V E D D AT O R I A L
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
In a sense, some aspects of the pandemic have favored us. We have to take that advantage, though, and run with it.
By Dan Vedda
I have seen stores in our market cut hours, take vacation weeks and drive customers away. I know, because their customers It’s hard to come to me and complain while thanking me for being available. It’s true that all the other businesses — banks, pharmawrite about our cies, groceries — have cut hours. That doesn’t make it OK for us. It means we’re another business that isn’t available shared COVID-19 when the customer needs us. Perhaps you’ve always done “summer hours.” This may not be the year to continue the woes, victories tradition, unless you’re in a rural, sparsely populated market. and plans in a timely People want to play; I can’t stress this enough. We need to be known as the source for help playing fashion because things music. I consider it the best opportunity we’ve had in more than 20 years to capture the music-interested change, if not every day, consumer — NOT the school market; NOT the pro market. Sure, those are tough spots right now. But at least every week. You can there are thousands — perhaps hundreds of thousands — of people curious about music who need see in your own markets wonsomething in their lives that helps them cope with stress, stave off boredom or enrich their feeling derful or alarming examples of of accomplishment. Stress baking has too many calories. Gardening isn’t year-round in most of the way businesses and consumers the countr y. We provide a solution. are dealing with the hopes and fears Even in the school-age demographic, the very population we will miss most as band programs wrought by a rolling, active pandemic. go on hiatus and concerts and competitions are canceled, there is some hope. We noticed that, I see no benefit in getting political or despite the percentage of COVID-19-fearful people who dropped out because they could not preachy about various aspects of this crisis, see value in remote learning (about 15 percent to 20 percent of our students), we have not except to say that whatever you think about seen the yearly summer drop off. Without softball, summer camps and extensive travel, the various issues doesn’t mean squat for your the kids have little to do this summer. Music helps. One positive we saw over the ongoing business, assuming your business is gospring: The kids who stayed in and practiced startled themselves with how much ing on. What matters, moving forward, is what your progress they made. customers think. People are also aware that remote learning is not always a perfect soluIn my store, for example, my core customers — famition. Piano teachers who once made house calls and families that practice lies with kids and a large number of older adults — won’t homeschooling have long known how difficult it is to provide a good feel comfortable if others are not wearing masks, and they learning setting in a household. It’s a lot of extra work, and few are up won’t patronize the store if they feel uncomfortable. They are to the task, at least when it comes to keeping things up in a susfearful of exposure, and if some of them seem a little extreme tained fashion. So, they realize that remote lessons aren’t as good in their fear, it’s not much worse than the people I see that won’t as the in-store version. venture out at all after the first heavy snowfall. I’m keen to grab that momentum. In a sense, some aspects of I really don’t want to drive folks back online now that they’re finally the pandemic have favored us. We have to take that advanpoking their heads out. So, I’ve been observing some of the ways stores tage, though, and run with it. Here’s where we must get across the economy are attempting to create that comfort zone and trying to creative. We will NOT be going “back to normal.” When see how well that’s working for them. One thing is evident, though: Even if you you think about it, we weren’t all that happy with “norsuccessfully sidestep the issues of facility crowding and maskless non-distancers, mal,” as far as industry growth goes. We’ve always there are still additional things we can do to attract customers safely. fallen short of our real potential. Maybe this is I see an advantage for stores (like many in our industry) that have a relaxed rather our opportunity to clear the path, forge ahead than bustling salesfloor. As much as an active store feels “thriving,” it’s very easy now and reach new goals. If you have any chance for the perception of “too many people” to dampen enthusiasm. (While CDC guidelines of continuing your business, don’t hunker help, you have to gauge the feel of your store. I had one teacher measure six feet off in our down and wait for things to blow over. studio and say, “It’s not enough distance.” That may just be her perception — but she did not Use this opportunity to seize control of return to teach.) We’ve actually taken out some displays and merchandised tighter and taller so your destiny without depending on folks don’t feel hemmed in by the footprint of fixtures. Cleaning up the sightlines helps too. The others to bring business to you. more open the store feels, the happier the nervous consumer will be. Convenience still reigns with customers, but now it’s less about impatience than getting home to safety. The more efficient an over-the-counter transaction is, the happier everyone feels, even those who profess no fear of infection. Most of us are still happy to do contactless, curbside or other models perceived as “safer.” But this is a good time to reflect on every step in the transaction, even for what we once called “normal” sales. As we reach a point where the fear is less prevalent, an efficient sales counter will still be a positive. And for those who will now be gun-shy even in the face of a good old-fashioned flu outbreak (yes, some customers will be extra cautious about all manner of infections, now that the general public has more awareness of how these diseases spread), a well-run, efficient store will comfort all but the most nervous. From now on, we want to be known as a safe store, pandemic or not. Convenience also counts when setting store hours. Sure, we want payroll under control, especially in a tight market. But 38
AUGUST 2020