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From the retail news front
Recently, we saw an article for the restaurant industry aimed not at the owner or manager, but at waitresses and waiters. In the article the writer gave recognition of how demanding customers can be. It seems every industry that has to deal with the public has its' situations. And every time you gather people who have to serve the public, the "war stories" begin to fly.

However, the article was designed to focus on the little things that can be done to increase tips. Many of the ideas would increase the tips by "double digits". Some of the most interesting suggestions were:

Kneel so that you can make eye contact with the customer on the same level.

Touch the customer on the hand or should to acknowledge their request.

Write "thank you" on the bill.

Call them by name if you know it or have obtained it by seeing their charge card.

Instead of just reciting the specials of the day, ask the customer what type of food they like, and then give only one or two specials.

Did you notice that none of these ideas required any special training or knowledge? All that is necessary is an effort to make the customer feel appreciated.

Precision Shopping
Have you heard the term "precision shopping"? One of the large research firms coined the phrase. It deals with the need to save the time of a customer as they shop. The report said customers are making more frequent trips to the store, but are spending less time browsing.

If customers are making more trips to the store, how do you make sure they are making those trips to your business? There were five suggestions:
Use the names and addresses you obtain from customers to create promotional events.
Ask your customers what other products or categories they think you should carry.
Educate your employees.
Have a customer loyalty program (your own frequent flyer program).
Suggestive selling.

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