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Keep Edmonton Original
By P. BiddyWhat happened to the 80s?
Can we bring back this simple time? Now, I don’t want to bring back leg warmers or ICE Mist and definitely never want to see MC Hammer pants again in our lifetime.
BUT: Remember lemonade stands? How about Road Hockey? When did we start to fear our neighbors? Can we go back to shaking hands and doing business with the locals, and knowing that where you do business matters – to the businesses and to us?
And what about good customer service – where did that go? We all know the scenarios, and yet we seem willing to put up with it: being totally ignored by three staff, all of whom are too busy loudly dissing a colleague; being treated like we’ve personally insulted the clerk when we tell them we’re just browsing; being told by serving staff what they can’t do for us – and what they expect for a tip – in the same breath; asking for an item in a store, only to be shown where it is ... but not where the forklift operator is who could get it for us. And how about returning something to “customer service” – the first place to go if you want to feel like an inconvenience!
First store – Retail.
We walk in and an individual acknowledges us, “Hi, how are you today?”
We respond with, “Fine thanks, we’re just looking.” Our tone was friendly.
The individual responds with, “I didn’t ask you to buy anything.” In a tone… well let’s just say my mother wouldn’t allow me to talk to her in this tone.
An example of a sensible customer service would’ve been: “Great, have a look around and if you have any questions, please let me know.” (Insert a genuine tone here). Tone does matter so please feel free to practice your tone – this is not a sales message but it is important for all interactions.
Second store – Hospitality
The scenario: A group of ladies – we have a table of eight.
Okay, you see a group of ladies and you should already know high maintenance. It is not okay but a fact of life. Just so you know they believe they have this right.
Everyone orders their meal and the third person to order asks, “Is it okay if we get separate bills?”
The server responds with, “We can’t do that but we have a calculator.”
Once the server walked away, the ladies all commented on how rude this was. The server probably had no idea that they thought this. Especially because the next comment by the server was, “we add a 15% gratuity to all tables over six.”
Sure, everyone wants to leave a good tip but not everyone can do the math it requires. Some don’t even know the going rate is 20%. It would be nice even just to have a total for each person handwritten on a piece of paper. Sure, technology doesn’t always work in our favor but can we not be a little more accommodating?
Third store – Retail.
“Excuse me, can you tell me where the hood fans are? I need this model number and was wondering if you have any.” We had the model number and a brochure to assist us in finding this.
The customer service representative points up to the shelf that is at least 15 feet in the air and says, “It’s right there.” And then walks away.
Are you kidding me? What am I to do now? After I laughed out loud, I located the nearest exit. I was actually quite frustrated and couldn’t wait to share my story. I told everyone I knew of my experience and never once mentioned the company name. I refuse to advertise for someone due to their poor service. Everyone assumed they knew who it was. And it was them.
I once believed that my dissatisfaction with how companies do business today stemmed from growing up in the 80s, when economics dictated that a business had to care about and for its customers to keep them. But now I think otherwise; it might be because we care more for the best deal, without considering the real cost of that choice in other ways. We want more for less – and less is what we’re getting.
Ok, so we all complain, and we all hate it. What are we going to actually do about it?
How about changing where we spend our money? If we want businesses to be responsive to our needs, perhaps it’s important to support businesses that need us. That’s right – it’s a reciprocal investment, and we’re partly to blame for what we get and how we’re treated.
I can guarantee you -- and I don’t guarantee a lot of things -- that if you support your local, independent business owner you will receive great customer service, and a whole lot more. The local independent business in your community relies on your business and wants you to know they appreciate you. They cannot compete with the prices the larger companies can obtain, but still compete in so many other ways, because they love what they do. I encourage you to support local independent businesses – when you next go shopping, try an original local business, and discover why we can all be proud to live and shop local!
Remember lemonade stands? How about Road Hockey? When did we start to fear our neighbors? Can we go back to shaking hands and doing business with the locals, and knowing that where you do business matters.
Keep Edmonton Original
an interview with jessie radies1. Who is Jessie Radies?
