Out Of The Pan And Into The Fire

Scott and I received the following letter in the mail today, addressed to our store but unsigned and with no return address. One has to wonder why they addressed this to us. Was it because they knew the letter wouldn't fall on deaf ears? The letter rings eerily true with the posts I've been writing lately about what's fundamentally wrong at Webster's Shopping Center. Please take a moment to read this letter, then scan back and peruse my posts of the past several months. Letter follows:

" LETTER FROM DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER 9/18/09


WEBSTER’S

PHARMACY
FINE STATIONERS
HALLMARK STORE



TO THE OWNERS OF THE PHARMACY, FINE STATIONERS, AND HALLMARK STORE,

I HAVE BEEN A CUSTOMER OF WEBSTER’S, IN ALL ITS PERMUTATIONS, FOR OVER 50 YEARS. I CHOSE TO SHOP WITH YOU BECAUSE I WANTED TO KEEP MY DOLLARS IN THE COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT YOU. I DON’T PARTICULARLY LIKE THE LARGE CHAIN STORES, AND PREFER THE CONVENIENCE OF SHOPPING WITH YOU, EVEN IF I SPEND A LITTLE MORE. IT WAS WORTH IT TO ME TO KEEP MY BUSINESS IN THE AREA WHERE I LIVE.

AFTER OVER 50 YEARS, I DON’T SHOP WITH YOU ANYMORE, AND FROM THE LOOKS OF YOUR PARKING LOT, I DON’T THINK A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE DO EITHER. YOU COULD CHALK IT UP TO THE ECONOMY, BUT THE REASONS I DISCONTINUED FILLING MY PRESCRIPTIONS AND BUYING CARDS AND GIFTS WITH YOU GO WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND THE ECONOMY. IT HAS TO DO WITH YOUR COMPLETE LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE.

RECENTLY, I’VE EXPERIENCED AN APPALLING LACK OF SERVICE IN YOUR PHARMACY. MY DOCTOR’S OFFICE HAS CALLED IN PRESCRIPTIONS THAT DON’T GET FILLED CORRECTLY. IN ONE CASE, THE PRESCRIPTION CLEARLY CALLED OUT THAT GENERICS COULD NOT BE SUBSTITUTED. YOUR PHARMACIST WENT AHEAD AND FILLED THE PRESCRIPTION WITH A GENERIC WITHOUT CALLING MY PHYSICIAN OR ME. I DISCOVERED THIS ABNORMALITY WHEN I PICKED UP THE PRESCRIPTION.

WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE PHARMACIST, I DIDN’T EVEN GET SO MUCH AS AN APOLOGY. AFTER 50 YEARS OF DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU, (AND WE SPEND SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH IN PRESCRIPTIONS AND OTC), IT IS THE LAST PRESCRIPTION I WILL EVER FILL WITH YOU. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT ACCEPTABLE.

I’VE TRIED TO REFILL PRESCRIPTIONS VIA YOUR PHONE SERVICE RECEIVED A VERIFICATION VIA PHONE THAT THE ORDER WAS CONFIRMED, RECEIVED A PICK-UP TIME AND DATE ONLY TO SHOW UP AT THE COUNTER AND BEEN TOLD THAT YOU DON’T HAVE THE MEDICATION ON HAND, AND IT WON’T BE AVAILABLE FOR A DAY OR TWO. AND NEVER ONCE DID YOU, OR ANYONE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION, PICK UP THE PHONE TO ALERT ME TO THIS. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, YOUR COMPETITORS ARE MORE THAN HAPPY TO CALL ME AND KEEP ME INFORMED OF MY PRESCRIPTIONS’ PROGRESS, SO I WILL BE SPENDING MY PHARMACEUTICAL MONIES ELSEWHERE.

I RECENTLY VENTURED INTO YOUR PHARMACY LOOKING FOR A SKIN CARE PRODUCT YOU HAVE CARRIED FOR YEARS. I COULDN'T FIND IT. I WAS THE ONLY CUSTOMER IN THE PHARMACY. THE ONLY ONE! AND THERE WERE TWO LADIES BEHIND THE COUNTER, LEANING UP AGAINST THE WALL. I ASKED THE OLDER LADY WHO HAS BEEN WITH YOU FOR YEARS IF YOU CARRIED THIS PRODUCT. SHE JUST POINTED DOWN THE AISLE TO ME. SO I HUNTED, AND HUNTED, AND STILL DIDN’T FIND IT. SHE COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO HELP. SHE WAS TOO BUSY STANDING BEHIND THE COUNTER DOING NOTHING. ON MY WAY OUT, I SAW THE PRODUCT, BUT BY THAT TIME, I DECIDED THAT YOU DON’T DESERVE MY MONEY. I WENT TO CALIFORNIA PHARMACY, HAD A GRACIOUS LADY HELP ME, PURCHASED WHAT I WENT IN FOR AND SOME OTHER ITEMS, AND LEFT AS A HAPPY CUSTOMER. TELL ME, DO YOU HIRE YOUR CLERKS TO LOAF BEHIND THE COUNTER, OR TO HELP CUSTOMERS? IF IT IS THE LATTER, YOU ARE PAYING GREATLY FOR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE HURTING, NOT HELPING, YOUR BUSINESS.

