HELP YOURSELF - Ladyfisher - August 31, 2009

HELP YOURSELF

In Dee's reading she occasionally shares with us stories that strike a chord with her.

This week it's all about customer service or the lack thereof by Keith Jackson from Fly Tackle Dealer Magazine, August 2009 issue.

Mr. Jackson must shop in the same fly shops as me!!

I live in the "Twin Cites, Metro Area" of Saint Paul & Minneapolis. Which is comprised of 7 counties in east-central Minnesota, and 4 counties of west -central Wisconsin, population of over 4 million people.

I know that fishing is a major pastime of many Minnesotans and Cheeseheads, but those that fly fish, are a small percentage of the total number of angers.

We use to have 5 fly shops in the "Twin Cites-Metro Area"; "Fly Fishing Cabin" in Little Canada, MN (northeast metro), "Bentley's" in Eden Prairie, MN (south-west metro), "Fly Anglers" in Fridley (northwest metro), "Bob Mitchell's" in Lake Elmo, MN east metro, and "Lund's Hardware in River Falls, WI!

Now we only have 3 left Fly Anglers, Bob Mitchell's, and Lund's Hardware.
Fly Anglers is a 14 mile drive from my house, Bob Mitchell's is a 5 mile drive from my house, and Lund's Hardware is 35 mile drive from my house.

I will not go to "Bob Mitchell's" unless it is an absolute emergency, because there is a problem a human relationship of customer-owner, and he rarely has what I need, plus we cannot stand each other! Fly Anglers has Scott Struif who is very helpful, but the store has less of a selection, and the other half of the store (Thorp Bros which sell spincast bait cast stuff) has taken over a large portion of the wall and floor space in the Fly Anglers half. Then there is the Lund's Hardware in River Falls, that has a very nice selections of flies, fly tying material, and fly fishing accessories.


The world is changing, craftsmen started setting up shop at a permanent location, instead of traveling the roads and by-ways of the region. Then small shops became became general stores, sell a multitude of various products, with not much selection. Then along came Department Stores that carried lots of products, separated into departments (clothing, hardware, housewares, cook ware, furniture, Beauty Products, etc.)

Then in the 1950's the cites grew into Metro Areas, and came the Mall's. Now we have stores withing stores with in stores, and a amusement park and food court thrown in for good measure.

When the economy is thriving, everyone wins, customers, merchants, manufacturer's, bankers! Economy goes sour, everyone loses, store reduce inventory (less selection), hired help, hours, service.

With the popularity of the world wide web, we now can pay our bills and bank OnLine (bye-bye Postal Service), go shopping OnLine at stores that have not actual retail building (just warehouses).

The World is changing, everyone seem to have cell phone, to the point that there are no longer any Pay Telephones. It does not pay for the Telephone Companies to have coin operated phones for public uses, when away from home or work.

Today there are very few "Full Service", in the 1950.s there were very few "Self-Service" businesses. Back then you were met at the door, or as you entered a department within the store, by a Sales Clerk. Today you walk into any Store, and just try to find a Sales Clerk, Stocking Clerk, or anyone who works at the Store! Today to cut down on hired help they even have you ring up your own purchases........

The world is changing, I am not sure for the better. Stores not needing to carry products, not needing to staff clerks to help customers, not needing cashiers to ring up the purchases, not needing stores for customers to go to to purchase items.

Less selection of products to chose from, products lines not available, little or no customer service, long distances to travel to purchase items. Soon these businesses, might figure out, away of not needing customers! ~Parnelli

Worse yet all those automated tellers take a job away from a kid or a senior.
If we don't let our teenagers get experience as a checkout teller, or stock clerk, or other customer service type job how can we expect to get good customer service in the future? There isn't a way for the next generation to get any experience.

Then we outsource the telephone service to other countries that have an inherent cultural difference, and dramatically different attitude toward customer relations. I hate thinking of the freebies that Adobe has had to give me because their call centers just don't mesh well with the American public, and have screwed up EVERY upgrade I have ever done with them.

If we want better service, we have to demand it, and be willing to pay a little more for it.

I for one will put my stuff back on the shelves before using the self served tellers, and have politely told the clerks at the hardware or grocery super stores that suggest I use the automated stations for my 2 items. I'll go to better stores and pay a little more for the customer service every time if it is available.

So look in the mirror folks. That intelligent person staring back at you is the one to blame first..

I began trying to be a sales rep just about my 63rd birthday, (7 months ago) but the kind that try to get you to let me come show you my products. I have learned getting in the front door is harder than I ever imagined. When I worked for large hotel companies I welcomed sales reps to see what I could learn from them, not everyone is interested in new products or see if they can save the company money.

The following little story may be something you need to print out and take to the manager of the shops where service is lacking. If it is inappropriate Ron can slap me on the wrist and I will try not to do it again.


A keen Texas lad applied for a salesman's job at a city department store. The store was the biggest in the world and sold everything under the sun. "Have you ever been a salesman before?" the boss asked during his interview.

"Yes, I was a salesman in Texas," the lad answered. The boss took an immediate liking to him and told him he could start Th next day. "I'll come and see how you made out after we close up," the boss said.

The day was long and hard for the young man, but finally it was 5 o'clock. The boss closed up the store and found the lad sitting, slumped and exhausted, in a chair. "How many sales did you make today?" the boss asked.

