And the winner is ...

Stamp Journey!  Congratulations!  Please email me your mailing address.  (Click on the email me link on the right.)  Also, let me know which winter holiday(s) you celebrate.  I'll get your prize out to you this week.  Thanks to everyone who read my article, and please come back and visit soon.)

A Reminder About The Importance of Customer Service

By JeannetteMG on November 18, 2009

Jeanette
Giancaspro is a consumer reader of Scrapbook Update. She joins us a
guest blogger today to share her perspective on what is really
important to her as a consumer. You can learn more about her by
visiting her blog It’s My Crafty Life.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother owned a yarn store. It
wasn’t just any yarn store. It was “Connie’s Yarn Shop,” and her
customers came from miles around to spend the day (and often the
evening) knitting and crocheting, and making all sorts of wonderful
creations. The reason for my grandmother’s success wasn’t just her wide
selection of goods and services. She also gave her customers
outstanding customer service. As soon as they walked into her store,
they felt valued, appreciated, and welcome. That is one of the keys to
operating a successful business.

Unfortunately, this is the exception rather than the norm these
days. Here’s a scenario with which I’m sure many of you can relate: I
go into a large craft store looking for a particular item. I look on
the shelf where I expect it to be, but it’s not there. I look around
for a sales associate to help me, but there is no one around. I search
the store and find someone who appears to be annoyed even before I ask
her a question. After I inquire about the product, she looks at me as
if I’m crazy and says something like, “I’ve never heard of that,” or
“If it isn’t on the shelf, we don’t have it.” I look somewhere else and
find it. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, and trying to use
a valid coupon that the cashier refuses to accept, I leave frustrated
and angry.

I don’t think this is the way most retail store owners want us to
leave their stores. I believe that everyone who owns a store truly
wants his/her customers to be happy. The problem lies in employee
training and supervision. Sales associates, cashiers, and stock
personnel must be pleasant, helpful, and knowledgeable. No one can be
expected to know everything, but a pleasant and helpful attitude goes a
long way in customer service.

As a consumer, I feel from my experience that retail store owners
need to pay more attention to training and supervising their employees
so that their stores can compete in these difficult economic times.
They must hold their employees to higher standards and train them more
effectively in customer relations. They should also monitor employees
to ensure that customers are leaving their stores on a positive note.
Can every store be a Connie’s Yarn Shop? Of course not. Can every store
make me feel valued, appreciated, and welcome? Absolutely!

News and Reviews

Hi there!  I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but there has been a lot of family "stuff" going on.   I have some cool crafting news and a few product reviews for you.

First the News:  Lots going on for me.  I'm going to be teaching Scrapbook Design and You (SDU) classes for EK Success at A. C. Moore.  I'll be teaching a 4-week basic course at the ACM in Wappingers Falls, NY.  I'll be doing the demos for the class in December, and I'll be teaching the classes in January.  I'll list the specific dates in a later post.   I'm also doing a layout for Becky Higgins's Page Maps in December.  To top off all of that, I'm now a Scrapjazz Contributor, which means that I'll be writing articles for SJ on a regular basis.  You'll begin seeing my articles in March.  Whew!  I think that's it for the News.

Now for the Reviews:  I've recently purchased 3 products that I really like, and I want to let you know about them before they're gone.  First of all, I bought the We R Memory Keepers Holiday Papers and Embellishments.  These papers are absolutely gorgeous!  Although they aren't quite a cardstock weight, they are heavy-weight papers that are embellished with glitter, embossing, and foil.  The ribbons coordinate beautifully, as do the rub-ons, stickers, and chipboard elements.  I bought mine from HSN.

 

Another set of papers that I absolutely LOVE is the Peppermint Forest Stack from Joann.com.  Talk about heavy-weight cardstock!  This paper is some of the heaviest I've ever used.  Add to that the foil, glitter, and embossed sheets that are included, and you've got the start of some fabulous scrapbook pages, cards, and holiday projects.  Plus, they're on sale right now for 50% off!! 

My last review is for a product that I've been wanting to get for a long time:  the Glue Glider Pro, by Glue Arts.  I've tried the ATGs in classes I've taken, and I really don't like them.  They're too bulky and unwieldy for me.  The Glue Glider Pro is the perfect alternative for me.  It's small enough to manage easily, whether I'm scrapbooking, making cards, or doing other projects; yet it's also large enough to hold a large roll of adhesive that I don't have to change after every few uses.  The cartridges pop in and out, and there are several different types available.  The adhesive is strong and easy to apply.  I bought mine from Oriental Trading Company.  They also have good prices on the refills.

Well, that about sums things up for now.  As soon as everything "goes live" on the other sites, I'll post pictures of my projects.  Oh, and look for some surprises very soon.  I'm not saying what they will be.  You'll just have to check back soon.  Happy crafting!