Bad Checks

Well - I do not think anyone reads this side of my blogging efforts - but I really have to record this so I can remember in years to come..... 'Tis the season to be jolly - and of bad checks. In the 2.5 years we have been open we have received exactly two bad checks - until this week. Yes - three in one week. Luckily I had written down information on them - so had phone numbers. The largest one was for 125.00. This person had bought a large Miche purse for someone for Christmas - she came in Saturday and returned the purse. I did a return and told her she still owed me for about 20.00 of small items she had picked up. She looked right at me and said - "Just take that out of what you owe me for the purse". At first I was a bit speechless. Then I proceeded to explain several times that she had not paid me for the purse since the check had bounced. It really was a hard thing for her to compute!! Finally she said "Oh - i get it - well I have to go to the bank as I did not bring any cash." You can be sure I kept the purse and shells - and also that I have not seen her again - and probably will not. One of the other checks called and told me she would not have any money until Dec. 21st. I told her that was fine - but at the end of business on the 21st - it goes to the prosecutor. The third lady came in and took care of hers - and I really do think that one was an honest mistake. Gary has always said that people do not equate the things in the store with money - that these items are actually our money. That is why they are so careless with things and let their children run wild. Now - evidently - we are their bank. I do realize that honest mistakes are made - but those people usually come right in and take care of things. I guess I am just thankful they all called me!!

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

It is July 1 - and business is slow.........Summers are like this - but I always forget and get very antsy when things are this slow. Today, I have had good traffic, but few buyers..I know that better times are coming, but still can't help but look at the bottom line on days like today. Money is tight all over and I just think people are only spending for things they need to have. They will still buy birthday presents and girlfriend gifts, but there is very little of the casual browsing that used to go on. Some of it is the move and hopefully when we get some ads out people will find us. We have a couple of good publicity opportunities coming up and that will help. We are doing a re-grand opening ribbon cutting on July 15th and 417 Magazine is featuring us in their August issue in the Savvy Shopper column. Free publicity is always the best!!!!

Moving Update

Since my last post many things have gotten done. The inspector finally came - before the fire department. He signed off on the store and then said we could open as soon as the fire department came. They finally came about an hour later. In fact they drove by the store and I ran out to flag them down!!! In the meantime Gary was coming up from Branson and stopped in the fire department to try to hurry things up. So a few wires crossed there. But it all turned out well. They signed off and we opened the store officially at 3:30 pm. Pretty much a bust of a day. I turned several people away - but hopefully they will or have already returned. We have everything pretty much arranged - needs to be tweaked - but that will come.  It looks pretty good to me. I have been training a couple of people to watch the store while I am gone on my trip with Gary. Not my favorite thing to do - but it has to be done. It is very hard for me to explain things that I just do without thinking about them!!! We have one more large piece of the puzzle to finish this move (and many small pieces!!) We still have to move our sign. It is amazing to me, with the economy so low, that people will not even call you back. I get fifteen calls a day from telemarketers - but if someone is supposed to be bidding on something - nothing!!  Finally we got someone - now - again - we are waiting on the city for the permit. I have resigned my self to the fact that it may not happen before we leave on our trip. Would sure be nice if I get surprised though.

My Aching Back

Well, we spent two very long days moving our product and shelves, and setting up the new place. We had some very good friends help us and we got so much done on Sunday that we were very encouraged that night. When we woke up on Monday - I told Gary "today is going to be harder". Little did I know. First of all we were already tired. Next, we got the usual curse of At&T. They came to hook up our phone line and the guys starts to leave. Gary says "What about a box". He is like - I know nothing about a box. Gary knew he had told them we needed one because they gave him the amount to put one in. So the guy sits in his truck for an hour waiting to get clearance to put a box in---now, it seems a no brainer to me, that he could have had the box in and been gone in a hour!! Finally they told him to go ahead. Next thing we find out is that they do not automatically assume that the DSL line is going to follow the phone line. Gary spent a couple of hours on the phone trying to get that done and then another hour trying to get our internet back up and running. Finally, he got lucky and spoke to the right young man and got everything up and going. Internet is pretty important when you take credit cards!! So today, after a stop at the old place to pick up a few things, I hit the new place at 8 a.m. The electricians were here waiting to be let in - which was not supposed to be my duty - but I let them in. We needed them to hook a few final things up so we could get our final inspection and a certificate of occupancy. They got done about 9:30 and I have been waiting on the city guy ever since. It is now 1:30. Very frustrated to say the least. I cannot imagine that there is that much going on in Nixa that he could not get to a business for a petty little sign off in 4 hours. Meanwhile the landlord is calling very hour to see if he has shown and then he is calling the city. Some things convince me that Nixa could care less about their businesses. So far I have turned away six people, and that is without a sign up or an open sign on. I just don't know why everything has to be so difficult. When they did it at the old place - he stepped inside the door and handed me a slip of paper - never looked at a thing. Of course I am sure he would never admit that. This to shall pass and my store is in much larger hands than mine. Welllllll....just got a call that the inspector guy has been waiting all day on the fire department to come do their walk through. Which never happened last time either!!! Our landlord thinks it is going to be done soon - so lets keep our fingers crossed!!!

