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| Post Number: 11
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greatlakes 
Group: Members
Posts: 3
Joined: Feb. 2006
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Posted on: Feb. 15 2006,6:00 pm |
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if you own a small business in al you better be selling something people need and want at a reasonable price.otherwise we go to wal-mart.Why not i like to save money,too.just like a small business would.how else would i pay for that overpriced gas?
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| Post Number: 12
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bnkrpt
Group: Members
Posts: 74
Joined: Nov. 2005
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Posted on: Feb. 15 2006,8:15 pm |
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I wouldnt even try the " AL is on two huge interstates" tactic if i was you, ive gone over it before lol. but i also think that saying that the young people in AL dont care is a bold statement. ive lived there since i was 2 (im 20 now) and now i live in Austin but I always hope for the best for AL. i dont like it very well now the way things are but i really hope things turn around and it gets to be a great city like it should be, it'll take time i guess. I know there are a lot of younger people that could care less about AL but ya know what, theres a lot of older people that are the same way so to put that brand on one group of people is pretty shady.
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| Post Number: 13
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cea
Group: Members
Posts: 171
Joined: Mar. 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2006,12:42 am |
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I'm young and took my shot at improving Albert Lea.
The lesson I learned is not to even try in Albert Lea, it’s that simple.
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| Post Number: 14
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Wolfie
Group: Members
Posts: 1040
Joined: Apr. 2005
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2006,2:04 am |
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I own a business in town I started in 1997 and its going good still, not great or fantastic but good, keeps me happy. I resent the implication that business' in this town charge too much for thier products. My prices are competitive, but I do one thing that many others dont, I provide service after the fact. I patronize the other mom and pop stores in town as much as possible. I would rather do business with someone I can look in the eye and talk to than someone who see me as a number, or how many items I have and how fast they can be scanned. One observation I have made in my almost nine years in business, is that AL does have a larger percentage of the "Get something for nothing" crowd. You know the guys that will drive to the cities (pay the gas and the meal at the resteraunt) to get something for a couple bucks cheaper or a couple days earlier.
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Many good men have died to guarantee your freedoms, live your life like it was worth dying for.
I have the ability to make the 1200 meter shot, but some targets deserve the up close kill, where you can watch the life leave the eyes while the blood ebbs from the body.
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| Post Number: 15
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Scurvy Dog
Group: Members
Posts: 825
Joined: Jul. 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2006,8:51 am |
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Years ago, some of my friends thought about opening an alcohol-free dance club for the under-21 set to have something to do. They circulated petitions throughout the high school, gathering much support, and proposed their idea to the city. Paul Sparks shot it down, saying he saw no need for it, but a few weeks later Pour Boys got approval to have an alcohol-free teen night once a week. It was alleged that Sparks was friends with the owners of Pour Boys (I can't substantiate this).
Given the above example, I would say it's the "Old Boys' Network" that's holding us back. They want to hang on to THEIR Albert Lea of the past and not move into the future. Our best shot is to vote them out of office, or better yet, run against them. The ones who stay in power will eventually die out, and our generation can elect/hire new personnel who actually think ahead instead of thinking back.
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| Post Number: 16
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Colorado Conservative
Group: Members
Posts: 170
Joined: Feb. 2006
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2006,8:58 am |
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I think the something for nothing crowd is everywhere, but even those guys will stick around, and pay a little more for the same product if:
a. You have the same or comparible product
b. You give superior customer service, make them remember you and thier experience at you place of business.
c. Give them a reason to come back or use your services again.
In my return visits to Albert Lea, the one thing that I notice, is the lack of customer service, and I'm not talking about wally world or the other box stores, we expect that from them. Very few places of business go the extra mile, very few take an interest in their customer, what happened to service with a smile.
Now I'm generalizing here, not every business in A.L. suffers from these ailments, but I worked in the automotive tire and repair business for 12 years in management, and was considering opening a store in A.L. for some time for this very reason. I would go to parts stores, tire stores, and test there customer service skills, I was shocked by how horrible the service was at every place I went to (several different places over the course of a year).
