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Retail is the path to somewhere

If I wasn’t helping produce Garden Center Magazine, there’s only one place I’d rather be: back at my ol’ florist gig.

I loved working retail. Which is why I stuck with it for close to eight years. You encounter new people every day. You get to carefully crawl inside their heads, figure out what they need and make sure the finished product meets those requirements. It’s a fast-paced, constantly-on-your-feet, running-from-one-task-to-the-next crazy existence.

For someone who likes people and hates to be bored, it’s darn near bliss. (Well, most of the time. You’re always going to run into customers who make you want to beat your head against the wall. But that goes with the territory.)

I often joke with people that I’d still be back there hawking flowers, if I could make decent money doing it. But that’s not really true. The money wasn’t half bad. What really put the kibosh on my retail career was that I didn’t see it as a career. It was just a job.

No one ever tried to tell me otherwise. I never heard from anyone, anywhere, that working in retail was a promising path, and something to be proud of. It was always seen as a position you held “until something better comes along.” And that’s a shame.

Square your shoulders, folks. Because I’m about to lay part of the blame for this perception squarely on them.

How many of you really and truly treat your salespeople as professionals? How many of you honestly provide quality, ongoing training? How many of you fully engage with your staff, and take promising employees under your wing for mentoring?

Store owners love to bemoan turnover. It’s a serious problem, shared by all retailers. But they say solutions to big problems can often be found in your own home. Take a look at the culture you’re creating. Are you confident you’re showing employees that a retail career is a road worth traveling?

-- Sarah

Company culture: How does it impact the customer experience?

A tidbit from a recent entry on the Shop.org Community blog:

…Lin believes that much of this success boils down to a crystal clear corporate culture that was created and is owned by employees.

Who is Lin and why in the heck do we care about his strategy? Lin’s business, the online shoe store Zappos.com, is a wunderkind in the retail world. The company grew 20% in 2008, and is on track to make additional headway in 2009. I found it particularly intriguing that Lin attributed his success to corporate culture. Not “top-quality products” or “superior customer service.” Granted, those elements are part of the mix. But what he’s essentially saying is that his team has truly bought into those concepts. It’s more than just him talking, and the rest of his team nodding in detached, quasi-agreement.

Some of the ways Zappos creates and evaluates corporate culture make your hair stand on end. Like this:

Once a year, Zappos asks each employee to submit several paragraphs for a culture book, which is distributed company-wide. Lin said Zappos “only edits typos” and that everything is published…”the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The company also encourages employees to discuss the company on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. (Forums where the company has little to no control over what’s being said.)

Are you cringing yet?

I’m an A-type personality, so the thought of relinquishing that much control over my brand makes me shiver. But…then you look at the result of this radical corporate culture: Employees that are vested in the business—both in practice and in theory. A team that quickly and efficiently churns out orders and makes customers happy.

I’m not advocating that you adopt the Zappos philosophy. (I just can’t. It goes against my grain.) But I would encourage you take a critical look at your company culture. What could you do to give employees a sense of ownership and investment? What benefits might result?

The blog entry on Shop.org included an additional anecdote: A Zappos employee found $150 in a wallet that a customer had purchased from the company; then returned to the retailer. The worker quickly jotted off a note, and returned the cash to the customer. She was thrilled, and told everyone about the experience.

An unwavering corporate culture meant the employee absolutely knew how to respond, Lin believes. “If you take care of your culture, things like this will happen,” he said. “People will do the right thing.”

Step back from your business and take a long look. Are you creating a culture where employees will “do the right thing”?

-- Sarah

Industry associations launch careers Web site

The American Nursery & Landscape Association, the Professional Landcare Network, the American Society for Horticultural Science and 28 state green-industry associations have launched a new Web site, www.thelandlovers.org, to promote green industry careers to junior high and high school students. The site offers an overview of many career options, including arboriculture, garden retail, landscape installation, as well as nursery and greenhouse production.

-- Sarah

Is corporate culture due for an overhaul?

This nation’s beliefs about the workplace are “outdated, outmoded, out to lunch,” say authors Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson in their book “Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It.”

They have a long list of dislikes about American business culture, chief among them the myth that “time + physical presence + hard work = results.” They say the outdated idea that businesses reward long hours over efficient hours – they call it “presenteeism” – needs to change.

That part I can go along with. I used to work with a guy who liked to brag about the long hours he spent in the office late at night and on weekends, but who spent the first hour of every workday reading the newspaper in the men’s room.

The book’s authors promote a paradigm shift, drastically changing the workplace game to the premise that “people can do whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as the work gets done.” They call it a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE).

Reshape the way we think about work, the authors urge, by giving workers more control. Their mantra: “Work isn’t a place you go, it’s something you do.”

