If Your Customer Gives You $20,000, Try Not To Make Them Cry

   Yesterday, a friend and I went out to empty all of the public garbage cans in our business district. A local not for profit sponsors them, and our volunteers maintain them. I don't wear my best outfits for this task, as I tend to end up with some gross stuff on my clothes. Torn jeans, old t-shirt, my husband's work jacket, no make-up, bad hair - that's my garbageman outfit. While we were emptying the garbage cans, a neighbor came up with her dog, so of course I dropped everything and became best friends with the dog. Because dogs.

I dropped everything.

I dropped my phone.

I asked it later if it would work, and it said no.

So, I blew up my phone and I freaked out. I own a couple of businesses. I'm heavily involved in community organizations. I freelance. I'm on my phone pretty much all of the time.

I drove to one Sprint store - closed for the day (Sunday). I drove to the other Sprint store and got there at 5:01. They close at 5:00. I didn't really know where else to go, and it's not like I could use my phone to call anyone. 

The store was locked, but there were still employees and customers inside. I waved a little bit to see if I could motion that I just had a question. The employees looked at me and then ignored me. One of them was counting money, so I figured I'd wait until she was done and try again. She finished - I tried again. She looked at me, and then ignored me again.

Completely frustrated, I went back to my car, figuring I would just drive to the next Sprint location and see if they were open. And then I decided I would try one last time. I went back to the door of the store and knocked and tried to mouth that I just had a quick question and showed them my phone.

The girl who had ignored me twice looked at her co-worker, rolled her eyes, looked at me like I was a crazy person and came to the door.

Turns out, glass is transparent and I CAN TOTALLY SEE YOU ROLLING YOUR EYES AT ME,LADY.

"Hi - I'm sorry, I know you're closed, I just have a question - is there anywhere I can buy this phone tonight?"

"I don't know. Maybe you should try Best Buy." And she closed the door on me.

Here's the thing. I've been with Sprint for over 15 years. My bill averages $100 a month. I've probably spent $100 a year in accessories/upgrades/etc. So over the course of 15 years, I've given Sprint nearly $20,000. 

That's a new car, you guys. That's a years worth of mortgage payments.

That's over 4,000 pints of Ben &Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream. 

Basically - it's a lot of money

Maybe it was the clothes I was wearing. Maybe she was tired. Maybe, Sprint employees are prohibited from being helpful to customers once the clock strikes 5:00. I don't know what the answer is. What I do know is, when I think about where I want to spend my extremely limited income, I know I don't want to spend it with people who roll their eyes at me and slam doors in my face. 

I ended up going to Best Buy, where they were incredibly helpful, personable, funny and provided an overall great experience. I spent far more money than I would have liked, but I have a working phone, and I'll probably never step foot in a Sprint store again. 

A lot of people will say - "well, that's big business. You need what they have, and they're too big to fail." I don't necessarily believe that's true, but I know a lot of big businesses don't appear to care that much for customer service. What's really surprising is when small businesses do the same thing.

Approximately 50% of small businesses fail within 5 years, due to a variety of reasons. Although customer service isn't generally cited as one of these reasons, losing customers because of bad experiences is certainly a contributing factor. And the thing is - a lot of customers won't even tell you they had a bad experience. They'll just stop coming back.

I've managed small businesses for most of my life, and have owned my own for several years. My customer service isn't always spot on, but I think it's one of the most important aspects of running a business, and something that should always be evaluated and improved upon. When I think about what I want as a customer, and what I hope I provide to my own customers, I think about the following:

1.) The customers that don't spend a lot matter just as much as the customers who do. A bar I used to manage had a customer who came in three times a week and just drank soda. Three of them each night, three times a week, at $3 each. He tipped about 50 cents per drink. The bartenders hated him. On the other hand, they loved the guy who came in a couple of times a year and spent $150 and tipped them $20. The "big spender" spent $390 a year in that bar. The "jerk" who only drinks soda spent $546. Every customer matters, and some matter more than you think they do.

2.) Bad online reviews are a gift. If you're screwing up, most people won't tell you, but they'll tell everyone else. Be grateful for the people who are giving you the opportunity to do better. Respond to their concerns. Promise to give them a better experience the next time they come in, and then live up to that promise. Even though this reviewer says he won't be able to come back, it mattered that the company tried to make it right, and he shared that experience publicly.

