Adapting to Your Environment

Tuesdays like today are great days to rest up from a busy weekend. I spent a nice evening Saturday with one of my cousins. I grew up in a very nuclear family so I don’t really know my cousins. I could walk by most of them and not even know it. So it was nice to get to know one of them. Otherwise, it was a weekend of just getting projects done around the house and our weekly excursion to the beach. I never get tired of the beach. It’s always just a little different each time we go.

 It’s now 2:00pm and I’ve only had 1 customer. On the flip side, I’ve had 1 customer but would like some more today please. I do have a sewing repair that needs to be picked up so keep your fingers crossed they come in today. Especially since I’m tired and it would help keep my mood up. So far, so good, I just keep telling my brain to shut up.

I’m also struggling to get my next book club book read. The story is fine, reading Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, it’s just long and I’ve had so many other things to do. It’s 900 pages and trying to read that, run a business, do sewing repairs, and other personal projects, I just haven’t had time. It’s been a true struggle bus to try and get it read in time for this week’s book club meeting. In any down time that I have you will find me reading this book.

I stopped to do a few other things, had a customer, and finished the book. Yay me!

We’ve been in Savannah for two years now after having lived in Burlington, WI for almost 30 years. We went from living in white, rural America to a very diverse community. It has been an interesting change and I am doing my best to understand my new clientele and meet their needs. After all, in my opinion, the best health food stores listen to their customers and carry the appropriate products. It’s also important for me to adapt my way of thinking and responding to this new clientele. What worked for me back in Wisconsin may not work for me here. In Wisconsin our demographic was predominantly white seniors. They had very specific concerns and pretty set in their ways. Here, my customers are incredibly diverse, both in age and race. More people here want liquids where I couldn’t sell a liquid to save my life in Wisconsin. I have more people looking for those herbs that have gained notoriety on social media and this I think speaks to the age of my current customers. Seniors tend to not be on social media whereas, younger boomers to gen z are.

Being young at heart while also dealing with all those things we deal with as we get older I think really helps. I usually have the current pop songs playing, because I enjoy it, which makes younger people feel more comfortable. I also have chronic pain and am developing other issues that come with age so can talk to older people. This, and the fact that I am highly empathetic, people should just be lining up to come in and talk to me. That just needs to get out in the world, so, here, I just said it.

To be successful, once again in my opinion, I must now earn the trust of the community I'm serving. After all, I’m the one who decided to move my store down here. So, “HELLO COMMUNITY! Give me a chance to help you live your best life. If not through improving your health, I’ll just fix your clothes.”

Those are my thoughts and words of wisdom for the day. Hope yours is a good one.

             Until next time,

                        Have a Healthy Day