If you’re a manager, parts of this book will no doubt make you squirm. But it’s an interesting, fast read (201 pages) that may give you some fresh ideas for re-energizing the workplace.

-- Kevin

Retailers remain upbeat despite economic pressures

CHICAGO -- Consultant Ian Baldwin’s talk, “Maximizing Profits in a Soft Economy,” drew a big crowd of retailers attending the Independent Garden Center Show in Chicago, which kicked off yesterday. Here are a few pointers Baldwin offered for securing profit during tight times:

* Watch inventory -- slash non-performing items.
* Boost good people, lose the poor performers.
* Challenge the use of space, cash and time.

And what shouldn’t you do?
* Cut back on advertising.
* Slash orders across the board.
* Cancel fun stuff and morale-boosting activities for employees.

Most retailers appear to be taking today’s economic pressures in stride. The mood on the trade show floor yesterday attested to that. The place was abuzz with activity. Vendors had their hands full dealing with the crowds. Exhibitors I talked with had high hopes for this show, and many were eager to show off new products and line extensions.

Check back here tomorrow for more news direct from the show floor.

-- Sarah

History and tradition

My family recently enjoyed two awesome celebrations of independence in one small span -- Bastille Day for France and Independence Day for us. How did you celebrate? Fireworks, cookouts, pool party? And amongst all this frivolity, did you remember the meaning?

Being a military brat, I tend to lean quite a bit toward pomp, circumstance and tradition. I love the old values of respect and patriotism. For BOTH of my countries. I’m half-French; I’m a recognized citizen. Heck, they even tried to draft my brother at one point. My mom (always the smart one) sent them a letter saying when you pay me for 18 years of back child support, then you can have him. Amazingly enough, the government decided he could be let out of his patriotic duty.

I still get misty-eyed when I hear the “Star-Spangled Banner.” I remove my hat in the presence of the flag. I thank the veterans and active-duty soldiers who have fought and continue to fight for my freedom. I’m really just a big ole ball of red, white and blue. Good thing both countries sport those colors.

Anyway, I digress as usual. I used to call Sears the Evil Empire. For nearly 7 years I refused to shop at their store. It’s a long story.

But then I heard about what they do for their servicemen and women they employ. Did you know they not only comply with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, but they go many steps further including guaranteeing continuance of their civilian pay for up to 60 months and allowing continued participation in life, medical and dental programs? I do now. And I shop them again, too. In fact, I shop anywhere I know the employer supports our troops. I go out of my way to give them my business to honor their contributions.

Sears is not the only company who goes above and beyond. There is a list of businesses large and small who participate at the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Web site. Check it out. Shop them. Support them.

And if you’re an employer, consider joining them. Our celebration of independence might be over for another year; the fireworks have burned out and the ribs have been devoured. But we still have our armed forces in the thick of battle, fighting every day for their survival and our freedom.

To these brave men and women, I say thank you and God bless and keep you safe until you come home.

-- Jennifer

What’s your policy on hiring ex-offenders?

A study released in February from the Pew Center on the States shows that, for the first time in U.S. history, more than 1 in 100 American adults are behind bars. Most of these people will eventually be released, and many will try to re-enter the job market.

Securing work is a key factor in reducing recidivism rates. Studies show that almost 75% of convicted felons commit other offenses and return to prison. That rate drops to 15% when you look at ex-offenders who are employed.

“You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see that employment is a key ingredient to keep down the cost to our society of incarcerating its citizens,” said Steven B. Temple, president of the Community Reintegration Coalition in Phoenix. “Employing ex-offenders leads to less crime in the community as well as keeping families together and children supported.”

In most cases, it’s illegal to have a blanket policy prohibiting employment of people with criminal records. This tactic may violate anti-discrimination laws. The Equal Opportunity Commission recommends that employers consider the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed and the nature of the job before disqualifying a candidate based on a criminal record.

Still, it’s a tough decision for an employer to make. We’ll be tackling this topic in the September issue of Garden Center Magazine. In the meantime, we’d like to hear from you. Where do you stand when it comes to hiring ex-offenders?

-- Sarah

Take the money and run

What would you say if a company offered you $1,500 to quit during your new-hire orientation?

Zappos, an online shoe retailer, makes this offer to every new employee during the initial training session. It’s a quick and dirty way to winnow down candidates. Folks that are truly interested in the job leave the cash on the table. Those that aren’t feeling too sure about the position get an easy out. Only about 3 percent have taken the offer, Zappos’ training manager told the trade publication Internet Retailer.

I think this is a fantastic idea, one that I would’ve loved to implement during my days as assistant manager of a florist. People have these grandiose ideas of what it’s like to work in a flower shop. How could it NOT be a great job? You get to be around beautiful, good-smelling blossoms all day! (Something I’m sure you also hear in the garden center business.)

