Our previous manager would give customers 1 warning if they raised their voice or used profanity before asking them to leave the store. The current manager is a bit of a pushover and usually lets angry customers have their way (he allows refunds w/o receipt, gives refunds for open items, etc.). A few customers have discovered this and pretty much take advantage of things. We have a loyalty program so when we pull up the customer’s accounts we see warnings from previous visits. The rest of the employees are not allowed to make exceptions for customers like our manager does. The customers do not understand this and many think raising their voices or saying nasty things to some of the 18 yr old girls that work with me is how to get their way. We have a guy that cusses at least one employee out a week and another guy that says the manager told him he never has to wait in line. Am I, as a regular employee not a manager, allowed to walk away from a situation where I am being verbally abused?

My family owns two small bookstores in the Central Florida area (www.halfoffbooks.org) We sell new and used books, however (nearly) everything in the store is at least half off the retail price. The business model was somewhat fashioned after halfpricebooks however our stores are much smaller (about 2,500 square feet and 3,200 square feet)
I’m looking for effective marketing idea’s for our business. I should mention that I don’t consider “advertising in the newspaper” an idea, thats a tool you can use to carry out an idea. We do need to be budget concious, and we are looking both for ways to increase awareness and attract new customers as well as continue building loyalty w/ current ones and continue more frequent purchases.
Any suggestions would be great, and you’d be helping a small family business

Does a grocery store that has its customers participate in their loyalty program have the ability to track, and report on, customer spending trends. For example, I belong to 3 different stores’ loyalty programs. Could I go to a particular store and get a report on what has been purchased in a particular time frame?

When I take my grocery store card to the Kwik Shop they use it in the same way because of a partnership that gives me a discount on gas. I’d like my best customers to enjoy the benefits from my company and all my partners with the ease of one card.