X Marks the Spot

“We also have a lot of big signs throughout the store, retro style signs that have beach maps and sayings like ‘Anna Marina Island –where nothing to do is something.’ They serve as décor and they’re also available for sale. Those are very popular.”

- Taylor Deluca, Two Sides of Nature, Anna Marina Island, Fla.

Setting a Stage (From page 34) more rainbow, and then the white and blue patterns, which are very beachy, always does well with people.”

Dunbar added that the environment she tries to create in her store is one that is “warm, helpful, and interactive. I do gift wrapping and packaging for my customers. I even allow them to bring things they purchased elsewhere and combine them with ours in my wrapping or packaging.” She described herself as “very service oriented. Whatever people want, I try to give to them. I will also send people to other shops if I know something is available there and I don’t have an item.”

Continued on page 40

Top Customer Service Tips

At coastal stores, the customer is the king - or queen - of the sea. For this article, store owners and staff described their top customer service tips.

At Maison Beach in Vero Beach, Fla., Owner Darcy Dunbar said her top tip is “Accessibility. My store phone is my cell phone, so customers can text me or call me any time. I am a one woman show,” she noted. “I even make deliveries and do shipping. So, if customers know what they want and they need it gift wrapped, I’ll ship for them with reasonable shipping costs, or I’ll do deliveries if that’s what works for them. Whatever people need I will help them with,” she attested.

Bob Mather, co-owner of Bungalow By the Sea, in

Carolina Beach, N.C., explained, “My top customer service tip is to have fun. For us, that’s certainly true, it’s mostly about having fun with our customers, and it shows. We were labeled the number one gift shop on the island, and that sense of fun is the reason. We also go very personal, with one-on-one interactions with our customers.”

On Anna Marina Island, Fla., Taylor DeLuca, manager at Two Sides of Nature, agreed that personal interaction is the key for customer service excellence. “We interact with customers, a great deal, we really talk to them. And we can ship things off to their homes if their luggage is too full. We can also help them shop online if they decide they want some- thing, and we will follow up and get in touch with them and show them many options.”

And at Gulf Stream Gifts, in Nags Head, N.C., Kim, a sales associate speaking for Store Manager Chris Wolff, related that “Gift wrap and shipping are important to people, and offering that, which we do, is a great customer service idea. Sometimes people will pop in here for a present, and we’ll wrap and even ship it if needed. Things that are breakable, we try to find a box or wrap the item in bubble wrap so people can bring them home safe. I guess you could say that we cater to the customer, which is something you should do. That’s my tip.” ❖