We must act like the economic recovery depends on us…because it does.
The economy is affecting everyone especially in China where those thin, cheap t-sacks come from. You may say great…cheap plastic bags for our business, but think about those small choices.
Fixing our economy involves many different things, but for the most part we believe that one important way is to put more Americans back to work in America. If your customers were employed like they were pre-recession you may not be wondering where your next sale or order is coming from.
Our small choices will add up to make a significant difference in our own economy. We can be trite and say that the Chinese factory owners and workers do not shop in our businesses so why should we use their products? Honestly, we have to in many cases but fixing the economy is in part about the conscious choices we make everyday, even in the smallest of things like plastic bags.
Recently I sent an email out to customers asking for feedback on how our Company (Nashville Wraps) can improve. Two responses in particular stand out:
Pat: We would greatly like to purchase all our supplies from you… it is very convenient, and we wind up getting our orders overnight. However, your prices on Hi-D plastic bags are twice what we can get elsewhere. We order all our boxes and ribbon from you, but for bags we have to go to X (she mentioned another company). -Pat
Robby: Yes, our bags are higher than (X) company. It is because ours are made in the US, contain a minimum of 25% recycled plastics collected in the US that would have otherwise been on our beaches and are made under environmentally controlled facilities. All workers in the factory are legal, receive fair wages and insurance. Also, the resins we use are derived from natural gas from the US. X’s bags are made in Asia from eastern crude in places that don’t even like America. That is why. I’m glad you asked. -Robby
I have been saying that more and more of your customers are reading the labels. They are interesting in doing all that is necessary to keep our economy going too, and more and more people realize that it starts here. I’m not going to bore you on the advantages of recycled plastics as you can look that up, but the main concept here is the we have lots of small choices and choosing wisley will make a positive difference.
The other response has to do with significance. We sometimes feel as if we can’t make a difference because Government and business is big and often unresponsive.
Lynn: Sometimes in business you never hear the good, only the bad. I just wanted to let you know that we have been very pleased with our relationship with Nashville Wraps. As a small fish trying to swim in a large pond, small businesses such as ours appreciate a company that is flexible and treats us as well as the big companies they sell to. Thank you for the nice e-mail and I look forward to reading your blog.
Robby: I was raised in the south, maybe just like you. My dad was a salesman in the 70’s for the women’s apparel industry. He taught me by example the value of people and customers. I watched him many times over and over talking to buyers in the smallest of towns. He instilled in me the respect and gratitude for EVERY customer. He also taught me that every customer puts their pants on the same way whether a small shop or the buyer for the largest NY chain. People just want to be treated nice and fairly. Thanks for writing. I needed to remember the lessons from my dad, especially today in this time of economic concern. It still rings true and is what I am betting the farm on.
Lynn: Yes I am from the south, I started my adult life as a buyer for a retail store. Things were very different then. Funny how the words “customer service” were not around then but it existed much more than today. Now that I have my own business, (and am much older and I hope wiser) I still practice my old-school retail values! I think you do too and those lessons learned from your Dad are paying off. I think loyalty and treating customers right is what will sustain all businesses in this climate. I have no doubt that Nashville Wraps will be one of them.
Lynn’s note was significant to me and maybe to you as well. I have a feeling there are many, many Lynns out there still. I have no doubt that she is making a difference in her business and in her sphere of influence. It is people like Lynn that give us all hope and encouragment.
Our economic solutions are not likely to come from government, but instead from the people. We are after all a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That means many things but I believe one of them is that we make our own choices and create our own roads to recovery. We must act like the economic recovery depends on us…because it does.
Robby Meadows, Nashville Wraps
PS: We actually have a book available written by my Dad. It’s a good read about growing up in the early part of the 20th centrry, and includes the story of Nashville Wraps. He was a good storyteller and teacher, and yes I miss him every day. Papa’s Journal Paperback
I too agree with using items made in the USA. I try to purchase as many components, etc. from here as much as possible. I was thrilled when I found Nashville Wraps. The quality of the merchandise is exceptional, shipping is fast and the prices are very competitive. I have been in business for 10 years and have tried many companies and have found that your company is the best. I’m getting ready to place another order and saw the blog so I had to chime in.
Melissa Cox
melstreasures.com
I agree that this is an excellent commentary on the economy. We all love to pay less, especially when things are so tight, but in making a choice to buy the cheapest product (from China or elsewhere) we are doing nothing to restore our own economy. And a big part of being green is buying as locally as possible (even if the dollar amount is cheaper somewhere else). Nashville is still a long way from Hawaii (where we make our natural body products and buy as many local ingredients as possible), but we find Nashville Wraps to be kindred spirits and we like the recycled content in the packaging. Keep it coming!
