July 27, 2013
► Customer Feedback: Customer Ellie D. stated that her general shopping experience with us was Excellent. “The employees are helpful and friendly.” Did any of our team members do an unusually good job? “Tod and Patrick were very knowledgeable and friendly.” Sales help, communications, and product performance were all rated Excellent. “Prices are clear on all items.” “The products do what they say they will do.” She would recommend us to a friend. What can we do to improve? “The prices are considerably higher than other places.” What do we do really well? “Employees are the best! Great products and furniture. Like the rewards program.”
► New advertising, department sales, and weekly specials start Sunday, July 28: “August Clearance”. As I write this, I am not entirely sure when Pat and Anne-Marie will complete the Pool Supply Sale prices; but certainly by August 1.
► We expect the Seasonal News to be mailed August 31.
► The Nitro Rebate ends Wednesday, August 31.
► I have had a singular honor and privilege over the past five years, of attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting as the guest of my godson: celebrating another year of his being off narcotics. Through those meetings, and through him, I have met a lot of addicts: both currently using, not currently using, and perhaps in a relapse. If you want to know what I have learned, ask me. The life of an addict is horrible, and every family member and loved one suffers.
No one starts with heroin. They all started with a couple of little white prescription pills at a party, or hanging out with friends. Percocet, oxycodone, codeine, oxycontin, etc. are still all opiates, and just another form of heroin. Opioids change your brain chemistry to work differently. They are carefully prescribed for short term control of severe pain because they are the best current option–not because they are safe. And, the presence of severe pain counteracts some of the side effects of the drug. Ultimately, no one takes them to feel good. They take them to just stop feeling horrible – like the worst possible case of the flu. Shakes, sweats, cold, vomit. Once it is costing $200 a day for pills to make the pain go away, it becomes easy to switch to heroin – it’s cheaper. And if you cannot earn or steal $200 a day, saving money is important. And heroin is not more addictive than those little while pills – just less socially acceptable.
So my point – drinking is dangerous enough, if you have an addictive personality. But narcotics addict everyone, regardless of your genes. So don’t even start with those little white pills. And if you already taking them just for fun, just to make the day more interesting or bearable, ask me for help. I will find it for you.
► Remember, clearance means clearance. No rainchecks. And if we get sufficiently low (not even out) the price goes up. Special orders are at original price, not discount or sale!
► From Patrick: Larry Doughty from RMI will be here August 20th with a rep from Twin Eagles to do grill and island training. All sales people are expected to attend.
► Congratulations to Andrew for just joining Seth and Roz in completing all four segments of the Learning Zone.
► Eight people researched us on YELP last week though only one went to our website. The others must have been looking for a good review.
► We have a wheelchair-accessible counter on the left side of Register 1. That is why it is lower, not so that you can pile stuff there. It is not the responsibility of the person in the wheelchair to ask you if they can use it. It is the responsibility of the cashier to clear it off and ask the person in the wheelchair if they want to use it.
► From Seth: If a customer calls for an employee who you can see is already working with another customer, do NOT put the customer on hold and page out the call. Let the customer know that the employee they are asking for is currently with a customer and offer to either have someone else assist them if available, or explain that you will take down their name and number and the employee will call them back as soon as he or she is available. This provides much better customer service, and avoids tying up our phone lines unnecessarily.
► News of the Weird from The Hippo: Among the helpful civic classes the city government in Oakland, CA, set up earlier this year for its residents was one on how to pick locks (supposedly to assist people who had accidentally locked themselves out of their home), and lock-picking kits were even offered for sale after class. Some residents were aghast, as the city had seen burglaries increase by 40 percent in 2012. Asked one complainer, What’s next? The fundamentals of armed robbery? (In February, Mayor Jean Quan apologized and cancelled the class.
► Understanding How Engineers Think: Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.