I am a restaurateur; I have been in the business for over 20 years. I am a businesswoman; I have owned the Blue Pear Restaurant with my husband for the last 8 years. I am the mom of two little girls, 4 & 6, and I am an inner city resident, having lived in Norwood for over 15 years. I am a farm girl; I grew up in southern Alberta. I am an Edmontonian, and I love this city, but I also think it could be so much better. I am a creative problem solver. I am also an optimist, even if it does not always seem like it. I have been told, “it won’t work” and “you are crazy” more times than I can count, and the people that say it are usually wrong.
2. What is Keep Edmonton Original? (KEO)
Keep Edmonton Original is a grass roots program for local and independent businesses. The key goal is to start educating consumers on the benefits of having local and independent businesses in our city; and the power that citizens have to shape our city through what they buy, what they wear, what they eat, where they shop, and how they live.
3. Why Edmonton? How does KEO benefit Edmonton residents?
Edmonton is my home – I have lived here for years – and maybe living in the inner city gives me a slightly different perspective on our city. Homelessness, prostitution and the impact of drugs are a daily fact of life in my neighbourhood. I know that thriving local independent business culture is a very effective tool to help reduce poverty and increase the size of the middle class. It is also a very effective way to ensure charities and non-profits have a good base from which to draw for support to do their good work.
Keep Edmonton Original is not trying to make local business owners rich. It is not trying to get our citizens to shop more. It is trying to make the connection between where we shop and what we buy to what our community looks like. The desire behind Keep Edmonton Original is to create a more sustainable, prosperous, equitable community for everyone. We know that when business owners reside within a community, a couple of critical things happen. First, the decisions they make around their businesses impact the community in a different way.; when you live in the city you operate in, you care about the impact of those decisions. Second, more money is spent in the local economy. Business profits are spent here, business services are sourced here, and it is more likely that local products and supply lines are sourced here.
4. How does one become a part of KEO and what are the criteria for membership?
Membership in Keep Edmonton Original is by application; You can sign up online or we can send you an application; submit your membership fee with the form.
The operation needs to have a minimum of 51% local ownership, independent decision making capacity, and less than 6 locations.
5. Is it just for independent, local Edmonton Business?
We define business in pretty broad terms; members can be corporations with local ownership and local decision making, businesses with sole proprietors, unique, Edmonton based non profits, artists, musicians or farmers that rely on Edmonton as their main market. We would not exclude businesses from surrounding communities, but if there was enough interest from an outlying area, we would probably try to get them to start their own branding campaign. We just started one called Eat Local First for farmers, food processors, independent restaurants and local independent grocery stores.
6. Does Keep Edmonton Original exclude franchise businesses?
Our program does. We need our members to have the capacity to make autonomous decisions. Franchises are usually bound by a franchise agreement that lays out much of their purchasing. That said, given the choice of patronizing a franchise or a corporate chain, I will choose the franchise. Most have local ownership and do a great job of supporting the community. I would guess that franchises have a larger local economic impact per dollar spent than corporate chains.
7. How can we all help keep Edmonton original?
Think about where you spend your money, and try and shift some of your spending closer to home. Ask yourself – who am I giving my money to and what are they going to do with it? Is there an owner that I can see and meet, and that lives here too? Are they my neighbour? Spending more money in the Edmonton-based businesses will keep that money in the community; Whether you are purchasing local goods direct from producers or at local/independent stores, it all makes a huge difference.
I am not saying you can never go to a big box store or the mall again –just hit 124 Street, Whyte and 118 Avenues as well! Instead of making every coffee from your favorite multinational, find a neighbourhood coffee shop and buy a pound there; we have some great ones. Next time you buy a magazine look for a local one, and get it at a local newsstand. Hit an independent restaurant. Instead of a big corporate grocery store, Go to the farmers market or find a farmer and buy direct, or go to a local independent grocery store. Need a book? Go to an independent book store. We are already spending the money, but by making the simple choice to spend more of it locally we can change our community, and actively support its diversity and growth.
9. Is there anything else you would like to share at this time?
There is always something else... .
We are already spending the money, but by making the simple choice to spend more of it locally we can change our community, and actively support its diversity and growth.