Price supports rarely benefit small farmers.
Customer Service: One Size Does NOT Fit All
On a recent trip to New York, I didn’t feel like running in the cold and instead hit a local gym. This particular gym did a pretty hard sell on using their personal trainers, which I didn’t really need for my one day visit, but I did observe a number of them as they worked with their clients. One client/trainer pair was especially noticeable; their interaction has been bothering me ever since.
The client was considerably overweight, and seemed new to exercise. Her trainer was putting her through a kettlebell workout, but she wasn’t able to control the movement of the weights, and was nearly weeping from the exertion. After each exercise, she’d sit down, and put her head in her hands. The trainer would yell at her, telling her to get up and work, or did she want to be a fat (expletive) forever?
Yikes! I just hurt for that woman; she was trying to improve her fitness, but the person she was paying to help her was verbally abusing her and also giving her a workout that seemed ill-suited to her needs. At best, that workout seemed likely to drive her away from the gym. At worst, it could injure her. I kept thinking about it, and decided to check my assumptions with an expert. I reached out to Devin Gray, owner of Optimize Fitness and Performance.
Devin said, in part, ‘Kettlebells are advanced. You need strong hips and abs, plus great flexibility. Control is key…..for a client like that, you want to use low skill, high demand exercises for cardiovascular conditioning.’ My favorite comment, though? This: ‘Great trainers adjust the workout to meet the client’s needs.’ Exactly. Workouts aren’t one-size-fits-all. A great trainer gives you the workout that’s right for you, not just the hottest trend. Care to guess what personal trainer I’d recommend?
What Devin does is good old-fashioned customer service. It’s important, and it’s important that you know you deserve it. Luckily, we have many, many wonderful local businesses that excel at customer service. Jane’s Frames, which always makes your treasured artwork or mementos look their best. Fiori, where Michelle will find you not just a great gift but the perfect gift. Painted Lady Flower Farm, where Amy creates magic from local blooms. Agway, with Melanie’s unique combination of wit and wisdom. Daddario’s Hardware, which always has the exact thing I need to fix a problem, even if I do a horrible job of describing what’s broken. All of these businesses (and more-I cannot possibly list them all) are the opposite of one size fits all. They excel at what fits you. They’re a pleasure to do business with and a treasure for the community.
At Pour Richard’s, we don’t believe that one size (or one wine) fits all. We do believe in customer service: listening, then tailoring our suggestions to what’s right for you. We absolutely promise not to try to sell you the liquid equivalent of kettlebells.