Then, during our ‘breaking-in’ session, they learn about cleaning and disinfecting buckets, toting wilted flowers out to the dumpster, hauling in cases of vases and dethorning roses. You know, the un-glamorous things that make up 90% of the job.

During the 3-day orientation, you could see the enthusiasm ebbing away for many of our new recruits. It would’ve been great to say, “Hey, is this job really for you? If not, we’ll give you X number of dollars as an incentive to get out now.”

This tactic would’ve saved us a lot of hassle in the long run. Inevitably, some of the newbies would start being late for work, calling in sick or shirking their less savory duties. We’d have to send them packing after investing time, money and effort in training them.

-- Sarah

Playing the child card

Years ago, my supervisor and I had – how shall we put this politely? – something of a disagreement.

See, I had been making flight arrangements for an industry event that happened to end about midday on Saturday. A co-worker would be attending the event with me. (It’s important to point out that this co-worker was married and the mother of a small child.) My supervisor ordered me to plan on staying over Saturday night rather than returning when the event wrapped up on Saturday. (This was back in the day when airlines socked it to passengers who didn’t include a Saturday night stay in their itineraries, a rule I never could wrap my brain around.) My co-worker was allowed to return home at midday Saturday.

When I asked the boss why I was required to stay over an extra night while my co-worker was returning early, I was told: “Kevin, she has a child at home and she needs to get back. You, not being married, surely wouldn’t mind staying the extra night to save on airfare, right?”

The unspoken message I took from the boss’s comment: “Kevin, your co-worker’s time is more valuable than yours because she is married and a parent. You, not being married, are a lesser person who should sacrifice your leisure time for the company’s gains, right?”

If I’d had any sense at the time, I would have sued the pants off my supervisor, but I didn’t.

A co-worker (different than the one I mentioned above, and also not a parent) and I coined a term for the phenomenon: playing the child card. That is, an employee using children as an entitlement for missing work, arriving late or skipping out early.

Over the years, I’ve seen a variety of abuses: parents arriving late for work on the first day of each new school year so kiddoes can be checked into class. Leaving work early so trick-or-treating can begin. Leaving midday to attend teacher conferences, performances, classroom parties, you name it. A biggie is taking paid time off to stay home with a sick child. Imagine me calling in and announcing that I would be staying home today because my dog has an upset tummy!

I scoured the Web looking for some stats on the child-card phenomenon. Do working parents really miss more work time than non-parents, or is it just my imagination? I thought surely there is an American Federation of Working Parents that compiles such stats, but no.

To be fair, not all parents play this card. In all the years I’ve worked with my colleague Dave Kuack --  a parent of two school-age kids -- not once do I remember him slipping out of the office early due to child-induced drama.

Tell us: Do any of your employees play the child card? Do you sense resentment between the have-kids and the have-nots? How do you deal with it? Do I just need to get over it?

-- Kevin

All hail the retail employee

I proclaim today to be Retail Employee Appreciation Day. From what I can find, such a day doesn’t exist. And goodness knows that we need one. Especially given the antics workers have to put up with during the Christmas crush.

Susan Reda, executive editor of Stores Magazine, talked about shoppers behaving badly in a recent editorial. During a holiday outing, she witnessed breakneck pursuits for the perfect parking spot and customers who couldn’t be troubled to put down the cell phone and complete their transaction.

Retail workers get a lot of flak for their lack of customer service skills. But it seems to me that many consumers could use some shopping etiquette lessons. These days, front-line workers are dealing with more rude, crude and downright abusive behavior from the people they’re supposed to serve with a smile.

I remember those days too well. I grew up working in a retail florist. I helped thousands of customers during my teens and early twenties. Most customer encounters were unmemorable. A handful of clients were a joy to deal with. And then there were the customers of your nightmares.

I remember being harangued by a guy who didn’t understand why we couldn’t deliver some roses to “the tall glass tower downtown that’s right across the street from the bookstore.” (One of several glass-encased skyscrapers housing offices for at least a hundred different businesses.) The dude didn’t know the name of the business his wife worked for or the floor it was located on. And he wouldn’t give her cell phone number fearing we would call and ruin the surprise.

I remember being near tears after dealing with a profanity-spurting woman demanding an explanation for why her poinsettia died. (It was being kept in an unheated glassed-in porch area.)

I remember working unholy hours preparing for the Valentine’s Day rush, steeling myself for the onslaught of forgetful husbands demanding deliveries within an hour. (This ain’t a pizza delivery business, guys.)

Susan Reda closed her article in Stores Magazine with the old saying, “the customer is always right.” She adds the caveat, “but that doesn’t give you a free pass to act like a jerk.”

Amen, sister.

-- Sarah