If you know me, then you can often find me working on Saturdays. No worries, it is retail. Once you sign on for retail, you know weekends are imperative to your business survival. Unfortunately, working Saturdays often infringes on family time. Spending time with my family is my favorite past time.
This past Saturday, June 25th, 2011 my wife Suzie was treated by her company to free passes to Six Flags New England. What a treat. Not only did my son refer to it as the best day ever, my entire family had a blast.
Not only did the trip recharge my batteries, but Six Flags New England also provided valuable business lessons that all retailers should aspire.
1. Recharge your batteries: It is good to get away, take time off and spend time with family. Family is why we work so hard and we can never lose sight of how much they mean.
2. Cleanliness: From the parking lot - to the theme park - to the staff; the grounds are immaculate. No litter anywhere. The restrooms are cleaned often. The staff is well groomed and polite. No gum chewing, cell phone chatting, odd piercings or visible tattoos. All the attributes we hope to see in a retail store, but rarely do.
3. Enthusiasm: the energy in Six Flags New England is infectious. The staff is high energy and young at heart. For the most part, the staff is young. But all staff members are upbeat. From the continued hawkers dribbling basketballs to the constant requests for High Fives. Six Flags England gets it. Human contact, smiles, energy, positivity and good music make an ordinary amusement park a great memory. Retail stores, are you listening ? Do you wonder why clients are taking their sales on line ? As retailers, we need to create positive memories.
4: Superman & Batman and the power of branding: Contrary to what one might think, Six Flags Amusement Parks are not owned by Universal Studios or Warner Brothers. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Tweety walk throughout the park for photo opportunities, high-fives and autographs. Rides like Bizarro and the Gotham Gauntlet are gate attractions. Six Flags New England embraces their partners. They realize the importance of working with name brands and not for them. As Boston florists, Exotic Flowers works with Teleflora and FTD. Exotic Flowers is proud to offer FTD and Teleflora items in the Exotic Flowers design style. Exotic Flowers works closely with Teleflora so that spokesperson Faith Hill offers Boston flower buyers one of our best selling collections.
5: Fair compensation: Six Flags New England is not cheap. They charge a premium for parking, carnival games, tickets and food. Six Flags New England realizes that for a business to prosper, it must charge a fair price for its good services. Remember, 'Cheap products make for a cheap company.'