Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Looking out from within

OK. The sale is over. Now we are in the midst of getting the shop ready for the ski season. We meet two or three days a week. Martin gets busy all day in the back. Gary is available to work the weekends when we are officially open. I am in the office about 1/2 of the time and spend the rest downstairs. John gets most day to day stuff (customers popping in randomly or by appointment)done plus his ongoing projects. John is great about doing whatever needs done. And he can do anything. He knows all the procedures. He can fix what is broken. He also knows what I would do and he does it that way. Keep in mind that what John and I would do may be very different. That's a good employee. And a good friend.
Anyway, I ramble as well as deviate from my "ramblings", so we should move on. The point is that we are staying busy. I figured this to be the dog days as it usually is. Between the sale and the snow there is a lull, and I was looking to take advantage of it.
Well- so much for thoughts of bike rides and golf. The "to do" list is staying well ahead of the "done" list. I think at this point I will announce a few more days of "open for business" each week. We are officially open weekends 10-6. If we need to be at the shop two additional days each week, why not be open for business? The shop may be messy for "retail" as we receive our steady stream of goods, but I think we can benefit. Heck, we are averaging about $1500 in sales daily when we show up on weekdays right now, so why not just say OK, this is our schedule?
Oh, and the Parking Lot Sale went great. We grossed more in sales than any previous year. By a lot. So thanks! I again need to thank Christian, Gabe, and the rest of the "cast of thousands". In addition to our regular staff, they make these bigger events happen without degrading the expertise and/or customer service that I will not compromise. Also our sales reps that helped out. Thanks Reps! If the sale is indicative of how sales will be this year, we are looking good!
On the home front, I am once again without child. Jennifer worked through the sale and we drove her back up to Eugene this last weekend. This year she is out of the dorms and into an apartment. She and her room mates were SO excited to have their own place. It is all so grown up! Now she needs to nail down a job. She wants to work at Bergs ski shop. Bergs was named top shop in the Northwest by the sales reps. We visited and they seem very similar in approach to our shop here. Just bigger and with snowboards too. The employees she spoke to last spring thought she would be a lock to get a job there, but she has not gotten much response to her job application. "Time to start being a pest" was my advice!
So we continue to prep for snowfall. Then it is hunker down and get it done time. Between now and then, I need to do some hiring and we will have our staff training ongoing throughout October. Time is flying by and we will be skiing before we know it. Meanwhile, I will take a shower and then I am off to work. My shorter term goals (today's list) are to get the Mountain Hardware shipment received and tagged, call Orage about being shorted a jacket on the order we got in yesterday, catch up on mail, order printer paper and other supplies, finalize the proof for the new shop stickers, coordinate with Erik Boone about getting the press back into the shop, etc. until it is time to go home again. Then tomorrow will be more of the same. Lather, rinse, repeat!