HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Eldorado, which recently published another Elevate U Case Study on a brick-and-mortar adult store, offered a few pointers on how storeowners should train employees so that they can confidently and accurately answer customer questions.
The recent Elevate U Case Study took a look at Kathi Pepper’s dilemma. Pepper is owner of Pepper’s Parties Too!, a cozy boutique in the small town of Hattiesburg, Miss.
“Because Pepper has been educating her customers for the past 22 years, she’s able to answer questions and build relationships based on her knowledge and experience,” Elevate U wrote in its report published in Eldorado Edge, the adult distributor’s newsletter. “However, when it came to hiring new employees to work in her store, Pepper couldn’t be in the store every day, helping every customer.
Pepper told Elevate U she needed her employees to be up to speed on all aspects of sexual health and wellness, noting she doesn’t just want clerks, she wants employees who can listen to customers, help them feel comfortable and answer their questions.
With trying to solve the problem, Pepper sought Elevate U’s help. Pepper enlisted Catalina Olavarria, the store’s assistant manager, to take Elevate U’s educational track.
“The best thing Elevate U did for me is give me confidence,” Olavarria told the Eldorado Edge. “Now that I have more valuable sexual health knowledge, I’m more comfortable talking to customers about important topics and therefore people trust me more.”
Elevate U was such a success for Olavarria that Pepper now requires all new hires to complete this training.
“My employees enjoy the program and learn so much from it,” Pepper said. “I would definitely recommend it for training new hires.”
Check out Eldorado's Elevate U program here. Read the study here. Check out the Pepper’s Parties Too! website here.
