June 16, 2012
► Customer Feedback: A customer from Derry, NH stated that their general shopping experience with us was Good. “I was allowed to browse and shop, but help was available when I needed.” Sales help, Operations and Communication were all rated Good. “Informative, but slow check out process.” Products were rated Excellent.
► New advertising starts Sunday, June 17: “Super Summer Savings”. New weekly specials, but department monthly sales continue.
► Sunday, June 17 is the last day of the Smart Pool Climber Rebate. Father’s Day means free logo gifts for all male customers. They do not have to be fathers, and do not ask them. Next Saturday is Patrick’s Birthday.
► Marquis special order changes: a new Promise, in one-pump and two-pump configurations. A new double step with storage inside. Natural cedar has gone down to $399, and Aroma Fusions is now an available upgrade on the Promise. A few items went down in price: the planter, towel bar, and bar stool.
► We might have to discontinue weekend catered lunches because there is no room on the counter; what with the pocketbooks, Tupperware, keys, etc. A word to the wise.
► Thank you to Joe for buying us all lunch (Boston Market meatloaf) Saturday, June 16.
► A common mistake I see is cushions rung up without customer name. They have warranties, so that’s a dollar mistake on someone’s part. Even for future use of our Limited Lifetime Labor Warranty, the customer needs proof of purchase. If they are in Retail Pro, at least we can look them up.
► Congratulations to Kyle, Josh and Kristine for their high school graduation, and to Sammy for her upcoming college graduation.
► Remember to work all the hours you can, now. I am hoping that the people leaving in the next couple of weeks will balance the drop in business after the Fourth of July, along with the extra hours available from Josh and Kristine. Still, we may be less able to give out overtime in July and August.
► A new label! The warning label on the Intex 1500 GPH and 2500 GPH pumps just got larger and easier to read. We also added a note about needing Intex or Bestway adaptors if the hose is set for smaller hoses.
► New items that may or may not make it for June 16, but they should be done by June 28:
A. Revised “Computerized Robotic Pool Cleaners 2012”. I made a couple of items more clear, but mostly we re-arranged the order to make comparisons easier. For instance, if you actually look at the difference between the Atlantis and the Apollo, you may understand why the Apollo is Maytronics’ best seller.
B. We reprinted the Season’s Supply Cheat Sheets hanging by chains in the Chemical department. Now, the gallons per pool (and water cost per 10,000 gallons) is printed on the back! So you don’t have to walk down to water lab three to look it up.
C. The Pool Opening Pool Tips have been completely re-written. Yes, I know you don’t need them after June 20! You should read them as soon as they come out.
Pool Opening I: The Pool and Equipment is now much more like thePoolSchool. The directions are a page and a half, and the “Slow, Easy Method” (formerly the focus of the previous version) is a half page at the end. The new version of Pool Opening II: The Water allows for Baquacil Economy and Bacquacil CDX. Also, we added common dosages so you don’t have to memorize or read the labels.
► So here is what $250 extra gets you when you go from the Atlantis to the Apollo: Faster run time: 2½ hours vs. 3 hours. Quick clean (1 hour), optional remote control, caddy cart ($150 retail), scrubs the water line (doesn’t just go up to it and turn around), and full bag indicator (that’s a great convenience).
► Please, when you assemble a grill and put it out in the store, get someone at the Design Center to make an ID tag and tag it. Want to do an even better job? When you start assembling one, ask them for an ID tag and put it on the handle right then!
► Upcoming weekend lunches: Saturday, June 23: Chicken Parmesan from Uno’s, courtesy of Al Bornemann and Baquacil/Poolife. Saturday, June 30: Chix Stix, Rings, etc., courtesy of Anne-Marie.
► Every chlorine deposit was perfect last week. Three refunds with no name, and two warranty items (a club chair and a motor) without names. By the way, the motor had jackpotted labor instead of its correct item number.
► Curious: Why do I see “(Israel)” written on so many contracts for Maytronics cleaners, but I never see (USA), (Canada), or (China) on other contracts? Not that I think we have to write the country at all. I just wonder why Israel is the only country we write?
► We (Mia) found three more sale tags from the August sale today. I guess in about a month we can stop looking for them.
► From Anne-Marie: After much discussion about the Seasonal Rewards Program, Dennis has asked me to institute a few changes:
- Cashiers, please ask every customer if they are a member BEFORE you ring them up. We have had multiple complaints from customers that the cashier did not remind them.
- If a customer is not a member of the program, but would like to join. DO NOT hold up the line if it is long, by explaining the program. Simply, hand them the literature and sign-up form. Ask their name to include it on the current receipt. Tell them they can fill it in at their leisure, and that they will get credit for today’s purchase. (No need to leave me a note, I will check all new sign-ups). The customer can either sit in the bar area and fill out the enrollment form, or bring it home and return it later. Also, tell them they do not have to wait in line again to hand the completed form in, but can leave it on the counter. We will mail the key fob to them. Please avoid a long conversation, explanation, and filling out the form in line.
- Also, please note that you cannot use customer records that have ***DUPE** in them. This means there are duplicate records on the file. Look for the name and address for that customer that does not contain ***DUPE*** in it.
► Our final thoughts that are Not from Confucius:
– Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement.
– Man who fish in other man’s well often catch crabs.
– A lion will not cheat on his wife, but a Tiger Wood!