3.) Sometimes good customers have bad days. In my case above, I wasn't dressed in my best clothes and was more than a little stressed out. However, I was still polite, and I was still a customer. Sometimes your kid throws ice cream in your hair right when you remember you have to pick up dinner at the grocery store. Sometimes you spill coffee on your cream sweater on the way to the vet. Sometimes you have a horrible day at your muddy construction job and you just want a beer. Customers don't need to dress the part in order for you to take care of them. I get my nice clothes from the thrift store and that muddy construction guy is probably going to spend a lot more money than me. Treat all of your customers well (even if you have to politely tell them that you're closed).

4.) Spending money on things we don't need is a luxury. I don't have a lot of disposable income, and neither do most people I know. If we decide to go out to dinner or buy a new pair of shoes or see a movie, it's a treat and we'd really like the whole experience to be great. A rude server or salesperson can take all the joy out of the luxury you decided to reward yourself with, and will certainly make you think twice about spending money with them again.  If you're selling what people don't need, then they don't ever have to come back to you. Make every bit of their experience worth the time and money they're spending with you, so they'll tell other people about it, and keep coming back.

5.) But actually - customers aren't always right and they can't always get their way. Providing good customer service doesn't mean giving every customer exactly what they want, whenever they want it. We recently had a group of customers who insisted that they were going to tell everyone how bad our business was and never come back again unless we stopped working with a certain company. I apologized for what they perceived as a bad experience, but would not agree to terminate our relationship with the company in question. The vast majority of our customers loved the company, their work with us vastly increased our sales, and we didn't feel that the issue that prompted the anger warranted such an extreme reaction - our business would have taken a hit had we ended our relationship. We were polite and apologetic with the angry customers, but at the end of the day we lost them because we would not do what they demanded. That's ok. You can't have all of the customers, all of the time - be as polite and accommodating as you can while doing what's best for your business, and maybe they'll come back in the future.

6.) People just want you to be nice to them. Say hello when they walk in. Ask them if they need anything, and if they don't, tell them where you'll be if they do.  If you're out of what they want, apologize and offer them something comparable. If you mess up - own it and offer to fix it. Compliment them. Ask how their day is going. If they don't seem in the mood to talk, give them their space. Make jokes. Treat your customers like you would treat your friends. By the time I left the Sprint store, I was having a really bad day. When I finally went to Best Buy to try and get a phone, I was on the verge of tears. I stood in the middle of the phone section like an idiot, just staring blankly at the phones and praying that mine would somehow just start working again. I was immediately approached by a staff member and over the next hour the four people I ended up working with at Best Buy were polite and funny and helpful. We ate Starburst together (which I bought at Best Buy because we started talking about candy and it turns out, we all love candy and Starburst is the best) and told jokes and instead of crying, I just laughed a lot. I bought extra things. I wanted to buy even more things, just because I was being treated so well. I switched my insurance plan from Sprint to Best Buy, because at that point...I hated Sprint and I was in love with Best Buy.

People like to feel appreciated and cared for - no one wants to pay for the experience of being ignored and dismissed and guess what? They probably won't pay for that in the future.

The Sprint store closed as I pulled into the parking lot, but it would have taken about 3 minutes to politely open the door, explain that they were closed, ask if there was anything they could help me with, answer my question, told me when they were open next, and invited me to come back then, so they could help me. It's not much, and in the end, the store could have kept me as a customer instead of inspiring this blog post.

I'd love to hear your customer service stories, tips and tricks! What do you hate? What do you love? Share in the comments!

The Pitfalls (and Pit Stains) of Thrifting

Approximately once a year, I'll go and buy myself 2 new pairs of jeans, a couple pairs of shoes, some new underwear and if the gods are smiling, a new bra (because bra shopping is the worst, right?) Other than those "luxuries", I generally prefer to shop at thrift stores. I get a great selection, I don't spend a lot of money, and there's usually some box full of weirdness that will make a good story to tell over drinks later.

(original image source not available)

Of course, thrifting is not without it's challenges. Here's my personal list of the seven deadly sins of thrift store items and how to deal with them...or how to ignore them.

1.) Armpit stains.

Armpit stains are the worst, especially when you didn't realize they were there. Whenever you're looking at something in the thrift store, hold it in the lightest part of the store, and check the armpits. Although there are some methods for removing stains that sometimes work, there's no guarantee. My personal feeling is that it's usually not worth the hassle of trying to remove the stains, so I just don't bother with these clothes. I've spent hours trying to remove armpit stains on a shirt I paid a dollar for.

I don't do that anymore. Our time is valuable and that's stupid. Really, really stupid.

If I accidentally do end up with a shirt with armpit stains, I donate it back (maybe someone else is up to the task!) or I try to use the fabric for another project.