"One," said the lad.

"One?" said the boss, obviously displeased. "Most of the sales people on my staff make 20 or 30 sales a day. How much was the sale worth?"

"Exactly $101,334.53," said the young man.

"How did you manage that?" asked the boss, flabbergasted.

"Well," said the lad, "this man came in and I sold him a small fish hook, then a medium fish hook, and finally a really large hook. Then I sold him a small fishing line, a medium one, and huge one. I asked him where he was going fishing, and he said he was going down the coast. I said he'd probably need a boat, so I took him down to the boat department and sold him that fancy 22-foot Chris Craft with twin engines. Then he said his Honda Civic probably wouldn't be able to handle the load, so I took him to the vehicle department and sold him a new GMC 1-ton pickup truck."

"You sold all that to guy who came in for a fish hook?" the boss asked in astonishment.

"He didn't come in to buy a fish hook," the Texas boy explained. "He came in to buy a box of tampons for his wife, and I said to him, 'Your weekend's shot. You might as well go fishing.' "

Uncle Jesse:

Thank You! For sharing that wonderful story with us, telling, help bring back memories of my vacation fishing on the Delaware River, many years ago!

While attending the 2001 FAOL Fish-in, at the Delaware River Club, at Starlight PA (across the Delaware River from Hancock NY), I met Mr. Chris Marshall the publisher of the The Canadian Fly Fisher.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/trav...2001/fi107.jpg
Deanna Birkholm (back to the camera), Chris Marshall (center in the photo)
and myself (on the right in the photo, wearing my "Goofy" shirt

Mr. Marshall, is a Englishman who moved to Canada, and has the looks and charm of that reminisce of "Cary Grant". He and his wife love their evening cocktails at the end of a day of fly fishing,just before sitting down to dinner. It was during one of these evening gatherings, I listened in, as Mr. Marshall, was telling (to Jim and Deanna) the same story that you just shared with us, but I might add that he did it with more style and grace!

Do not become upset; "Grace and Style in Life" are "God Given Gifts" to the blessed few. If you do not have it, just appreciate the opportunity when you are around some who does! Just like everything else in life, either you have it, otherwise you don't!

Few know this but I am the "World's Greatest Fly Angler", but only when nobody is around to witness my "Great Exploits"! ~Parnelli ;)

Here's something I have not heard lately at a shop:

"We can order it for you." Or "We can get it for you."

Since even the largest shop cannot stock everything, it stands to reason that the owners and clerks should be prepared to recite this sentence. If I need something, I am probably willing to pay a little more for it. Then the store gets the reputation as a place that goes the extra mile. And I find a place I can rely on for what I need. It is called service.

Quote:

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If we don't let our teenagers get experience as a checkout teller, or stock clerk, or other customer service type job how can we expect to get good customer service in the future? There isn't a way for the next generation to get any experience.

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Good point! Also, a little work in retail/customer service gives a teen a great deal of perspective, and it's really easy to tell the teens that have been there form those that havent by the way they treat cashiers and wait-staff at restaurants.

I'm in my 20's, but I worked at an amusement park as a teenager, and worked in retail and for a non-profit where I had to deal with the public since then, and it really greatly increased my perspective and while I never treated wait-staff poorly, walking a mile in those shoes definitely increased my appreciation of what they do, and especially when one of them does their job well.

I may not have another pet peeve that bothers me more than to hear someone say something like, "I dont tip waitresses...it's their job to provide good service."

I have a friend who used to be a really stingy tipper (if at all) who basically took good service for granted. I pretty much refused to meet him for food/drinks because of it. Eventually, he got a job in the service industry...and all the sudden he became a pretty generous tipper.

Cold:

I agree with your post! My Grandfather, born in 1890, and only received a 3rd grade education, before being put to work as an apprentice mason, lived by truisms...

"Everyone we meet in life give us happiness, some by their arrival, others by their departure!!"

"You have to be alive to complain, I have never heard a dead complain!"

"Before you accuse and abuse, walk a mile in the other person's shoes!"

""Needs", "Wants", and "Gets" (what you end up with); are three different "Things"!"

"If you give a task, your best effort, you do not have to apoligize to anyone!"

The world is changing, and not for the better, those who are changing have no concern how their actions effect the lives of everyone else!

One example of less than adequate customer relations I experienced in a tackle shop in a small Montana town was the response of the staff there to a question I posed. We'd been fishing the Madison and were interested in finding other areas nearby to cast a fly. I was getting tired of wading into position at a tempting stretch only to have a guide boat come sailing through. We wanted a smaller stream, more quiet.

We bought some leader material and some hooks, and I asked the fellow at the register if he could recommend a couple of places off the beaten path. The guy behind the counter didn't say much, but his buddy, who'd been jawboning with him the entire time we were looking around the shop, volunteered "I've got a half mile of pristine stream you can fish for 100 dollars a day". The guy behind the counter remained mute, waiting for my response, which was a polite thank you, no. But he never then followed up with any response to my question. I left somewhat offended.

Seems to me I was not so much seen as a customer, but as a mark. They might want to work on that.

We'd be glad to give that Montana fly shop a plug, how about the name and town? I wonder if the owner knows what is going on there...
(LadyFisher on Trav's computer)