THE HALLMARK STORE IS NOT EXEMPT FROM THIS LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. I ONCE ROUTINELY SPENT AT LEAST A MINIMUM OF $100.O0 A MONTH IN YOUR STORE FOR CARDS, STATIONERY, GIFT WRAP, GIFTS, TOYS, ETC. I VENTURED IN A FEW WEEKS AGO LOOKING FOR TWO BIRTHDAY CARDS, SOME TABLE FAVORS, GIFT WRAP AND RIBBON, INVITATIONS, TWO GIFTS AND STICKERS. AS I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE CARDS, TWO THINGS HAPPENED.

1. A VERY ELDERLY LADY WALKED INTO THE CARD SECTION. SHE WAS LOOKING FOR A CARD THAT SAID, “BEST WISHES FOR YOUR 90TH BIRTHDAY”. SHE WAS HOPING SHE COULD FIND ONE, BUT IF NOT, SHE WANTED SOMETHING VERY TRADITIONAL AND PRETTY. THE YOUNG LADIES BEHIND THE COUNTER COULDN’T BE BOTHERED TO HELP HER. THEY WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING TO CLEAN UP AND CLOSE OUT. I HELPED YOUR CUSTOMER FIND A PRETTY CARD, AND HELPED HER TO THE CHECKOUT COUNTER WHERE SHE MADE HER PURCHASE. INCIDENTALLY, THIS CARD FOR A NINETY-YEAR-OLD WAS FOR HER YOUNGER SISTER. THIS CUSTOMER WAS AT LEAST 91 YEARS OLD, AND YOUR YOUNG, HEALTHY, ROBUST CLERKS COULD NOT LIFT A FINGER TO ASSIST HER.

2. WHILE THE ELDERLY LADY WAS SHOPPING, A FRAZZLED CUSTOMER ENTERED FROM LAKE AVENUE. SHE WAS LOOKING FOR A WALKER FOR HER MOTHER WHO JUST RETURNED FROM THE HOSPITAL. SHE LOOKED UP AND DOWN THE HALLMARK STORE AISLES, UNATTENDED AND UNAIDED BY YOUR EMPLOYEES. I FINALLY STEPPED IN, AFTER ASSISTING THE ELDERLY LADY WITH HER CARD PURCHASE, AND TOLD HER THAT I BELIEVE THE WALKERS CAN BE FOUND TWO DOORS UP IN THE PHARMACY. SHE TOLD ME SHE HAD CALLED IN ADVANCE, AND NO ONE TOLD HER WHAT DOOR TO GO TO, OR THE DIFFERENCES IN THE STORES. YOUR CLERKS, IN FACT, LOOKED AT HER BLANKLY, AND TOLD HER THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHERE SHE COULD FIND WALKERS! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?

SO I SAVED YOU TWO SALES AND TWO CUSTOMERS’ ONE CARD SALE IN THE HALLMARK STORE AND THE ONE WALKER SALE IN THE PHARMACY. I, HOWEVER, DID NOT MAKE A PURCHASE THAT DAY. I WAS SO DISGUSTED WITH THE ENTIRE SCENE THAT ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK THE NEXT DAY I STOPPED AT THE HALLMARK STORE IN LA CANADA. THE FRIENDLY PEOPLE GREETED ME AS I WALKED IN AND ASKED IF I NEEDED HELP. I TOLD THEM WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR, AND THEY SHOWED ME EVERYTHING I NEEDED, AND MORE! I WALKED OUT OF THERE THAT DAY FINDING ALL I WANTED, AND PAID $437.35. THAT IS $437.35 THAT DID NOT GO TO YOU. I NOW DO ALL MY HALLMARK AND GIFT SHOPPING IN LA CANADA AT THAT STORE.

