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First Impressions
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Shower Enclosure Shopping
by Ellen Rogers
In business, we’ve all heard that we shouldn’t dress for
the job that we have, but for the job that we want. The same could be
said for a glass shop’s appearance: don’t have a showroom for where you
are today, but give the shop a showroom that reflects where you want to
be. Even if you’re a small operation, there’s no reason not to have an
upscale, professional look.
After all, there are no second chances when it comes to first impressions.
First impressions can be a make-it or break-it deal. I learned this firsthand
when I set out on a secret shopper excursion in Canton, Ohio, one sunny
afternoon. My mission: to get information and pricing for a frameless
shower enclosure. This was exciting for me, given my new house was under
construction at the time. And yes, the master bath plans call for a frameless,
heavy glass enclosure so I was ready to learn as much as I could, both
as a journalist and as a potential customer.
Shop A
Was the website informational? Other than
providing me with a list of the company’s services along with an address
and phone number, the website—which was almost entirely black and white
except for a whip of red in the logo—was of little help and in serious
need of a re-design. There were no pictures to illustrate the breadth
of the company’s work; no testimonials from customers; no extra information
other than listing the names of a couple suppliers. There were, however,
four links at the top: Home; Contact Us (which brought up a simple information
request page); Links (which brought up a “page not found” site); and
Coupon, for 10 percent off certain orders. Grade: D
Was the store easy to find? Indeed, I
had no trouble at all finding this location. Having plugged the address
into my GPS, the directions brought me right to the shop’s front door
without any trouble. Grade: A
Was the parking lot clean? If what constitutes clean is that
there was no garbage, trash or debris around, then yes, it was clean.
However, the area was not much of a parking lot. The space was gravelly
and even grassy in spots and there were no real designated parking spaces,
which could have been a distraction for those people who are particular
about their vehicles. Grade: C
Were the windows clean? The shop itself
was a single-story, white, garage-type of building, and the windows
were certainly no show-stopper either. They looked dusty and grimy and
were also speckled with paint splatters. For some buyers this may be
a deterrent. Will the employees care for my windows (shower door, mirror,
etc.) the same way they’ve cared for their own windows? Grade: D
Were you greeted upon entry?
I was not only greeted upon entry, I was greeted at my car. The husband
and wife ownership team rushed out to greet me when they saw me take
a picture of the shop; I explained that it simply was a way to help
me remember where I’d been; an answer with which they were pleased.
The male owner even noted that he, too, did that sometimes. Once inside,
they were very happy to help me with me search for a shower door.
Grade: A
Was the store neat and clear of debris? Absolutely
not. This shop looked like nothing but debris. It was dusty and
dingy and crowded and cluttered with window frames and others materials.
Fearing that I might walk into some protrusion, I had to pay close attention
to every step as we walked toward a worktable to lay out the house plans
for review. Clearly, this is a shop that does not cater to walk-ins.
Grade: D
Were the employees polite? Here I spoke
primarily with the shop owner and he was very polite and helpful. Dressed
in jeans and a T-shirt, he welcomed me inside, ready and willing to
work with me and answer all of my questions in a professional manner.
Grade: A
Were the displays neat? If there were
any displays to be seen they were tucked away out of view. There were
no examples or show pieces anywhere—not even brochures or literature—leaving
the customer with little, if anything, to judge the potential of the
shop’s work. Grade: F
Were the employees knowledgeable? What
this shop lacked in appearance and displays its owner made up for in
product knowledge. He spent a good half hour reviewing the house plans,
specifically those for the master bath and the shower enclosure. He
talked about the size and type of glass, hardware, tiling for the walls,
explaining that all need to be taken into account when building the
enclosure. Grade: A
How was the store experience? The experience
was okay, especially given how polite and helpful the employees were.
The owner was clearly knowledgeable about shower enclosures and was
eager to help. While he did not give me a price quote that day, he said
he would call with one. However, more than a week later, I’ve yet to
hear anything from him. Perhaps follow-up is an area in which he needs
to focus a bit more. As far as the shop itself, a fresh coat of paint
on the exterior, a good window cleaning and some cleaning up of the
interior would make for good investments, along with some literature
stands and even a display piece or two. Grade: D
Average Grade: B-
Shop B
Was the website informational? Though the design was simple,
this site was much more helpful than that of the first shop. On the
home page it asked the question: “How can we help?” The answers it provided
below were extensive. Right away, I saw they could help with my shower
enclosure search. On the left side of the site there was a list of all
the company’s services, with shower doors at the top. I clicked the
link and found information about the available products and services,
along with a photo gallery of project examples. The company’s address
and phone numbers in the top right corner were easy to find. Grade:
A
Was the store easy to find? While my GPS
guided me easily to the location, the shop was not an obvious find,
causing me to have to turn around in the parking lot next door. Instead
of facing the road, the shop’s entrance is on the side. Had I had been
driving from the opposite direction toward the front I would have been
more likely to see the entrance right away. Grade: B
Was the parking lot clean? This lot was
neat and tidy with plenty of space for customers. Even with the trucks
and carriers, visitors had easy access to plenty of parking. Grade:
A
Were the windows clean? The windows here
were neat and tidy and while there was some signage, it was not so much
that it made for a cluttered appearance. Though the exterior as a whole
was a simple brick façade, the glass entranceway was well taken
care of and inviting. Grade: A
Were you greeted upon entry? The moment
I walked in I was greeted with a cheery “Hello!” With so many bright,
attractive shower displays it took a moment for me to locate the front
desk and the woman working there who had sent out the welcome. Grade:
A
Was the store neat and clear of debris?
