October 23, 2026
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"Our staff is the biggest asset of our business. Without them we wouldn't exist," Bonoff told TDmonthly.
Your staff is an extension of your store's identity. More than that, said Steven McReedy of the Brooks Group, "Your employees are a reflection of you — pure and simple." If you want them to be positive and friendly, you must be that way yourself.
Employees not only have to be reliable, efficient and knowledgeable; they must also often deal with out-of-control children (Sidebar 4.1 How to Manage Rowdy Kids) and hostile parents, and do so while remaining upbeat and promoting good will toward the store.
However, finding good workers is complicated by the low wages typical of retail as well as the difficult and sometimes heavy labor required to keep a toy store running smoothly (Fig. 4.1).
Sidebar 4.1 How to Manage Rowdy KidsRoughly 15 percent of 37 retailers surveyed told TDmonthly Magazine that children cause a commotion in their stores about once a month, while another 5 percent deal with such situations on a daily or weekly basis. Here are 10 tips to help you and your staff manage these difficult moments:
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"A toy store is a lot of work compared with working in a clothing store," pointed out John Naisbitt, owner of Thinker Things in Del Mar, Calif. "There's so much to stock! Employees have to climb ladders, and then get down on their hands and knees to pick up after kids."
How do you find a staff as committed to your store as you are, who can learn about new products and teach customers how to use them?
"We have hired the kids who've been hanging out in the store for years," said Toni Pohle, co-owner with her husband Kevin of The Wizard's Chest in Denver, Colo. They manage a staff of between 15 and 20 full- and part-time workers.
Bonoff of Creative Kidstuff also has found that her customer base is her best source of staff. She rewards both employees and customers for referrals. Money you're not spending on "help wanted" ads can be used as incentives.
Of course, many storeowners turn to help even nearer at hand: their own families. Running a family business can be stressful, said Kim Smith of Red Wagon Toy Co. in Woodstock, Vt., but "it all works out in the long run."
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"Grannies" — older or retired women — have been happy hires for many storeowners. (Fig. 4.2) Some advantages are that they tend to have a deep sense of responsibility and a great love for children. A disadvantage is that they may be unwilling or unable to commit to full-time work.
Vincent Pellettiere, president and CEO of HR Design Solutions LLC, said, "A small employer should prepare in advance a profile of what would be an ideal candidate by matching the required skills, abilities and knowledge to the requirements of the position. Once that is established, prepare your interviewing questions to find this information from interested candidates." (Sidebar 4.2 Interviewing for Success)
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Pellettiere believes business owners should interview at least five potential candidates for any given job. "Hiring the best employees for your organization is the first step in having a motivated, committed workforce."
Sidebar 4.2 Interviewing for SuccessHeidi Haen, branch manager for AppleOne (Fig. 4.3) employment agency, said each business needs a specific set of questions to help identify workers who will be a good match. Here are her suggestions:
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While an ad in the paper might serve in a pinch, most experts recommend placing a sign inside your store, letting potential employees know that you're always accepting applications from people who love toys and children.
However, a "Help Wanted" sign in the window is a no-no. First, it communicates to customers that you might be understaffed. Second, it will draw in applicants who are more interested in getting a job — any job — than in spreading the word about specialty toys.
Experts also warn against hiring someone simply because he or she has retail experience. Hire for personality and train for success. You can teach someone about your products, but you can't teach someone to smile and respect your customers.
"A lot of customers come in and they say, ‘I want a game,' but they don't know what kind until we start prompting them," Pohle of the The Wizard's Chest explained. "Our staff has to be articulate and know that their primary job is customer service."
Katie Seleski, also from Creative Kidstuff in Minneapolis, Minn., attributes the success of in-store events to the staff, for instance, because they dress in costumes and actively participate with parents and children. Their excitement is contagious, she said.
