Cermak Family Aquatic Center - Family Swim Season Begins.

Cermak Family Aquatic Center rules Sarah's weekend with great customer service and FREEBIES

We were off on family bike trips this weekend.  One trip took us to Cermak Woods, off of Ogden and the Cermak Family Aquatic Center.  

Their opening day for the season was Saturday.  And my daughter was pretty keen that after our bike trip we go all the way back home and return to hit the water center.  It is a fun spot. I for sure wasn't interested in making the return trip after our bike ride though.

To humor her, I told to find out what time they opened on Sunday so we could come back.  I followed right behind her so I could double check her info. 

1.  The man at the counter was SUPER DEE DUPER friendly.  (Casual - not creepy friendly - just a nice guy)   

2. He says, "well you know today we are free - our opening day is free." 

3. And when you come we give you this free ID holder. 

We went home, unloaded the bikes and went back.  The kids got these great chotchky's, temporary tattoos and we had a blast.  And it wasn't even crowded.  

Now the great news is that when we did go back on Sunday (because it is just that fun after a hot bike ride) it was only $13.00 for our whole family.  YEP just $13.00 for all of us.  And that includes the Lazy River, family changing room if we needed it, showers, private changing areas - and a super clean facility. 

It's why I have gone every summer since we discovered it.   Why I love this little spot that is cheap, never crowded and safe.  

 I didn't buy an Oak Park pool pass this year.  I'm not sure if it is cost, or lack of a facility like this, but I didn't. Heck with working full time, the kids having swim lessons and our membership at the YMCA, a pool pass for the few times we might have time on the weekends just isn't worth it to us.  At least not this year.  

Friday Faves

Eh - it's Friday before Memorial Day - these gals are taking an extended weekend.   Have a good one.  Grill Local. 

TEEN "FOCUS GROUP" APPROACH AT SARAH'S INN

Cathy respects the Sarah's Inn Teen Advisory Project - a kind of nonprofit focus group

Full disclosure:  I am riffing off an article and photo in this week's Triblocal and I am closely connected to the two organizations I am highlighting - Sarah's Inn and OPRFHS.  That said, there IS a business point to be made - I promise!

The setup:  Sarah's Inn is a nonprofit in Oak Park committed to ending domestic violence.  It offers a wide range of services for victims (including crisis support and shelter), advocates for policy change and promotes prevention and awareness programs.  They are a quiet, but strong agency that serves many more local community members than you might care to imagine.

(Thanks to Triblocal and Sarah's Inn for the photo of the Teen Advisory Project cast members)

The event:  Tonight, Thursday May 24, Sarah's Inn will be premiering a short film that raises awareness about teen dating violence.  The movie was conceived and created by Oak Park River Forest High School students.  The students are the actors, directors and writers.  Open Door Theatre at 903 S. Ridgeland is hosting the 7:30 - 9:00pm event and Marion Street Cheese Market is providing snacks.  The premiere is free, though donations are appreciated.  Please attend if you can.  You are supporting both Sarah's Inn and these talented and philanthropic OPRF students.

The "best practices" business part:  Kudos to Sarah's Inn for involving high school students - the very "target market" they are hoping to reach with their prevention programs.  Although we are talking about the horror of domestic violence, this is not unlike the traditional focus group or advisory group in business.  Indeed, the overall effort is named the "Teen Advisory Project."  By allowing their "customers" (or, better said in this case, the people they hope will never be clients) to direct the product (the awareness film) and even create it, they are ensuring that the product is tailored to the taste and sensibility of the demographic.  They come out of the box with a user-appropriate product.

Another benefit:  a good number of our high school students are looking to help, to get involved.  The part-time job market has been squeezed such that high schoolers find paid work opportunities few and far between.  Many are willing to give their time freely, whether to an organization they support, a career path that interests them, or an activity they enjoy.  Nonprofits and for-profit businesses alike can benefit by setting up internships, volunteer projects, focus groups and other opportunities to attract interested teens.  These kids are talented and they are out there.

