Every morning after I drop my children off, like many of you, I stop by the coffee shop for my sugar-filled fuel before heading to work. I live in San Diego so I have a lot of options. And while there is one major coffeehouse chain right down the street from me, I often find myself going a little bit farther to a locally owned cafe for my daily fix.
It costs about a dollar more, and it is worth every penny. Not only do I get a specially crafted Mexican mocha, the barista also makes a heart design out of the steamed oat milk she pours into my drink. The staff and owner all know me by name and I know them. We talk about kids, work, the weather, the day ahead and more. I leave there feeling heard and special. I am in a pleasant mood, perfect for talking to seaside retailers and wholesalers that I encounter in my day-to-day work.
My coffee-shop experience is the kind of thing that Tom Borg frequently talks about in his Customers Count column in Seaside Retailer, and it’s also the type of experience you should aspire to in your seaside store.
People have many choices about where they spend their dollars, and it would be easy for them to just do what is the most convenient or the least expensive. But you have the opportunity to convince them that your particular store is worth the trip.
"Don’t discount the impression your staff makes on your guests and how it affects your business."
I have such great memories going downtown on Friday nights with my father in the small town I grew up in of Warren, Pennsylvania. We’d make the rounds, popping in and out of the clothing stores, the drug store, the variety store, the card store and the discount store seeing what each one had to offer. All the store clerks knew my dad and enjoyed making small talk with him. Then we’d cap off our night at the local cafe. I’d have a hot chocolate brimming with whipped cream and my father would have a coffee. It was really so special.
Looking back at those times now, it wasn’t so much the merchandise that brought us to those stores, but it was the people who greeted us with a smile. Don’t discount the impression your staff makes on your guests and how it affects your business. For my father, and still for me to this day, it is the tie-breaking decision that makes someone want to come through your store’s door and not just settle for the most convenient option.