Do you have at least one or two staff members you wish you could clone? According to a 2007 KGO-TV article by Heather Ishimaru, Laszlo Bock, vice president of Google's "People Operations," designed an employee questionnaire that asks candidates if they've ever set a world record in anything or made a profit from a catering business. The answers are then cross-referenced with answers from successful Google employees, to measure similarities.
Zappos, an online shoe and clothing store that relies on super customer service from its call-center personnel, has a unique way of weeding out employees who aren't fully committed to giving amazing customer service in a high-stress work environment. According to a blog posted by Bill Taylor, after an intensive four-week training program at full pay, Zappos offers new hires $1,000 to quit. About 10 percent of employees take the bribe, he said. But by September 2008, the offer was up to $2,000, with only 2 to 3 percent of employees succumbing to the easy cash, said Keith McFarland of "Business Week."
Teenagers might be excited about the toys themselves, but they can be more difficult to manage and also have erratic schedules.
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"It's a challenge to get good qualified help in here, and then try to motivate them to sell," said Mark Deutschmann, co-owner of Kaleidoscope Kids in Falmouth, Mass. "[The teens] all want to come here and hang out." (Fig. 4.4)
"It's tough to find someone willing to do customer service and who likes kids," agreed Naisbitt of Thinker Things. "Their friends say, ‘Wanna hang out after work?' But when they're in my store, they can't talk on cell phones, can't text. They've got a job and they're here to work."
Another frustration with teenagers is that they don't plan in advance or even know what their schedules are going to be, continued Deutschmann. "Kids will call up last minute to tell you they're going on vacation the next week," he said.
Check Them Out
Though it may seem a hassle, background checks are essential for a business where your money is passing through someone else's hands.
Eight years ago, Diana Nelson, owner of Kazoo & Company went through a major employee problem that included embezzlement. She now does security checks on each and every employee and today is able to list her staff as one of her biggest successes.
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Just as you must please your customers, said McReedy, you must also please your staff and meet their needs if you want them to become the employees of your dreams. He cited the example of Chick-Fil-A, (Fig.4.5) a fast-food chain with outstanding service (20 cars can get through the drive-through in three minutes, he said).
"They give employees flexible scheduling," McReedy told TDmonthly. "They're closed on Sundays (that's family day), and the longer you stay, the more they pay for your college."
All expectations and bonuses are laid out clearly as soon as an employee is hired, he said. This way, employees have their own reasons for meeting the goals set by their employers: doing so consistently benefits them as well.
If you want friendly people, emphasized McReedy, you have to offer things that attract them. "It costs more initially," he admitted, "but the return on investment is good."
If the stress of running a toy store depletes you of the resources you need for hiring, delegate the task to someone else. Haen, of AppleOne, told TDmonthly, "If you put out an ad, you're going to get a lot of applicants. We weed them out, and we charge a fee, but we only present the top three or five candidates for each business." Fees are negotiable, she said, based on the size and type of business.
Once you've found the right people, how do you teach them all they need to know about toys?
Computer-savvy employees can go online at www.TDmonthly.com and ToyDirectory.com to browse recently uploaded toys, check out videos of new products, and scan pertinent articles … and they probably won't even notice they're being "trained" about the toy industry.
During recent recalls and issues with CPSIA compliance, communication has been especially important, particularly for those who own more than one stores. At Green Frog Toys, staff keep a binder with pertinent vendor information and convey messages via a daily log book. Owner Patricia Fielder also read the first edition of this eBook and asked both of her managers to read it, too.
Hans Masing, co-owner of the online Brain Station and brick-and-mortar Tree Town Toys, recommends developing a series of "use cases" that describe a typical activity that occurs in a store. (see Sidebar 4.2 Sample Internet Fulfillment Use Case)
Sidebar 4.2 Sample Internet Fulfillment Use CaseAny use case should be simple, concise and prepared ahead of time so you can identify and resolve potential issues before attempting to perform the task, said Hans Masing, co-owner of Tree Town Toys in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the online Brain Station. Here, he shares with TDmonthly a typical "fulfillment" use case for his online store:
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"When you compile use cases into a notebook, a ‘system' starts to evolve, so you can see how all the pieces fit together," Masing advised. "Use cases allow you to train new staff and adapt to changes better and faster, and that gives you an edge over your competition."