The students involved in the Sarah's Inn teen dating awareness film helped make a difference to an organization and to a cause.  As budding performing artists, they also honed their skills as film makers, writers and actors.  Everybody wins.

Especially, in this case, if we can prevent even a single case of violence.  See you tonight.  Open Door Theatre, 903 S. Ridgeland, Oak Park, 7:30-9pm.

And thanks to Triblocal for running the story and printing it on this morning's cover.

http://triblocal.com/oak-park-river-forest/2012/05/23/students-shine-spotlight-on-teen-dating-violence/

Great Experience at Great Clips

Sarah talks a bit about boy's haircuts, Great Clips and great customer service

That's my kid.  First haircut at a professional hair cuttery.  We've done the cuts at home previously.  He sat like a champ.   The wait was quick.

And the technician was also speedy.   She did admit she had cut mostly little boys hair all day.  She asked if I wanted hair to save as a keepsake "No no no - that's okay."   She had a motorcycle for my son to hold while she cut his hair.  And she let me daughter be nosy and intrusive the whole time without losing her cool.   Not even a flinch!  We paid and tipped and at the end she looked down at my daughter and said, "Honey you cut those bangs yourself huh? Want me to straighten them out?"   She did.  Free of charge.  And the bangs that we let grow for months because they were so short and so crooked are now straight.  For free.

Great Clips has a new system that lets you check in from home or your mobile device and not have to wait.  As soon as you walk in, there is a screen that lists all the names ahead of you.   And online or in the store there is a minute to minute update on your wait.  I LOVE IT.  

It's exactly why we go to Great Clips, no waiting, quick haircuts, great service.   

EARLY A.M. RAMBLING ON LOCAL GAS STATIONS

Cathy is up too early looking to put gas in the car

I had to drive a friend early this morning so putting gas in my car is top of mind.  Actually, gas stations. We already know that the gas itself is expensive.

My friend lives in central Oak Park, about a ten minute drive from my south Oak Park home.  It used to be that "from here to there" I could stop for gas at a number of places.  Closest to me were Russo's on Oak Park (admittedly that was almost two decades ago) and the place on Oak Park Ave and Van Buren across from Lalos.  The latter closed within the last year or so.

I used to like the place on Madison and Clinton by the Chase drive-up.  I always felt safe there.  Franky, at 4:45am I don't always feel safe at Harlem and Roosevelt.  Or Austin and Harrison.  The one on Harlem at Jackson is always too crowded.  I guess I could have gone to one with the 7-11 at Harlem and Washington.  But now we are talking about the Oak Park circumference.  Point is,  I wanted to go from "here to there" within Oak Park without going to Roosevelt, Harlem, Austin or North.  Can you even do that?  Buy gas in Oak Park before 6am?

There are a few places, though I don't know if any of them are open.  The little one by Fenwick on Madison?  Forgot to check that one.  I also forgot about Ridgeland and Madison.  They were probably open.  But the one on Lake and Ridgeland was closed.  Seriously?  Closed?  I didn't think gas stations closed.  There was a big truck filling the in-ground tanks at 5am and the pumps were all turned off.  I do not know if the truck was unusual or whether they always are closed at that time.  Didn't see a sign.

I scooted down to the one on Ridgeland at Chicago.  Also closed.  The pumps were lit and took your credit card, but they did not dispense gas.  An 8x10 sign listing daily hours hung in the doorway but it was too small to read.  No idea when they open.

A couple of observations.  First, note that I do not even know the name brand of any of these gas stations.  Gas is a commodity to me and I select my vendor on convenience alone.  I guess that is the primary reason most gas stations are located in high traffic, high visibility spots on major roads.
Second, apparently there are very few people driving crosstown in Oak Park looking for gas at 5am.  So few, in fact, that it isn't even worth it to invest in a neon "open" sign.  I tried googling to find the hours of all the local stations but failed.  No hours listed online.  Apparently, hapless early birds should just know.  BTW, Starbucks on Lake was open.  But not the gas station.