Robby, I too commend you for maintaining a business standard that is becoming all too rare – one of the major reasons our country is in the state it is in is because of greed and lack of looking out for the other guy – greed and providing little to no customer service seems to be the norm rather than the exception. Thank you for being a reliable vendor with fair prices and EXCELLENT customer service but most importantly – listening to your customer needs and meeting them.
Anne Whitaker
Robby,
I. too, love your quick response and even quicker delivery. I worked for 32 years at a BellSouth Company where customer service was taught as the first and only thing you have to sell. The rest will come.
Last year I began ordering from your company and I have been pleased with your service. Christmas ’08, I didn’t print bags, I order your brown bags with the trees and red birds on them.
I would like to pass along something to you that I used in managing a sales force. It is called “The Man who sold Hotdogs.” You can Google it and retrieve a copy. It is about a man who sold hotdogs and was very successful until his Son came home from the war and told him, “Dad, don’t you know there has been a war and now there is a recession going on?” “You need to cut back.” Unfortunately, he cut back on wieners and bums……..and guess what happen, he had nothing to sell and his customers quit coming and his business folded.
I found this was true also for the people who didn’t order much at Christmas and got scared and put everything on sale in early November. Now they are complaining that they had a bad year. In the North Georgia Mountains where I live, if we don’t make it October through December, we have missed a real opportunity to have an outstanding year. “I said, I am not participating in the recession”, so I bought more than usual and my Christmas sales were three times what it had been in previous years.
I recently attended the gift show in San Francisco and stayed in the home of a family whose daughter is a candy make. I passed your company name on to them for boxes, bags, etc.
Keep up the good work and know you have a loyal customer in me.
Elsie Maloy
A Victorian Cowgirl
avictoriancowgirl.com
This is the best blog post I have read regarding the economy. I am another small business customer. It is refresing to read that Nashville Wraps was built upon growing relationships and not just going after the “big ones”.
I commend you for following in your father’s footsteps. A business person with such values and conviction is a rarity.
I think everyone should read this, so I am going to share this link on Twitter and pass along to everyone I know.
Thank you. I will be placing an order from you this week!
Hi Robby. I was very happy to open my inbox this morning and find your newsletter there. I have read your comments and wanted to congradulate you on being a stand up kind of business guy! I also have a small business and recently found your website when searching for supplies. I will never be sorry I shopped here as it was a very good experience for me. I cannot afford supplies when they are sold by the gross so was very excited to find you! I bought some of your holographic tissue paper to wrap my sold pieces of Native American Turquoise jewelry in for shipping. I also bought some sparkle pens to hand write “thank you” and other short messages on the tissue paper. My customers have been very pleased with the results and so have I. It seems in most “waters” a small fish can only thrive if it has bright colors and stands out in a crowd. I am taking that lesson to heart in my business and applying it with your beautiful papers. Yes, I could buy them somewhere else but I won’t because I am one of those loyal types who if someone does something right and selfless I feel they should be supported for it, so I will continue to shop here for the supplies that fit my business. In these economic times we need to support and encourage each other. We need to be apart of road to recovery not sit back and wait to be rescued. So, we move on and hopefully take others with us along the way. Thanks for being there for all of us small fish in this huge pond! Melinda
I’m another small business who appreciates the customer services you provide. I am just starting my bakery cafe (opening March 6). This process has been a hugh eye opener for me. I have already noticed the differences in certain customer service departments. Keep up the good work. Also let’s remember that buying American is just as important as buying “green”. Rose
Hi Robby,
I’m taking this easy opportunity to thank you for your excellent service (especially speedy shipping), your easily navigated website, your interesting and thought-provoking blogs, and most importantly, the wide selection of products made from recycled materials. We’re another small customer, and we aren’t typical; we’re a school that uses your products to package staff and other gifts. We would be able to buy all of our packaging needs from you if you sold tags of the sort we use to label our packages.
Once again, you are right on the money. If we all were willing to pay just a little bit more, we could bring back so many jobs here in the USA.
Recently, a friend who owns a baby apparel business asked her vendor of t-shirts how much more it would cost to have the t-shirts made in the US vs. China. His answer? Less than 30 cents a piece more! She was flabbergasted. She encouraged him to have them made in the USA again. Surely we can all pay just a tiny bit more and restart our economy?
Lidy