Shopowners — Little Things Mean Alot!

Updated June 6, 2023.

It becomes increasingly important that shopowners consider the small things they can do to improve the customer service they offer. I visit needlepoint shops wherever I go and my experience has been varied, to say the least. I’m not the only stitcher who does this. My experiences, both good and bad, have made me realize that there are so many small things shopowners can do to make things great for the people who come in, especially if they are visitors to the area.

And, let’s face it, people will come to your shop this summer from other areas, even if you don’t live in a tourist “trap.”

Directions Do you have a sheet of paper with clear, understandable directions, laminated and near the phone? Many people, give poor directions. Get ones, write them down, and put them by the phone. Even if you use Google Maps for them, ask everyone at the shop to use them. Do not rely only on those little thumbnail maps that you can add from Google; they are useless to anyone who is not very familiar with the area. Include written directions and helpful hints) such as “We are the green building behind the Chinese restaurant.”).

I was visiting a shop while on vacation but the directions I was given over the phone were so bad that even though I knew the town, I could not find the place initially. Even when I got to the shopping center where the shop was located, the directions were bad. It sounded as if the name of the shopping center was prominent — it wasn’t. It sounded as if there was a two-story building in front of it — there wasn’t. I did find the shop but only because I wasn’t in a hurry. If I had been, I would have left without visiting the shop.

Dining This may sound dumb, but do you have a list of area restaurants at the cash register? No matter where you are, people may want to eat after visiting your shop. Can everyone in your shop tell them where to go? These days you should add to this list information about dining options and days open. Knowing this is so helpful to visitors, even if they are locals. If there are plenty of restaurants nearbu ask your staff to list their favorites.

Canvases Like most stitchers I know, I like to get small canvases to remind me of the place I visit. I like them to have a theme that will remind me of the place. Most places have something like this, some more than others. Do you have some, are they always in stock? So many designers these. days make travel and destination canvases. A unique item characteristic of your area will attract sales from visitors; every shop should have some.

I went into a shop while on vacation and I was looking for this kind of canvas. I can think of at least ten canvases with the theme for the area off the top of my head, and I know there are more than this. The shop had none of them and seemed surprised by the request. This was in spite of the fact that it was the biggest tourist week of the year and that this is an annual occurrence. Just a bit of forethought on the shopowner’s part could have brought these items in. Packaged as a kit for this week would get repeat customers from the visitors.

I went in planning to buy a project for the plane and I wanted to buy it kitted so I could work on it on the plane. I finally found something that kind of works, but even then, the owner and the employee were of no help. I could easily have walked out and a sale would have been lost.

Yes, this casual customer isn’t the heart of your business, but it’s an easy sale to make. I won’t go back there again, even though I will be in that town again. I also will not recommend it to others. Even locals will buy these canvases. I have plenty of canvases of home & I give them as ornaments to one of my daughters.

Threads Your stock of threads may be large or small, but you and all your employees should know the basics. The employee at the above-mentioned store didn’t know where to find black Anchor floss and there was no a color card. She looked through all the drawers. I can do that myself. I ask for help because I want someone who knows more than me. There is absolutely no excuse for shop staff not to know where basic inventory can be found. I wasn’t looking for either an obscure thread or an uncommon color. That is why I was so shocked by the employee’s lack of knowledge.

Conclusion

The only two of these items that tie up any inventory dollars are the canvases and threads. Every other item is one that uses items and knowledge the shopowner has or can get easily. But had they been present, many unpleasant experiences at shops would be good and even casual tourists would return when back i the area.

BUT this isn’t rocket science; this is good basic customer service.

Wouldn’t we buy more and wouldn’t we be happier if shops paid attention to these things? With the difficult economic times this past year we have gotten used to shopping online and using our stashes. This makes doing these small things to enhance the in-person experience even more important. If I can shop online, in my PJs, and get good customer service — why should I come into your shop to have a bad experience?