Never ‘misunderestimate’ the value of customer service, or of finding the right man for the job.....

Elliott’s Hardware Store in Dallas, Texas, has scored a brilliant coup by offering ex-President George Bush a retirement job as a ‘greeter’ at their store near his new home. The store has employed greeters for more than 50 years as a way of ensuring that every customer walking though the front door sees a smiling face and someone who can assist with their questions – and a quick look at a couple of blogs about the store shows that this is a winning USP. Many of these greeters once held “executive positions in Corporate America” and find the relaxed pace and social nature of the position an enjoyable way to spend their retirement. The letter to George Bush from Kyle Walters, President and CEO of the store, has been published on the company’s website.

It is a good example of a job advertisement – it introduces the nature of the business and emphasises the importance of customer service to this niche business, and the benefits available to the successful applicant including “ample parking for you and your security detail and a generous employee discount”. The idea has generated a great deal of free publicity for the business, especially when Bush actually turned up at the store claiming he had come to ask about a job - the picture here shows him trying on the staff uniform! The company’s letter has some wonderful lines in it:

“We’re confident that your experience working in your own family business, as well as your people skills developed throughout years of meeting with foreign dignitaries would make you an excellent candidate for the position,”

“Furthermore, like you, many of our greeters are retired from the corporate world, so we’re sure you’ll have no trouble making new friends.”

But my personal favourite has to be:

“We think you’ll find working with us a lot less stressful than your last job. (And we’re pretty sure Mrs Bush wouldn’t mind getting you out of the house for a few hours, too.)”