THE SAD THING IS THAT I CAN GIVE YOU DOZENS OF EXAMPLES OF WHY I DON’T SHOP WITH YOU ANYMORE. THE TROUBLE IS THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO THINK THE SAME WAY I DO. WE DON’T LIKE THE WALLED IN ATMOSPHERE, (SORRY THE FAMILY BROKE UP THE BUSINESS FOLKS, BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS THAT TECHNOLOGY CAN DEAL WITH KEEPING STOCK AND SALES SEPARATE WHILE KEEPING THE IDEA OF A LARGE SHOPPING CENTER INTACT). NO ONE WANTS TO SHOP IN THE DARK FINE STATIONERS SHOP, AND WE ALL LIKED THE CONVENIENCE OF GETTING OUR PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED AND WALKING AROUND PICKING UP OTHER ITEMS. I LOVED BEING ABLE TO GET SCHOOL SUPPLIES, HALLMARK CARDS, OTC ITEMS, ETC., WITH ONE-STOP SHOPPING. I DON’T LIKE YOUR TOTAL LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE, YOUR SHORT-SIGHTED ATTEMPTS AT WALLING IN YOUR SHOPS, YOUR “LET THEM EAT CAKE” ATTITUDE. I HAVE FOUND PLENTY OF OTHER FRIENDLY, HARD-WORKING, ESTABLISHMENTS THAT WELCOME MY BUSINESS.

GO OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW. LOOK AT YOUR PARKING LOT. IT’S EMPTY, RIGHT? I REMEMBER A TIME WHEN IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND A PARKING SPACE IN YOUR LOT DURING THE WEEKEND OR HOLIDAYS. YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE SPECIAL EVENTS YOU WANT, YOU CAN ADVERTISE ALL YOU WANT, BUT YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THE CUSTOMERS YOU NEED UNTIL YOU PROVIDE GOOD, FRIENDLY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HIRE PEOPLE WILLING TO GET OF THEIR BUTTS TO HELP THE CUSTOMERS. AND AS LONG AS YOU KEEP UP THOSE CONFINING WALLS, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY, THAT DIVIDE YOUR SHOPS AND YOUR FAMILY, YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THE CUSTOMER BASE YOU NEED TO SUCCEED.

IT’S NOT JUST THE ECONOMY, FOLKS. IN THIS RECESSION, YOU HAVE TO GIVE BETTER SERVICE TO GET THE CUSTOMERS. YOU DON’T HAVE MY BUSINESS, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE LOST THE BUSINESS OF DOZENS OF OTHER LONG-TIME CUSTOMERS DUE TO YOUR NEGLIGENCE. WAKE UP BEFORE YOUR STORES, AND YOUR NAME, BECOME JUST MORE FOOTNOTES IN ALTADENA’S HISTORY.

PLEASE CONSIDER THIS FEEDBACK FROM A FORMER CUSTOMER WHO TOOK THE TIME TO TELL YOU WHY I WON’T BE COMING BACK UNTIL I HEAR THAT YOU HAVE TURNED YOUR BUSINESS, AND YOUR ATTITUDES, AROUND."

First of all, let me address the person who wrote this letter to the Pharmacy but delivered it to us. Thank you very much for this. Really and truly, thank you. Scott and I been asking for feedback from our customers for two years now, trying to engage everyone in the area. We knew the division of the stores wouldn't be readily accepted without any communication by management to the public. We knew the lack of customer service was a problem with the other stores and this is why we've been such sticklers with the crew here about ours.

But this isn't about which store has better service, because the simple fact of the matter is that the public perceives as as one entity. We can divide it up all we want but we can't change our customers' perception and this is why we advised long ago that we all work together to maintain at least the illusion of our being whole. Sadly, that was ignored. We have to ask why they ignored it, which was, loosely, the basis of my last post.

Ellen Snortland, a customer and friend, had a quote in her writer's workshop series, "Author Bite By Bite" (a wonderful group that can be found on Facebook) that particularly appropriate for what's happening here. It's an old Zen saying that "The gate to enlightenment is guarded by two lions: Confusion and Paradox". How very true that is. How very sad it is that Webster's hasn't been able to get past those two lions to find their way to a clear path. How it pains us to watch this happening without being able to do much about it, other than make sure our own store doesn't fall victim to the same pitfalls.

What I'd like to know now is what effect this letter is going to have on the Pharmacy. Maybe it'll be the catalyst they need to pull it together. It'll take a lot of tough love, but I firmly believe that it can be done. With our help and your help, I believe it can be done. What can you do to help, you ask? Please, please, let us know what you think....without your input we are rudderless. Post here, post on our Facebook Fan Page, write letters, come into the store and talk to us. For months, I've been asking this with little response....c'mon, Altadena, you can be vocal when you want to be!

One last thing to the author of the unsigned letter - we know the lighting in our store needs to be addressed. It's been the same since the 60's and never got updated like the other areas of Webster's. It takes a lot of money to change lighting in a retail store (it's not like buying lamps for your home) and we don't have the money right now. I'm a decorator, so this bugs me every single time I walk into this store but I'll have to be patient. Little by little, our store will become as wonderful as I envision it being but it'll become that vision only with your support. We sincerely hope that we can entice you back as a customer. We promise not to disappoint.

