Signs 'O the Times

 

"Hey look at this nice sign I just stuck to the window advertising my special," 

I thought to myself. 

A few weeks later after the snow and cold had their affects on them,

I thought "The edges are cracked and a corner is missing but the words are still intact and look good. It can last a little longer". 

Then some kids tore a couple of corners off. The words were still there. 

"I'll replace it soon," I thought.
Then one day a customer came up to me. 
"I tore down that raggedy a$$ sign you had on the window. It didn't look good anymore. So I tore it off," she said as she handed me the few scraps of vinyl. 

I felt cheap and it dawned on me that how I saw things and what I was willing to put up with is NOT the same as the way my customers saw things.

The sign above is funny. We know what it used to say. A lot of retail stores have the same sign. We've seen it for years. Many laundromat owners have similar signs and have done the exact same thing I did above. 

Like many small business owners we laundry owners are conscience of how much money we spend and how many things we spend it on. We're in a business where the income flows into the business in quarters, but flows out of the business as dollars. As such we have a tendency to let things slide a bit because the item is "still good enough" or "good enough for now." We mean to replace them, however something always comes along to distract us and the thing that was "good enough" eventually slides into a condition of horrible. 

Much as we want to get our moneys worth out of what we spend our hard earned money on, remember it isn't what we see, it is what our customers see. Vandalized signs outside might say to some people that it is okay to vandalize things inside.  Keep signs in good condition. When someone vandalizes them and makes them funny, replace the sign as soon as possible. If the signs are easily vandalized or broken, look at making them out of different material. It might be a little more expensive at first, but they will last longer and look better for longer. Just be sure to take a picture of the old sign and send it to me so I can use in my blog. We can all use a good laugh. Remember a sign is usually the first thing people notice when they walk up to your building.

Ev

A Heck of A Nice Guy