Hands down, this shop was the cleanest, most attractive and most inviting
of the lot. There was plenty of floor space to navigate through and
around the displays, and it was easy to find brochures or flyers for
additional product information. There was also a nice little waiting
area that was also well kept, open and airy, thanks to the abundance
of natural light. Grade: A
Were the employees polite? The woman with whom I spoke was dressed
professionally in a navy pants suit and took the time to walk me through
a few different displays and talk to me about my different options,
from glass to hardware. Grade: A
Were the displays neat? Though all three
companies touted that they handle shower doors, this was the only one
with a showroom—a showroom filled with an assortment of shiny, shower
door displays. There was enough variety and styles that any customer
could certainly find something that would meet their individual needs.
In addition to the shower displays, there were also displays with different
types of glass, hardware and finishes. Grade: A+
Were the employees knowledgeable? After
showing a store employee the designs for my bathroom, she took me over
to a display of frameless enclosures and talked a bit about the differences
in going with stock material versus a custom enclosure. She also showed
me options for glass (clear or patterned) as well as different hardware
styles and finishes. In addition, she even talked to me about other
upgrade options, such as easy-to-clean glass. Grade: A
How was the store experience? Overall,
I would say this shop was the most professional and shopper-friendly
of the three. I loved seeing all the different displays and the saleswoman
with whom I spoke was helpful and informative. I left the shop with
two price quotes in hand, one for clear glass and one for clear glass
with the easy-to-clean coating. The shop could have used a large road-side
sign to alert customers approaching from either the front or rear of
its location. Still, the experience was well worth the trip. Grade:
A
Average Grade: A
Shop C
Was the website informational? This shop, which I found through
a Google search, was without a website. Grade: N/A
Was the store easy to find? Again, my
trusty GPS brought me right to this shop, where a large sign out front
let me know I had reached my destination. Grade: A
Was the parking lot clean? While the lot
was small and situated along the side of the building, it was still
very neat. However, depending on the number of carriers and trucks,
the space could definitely be limited on a busy shopping day. Grade:
B
Were the windows clean? Given the location
of the front door and parking lot, no windows were in view from the
entrance. Once inside I could see that there were windows on the side
opposite of the door, though they seemed to bring little light to the
interior. Based on where I was standing, the windows seemed relatively
clean. Grade: B
Were you greeted upon entry? There was
no one working up front and no one greeted me. I stood for a moment
looking around, and then glanced through an open door into the fabrication
shop where I saw a gentleman working. From back in the shop he called
out “Can I help you?” I responded that I was interested in quotes for
a shower enclosure. He said that the person I really needed to speak
with was out and he would take my name and number. Grade: B-
Was the store neat and clear of debris?
Again, there was no showroom; just a reception counter. The area behind
the front desk was cluttered with supplier books and manuals, and the
desk was stacked high with papers and folders. I had to wonder how anyone
was able to get anything done as it seemed without any order. Grade:
C
Were the employees polite? To start off,
the gentleman in the back was not particularly welcoming at first. After
taking a moment to listen to my request he opened up a bit, going so
far as to tell me which shower door manufacturers he felt were supreme,
and that if I went the route of buying one from a big box store I’d
most likely be dissatisfied with the results. Moments later, the owner
arrived and greeted me with a friendly welcome. He was polite and helpful
and also spent a good bit of time talking with me about my options.
Grade: B+
Were the displays neat? Although without
displays, the employees did pull out a few design catalogs to show me
some different enclosure selections. When I explained I was in the market
for a frameless enclosure, the first gentleman told me he’d just finished
work on such a door, that it was still in the shop and I could take
a look at it, if I’d like. Though not a true display, his offer to provide
an example of the company’s work was a helpful alternative. Grade:
C
Were the employees knowledgeable? The
store owner was able to provide a good amount of information and suggestions
for building the enclosure. He, too, talked about my different options,
including an upgrade to an easy-to-clean glass, and even brought out
a few hardware samples to show me different sizes and finishes. Grade:
A
How was the store experience? There is
a lot to be said for helpfulness, knowledge and follow-up. I was impressed
with how this owner showed me different hardware options, talked about
different glass choices and then called me a few days later with the
quotes (one for clear glass and one for easy-to-clean glass). While
the interior was lacking in showroom appeal, the employees took the
time to show me catalogs and samples to give me a sense of what to expect.
My one big advice tip for this shop: get a website. It’s amazing that
a business in this day and age can survive without one. Grade: B
Average Grade: B
Ellen Rogers is a contributing editor of USGlass magazine.
USG
© Copyright 2011 Key Communications
Inc. All rights reserved.
No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.
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