My life in a nutshell...

...So, I came to Gettysburg as the manager of a store in the outlet mall nearby. My new district manager accepted me for the position based on a phone interview and the words of others in the company who knew me. I was here for a month before I finally got to meet her. The day she was here, we also had a surprise visit by the VP of the company, the Director of Stores, and my new Regional Manager (my DM's boss who I had also never met but had about an hour long phone conversation with). Things were well, the visit was great, and they all loved me. It's funny how when business is good, people higher up think you are wonderful, you're the cause of it all, and it all happened because they brought you there, isn't it?

For the first two months, I was at or near the top in the district in sales percentage over last year. They left me alone! The last month and a half has brought about a significant downturn in business. People aren't coming out to spend money like they were. Now, they don't leave me alone. The corrolary to the 'you're wonderful!' when you're doing good is, 'what are you doing wrong?' when you're not doing so good! Too much credit for the good, too much blame for the bad is how it seems to go.

So, everyday, I've been hearing it. "Customer Service!...Customer Service!...Make the most of every opportunity...Are your people doing it?" etc., etc. (I could ramble for hours, because I've heard it all recently, more than once in some cases!)

Robbie, the Regional Manager, recently decided to have 'Customer Service Seminars' with a lot of his managers. One of them was supposed to be in this area, in Lancaster,this week. I couldn't make it, because I have an assistant manager on vacation in Ocean City, MD. I asked her to come back a day early, and of course she resoundingly said, "NO!" I don't blame her. But, Robbie, out of the goodness of his heart, decided that he wants me at the seminar. Since I can't go to it, he's bringing it to my store on Thurs. Think of me at 8am on Thurs. with Robbie, Dianne, my DM, and at least 4 other managers from four other stores practicing our best 'Customer Service' techniques!

Ain't life grand!?!