Allan Gets Nabbed By Security!

Security arrested Allan for illegally parking RV (Not really!)

We were fugitives on the run today. The Nine West store in Troy Michigan invited us to bring the RV to their store, so we parked at the far end of the parking lot. Within five minutes a security guard told us we couldn’t park in the mall lot and directed us to follow her to a lot a mile away from the Nine West store. Allan stayed with the RV while I went to the Nine West store and distributed Soles4Souls brochures and coupons for 10% off any item in the store. That made me pretty popular! People love bargains! It was fun watching women buy shoes from the Vintage line, since that is what is displayed on the back of the RV.

Trisha from Somerset Mall Nine West

A few hours later, we pulled into the Mall at Partridge Creek and parked, once again at the far end of the mall. This time it was a full hour before a security guard got Allan and told him to move the RV to another designated spot. He did. 15 minutes later, another security guard came and told Allan he had to move again. (Do you see a pattern here?) While Allan was playing “Move the RV” I was inside the Nine West store, chatting with customers and passing out coupons. About one third of the people I met said they had heard about the shoe charity, Soles4Souls. We appreciate Nine West in partnering with Soles4Souls to get shoes to people in need around the world.

Generous Nine West customers donate shoes

Charlene from Nine West, climbing the corporate ladder

Easter Eggs in November

Remember the fun you had when you were young and looked for eggs at an Easter Egg Hunt? It was so exciting to find an egg hidden behind a bush or under a plant. That’s how Allan and I are feeling these days when we find an RV Campground that is open. As surprising as it sounds, not many people camp in Michigan in November, which is why most campgrounds close in October. Every day, we scour the campground directories and look for the treasured words “Open all year”. There aren’t many! So we were more than thrilled when we found the Holly KOA Kampground open. (That’s not a typo. KOA calls their campgrounds “Kampgrounds”). We easily found a site and were soon hooked up with water and electricity. We even got two PBS TV stations! To top it off, the laundry room had modern machines and the showers were clean and hot. Speaking of Easter Eggs, the KOA manager provided an example of outstanding customer service. I needed a plastic Easter Egg (long story) and asked if he had any in his seasonal decorations. Within a few minutes I had my treasured plastic pink egg, which obviously are not on sale in any stores right now.

Holly KOA has great bouncy toys

Wolverine Employees Go The Extra Mile

For the past 19 years, I’ve been presenting keynotes and workshops around the country on quality customer service. One point I make is that employees are “internal customers”. If employees are disgruntled, they’ll certainly be in no position to provide positive service to outside customers. Yesterday, while paying a “Thank You” visit to Wolverine Boot and Shoe Company in Rockport, Michigan, we saw first-hand a group of employees that obviously enjoyed their co-workers and their jobs. Jill Silverman and Tracy Fahselt greeted us with a complete schedule of the afternoon events. They were thoughtful enough to list the names and positions of the people we were to meet. As we toured the various departments (which included Hush Puppies, Harley Davidson, CAT, Patagonia, Merrell, Sebago, Bates and Wolverine!) people greeted each other with a genuine smile. Blake Krueger, CEO of Wolverine took time from his busy schedule to meet with us also. During lunch, we shared how Soles4Souls distributes Wolverine boots and shoes to people in need around the world. Everyone had such a positive attitude about their jobs as well as Soles4Souls that it was contagious! Check out their website at www.wolverine.com

 

Just a few of the shoes Wolverine is donating

Company president Blake Krueger tried out the RV's captain seat!