2.) General stains (skirts, folds)

I love giant circle skirts but it seems like once a year I end up picking a skirt that's hiding a giant stain in the folds.

I loved this dress so much. 

I did not love the giant bleach spot on the left hip.  Thankfully, I ended up selling it to someone who could be creative with a good dress gone bad...

She applied some flower appliques and it turned out beautifully!

Big skirts or any piece of clothing that has a lot of folds in the fabric should be spread out and inspected for holes and stains. Otherwise you run the real risk of sitting at home, crying into a pile of clothing, thinking about how much cake you could have bought with the money you spent at the thrift store on a dirty dress.


3.) Dry Clean Only

I actively avoid purchasing "dry clean only" clothing. Lots of people have different reasons for not wanting to dry clean their clothes but mine are pretty simple - I don't have that much money. I need clothes that I can throw in the washer and either hang to dry or throw them in the dryer. Dry cleaning doesn't fit into my schedule and it definitely doesn't fit into my budget.

No. Just...no.

The few pieces that I do have that are labeled "dry clean only" get the Dryel treatment. Basically, it's a bag that you throw your clothes and what looks like a wet wipe into, throw the whole thing in the dryer, and it freshens up your clothes. It's pretty much amazing. Eventually, dry clean only stuff does need to go to the dry cleaner. But if I can push it off for a while with Dryel, I'm absolutely going to do that. Because money and time.

4.) Moth holes

Moth holes are the worst. They're so teeny tiny that you don't even realize that they're there until it's too late. If you're looking at sweaters or anything that's made out of wool, take it to a window and hold it up and turn it around. The light will shine through any holes in the fabric. If it's lined, try to push the lining out of the way. The light won't shine through the lining because something about solid objects and light and physics or something...


5.) Broken zippers

Zippers should be tested a couple of times. You can always replace a zipper if you're really committed to a piece, but if you're not that great at sewing (like me), it's pretty much a giant pain in the ass. I have sewn a zipper into a dress exactly one time and that's because it was my wedding dress and I was replacing approximately one million buttons. Nobody needs that many buttons on a dress, especially on their wedding day.

I put a zipper in this all by myself. I cried the entire time, and kept stabbing myself with needles, but I finished it and it totally worked and I got married in this thing.

Anyway - I don't like replacing zippers, I don't want to replace zippers, so I check for broken zippers.

6.) Separating Seams, Loose Threads

Separating seams and loose stitching doesn't really bother me - they're generally easy repairs as long as the integrity of the fabric has held up. If the fabric is fraying to the point that it's unraveled past where the original seam was, it might not be worth fixing for the average person. If you can't follow the original seam, you might end up altering the shape of the clothing item and when you wear it you're going to be a "fashion don't."

I was a "fashion don't" for most of my life - trust me, you don't want to be in that club.

Check the seams and flip the item inside out. If it's some loose threads and the fabric is still good, it's an easy fix - usually less than 5 minutes. If it's falling apart and there's a giant hole in the middle, just walk away and don't look back. You have better things to do with your time and money.

7.) Wrong size

I don't try clothes on at thrift stores. I like thrifting, and used clothes don't bother me in the slightest bit. However, I like to wash them before I try them on because I get the creeps when I think about pulling potentially dirty clothes over my hair.

Right. I'm not weird about potentially dirty clothes touching my body, I'm weird about potentially dirty clothes touching my hair. I don't even know what that means. It doesn't even make sense. I didn't even wash my hair today.

It's like not letting the peas touch the mashed potatoes, even though you're going to eat the peas AND the mashed potatoes.

It's weird but it's true, so I don't try on clothes at thrift stores. I also don't try on clothes at other stores. Even new clothes have been tried on by a bunch of people, so the same weird phobia applies.

Of course, not trying on clothes leads to all sorts of sizing issues.

The most important thing to remember is not to trust the labels. Thrift stores are carrying clothing from every decade, from a huge variety of designers, from different cultures, from all across the world. There is no universal size chart when it comes to shopping at thrift stores.

My thrift store size is size 4 to size 2x. I'm currently wearing size 6 jeans with a 1x top. I also took this picture in a bathroom and yes, I felt kind of stupid, but I did it for you. 

Because I love you. And because labels are stupid and don't always tell the truth. (pictures also don't always tell the truth - I totally photoshopped the garbage can out of this picture because it looked like a growth on my butt)

If you can't try clothes on because you're a weirdo like me, hold things up to your body in a mirror, open the waist, open the chest area, check the fabric for stretch, and only trust the size if it's a label you're familiar with.

