About a week ago, Amy Tobin wrote an excellent article titled ?Restrooms Are for Customers Only.? Her contention was?the sign that so many business people?choose to hang on their restroom doors. ?The justification, of course, is that business owners don?t want the general public taking advantage of services intended for their customers. But, as Amy says, ?Don?t many of your ?customers? come in and NOT make a purchase? Isn?t browsing allowed anymore?? What is the difference between coming in to use the bathroom and coming in to just look around?
The problem, of course, is not the sign itself; the problem is what it represents. It connotes a sort of snobbery?a surcharge for just being nice. Think about it?you?re telling people that they have to pay to use your restroom. Is your restroom really that nice? Bottom line: if your restrooms don?t double up as spas, posting this sign is just absurd. We live in the age of free. Free wi-fi. Free eBooks. Free seminars. And all of these things are NOT for customers ONLY. They are gestures given in hopes of reciprocal business, but not in expectation of it. With all these companies given away such great stuff for FREE, can?t you spare a five-minute bathroom pass?
People with Bladders are People with Wallets
Besides the ?just be nice? argument, it is completely ridiculous from a marketing standpoint to alienate people who come into your store?even if it is just to use the restroom. Think about it. You spend so much money advertising on Google, the Yellow Pages, the local TV station, or wherever you advertise. Why do you spend this money? To get people in your door! Guess what, the people who need to use your restroom are already there! Maybe they won?t buy something; maybe they will. But, if you put up that sign, guess what? They definitely aren?t going to buy anything.
Johnny Bee, a friend of Amy?s on Twitter, left a comment on Amy?s post saying, ?How about advertising your products on the restroom & stall doors too?? Make good use of the space.? I mean you have a captive audience, right?? Funny, but true. Smart business people will welcome everyone, not just paying customers, to experience their brands. Word of mouth is a powerful thing and you don?t know which mouths will speak. Who?s to say that random stranger who came in just to use your restroom isn?t going to go out and tell a friend, ?Hey, I saw ________ at _________ when I went in to use the restroom.?
It?s Time to #FreethePee
I?ve got to give credit where credit is due: Johnny Bee came up with the expression, ?Free the pee,? as a call-to-action for business people to open up their restroom doors. So, here?s my call-to-action: help us spread the hashtag, #freethepee , on Twitter. It isn?t just about restrooms; it?s about a whole mentality. It?s about being nice. It?s about customer-service being intended for more than just customers. It?s about bringing humanity back into business. Are you game?
About Doug Rice
I help small businesses attract and retain customers through creative storytelling and online presence.cranberry sauce oregon usc la auto show powerball winning numbers powerball winning numbers uc davis pepper spray uc davis pepper spray
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