Moving Day

Today we begin the actual physical move of our store to the new place a few blocks away. Today is Saturday and we have been open. We begin after we close at 5 pm. To say it has already been an incredibly busy time would be an understatement. We attended a funeral in northwest Kansas last weekend. Gary went to work one day and then picked Brad up at the airport on Tuesday morning. They shopped for Brad a car all day Tuesday. Gary did work a bit on Wednesday and then hit it hard on the new place on Thursday. He had previously painted the walls. He remodeled my cash wrap. It is a pretty shiny black marble looking thing now. Very classy!! He also built a couple of wing walls up front so we can do window displays. Brad helped him hang a couple of pieces of slat wall on the east wall. Today Brad helped him clean and finish up over there to get ready for product to get moved. There will be a lot done in the next few days. We hope to open back up over there on Tuesday morning. There is much to be done between now and then. Makes me tired just thinking about it!!! Actually, Gary is pulling stuff out of the back room even as we speak.

Children

Boy - I just had one of those kids!! It is funny. You can tell when they hit the door that there is going to be some tense moments. It was a boy, about three years old. From the time he came in the door, he was pretty much on his own. His little face was set with purpose as he raced to the back of the store. Mom very calmly shopped the jewelry table, in the front. I can hear things hitting the floor, so I make my way toward him. Mom beats me to it and picks up puzzles. But then she leaves him on his own once again. Next he cleans off the book rack. They are gone on to terrorize someone else now. Yesterday it was a small girl, only 17 months old, and very active. She was sat by her mother on the floor with a ceramic plate and ceramic eggs to play with. These were things her mother was planning on buying and did, in fact, buy. When we opened the store we decided we were not going to put up any of those "you break it, you buy it signs". I am telling you that I am feeling less and less like that was a good idea. If it is an accident, I never would let anyone buy an item that had broken. But when people use things to distract their children with no regard for the fact that it is money from our pocket, I am going to let them pay the bill. To be fair, I have many parents who hold their children's hands and do not let them touch. I am trying to find a place in the new location for a small table to put a few toys on to keep kids busy. The really interesting thing is that the parents of the kids who are the worst offenders would never buy a book with a scarred corner or a puzzle with the shrink wrap broken. So I say, come on parents, I have raised my children - many hours of which were spent in Wal-Mart. Their father, who was manager there, would have absolutely locked them up if they ran crazy and were distructive. Wal-Mart at least has some leeway for damages, here it comes out of my pocket.

Parking

Of all the struggles we have faced with our current store location, I would say parking is number one. We are in a strip center with two other businesses, and an additional two spots for lease. The other two tenants are great people, we all get along very well. One is a fitness center, that has really taken off. I honestly do not think there are even enough parking places here for that one facility. Sure, at times, the parking lot is virtually empty. But in the mornings and in the evenings parking places are definitely at a premium. The really bad thing is that the fitness people cannot walk very far!!! Or seemingly so. They will usually park right in front of my store. There are no designated spots, but it seems to me like people who are coming to work out anyway could walk a few extra steps and leave some parking for my old ladies!!! The guy who owns the fitness center has posted signs asking them to leave me some parking - but basically I have decided workout people are just self absorbed!! Now I know that is being pretty hard on them. Also, to be fair there are many who park out at the road and walk in. But it is usually the beefy weight lifters and the young men. Can you tell this bothers me??? I find it interesting that many of my customers will park out by the road and walk the extra steps even if the lot is not full. If they came in and looked around once in a while - I would be a bit less judgmental - I think. Oh yes then there is the one woman, who not only parks in front of the store, but comes in to get lotion out of the sample bottles before and after her workout. That is the only time she comes in. It is right now 3:35 and I am watching the parking lot fill up. By 5:00, more than likely there will not be a space to be had. That is the number one reason we are moving. The city of Nixa is so picky about water fountains, how about looking at parking spaces per sq. ft. rented? I feel so much better getting that all off my chest!!!!