Part of this is probably just the lack of competition for so long, and now everyone is just complacant. Now, while this problem isn't unique to A.L., most everywhere else these type of establishments get weeded out over time due to hungry competition (which A.L. is sorely lacking). Competition is good, and the little guy can compete with the big guy, and even have an advantage in customer service. I have since started a service business in Colorado, and am stealing away the national chains customers left and right, all with word of mouth advertising, the difference is customer service, I'm not cheaper, I just keep my customers informed, happy, and stay proactive to what their needs are. This is more work than the actual services we provide, but it is paying off, we will hopefully have customers for life as opposed to a one time sale.
As an outsider looking in, this is what I see lacking in A.L.'s business community. Not just great customer service to those you personally know, but great customer service to all of the customers that come through your door, or call you.
Honesty, integrity, and great customer service will beat out price every time, but if they can get the same crappy service at wally world for less money, of course they will.
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Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
- Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862
A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower 1890-1969
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| Post Number: 17
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irisheyes
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 3040
Joined: Oct. 2003
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2006,12:29 pm |
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| Quote (greatlakes @ Feb. 15 2006,6:00pm) | | if you own a small business in al you better be selling something people need and want at a reasonable price.otherwise we go to wal-mart |
I'm not trying to demonize big box retailers, but you can't compare them to specialty stores, or mom & pop shops. There's reasons that they can charge so little. Obviously, they're buying in incredible bulk amount, so a small store isn't going to offer the same price, cause they can't get it for that price. Another thing, I think wally world is great for toothpaste, shampoo, zip lock bags, etc. But if you're making a bigger purchase, don't think that because it says it's a certain brand, that it's the same thing you'd get at another business.
Another thing is customer service, which is incredibly expensive. If I pickup a plumbing item at a big box retailer for $3, that might be a hell of a deal compared to the $8 or $10 I'd pay at Bob's plumbing & handyman store. Difference is Bob's plumbing is probably a better product, and Bob might spend 2 hours explaining to some nitwit like me how to do the job right, so I don't have to spend the rest of the night fumbling around with the wet-dry vac, lol. Just an example, this applies to a lot of other stuff.
Edited by irisheyes on Feb. 16 2006,12:32 pm
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You know it's going to be a bad day when you cross thread the cap on the toothpaste.
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| Post Number: 18
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ICU812
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 3244
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2006,12:57 pm |
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| Quote | | Bob's plumbing & handyman store |
Great, now you're gonna get Bob mad.
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| Post Number: 19
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Botto 82
Group: Members
Posts: 6293
Joined: Jan. 2005
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2006,1:28 pm |
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| Quote (irisheyes @ Feb. 16 2006,12:29pm) | | There's reasons that they can charge so little. Obviously, they're buying in incredible bulk amount, so a small store isn't going to offer the same price, cause they can't get it for that price. |
This is roughly half of the equation, the other half being shelves stocked to the ceiling with goods made by Chinese workers, working under conditions that would have been considered abominable by 1910 standards.
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Dear future generations: Please accept our apologies. We were rolling drunk on petroleum.
- Kurt Vonnegut
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| Post Number: 20
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Colorado Conservative
Group: Members
Posts: 170
Joined: Feb. 2006
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Posted on: Feb. 16 2006,1:33 pm |
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| Quote (Botto 82 @ Feb. 16 2006,12:28pm) | | Quote (irisheyes @ Feb. 16 2006,12:29pm) | | There's reasons that they can charge so little. Obviously, they're buying in incredible bulk amount, so a small store isn't going to offer the same price, cause they can't get it for that price. |
This is roughly half of the equation, the other half being shelves stocked to the ceiling with goods made by Chinese workers, working under conditions that would have been considered abominable by 1910 standards. |
but who is to blame for that? if we keep purchasing the lowest priced goods, we just keep feeding the box store machine, which in turn keeps dictating production price, which in turn moves production over seas where they can ship the raw materials, get the product built, ship it back, and keep the price where the consumer wants it (and then we complain how nothing is quality built anymore)
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Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
- Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862
A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower 1890-1969
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