Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1530439
every customer that comes through our door. People (staff) are our biggest challenge — undoing prior employment behaviors and habits, moving away from a 'clerk' mentality, and trusting and believing in our core values as the path towards the service level that we strive for. We are always coaching and developing our team, from our management down, and use a coach/team analogy when training — everything from how we communicate, how our team operates when it's slammed and when there is downtime, how to support one another on the sales floor and off." Ryan Stauffer, Market Street Shoes "My philosophy is to treat customers as I would want to be treated; that covers every aspect of what we do. We should treat customers just like family! And we should treat every customer as if it is their first time shopping experience with us. At one of the Atlanta Shoe Market shows, someone asked me if we were ready for the Secret Shopping to take place. Without hesitation, my response was, and continues to be, that 'we should ALWAYS be ready!' Right now, my biggest challenge is finding staff that present this philosophy on the front lines. e latest generation is very tech savvy, but I find that face to face communication skills are suffering. We have to teach new team members how to speak with a smile and how to ask questions of the consumer to ensure that we are addressing their every need. It just doesn't come naturally to this present generation. Today's retail environment is somewhat volatile; we have to be on our best behavior ALL THE TIME. e consumer has a plethora of options, so that means we have to be better than best. Sometimes we just want to drop our guard, but the plain truth is, that would be a mistake." Brenda Felger, Felger's Footwear The teaam at Felger's Footwear, Houma, LA. Cadence provide a unique combination of contoured support with enhanced shock absorbing comfort under the heel and forefoot. Cadence are "Support Made Comfortable". With 9 models to choose from, Cadence are for work, play and everything in between. Contact us for complimentary samples. See cadenceinsoles.com for more information. ® S u p p o r t M a d e C o m f o r t a b l e footwearinsight.com November/December 2024 ~ Footwear Insight • 41