Footwear Insight

we have faced from a customer service perspective is the concern and uncertainty around safety related to the ongoing pandemic," says Anderson, who has stores in Draper, Centreville and Salt Lake City. "We have customers across the spectrum in terms of the level of caution they want to have or not have. Luckily we have an amazing staff that has been able to customize service based on the needs and desires of the customer." Anderson notes that he and his staff make adjustments based on each customer's comfort level. "If a customer wants limited interaction or large amounts of interaction, we can do that," he explains. "If the customer wants to call in an order and pick it up curbside, we can do that. If a customer just wants us to ship them shoes to test out, we can do that. The biggest thing we have tried to do is to allow for as much customization to our service and sales process as possible." He credits his staff: "This [year] required flexible processes and systems and an amazing team of people to accomplish." Anderson says the staff has received an increase in hand written notes and positive online reviews and that "most customers appreciate our staff and understand that our level of service is not easy, especially during a pandemic." On the business side, the retailer has ramped up its system and software integration between its physical stores and its online sales channels in order to serve customers better. "We have also worked to update in-store processes to make sales quicker and with less interaction if needed," says Anderson. "These were initiatives that we had already planned, but we have increased investment to complete them much more quickly." Anderson sees a challenging year ahead. "Retail will continue to be challenged," he says. "The internet, changing buying behaviors, vendor strategies, etc. — all of these things will continue to impact retailers. The good retailers will be flexible and nimble and willing to change, or they won't be around much longer." —CG Schuler Shoes Hurdling obstacles and thriving is nothing new for Schuler Shoes Four generations of the Schuler Family, all descendants of an Austrian immigrant who began a shoe business in 1889, have survived world wars, depressions, and the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic to become the oldest family-owned and operated shoe retailer west of the Mississippi River. Recent annual revenues hit $50 million from nine stores that stretch from Greater Minneapolis to other markets in the Gopher State. But in 2020, Schuler Shoes, like many small, independent businesses across America, has been forced to confront new threats to its longevity and livelihood — most brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. But there were also the May protests centered on the death of George Floyd that prompted a sudden closure of its Highland Park/St. Paul store for a day as a precautionary measure. At 75, CEO John Schuler has had first-hand involvement in Schuler Shoes for 60 years. Schuler Shoes has re-structured its pay program for store managers and floor sales people this year. Despite a sales volume drop estimated at 25-30 percent, it is working to remain profitable. The family owns three stores but has leases at six others where re-negotiating with landlords is underway with an objective of securing rents based on a percent of sales volume. Early on in the pandemic, Schuler Shoes was forced to furlough more than 50 of its 250 employees and later faced some employee pushback about returning due to "comfortability" levels as other staff balked at helping customers who would not don a mask in-store. Besides making plastic face shields available in-store, staff compromised with those customers who wanted to walk throughout the store mask less, offering to let them come back before the store opens and other customers are present. Besides offering curbside pickup, changes at Schuler Shoes this year have included dedicating one staff member to man a "chat line" with customers; renewed product focus on the three "hot" categories of athletic, slippers and boots; and nearly 1,000 percent growth in the chain's website business. Once 5-6 percent of total sales, ecommerce is now more than 10 percent. Still, driving foot traffic to stores remains the primary objective, Schuler says. As of early November, Schuler Shoes was still aiming to meet with more vendors about their respective business plans for 2021 and hoping to snare "markdown dollars" for its fashion boots so it can purchase new products for the next season. The Schuler Family presence in the business extends to John's wife, Nancy, whose responsibilities include dispatching shoes to in-need customers; son Mike, president of Schuler Shoes, son Scott, the IT manager; and daughter Jennifer footwearinsight.com December 2020 ~ Footwear Insight • 25 Schuler Shoes has seen nearly 1,000 percent growth in its web business. Still, driving foot traffic to stores remains the primary objective. Schuler Shoes Walking Comfort

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