Getting the Right Word Out!

I was at a client’s shop this morning when I got a bad feeling of déjà vu!

The story starts, about a year ago, at what used to be my favorite Hobby Store. It was great going there, getting away from the day’s issues to play a few games and talk to my buddies including the owner. Then things changed! Ever time you walked into the store the owner would start to complain. Little things at first. Orders were being shipped to him late. Vendors started to raise their prices. In all still a great place to get away….

Somehow the bitching started. Taxes were too high! No one could afford to live in New Jersey. It started to get depressing listen to him but “the guys” were still great to talk to. So it was still a good place to go….

Then the real bitching began! Customers started bitching that all the owner did was bitch, so some of them stopped coming. This caused the owner to bitch about losing customers and blaming everything and everybody but himself. This caused more of his customer to go elsewhere which caused him to bitch even more and louder!

It got so bad that one time I stopped in on my way to the bank to grab a quick snack (one of the cool things about the Hobby Store) and the owner was speaking with good buddy of his. He was bitching about the states of affairs in New Jersey politics when another customer can up with an arm full of models and paints and placed them on the counter with a credit card on top. Instead of helping the customer who was trying to pay, he keep up the bitching with his buddy…. And the paying customer? Well he got tired of waiting to spend his money so he picked up his credit card and walked out the store. You guessed it! This caused the owner to get even louder in his complaining that he hates it when people to that to him… Go figure?! Well I have seen that happen to him twice. After the second time of listening to him bitch about it I stopped going to his store and now go to a Game Store 20 minutes further south to spend my money!!!!

Now the déjà vu part.

I was sitting in a little coffee shop this morning when that owner mentioned that he was under staffed and there was a large party outside. I suggested that he could serve me after everyone else as I was not in a hurry. As more customers came in his casual mentioning turned into complaining….

When those customers left he was in the back preparing an order when another lady walked in. She had her money out, for her cup of coffee, but no one was helping her. She waited a minute and even before I could mention to her that the owner was in the back she picked up her money and went down the street to the next coffee shop! Déjà vu all over.

Now what do you thing this lady mentioned to her friends later in the day? What great service she got? It was a pleasure doing business with that coffee shop?

Remember people talk!!! Make sure you get the right word out!