Minkchocolates

March Forth

Monday. Fred reminds me that March 4th is the only day of the year that is also a command. He asks me if I’m going to use that to celebrate my achievements and set new goals.

“Maybe if it wasn’t so close to New Year’s,” I say. “I’m seeing a lot of failed resolutions and we’re only eight weeks in.”

I emphasize how being in the café business allows me to see and listen firsthand to people profess change but ultimately slide back into old habits.

“In January, our skim milk consumption increased four-fold. Everyone was on a diet,” I offer. “By the first of February, low-fat milk is the sole domain of ladies who lunch, and vegans who cheat.”

Tuesday. Fred sends me a link to the 25 most inspirational songs of all time. There’s Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, Vangelis’ Chariots of Fire, and a couple of tracks from the Rocky movies.

“Put these on the store playlist,” he says. “Start your day with a staff pep talk, and crank these loud. Get them motivated to strive for excellence. To march forth and conquer.”

This in response to my having told him that I’ve been struggling to find the antidote for complacency that I fear has permeated the rank and file. No longer does it suffice to rely on the communication book to point out the things that were missed. My ‘Discipline Equals Freedom’ approach has lost its edge. I’m loathe to micro-manage. I think it’s time for some one-on-one. Or at least a staff meeting.

Wednesday. I call up Faith at the Morgan Crossing store, and we talk staff motivation. She tells me she’s split her regular to-do list into tasks and assigned them to various shifts. Rather than make any one person responsible for a particular thing, or have to rely on everyone being generalists and doing everything, she has a specific shift responsible for specific tasks.

“Funny how that much coveted ten thirty to seven shift fell out of favor when it got assigned bathroom maintenance,” she says. “But the nine o’clock dust and fluff is in huge demand.”

That triggers my rant. “Where did this sense of entitlement come from,” I query. “Haven’t they had to walk to and from school up hill in the snow with newspaper in their shoes?”

Faith struggles to hold back her laughter. “How old are you exactly?”

Granted, I may be a victim of an Eastern European immigrant’s work ethic, but I don’t think the advent of the iPhone precludes anyone from working hard. You just can’t call it in, and expect to succeed.

Thursday. I sit down with Ben, and tell him it’s time for everyone to undergo a performance review. I remind him that each of his hires were brought on board for attitude, and that we trained for skill. I go on to pitch the concept of March Forth, reiterating my belief that this is a perfect time for each employee to re-set their goals for the year.

“Let’s get back to the Four Seasons standard of excellence,” I say. “I know none of these kids are going to be baristas forever, but on the highway of life, this pit stop should at least help cultivate a desire to do the best possible job in any circumstance.”

He thinks about it for a minute, and then volunteers Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive as his pick for the lead-off song at the pep rally.

Friday. Fred calls to remind me not to take the concept of March Forth too seriously. He tells me about a guy he knew that rented costumes for his staff, having everybody dress up like Revolutionary War soldiers. They convened in a Save-On Foods parking lot and practiced marching in unison.

I asked about the outcome of that team building exercise. Apparently there was a mutiny, forcing that guy out of retail. He’s now a stay-at-home dad and part-time video game tester.

“I’ll take that under advisement,” I tell Fred, and with that, I log onto iTunes, and start a new playlist.

Marc Lieberman

Mink Chocolates Inc.,
Mink A Chocolate Cafe Ltd.

Call the store: 604.633.2451
Call my mobile: 604.376.3464
Call toll free: 1.866.283.5181

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In Person: 863 Hastings Street West, Vancouver, BC V6C 3N9

Nine out of every ten persons say they love chocolate. The tenth lies.
– Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Timing is Everything

Wednesday. Dave Newson, man at large, joins me at Holt Renfrew to meet the visual display people and discuss the props available for our Valentines pop-up store. I envision chandeliers, mannequins, black velvet curtains swagged from the ceiling. They offer up a six foot table and a power bar. Dave senses my profound disappointment and assures me he’ll make it work. I skulk back to Mink and take an Advil.

Thursday. Dave pulls the two primary colors from the Mink Valentines poster, and arranges to have wide vinyl striping applied alternately on the table. He coerces them into giving up a couple of plinths with glass cubes that he’ll use to showcase my Artist Series bonbon boxes and anchor either side of the table. He pulls a graphic detail from the poster and instructs the vinyl guy to produce a band with that image in repetition that will finish off the bottom of the cubes. He confirms there is more to come.

Friday. I have one week to produce all the chocolate I’ll need for the pop-up shop, as well as the Mink store downtown and the one at Morgan Crossing. Sales volume from last year isn’t much of a predictor, as Valentines coincided with the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics, and the organizing committee, Vanoc, scared the bejeezus out of everyone and implored them not to come downtown unless absolutely necessary. We still had a great holiday, albeit not entirely an accurate reflection of our potential.

What’s the mood this year? In retail, unless there are significant indicators of pending calamity, you have to be an optimist and plan for a 10% increase. But the pop-up store? It’s entirely unknown. Holts is the pinnacle of fashion retailing in Canada. I should kill, but what if I don’t? Hand filled hearts don’t have the same value the day after. I take the rest of the afternoon off to work from home.

