Customers want to feel comfortable walking into a store , and that ’ s what I think BBB offers ,” Rick said . “ It offers the consumer a place to go to see who is a legitimate retailer and if they have any problems . And , if they ’ ve had any problems , if they take care of them .
At the time , conflicting information about the virus was rampant and there seemed to be more questions than answers . However , rather than dragging their feet , Karavel took the information that was available and sprang into action . Their goal was to generate trust among their customers and employees by ensuring Karavel Shoes was as safe as possible before mandated requirements were announced .
“ We know demographically who our customer is : They ' re 60 and above , the majority of them . And we felt we needed to protect not only them , but our own employees ,” Rick stated . “ We needed to do something ; it was just a question of what we were going to do when we reopen .”
“[ The ] asymptomatic situation was coming along , and we also knew people were walking around with fevers that didn ’ t know they had fevers . So , we , early on , ordered infrared thermometers , we ordered hand sanitizer , we ordered masks .”
Having these supplies early on helped them build confidence and trust quickly . Karavel Shoes was able to get critical items before they were in short supply , and in turn , customers felt safer shopping in person .
After acquiring the tools they needed , Rick and his team created procedures to keep his employees and customers safe . The key to keeping people healthy is to make sure no one exhibiting symptoms enters the shop . Karavel Shoes set up a tent outside the entrance as a checkpoint for staff to check temperatures and ensure customers had masks . This allows them to control the flow of people coming into the building and set expectations with customers about their shopping experience .
They came up with a plan and hit the ground running .
First and foremost , they bought the tools necessary to keep people safe .
18 FALL / WINTER 2020