Thursday, November 16, 2006

Outstanding!!!


When I come home from work, Andrea almost always asks me how my day was and what I did. I always ponder on that question, especially the latter part of the question. As a store manager, exactly what did I do all day?

Well, the simple answer is this, I am responsible to drive three things in my store...
1. Profitable sales...duh!!!
2. Ensure that we are delivering outstanding customer service
3. Drive our proprietary credit results

But I don't think that Andrea would enjoy an answer like, "I drove profitable sales, while maintaining an outstanding customer experience and they all used our credit card!"

Nope...I think an answer like that may illicit an hour or so of silence from her...

So what do I do all day? Those three items listed before are the end results that comes from my day in the store, but it is driven by people. Interaction with people is what I do...all day long. I need to take the good, the bad and the ugly from everyone...

Here are some highlights...

The Good...
  • I have promoted many managers to higher positions. I had one gentleman say to me that if it weren't for me he probably would have never had a shot at our flagship store.
  • I listened to a customer, just recently, tell me that in the last six months the service in our store has completely turned around for the better...hey!...Isn't that about when I started in the store?!
  • I have had an associate whom English is a second language for her thank me for giving her the opportunity on the sales floor.
The Bad...
  • Realizing that certain associates, people, are negative no matter what. It isn't the money, the customers or even the direction of the store. They are bitter no matter what...
  • Having a sales associate get inches from my face stating that he does not respect me, because I did not respect him.
  • A customer bringing back a bag of very used clothes asking for cash back as she needed the money because she was just evicted.
The Ugly...
  • A customer spitting on me...luckily she just hit my shoes...
  • A customer cutting up her credit card and flinging the bits at my associate...
  • Don't ask me about the "presents" that we have discovered in the fitting rooms...
  • ...or in San Francisco elevator...
Although it may seem like the Bad and the Ugly outweigh the good, they don't. It's just that they seem like they are more memorable. In fact, I had to do some major pondering before they popped into my head. These have occurred in the span of over 20 years in the retail industry.

My days are actually filled with great little moments...
  • Watching the smile appear on a very stressed sign leader whose day was going horribly. All it took was telling her that she was doing a great job...and she was and still is!
  • Laughing with a senior citizen customer as she tells me her day...
  • Having an "up and comer" tell me he will deliver the goods when I challenge him...and he will!
  • A relative new hire lighting up when we offer her a promotion, because she is doing an awesome job.
  • A customer stopping me to tell me what a great Home sales associate I have.
Yeah I love my job...so what the Hell did I do today?!!!

posted by LoneCactus @ 6:55 AM Comments: 0