Put Service Before Profits

In any social gathering, everyone is eyeing everyone else. They evaluate everyone else’s appearance, clothing, social status and intelligence

However, clothing could be the first attraction. It enhances one’s appearance and speaks of one’s profession.

Appearance also speaks of one’s intelligence. Intelligence is what bonds people together and intelligent people are interested in successful people and how they became successful.

The name John Cash Penney would make interesting conversation because he became very successful.

He was the founder of J. C. Penney soft goods clothing stores scattered in prominent locations throughout Texas. His first store was in Dallas; the year was about 1903. His success was based on quality merchandising and his friendly caring attitude towards customers.

A young man in his mid-twenties was also interested in merchandising. He wanted to be in business for himself. He wanted to own and operate a variety store, perhaps more stores some day. This was in the late 1940s. His name was Samuel Moore Walton. He preferred to be known as Sam Walton.

He was a born leader. Sam Walton looked within himself for solutions and decisions. When someone was doing something exceptionally well, he would investigate.

He heard that J. C. Penney had a customer retail program that energized sales. Sam Walton had to know what it was. He applied for a job at J. C. Penney and was hired at a payment slightly more than $20 a week. He didn’t mind. He was still young and wanting to learn.

What be learned was J. C. Penney’s philosophical beliefs for success:

1. Serve the public for their complete satisfaction

2. Do all in your power to pack the customers dollar full of value, quality and satisfaction.

3. And most important, for services rendered a fair remuneration is expected — and not just all the profit customers will bear (What J. C. Penney is saying is “don’t stick it to them”).

4. Test every policy, method and act. (“Does it square with what is right and what is just?”) Again, what J C Penney is saying is not to use false advertising. Tell the truth. Don’t say quality when it isn’t. Don’t say it’s the best you can do when you can do better.

What pleased Sam Walton in every respect was that his beliefs were on the same path as J. C. Penney’s beliefs that customers come first. That belief had never changed. That belief made him the world’s biggest retailer.

His first venture was an up-for-sale Ben Franklin variety store that he turned into a profitable business. Then he bought more Ben Franklin stores that became more profitable.

At that time, many Ben Franklin variety stores were waiting to be bought. Waiting for good times is what did them in. Sam Walton bought as many as his money would allow. Some had overdue rental, problems which he paid in order to buy the business. Small retailers had serious problems. Credit was one of them. Low inventory — not having what customers wanted — was also a problem. Paying a high price for resale products is what destroyed small retail businesses.

Sam Walton’s success can be credited to his strong buying power, his acumen in selling quality products and his caring attitude towards his customers. Someone said, “Take good care of your customers and they’ll take care of you.”

Drycleaners must take heed: instead of racing to discover new possibilities of beating competition, we should focus on better possibilities in serving customers.

September 1971. The voice of late Dr. Dorothy Lyle, IFI director consumer relations, gave this message: “The time is right for our industry to work together to identify consumer problems and develop constructive solutions.

Why is this important?

Because it is the way to prove that the drycleaning industry does care for consumer satisfaction.”