Third - and this is the most insidious - you don't notice the incremental changes in our local economies and small towns until you look for something.  Something that hasn't been there for years, maybe.  Something that is part of that small town landscape that today exists only in your memory.  When you rely on your memories at 5am, today's reality may hit you like a jolt of caffeine.




  

Not top rate customer service

Sarah volunteered and made a cake, but the delivery (also volunteer) to the facility left her confirmed she can't do this next year.

I know I said I had to prioritize and taking cake off my list was top priority.  But it's hard to say no to church folk.  So when I was asked to make a 250 serving cake even though I was working full time I said yes.  

My performance on the cake decor of course fell short of what I wanted.  But on a week when my back up team was on vacation, my husband was preparing for annual inventory and working night and day, and at the end of the school year - I made a 250 serving cake.  

Cake performance aside my difficulty was in the delivery.  With the kids safely under the watchful eye of someone else.  I loaded the cake into my car and headed to the banquet hall.   

I was thrilled that there was a spot in the drive by the door - hazards blinking I ran in to get a kitchen cart.  I asked in the kitchen:  "Is there a cart in here for me to bring in the cake?"   I got a shrug, a series of simple ignores, and a "All the carts are in  use - sorry."  

Huh - well I see that the cart is in use holding produce that can easily be transferred to the empty prep counter.  Then this person added, "You'll have to ask in the office."   

So I went to the office and asked if there were additional carts than in the kitchen.  "No - there are only the ones in the kitchen."

Well I need to bring in the cake.  The person at the office desk looks at me...blankly and then adds " All the ones in the kitchen are in use."  

Well yes that is what I was told.  And that person just sat there.  She didn't get up to help me. Didn't move to make a change.  

Okayyyy - I'll take a look upstairs I guess and see if there is anything I can use.   So I did.  And the rolling cart that the cake is going to finally sit on was empty (PRAISE BE).  But it's not so secure.  It rolls funny and has spindly legs and even last year I thought "Yikes - I can't believe they haven't lost more cakes."

So I roll the cart into the elevator and ask the other banquet hall staff person if I can borrow a pair of steady hands as a guide while I roll in the cake. 

The staff person says to me, "I'm not taking responsibility for that."  WOW.  She actually said it in a not nice way too.   I gave her a blank look back.  And I said again, "Is there someone that could just help me guide the cake into the elevator."

And she said, "I'm not taking responsibility for the cake coming in the building - but anybody want to help."  There were a few names and swear words I could have said at this point.  But someone stepped up.  And literally just stood by me while I loaded.  Helped me get over the elevator bumps and moved the cake in to place.  

But I was pretty pissed about the lack of staff related support.  Who pissed in all of their cheerios that day?   And it was three separate entities all of whom treated me with less cooperation than I needed.  

1.  Outside catering company

2.  Banquet Hall Office Staff

3. Server Supervisor - hired by banquet hall office for special events. 

So in the end  - I wasn't thrilled with the banquet hall - and I was already strapped for time to get the cake done.  That extra frustration tipped me over  - luckily it didn't tip over the cake.  

FRIDAY FAVES

The young employee at Claire's who pierced my daughter's ears last night was really professional.  She recited the safety information with the panache of a flight attendant pointing out the emergency exits.  She easily could have blown it off as this clearly was not my daughter's first time in that seat.  But no, she she reviewed all the important points.  Nice job.

Barnards did a great job of helping me diffuse a sad 3 year old who wasn't getting a new bike even though his sister was

My frustration at the Office Max copy center self-serve machines was mitigated by the attentive  employee who showed just the right mix of empathy and willingness to figure out a different solution.

