stayed true to their customer, no matter what. If you shopped there 10 years ago, or the day before yesterday...you know what to expect, when you walk through the front door. How many retailers have started with a clear vision, and then in a few months or a few years, started to erode their core business with other concepts or ideas, at the expense of their loyal customers, in hopes of attracting some new ones?

You have to believe in who you are ,as a retailer. My friend and I are already planning another trip in, to have a look at the new seasons offerings...