One more little thing. This customer who wrote the letter states that he or she has "been a customer of Webster's, in all its permutations, for 50 years". If they were, then they'd remember when the stores weren't all interconnected. Sometimes the people who patronize a certain store are a bit afraid and resistant to change, too.....just sayin'.

The Times, They Are a-Changin'......

Those of us of a certain age will remember Bob Dylan's iconic lyrics to this song, which I'll copy here:

"Come gather 'round wherever you roam,
And admit that the waters around you have grown,
And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you is worth saving,
Then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone,
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics who prophetize with your pen,
And keep your eyes wide the chance won't come again.
And don't speak too soon for the wheel's still in spin,
And there's no tellin' who that it's naming.
For the loser now will be later to win,
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen please heed the call,
Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall,
For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled,
There's a battle outside and it's ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls,
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers throughout the land,
And don't citicize what you don't understand,
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command,
Your old road is rapidly fading.
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand,
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn and the curse it is cast,
The slow one now will later be fast,
As the present now will later be past,
The order is rapidly fading.
And the first one now will later be last,
For the times they are a-changin'.

These lyrics, written in the l960's, are more relevant today than ever, in a variety of ways. You could apply them to our country's current economic situation and our new presidential administration's efforts to combat it. You could also apply these lyrics to the state of big business in the nation today. Narrowing that down, you could apply these lyrics to small, independent businesses, and that includes Webster's Fine Stationers.

Let's break this down and look at each facet, starting with the country's changing economic climate. "Transparency in government" is what President Obama espouses, and the large companies and corporations in the U.S. had better change their ways or there will be consequences, as we're beginning to see.

The large chain stores and big boxes are having to scramble now to hold onto their market share, and many of them are failing to do so. We've seen the demise of big box stores such as Circuit City, Linens & Things, ZGallerie, Bombay Stores and Cost Plus World Market. The latest to fall is Expo Design Centers, a division of Home Depot. According to USA Today's Jayne O'Donnell and Sandra Block, "the National Retail Federation said retail sales are expected to drop 0.5% this year, the fist annual decline since the NRF started tracking sales in 1995."

"Most consumer behavior we saw in '08 will continue well into this year", says Rosalind Wells, NRF's chief economist. "Shoppers will be seeking value and trading down to discount and off-price retailers in order to stretch their dollars."

Even though spending is expected to increase in late 2009, no one's predicting a return to the frivolous shopping patterns from earlier this decade. Now, when consumers spend, they're paying attention to what they buy and this shift toward more cautious spending is likely to last.

USA Today cites the downturn as the main reason for the dreary retail sales, but there are other factors at work here. Many have realized that it's not necessary to buy new vehicles or furniture every few years, unless the car dies or the springs give out on the couch. Carol Steidtmann, Deloitte Research's chief economist for consumer business said the spending slowdown was predictable. After a spending boom like the one that occurred after the September 11th terrorist attacks, he said, "you always see a return to simplicity".

To compete in this environment, retailers need to get back to their roots, says Janet Hoffman, a global retail managing partner of a large retail outfit. That means "knowing their customers and coming up with a unique offer or product, price, or in some cases, service", she says.

Emphasizing local ownership is one way to stand out in a crowd. This is particularly important to small stores like Webster's, who've been active in their communities for years. A survey of independent retailers in a wide range of categories found that sales fell an average of 5% in December, vs. a decline of 8.9 for retail sales overall, according to the Institute of Self-Reliance, a non-profit research organization. Retailers in cities that sponsored a "buy independent/local" campaign reported an average decline of only 3.2%.

Consumers who patronize local businesses instead of big box stores are "realizing that cheaper is not the same as value", says Jeff Milchen, co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance.

This is exactly where Webster's Fine Stationers can fit into your shopping matrix. We're local, we're independent, we're unique and you won't find better customer care in the area. Stop in today and see just how WFS can take care of you and your home shopping needs. Mention this blogpost to any one of our staff and you'll enjoy 10% off our everyday low prices. To encourage dialog on this blog, our cutomers who leave a comment are entitled to a free gift! When you're next at WFS, claim your comment to one of our staff members. After a quick verification, we'll give you a little something for your trouble. We'd love to see more active participation here because we want to know what you think.

In the near future, WFS plans to start hosting in-shop instruction on how to make your decorating budget stretch by using multi-function, reused, reclaimed and re-purposed items. There's no need to spend hundreds of dollars accomplishing something that you could easily do for pennies on the dollar. We'll talk about that in more depth in a later post, but I want you to be assured that WFS is trying to find the newest, most exciting merchandise that works within your budget. Times are tough, we know.....but sometimes it's just soul-satisfying to buy yourself a little something that doesn't break the bank. Come see us and let us show you what we can do for you!