Booktable is open till 9pm the perfect spot for a last minute, day before the student teachers last day gift.   Praise be for last minute, wonderful service.  Oh and I ordered the other books I needed and they arrived NEXT DAY!  Now that's free shipping...

Brought Sugar Fixe chocolate croissants to a meeting.  What is not to like there?  And now they have cute stickers on the box to announce the origin of these yummy treats.

The road to CLOSED - how to hide that you are struggling

Sarah says sometimes other folks see the road to closing your business well before you do

"They are such nice people, I hope they can make it in that location." "Wow - I go in there and no one is there, I don't even see the owner anymore." "I was there the other day and they were out of everything."

We've all been in businesses where we can see the writing on the wall, so to speak.  As a customer we leave the location tentatively wondering if the doors are still going to be open the next time we are there.  In this economy it happens a lot more often than we would expect.  

And as a business owner or manager -  you work in a business daily, you walk through your own back door, you live in the confusion of not quite making it, you miss covering up the little things that expose that fact that you are struggling.  And once the word is out that you are ON THE EDGE less and less people come back.  THAT is human nature.

When Flybird announced that they were looking for a buyer, business dropped off almost immediately.   When a business owner at a local coffee shop was around less and less, loyal customers felt less and less committed to going, so they slowly stopped. 

These things are normal.  Unfortunately for small business owners, the need for people to be apart of thriving business,  the fact that people like to support the popular spots - well that's just a part of the human condition.  

HERE IT IS - A QUICK AND DIRTY CHECKLIST TO COVER UP THE FACT THAT YOU ARE ON THE EDGE OF CLOSING.  (Really - honesty is not always the best policy)

1.  Keep it looking busy:  

If there is a long line for croissants at a bakery - you get in line too.  There is some kind of magic to a crowd - a crowd brings a crowd.  But an empty store or empty restaurant is never going to encourage a new customer to open your door.     

So how do you keep it looking busy even when you aren't?  Become the spot to gather.  Invite book clubs, kids groups, art shows OFTEN.  This isn't a once week occurrence, do it daily.  Does it cost money to host folks because of staff and cleanup? Sure does - think of it as crowd rental.   

2.  NEVER LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT:  

The worst thing you can do is let your customers know you are struggling.  I know - it's awful.  Some of those customers are folks you see every day - they love you - so you should be able to share your struggle.  Please don't make the mistake of thinking they aren't going to tell a neighbor who is going to tell someone else.  

And as far as this question goes, "How are you doing?"  You better get really good at smiling through it - and lying through your teeth.  We are doing great! I'm amazed that business is just blooming.  Well let me say we picked up a wholesale account and I think that's going to be the trick!

3.  Keep it clean - keep it full:  

I can tell the minute I see empty shelves that a business couldn't afford to stock more items.  (I've personally been there) Find a way to keep the merchandise without dust, and to keep your shelves full. If you can't fill the shelves - remove the rack.  DON'T EVER LEAVE AN EMPTY RACK IN YOUR STORE.   And as far as clean goes - the dust that gathers on product or in corners because you don't have the staff to help you clean because you can't afford it  - you better spend some extra time sprucing.  If you can't afford a full time staff member, think about getting a maid service to come in and get the corners.  $100 in cleaning goes a long way to keeping folks walking in over and over again

4. DON'T LEAVE

Don't give up and leave your business in the hands of your staff.  If you are struggling and you don't need to work another job - work more at your business location.  Let your staff go first.  

Don't cut back on your hours because customers aren't walking through the door.  Add more hours. Make an announcement - we've added an extra day.  Your rent stays the same no matter how often you are open.  Have you ever heard the expression "dark rent"?  Well - if you start closing more hours, because less people are coming in - you are paying dark rent WHILE YOU HAVE A BUSINESS THAT IS READY TO BE OPEN.  

 And don't think that closing isn't a transparent admittance that your business isn't getting the business.  If all of a sudden you start closing at 4 - it's just like announcing that no one walks in after that.  Because, quite frankly, if you made money from 4-7 you wouldn't be closing the doors. 