If you do end up buying something and taking it home and finding that it's absolutely not going to work out for you, use the fabric or donate it back. Your trash is almost sure to be someone else's treasure. 

Hopefully somebody who can sew.

Five Dollar Friday

I don't have kids, but I do have dogs. Lots of dogs. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that nearly every outfit, pair of shoes, cute hair thingy, whatever, is going to, at some point, get chewed on, slobbered on, slept on, hidden and/or get coated in dog hair that will never ever come off, no matter how hard I try.

So it's probably understandable that I'm a bit reluctant to spend too much money on clothes. After all, we're probably not going to be together for that long anyway.

But jeans and an old t-shirt doesn't really scream "I'm totally a professional, you guys" so much as it says "I'm really tired and didn't even realize there was spaghetti sauce on my boob."


So - Five Dollar Fridays. Where I take $5.00 pieces of clothing and/or accessories and try to make myself look like someone who doesn't regularly have dog slobber in her hair and spaghetti sauce on her boob.

This is a three piece, 1960's cotton blend, pencil skirt/top/jacket set. Five bucks at a local thrift store. (jacket not pictured)

I wore this to work on Saturday night. The shirt buttons up the back, so I needed a little help putting it on. The skirt zips up the back. I accomplished that part all by myself. True story.

This is the part at work where I'm supposed to be washing dishes but instead I hid myself in this closet instead. And got busted.

This is my "model face." Basically, I look at things that aren't there and I think about ice cream. I made the necklace I'm wearing. The pendant is made from a spoon that has an art deco theme. My husband cut it for me with some fancy tool that he hides out in "husband land" and I drilled a hole through it and hung it on a chain. The spoon cost a quarter.

"Do you guys think they have that Paris Hilton song in here?"

After I finished blowing off washing the dishes, I rewarded myself with a Black Russian with a cherry on top, for a shift well done. The glass is vintage, 1960's, and we bought a set of 8 for $2.00 for the bar.

Jessica's Modified Black Russian Recipe

Ice

1.5 oz Kahlua

.5 oz Vodka

A splash of cola

A cherry

Maybe another cherry

Put it in a cool glass and act all fancy

Throwback Thursday - Diane Von Furstenberg

With Diane Von Furstenberg's new show "House of DVF" premiering on E! this week, it's only fitting that this week's "Throwback Thursday" should feature this style icon.

Ms. Von Furstenberg made a name for herself in the 1970's, with a jersey wrap dress that became so popular, it quickly sold over a million pieces. The mad rush to acquire these dresses is understandable - they're insanely comfortable, easy to wear and really flattering. Currently, you can find  DVF wrap dresses for around $335 online and new. However, if you don't have an extra $300 lying around but you can still splurge just a little bit, a vintage DVF wrap dress averages around $100 on Etsy.

The success of the DVF wrap dress led to an incredible amount of success - clothing, cosmetics, fragrances, sunglassses, luggage and even a publishing house.

In 2012 Diane was named the most powerful woman in fashion by Forbes and today, the DVF brand is sold in 55 countries and has 98 shops worldwide.

"The truth is, my religion is truth," Diane tells us. "That's what I practice. And it's a big job to practice truth. But if you do it every day, it's like pruning a tree, it's wonderful." - Diane Von Furstenberg

"I always wanted to be a femme fatale. Even when I was a young girl, I never really wanted to be a girl. I wanted to be a woman." - Diane Von Furstenberg

"You can have a good time and still empower women. My mission in life is to empower women..." - Diane Von Furstenberg

"Be yourself, not an imitation" - Diane Von Furstenberg

Web Wanderlust

Everything I obsessed over while wandering the web this week...

First, let's just put the most important thing I found in my internet travels out here first: Unicorn Cake Pops. Let's make these immediately, ok?

   Unicorn cake pops via Bakerella (There's minions in there, too. 

Basically, cake pops of every shape and size imaginable)

We could eat these while wearing this amazing skirt...

Skirt via Chicwish.

And we can listen to Mary Lambert... 

...because Mary Lambert is absolutely wonderful.

Here's everywhere else I went on the web this week:

Business tips

Does too much positivity derail you from your goals? Maybe.

5 traits that all successful entrepreneurs have.

3 tips to become wildly more productive.


Self care

Winter is Coming (take care of your skin!)

...but don't neglect your hair.

8 reasons we should stop complaining about getting older.


Fashion

In defense of not wearing high heels.

Winter layering fashion essentials


Food

Easy Chicken Parmesan Casserole

10 Great Soup Recipes for Winter


Other stuff

How to look good in every photo