villageplaidallwrite

[villageplaidallwrite]

Why you gotta be so mean?

Did Facebook and Yelp suddenly give us all the skills of seasoned restaurant critics and professional management consultants?  I don’t think so. Because those professionals know how to give meaningful feedback that gets results.

Being involved in two businesses, I (maybe naively) firmly believe that online social media reviews can provide opportunities for improvement. When someone takes time out of their busy day to shed some light on what we’re doing wrong or right, I truly appreciate it. But, what should be used as a tool to thoughtfully help businesses improve is often more of a drive-by-biyatch session. 

If you don’t want to look like a mean, lazy fool, don’t just post one star and walk away ... take a moment and give some specific feedback. When folks just assign a random star value and make meaningless statements, like “the server wasn’t overly-friendly,” (what does that even mean?) businesses can’t possibly make improvements. Recently, a gentleman gave my store a lonely, single star review which had nothing to do with my business or service. (We later learned he was never actually in my shop. He wanted to borrow a phone from my neighbor, who is a talented artist and business person but doesn’t lend her cell phone to strangers.) He is not a customer of either of ours, he isn’t very observant, and he doesn’t fully charge his cell phone. For that, I must eternally suffer FB review hell? That’s not what it’s supposed to be about, people!   

So, thank you for the positive reviews, and for the ones which enlighten us on how we can improve your experience. The bottom line is this:  If your intention is to really help businesses do better, then please be specific about what was done improperly or what you would have liked for them to have done differently. Otherwise, you just look like a meanie.

[villageplaidallwrite]

Free engraving on this beautiful piece in May. Gift someone special! (at The Plaid Rabbit, Inc.)

[villageplaidallwrite]

The Amazon Alternative

We’ve all done it. At the end of a long day, you plop down on the sofa and click away to check a few presents off your Christmas list. But here’s the thing ... how do you feel when you’re finished? You likely didn’t enjoy the process, although you may be patting yourself on the back a little for getting it done.

How about this instead ... you take some time off work or hire a sitter for half a day to - ta da - shop! The kind where you actually put on shoes and a coat and go to a local small business. The shop owner will probably smile at you, and may even greet you by name. Maybe she knows exactly what you like, or he knows to leave you alone to look.  Maybe you find the perfect present for your grandmother or bff, the kind of thing you just can’t find at Target or on Amazon.

The shop owner offers to wrap it for you, so you wait a few extra moments. You have time. You leave and head on down the block, greeting other shoppers along the way. You might drop some cash in the bell-ringer’s pot. Maybe you even run into an old friend and make plans for coffee later in the week. (Better yet - wine!)

You notice the beautiful lights on the way home, and arrive knowing you accomplished quite a bit, but you don’t feel harried or exhausted. You’ve connected with other humans, picked up special and unique gifts for those you care about most, and actually enjoyed Christmas shopping for the first time in years.

Aahhh ... isn’t that better?

[villageplaidallwrite]

Get your cards ready to send!

Only 37 days till Christmas! #hohoho #christmasiscoming

[villageplaidallwrite]

2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth wrote a thank you note 6 years ago - I doubt Mr. & Mrs. Murphy would have saved a thank you email! Handwritten notes mean so much more!  #writemoreletters #nationalletterwritingmonth http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/spieth-wrote-note-family-who-helped-pay-tuition

[villageplaidallwrite]

In the days of cell phones, email, and text messages, letter writing can seem hopelessly outdated. But it’s an art worth bringing back, and not because of som

[villageplaidallwrite]

Send a letter! 

[villageplaidallwrite]

Venice, CA

[villageplaidallwrite]

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