There is a reason why people sell their businesses anonymously.  And while there have been some really great examples recently of social media saving a business for a few months because of customer support - those are rare.

The truth is that if your business is struggling and a great campaign of cover up doesn't bring you back out of the dark - a social media strategy admitting that you are in over your head probably isn't going to work long term.  It's just the way it is.

TRASHING YOUR CUSTOMERS: NOT COOL

Cathy's unusual experience with a cashier is a reminder to watch what you say

I had reason to be in the far western suburbs this weekend, and stopped by a locally-owned specialty food store.   The kind that has the reputation of being super-nice and friendly.

I was alone, though I bought enough items that you might conclude I was purchasing for a family.  Well, I guess that isn't fair.  Who knows why anyone buys anything.  But certainly there is nothing about me - age, dress, purchases - that would make you say, "there is NO WAY that person has a family."

Why am I stressing about this?  You'll see in a moment.

Again, I bought a good amount of product.  Enough where the cashier asked me to start a loyalty card.  "Oh, no thanks," I replied.  "I am from Oak Park and rarely get out here."

"OAK PARK," she intoned quite huffily.  "Ugh.  My daughter used to teach in Oak Park, but she left.  And you know why, don't you?"  She gave me the knowing raised-eyebrow conspiratorial glare.

"Ummmm, why?"

"THE PARENTS.  They are AWFUL.  Just AWFUL.  HORRIBLE.  You know what I mean, right?"

I am not even going to go into the long list of awful traits she then assigned to each and every Oak Park parent of school children.  Not even going to comment on whether any of the stereotypes are rooted in fact or even anecdote.  Not going to go there.  This is a business practices blog.  Point is, this is an example of REALLY bad business.

You know, it is four days later and I still feel insulted.  Directly, in-my-face insulted.  Whether I am guilty or not.  That doesn't matter.  (Wait, am I seriously even wondering about the veracity of her accusations?) I still cannot get over it: a cashier, at the point of sale, told me I belonged to an evil class of people. 

Now, she may not have realized that I, too, am a parent of school-aged children who attend the very school that her daughter left.  But go back to my self-portrait, above.  Looking at me, and what I am buying, you might think to your self that you run a serious risk of directly offending me by taking down parents.   And does that even matter?  Who says bad things about other people while conducting a retail business transaction?

Offending anyone is risky business.  Actually, bad business.  Really bad business.  As in, I don't want to go back there and give them my business. 

A customer service person should know better.

RESTAURANT REPORT: MADISON ST.

Cathy points out a few of the Forest Park food scene developments

Forest Park's website claims that Madison Street could have been called "restaurant row."  That seemed a stretch to me at first, but over the years it is becoming more and more true.  Some say that entertainment and eateries are the future of Main Street USA, for reasons including lifestyle, retail patterns and investment return.  While Forest Park has managed to retain its fair share of retail, certainly the "restaurant row" nickname is playing out.

A few noteworthy items:

Saigon Pho has re-opened after a small kitchen fire.  There is a sign in the old "Two Fish" window announcing "The Junction Diner" coming soon.  Fiorenza Ristorante just opened (no picture, sorry.)  Skrine Chops is rebuilding the entire restaurant after their fire last Fall.  Hopefully they will reopen before the end of this year.  A new Cuban Tapas place is set to open nearby.  House Red continues to do a nice light dinner / wine pairing.  Caffe DeLuca has extended their lunch service to every weekday to take advantage of outdoor seating.

And, if you stop by Brown Cow for some ice cream on a Friday or Saturday night, prepare to wait a bit.  Good for them.  Oh - and I tried to do that "third place" thing at the Starbucks on Madison the other day.  Brought my laptop and briefcase full of work.  Shut out.  Not a seat in the house at 2pm in the afternoon on a weekday.

Restaurant Row, indeed.