Happy %#&*)! holidays — taming the Grinch within
By Lynni Megginson -- Home Accents Today, 12/1/2004
It's December, and for retailers everywhere we know this is it; the final curtain call for that oh so profitable fourth quarter that has our cash registers joyfully ringing up sales. Our shops look picture-perfect and are overflowing with gorgeous goodies our clients just can't resist; we greet our customers with a Stepford Wife smile and try not to think about how much our backs ache and feet hurt.
Our reality of the holiday season is a closely guarded secret we don't dare share with our clientele. Deep down inside we were sick of Christmas back in July. Sure, we put on our game faces and endure the same CDs over and over, but we all know it is exhausting to put on this grand show day in and day out. We've been pricing ornaments for months, planning displays, agonizing over whether we have too much or not enough inventory and in general doubting our grand ideas since the sizzling days of summer.
Once the season hits, our families make do with crock-pot specials or the ubiquitous two for one pizzas while we put in the long hours necessary to make every dollar we can before season end. We'll spend hours decorating our clients' homes for the holidays, but our own homes have nary a twinkling light or even a tree until the last minute.
In this economy it's no wonder our inner Grinch creeps out during what is supposed to be the most magical time of the year. Exhaustion causes us to snap at employees, be curt with clients and feel as if we are missing out on the magic of the season. Here are a few tips that have given me some balance in this crazy time of year:
- Schedule a day off and take it. The world will continue to turn even if you aren't on the sales floor. Just as your employees need a break from the store, so do you.
- Let your employees know how much you appreciate them. This year I scheduled an employee appreciation night. I held a spa night at my home, complete with cocktails and yummy appetizers, along with a gift certificate for each gal toward spa products. They felt pampered and we were all able to reconnect outside of the store. A little kindness goes a long way toward loyalty.
- Reconnect with your family. Focus on the spirit of the season. Pop some slice and bake cookies in the oven, blast the best of Bing Crosby and sip hot cocoa with your kids as you talk about their day. It's important to let your children and your spouse know they are much more important than your business, even for a night.
- Pay it forward. Take a moment to do something for someone less fortunate. Do something to make someone else's life better, and you will be a better person, parent and spouse for it.
- Pamper yourself. Throw guilt out the door and treat yourself to a manicure, pedicure or therapeutic massage. Neglecting your well-being is a recipe for disaster, because, honey, if you don't take care of yourself, quite frankly, no one else will.
We can all only do our best. Learn from your sales and do it even better next year, but rest assured there is no magic bullet that is the formula for success. Keeping your family and employees happy can be more profitable than any bottom line numbers. When you lock the doors at night after a job well done, it's not your business that will comfort you, it's the people you love. With that in mind, I wish all of you a happy, healthy and profitable holiday season.
As part of the Breakfast with ART series, Lynni Megginson will present a seminar titled Retail Chat: Boosting your Business through In-Store Events at the Dallas Gift Market at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 15 in Suite 657, 6th Floor, World Trade Center. She can be reached through her Web site ww.LynniStyle.com.