New hires "spend one day with the manager," said Mary Duncan, manager of Tinkerz Toy Shop in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. "Then, for about two weeks they'll double shift with a long-term employee who can give them the experience with working the till, getting to know where the stock is, answering any questions, and reviewing things."
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Eddie Miglavs, owner of MudPuddles Toys & Books in Sherwood, Ore., devises role-playing games to keep staff in top shape. They're assigned hypothetical customers — including those looking for toys for special-needs kids (Fig. 4.7) — and are sent into the store to find appropriate products. They also role-play situations where a customer will come in looking for a product the store doesn't carry. Salespeople practice the types of questions they need to ask to elicit information that will show them what alternatives might satisfy that customer's needs.
Owner David Campbell of Amazing Toys in Great Falls, Mont., ensures that new hires understand what's expected by having them sign a checklist of rules.
"That way there can be no misunderstandings — things like job responsibilities, dress code," he told TDmonthly. "Even though we're a little mom-and-pop shop, we still try to run it like a professional operation. … Why not let people know up front what you expect and have it on paper? That way there can be no dispute."
Make Them Visible
One way to maximize the utility of the staff you have is to make sure that every customer knows who works for you. Even small stores need to let customers instantly spot someone who can help them. If you can't afford actual uniforms, customized tees or aprons can do the trick and can be ordered inexpensively online from sites such as www.cafepress.com. You can even deduct the cost of the shirts or aprons from the employee's salary.
Private Criticism, Public Praise
It's important to offer any corrections or advice in private, away from the ears of co-workers.
“I once had a great employee who started being neglectful of the customer," said Fiedler. "I brought this employee into my office and quietly explained that I was certain she wasn’t aware of her behavior,” she said. “I reminded her to use the ‘How can I please this customer?’ mindset instead of the ‘This customer really annoys me,' mindset. There was an immediate turnaround.”
Conversely, Fiedler makes sure to pass along positive customer comments to the appropriate staff member in front of peers to inspire them.
Once employees understand how the store is run and which tasks should be performed when, the next challenge is training them to positively engage customers. Independent retailers have to work harder to make a good impression, retail experts Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender noted. Seventy-eight percent of satisfied customers can be lured away by another store that's "more fun," Kizer added.
For new stores, the challenge is even greater. Parents and grandparents told Bender that if an independent toy store's staff failed to be cheerful and accommodating the first time they visited, they'd go to a big-box store instead. There's never a second chance to make a good first impression!
But before they can make customers happy, staff must be happy. This can pose a challenge to owners of small toy stores, particularly those who do not have formal management training. Sharon DiMinico opened the first Learning Express store in Acton, Mass., in 1987 and now has a franchise of more than 100 stores across the United States. Her positive relationships with employees have played a big part in the success of her business, she said.
"For me, it's always been about treating people how you want to be treated," she continued. "Most of it is common sense."
"One of the nice things about the Wizard's Chest," Pohle said, "is that because it's such a great place to work, we have less turnover."
"The best leaders are inspiring," said McReedy of The Brooks Group. Even in a poor economy, even if the store starts to falter, "you have to be up every day, even when others are down. You have to make yourself do it."
When analyzing his own successful workers, Joe Berardoni Sr., owner of Pun’s Toy Shop in Bryn Mawr, Pa., told TDmonthly: “The trick was to hire a new staff and instill in them the concept of treating customers as if they were guests in your own home, where no reasonable requests could not be handled.”
If you're dissatisfied with your staff's attitude and performance, he continued, look within, continued McReedy: "I've never seen an average sales force with an outstanding manager."
Julie Gannon, owner of The Toy Box in Hanover, Mass., recommended that retailers contact the manufacturers of toys that are slow sellers and request someone to do in-store training sessions.