Saturday. Mrs. Mink is planning Jr. Minks 3^rd birthday at the Sunset Community Center. The list of planned activities is long, and the guest list longer. She runs a few perfunctory details past me, knowing I’m only half paying attention. I perk up slightly when she references something about paying for it all from our joint account, but I’ll clarify that at the end of the month when the statement comes.

Sunday. I get an electronic e-vite to my son’s soiree. I open it, admire the choice of template, and click on my name. I have the option of attending for sure, attending maybe, or not attending. I choose the latter. For the benefit of all the parents of his pre-school buddies and their nannies, I feel compelled to decline with an explanation. Levi originally had a due date of February 15. Had he adhered to the schedule, I’d be having cupcakes after finger-painting. He chose to take an earlier flight, and arrived on the 13^th.

The day before Valentines, and the day of Valentines, are the two single biggest days in the chocolate business. By the time my business will allow me to party with the pre-schoolers, he’ll be in University. I go into his room and interrupt him playing with his trains. I tell him I love him and I’m sorry I won’t be at his birthday party. I try and explain that had he stayed in his womb until it was time to leave, I’d be there. He gave me one of those innocent quizzical looks he so often does, then asked if Toopy and Binoo would be there instead.

Monday. I’m stressed. Shecky texts me to say stressed backwards is dessert, and that I should have some rice pudding. Instead, I walk up to the Bentall Center and get my shoes shined. Sitting in the chair, watching my Blundstones get a new lease on life, I think back to when I’d go with my Dad on Saturday’s to get haircuts, him a shoeshine, then off to Mikes Cigar Store, where he got a stogey and I got a Dinky Toy. I couldn’t tell you anything about my birthday parties from those years, but I’ll never forget Saturdays. I call my wife and propose that going forward we celebrate the kids birthday on his due date, not his actual arrival date. Valentines will be in the books, and I won’t have to make excuses.

Marc Lieberman

Mink Chocolates Inc.,
Mink A Chocolate Cafe Ltd.

Call the store: 604.633.2451
Call my mobile: 604.376.3464
Call toll free: 1.866.283.5181

Shop: minkchocolates.com
Tweet: twitter.com/minkchocolates
Join: facebook.com/mink.chocolates
Read: blog.minkchocolates.com
Watch: youtube.com search mink chocolates
In Person: 863 Hastings Street West, Vancouver, BC V6C 3N9

February 14

Rolling With the Punches

I try and instill in all the Mink staffers a sense of the Four Seasons standard of service excellence. The ubiquitous hotel chain does arguably the best job in the service industry of paying attention to details. 

Details are those little intrinsic differences that subliminally affect your perception of something. It may not be immediately apparent, but it supports the overall message of the brand. It strengthens brand intention, and serves to set you apart from others in a very crowded marketplace. 

The world is over retailed, and doesn’t need any more of anything. If you’re going to do something, you might as well be different, and do different so well that you set the standard by which all others have to compete. 

This strategy can sometimes get lost in translation, and when it’s lost on a tenured employee we call Spicoli, it can have very humorous consequences. The washrooms in the Café have really nice chrome fixtures. The toilet paper dispensers in particular are hotel caliber, dual roll dispensers with hoods that cry out for a chambermaid’s touch of origami to the loose end. 

We insist that each new roll of toilet paper be loaded into the dispenser so the paper unrolls over the top, rather than behind. It looks better, and it’s more convenient. The most important detail though, is starting the roll, so the guest doesn’t have to pick at the point where it’s glued to get it going. 

Most commercial toilet paper is two ply. Starting the roll means paying attention to ensure the two plys line up. Not paying attention to how one starts the roll could mean the plys have separated, and at the perforation point of the individual squares, they don’t line up. 

The simple fix is taking the first errant ply, and folding it over the roll to catch up to its proper position, and tearing it equal to its natural second ply. We’ve actually referenced this in the staff communication book and teach it as basic bathroom maintenance to all new hires. Spicoli had other ideas. His acute sense of logic dictated that if the roll is wound down far enough, the two plys will eventually meet. 

The mystery of why there was always so much unused toilet paper in the garbage can was finally answered when Spicoli confessed to Ben that he thought our service standard for toilet paper was untenable. 

Hearing this from Ben the other day, we were killing ourselves laughing, but not as hard as when we wrote the memo that effective immediately, we’re switching to a three ply toilet paper, and everyone changing rolls had to ensure that all the plys, again, lined up at the start. 

So the next time you’re in the washroom, if all you see is toilet paper almost at the end of the roll, either we’ve been busy, or Spicoli’s been on bathroom maintenance.

Marc Lieberman

Mink Chocolates Inc.,
Mink A Chocolate Cafe Ltd.

Call the store: 604.633.2451
Call my mobile: 604.376.3464
Call toll free: 1.866.283.5181

Shop: minkchocolates.com
Tweet: twitter.com/minkchocolates
Join: facebook.com/mink.chocolates
Read: blog.minkchocolates.com
Watch: youtube.com search mink chocolates
In Person: 863 Hastings Street West, Vancouver, BC V6C 3N9

Nine out of every ten persons say they love chocolate. The tenth lies.
– Anthelme Brillat-Savarin