March 30, 2013
► Customer Feedback: A customer with the last name of Johnson, from Nashua, NH found their general shopping experience excellent. “Great showroom, samples, and knowledgeable staff.” Sales help, communication, and products were all rated Excellent, and this person would recommend us to a friend. What do we do really well? “Unusual items of exceptional quality – hot tub gazebo and Trica bar stools (next purchase).
► New advertising begins Sunday, March 31: “April Sale”. It includes new Weekly Specials, Above Ground, Hot Tub, Grill, Patio, Bar, and Pool Table sales. Note that the March Furniture Sale ends Saturday, March 30.
► We are closed Easter Sunday.
► April hours start Monday, April 1: Mon.- Fri. 10-8, Sat. 10-5, Sun. 11-5.
► Happy Birthday to Stephanie on April 2. We will celebrate with birthday cake in the Coffee Shop on Saturday, April 6.
► Maytronics and Polaris 380 Rebates begin on April 1.
► Special Retail Class Sunday, April 7, at 9AM.
► We now have an Apollo and an Apollo Plus cleaner listed for rent. As with all the rental equipment, if a person rents something and then elects to purchase it within 24 hours, they can apply the rental cost to the purchase price.
► We got the new deck and fence prices, so we think we are finished with above ground pool prices now. Note that we can probably get decks and fences for all Wilbar pools now, so if someone has a non-Sharkline pool, get me the information I request on the price list and I’ll research it. And remember, if someone wants a deck or fence for a pool, the price is on the Deck and Fence sign. Not in the above ground pool list. That price list is for people buying something with a pool, and it is cheaper, because they are buying it with a pool.
► The Above Ground Buyer Protection Plan has been improved to mention all of the extended warranties that we offer.
► Seth had a good idea: to put an IDMED tag on a sold tag over the description lines. Joe found that more clear than writing everything out. It’s faster, too. Well, if you are near the tag printer.
► New special: FREE 50# Salinity Plus with purchase of six bags of salt. $200 value, while they last. It will add about 30 lbs. of salt, along with a batch of conditioners: to extend salt cell life, improve water clarity, and more. We will have coupons at the salt area(s) and the Chemical Advice counter. Please actively offer them to customers when you review salt water tests.
► Chlorine deposits (both of them) were done correctly in February and March. So far, names were on warranty items. There was one $15.00 refund without a name.
► I appreciate that you are taking your fire drill tests. However, based on the results that I am seeing, lots of people probably “died” during our virtual fires. That’s not good. Please learn what to do, or we will have to create penalties; which I really do not want to have to do. Consider this, also: virtual, or written fire drills are much faster and warmer than real ones. So it could be worse.
► I have added the monthly sale color to the front of the program book, to make it easier for everyone to know when the wrong sale sign is up.
► The US Department of Energy Conservation has just banned the manufacture of gas-fired pool heaters that are worse than 82% thermally efficient. For our stock heaters, that only means the Minimax 100. I just ordered some more. However, do not not promise any that are not in stock. I am trying to find out if there will be a substitution. However, what made that heater (and its competitors) $1100 was its lack of efficiency. So a 100,000 BTU efficient heater will still be almost as expensive as a 200,000 BTU Master Temp.
► Namco declared chapter 11 bankruptcy Sunday. That means that they are asking a court to allow them to stay in business without paying previous bills, for the summer. Most likely, the answer will be “yes” because any pool store can make money April through July. Who knows after that?
► Submitted by Patrick: A reminder: you are allowed to punch in five minutes before your scheduled time. If you punch in one minute after your scheduled time I consider you to be late. At your scheduled time you should be ready to work, not getting settled and certainly not eating your breakfast while you should be working.
► Submitted by Anne-Marie: The new phone system was installed this week. If you see anything that doesn’t look right, isn’t working, please let me know. The system will have caller ID, but that will be installed by next Thursday. Everyone that has voicemail should create a new password for themselves, and let me know what it is so I can add it to my master passwords sheet. Also, the new system allowed me to enter holidays that we are closed for the day. The system automatically plays the appropriate holiday message, so the phone system would not have to be put on “holiday mode.” The only time we will use the “holiday mode” is when there is bad weather, and the store is closed, or the days we close early (New Year’s Eve), etc.
► Submitted by Jen: Weekly Fire Alarm Tip: If you see a fire, go immediately to the nearest emergency exit and pull the fire alarm. Every emergency exit has a fire alarm and a fire extinguisher. Using the nearest phone (there is one near every emergency exit) announce where the fire is and what is on fire. This does two things: (1) it makes it easier for the manager to evaluate the situation and inform the fire department and (2) it also lets everyone know that it is a real fire and where it is, so that when they evacuate, they can move away from the fire and not towards it!
► The Patio Furniture department is now on our website; with items, photographs, descriptions, and an offer to let people purchase by phone. Thank you to Ann Auker and Rose for a HUGE amount of work. Take a look!
► Great job last quarter. We averaged quarterly bonuses of 142%.
► The stock safety covers have been put on a drastic clearance sale. Why? Because we are not going to stock safety covers any more. If someone want a standard, we will order it like a custom, or they can buy it (from a different manufacturer), from SeasonalDirect.com.
► We just made a pool package adjustment, to have the “Premium Pool Package” with CDX include an initial dose of CDX; probably a bottle or two less than last year. The “Complete Pool Package” for purchase or free with a pool, contains a bottle or two more. This is a rounding adjustment made because of the conversion to ½ gallon bottles.
► Internet Humor: “Woman Stops Grizzly Attack with 25 Cal. Pistol”: This is a story of self-control and marksmanship with an itsy bitsy shooter by a woman against a fierce competitor. What is the smallest caliber you trust to protect yourself? “The Beretta Jetfire.” “While out hiking in Alberta Canada with my boyfriend, we were surprised by a huge grizzly bear charging at us from out of nowhere. She must have been protecting her cubs because she was extremely aggressive. If I had not had my little Beretta Jetfire with me I would not be here today!” “Just one shot to my boyfriend’s knee cap was all it took…the bear got him and I was able to escape by just walking away at a brisk pace It’s one of the best pistols in my collection.”