Gannon also encourages her staff to explore new toys and games. "It makes it easier to sell a game if you've played it yourself," she explained.
| "Every person I hired always had buying responsibilities." —Sharon DiMinico, Learning Express |
"Every person I hired always had buying responsibilities," DiMinico said. "They would manage a couple of vendors, depending on how many hours they worked. For the most part, we would give them more responsible jobs than just ringing the cash register, straightening shelves and sweeping the floor. They felt more included in the business."
| "If you want to do what the customers want, you have to do what the employees want." —Steven McReedy, The Brooks Group |
"Why are some individual retail stores better than others?" asked McReedy. "It's the owner's attitude. So many stores are focused on what they have to do now. Think about the long term instead. Think about what happens down the road: ‘If you're here three years, I'll give you $2,000.' It's a process, not a short-term thing. If you want to do what the customers want, you have to do what the employees want."
Managers often make the mistake of focusing on and correcting mistakes employees make, rather than acknowledging them for the things they do right.
"There should be a blend of each, with the focus of coaching employees to develop themselves, which provides a more effective workplace," Pellettiere of HR Design Solutions LLC noted.
Business consultant, author and lecturer Rick Segel believes that most people would be willing to sacrifice some money to work for people who listen to their ideas, respect their family life and offer a pleasant place to work. Creative Kidstuff promotes the importance of employees "being there" for their own families.
Many people who work for small businesses do so because they want flexibility in their work schedules, agreed Dr. Gerardo A. Okhuysen, a professor at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
"Unfortunately, the small size of these businesses can be an obstacle to offering flexibility, since many require on-site presence or coverage of shifts." Okhuysen suggests that owners remedy this problem by hiring two part-time people instead of one full-time employee. This increases freedom in questions like scheduling.
| "To satisfy and keep a strong and loyal team, they have to be proud of what they do." — Valerie Pontbriand, Four Eyes Joke Shop |
Valerie Pontbriand, owner of Four Eyes Joke Shop in Southbridge, Mass., closed her brick-and-mortar store partially because loyal help was hard to find after the town eliminated safe, nearby parking. After she went strictly online, she built a team of mothers for her warehouse and office staff, and allowed them to devise schedules that work with their families' needs so they can be home with their kids.
"To satisfy and keep a strong and loyal team, they have to be proud of what they do and have to feel like they're making a difference," she said. "They also have to be paid for what they do. But pay is less important than the way you feel about where you work. They're working behind the scenes. They need to be rewarded."
You're an expert at discovering your customers' desires. Do the same for your employees, to find out what motivates them. "For some, a set of golf clubs may mean more than the cash to buy them," Okhuysen said.
Debbie Potter, sales associate for nine years at MudPuddles Toys & Books, said that she and her co-workers would quit if Owner Eddie Miglavs ever offered commissions on the toys they sell.
"We feel real strongly that what we do is a service for our customers: We help them find the perfect gift," she told TDmonthly. "That's what makes it so pleasurable — not how many toys we sold off the shelf. We're focused on making customers happy."
Miglavs focuses on making staff happy by offering incentives, rather than commissions.
"We get ‘Good as Gold' certificates," continued Potter. "If we see someone's going above and beyond great customer service, we recommend them and they get discounts in the store. We all shop here because we're moms and grandmoms!"
As for the atmosphere that Miglavs creates in the store, Potter said, "This is like coming to Disneyland every day."
Know Where the Buck Stops
"I talk to owners all the time who feel like their employees are out of control," said Schallert. "Guess what? It’s not the employees who are out of control. It’s the owner who is flying by the seat of his or her pants. Want better employees? Look critically at how you’ve gotten the ones you have, and restructure your employee hiring and training system."
Finally, just as you don't let your customers leave without giving them a cheerful "good-bye," never let employees leave at the end of the day without thanking them. Employees need to hear that you appreciate their efforts. "Thank you" goes a very long way toward retention.
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