To Yelp or Not to Yelp

By now, most folks have heard about all the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of Yelp and whether or not the folks there try to "extort" business owners by promising removal of negative reviews, top placement in searches for their category, etc. in exchange for paid advertising on the social networking, user review website. Here at GROVE STREET kids we have not been immune to the incessant sales calls (and emails) from their reps, though we will say that, after a long chat with one of their friendlier sales people, he offered to put us on a "Do Not Call" list and we haven't heard from them since.

That particular phone call was a gentleman trying to get GROVE STREET kids to become a "sponsored result." Those are the businesses listed at the top of the review section on a business page that suggest that "You Might Also Consider..." The benefits of which, but not limited to, he explained, were being found in the top 5 of the search results when customers searched for businesses like mine. So, for fun, I asked him to do a search with me for Resale Shops in Berkeley. Not only did GSK come up in the top five, we were the 2nd result (today as I write this, we are the first result). So I thanked him for the call and politely declined the need for paid advertising. He couldn't really argue with me about it and, I think, it was at that point he offered to put me on the "Do Not Call" list.

Like most businesses reviewed on Yelp, we presume, GSK has a love/hate relationship with the contentious website. We love it when folks take time out of their busy lives and schedules to write lovely things about our shop and their shopping experiences. We hate (and I use that word only as a euphemism -it is such a strong word) when our lovely reviews go away. We actually have 18 reviews, not 11 as is shown. The website claims that "[t]he review may have been suppressed by Yelp's automated software system. This system decides how established a particular reviewer is and whether a review will be shown based on the reviewer's involvement on Yelp. While this may seem unfair to you, this system is designed to protect both consumers and businesses alike from fake reviews (i.e., a malicious review from a competitor or a planted review from an employee). The process is entirely automated to avoid human bias, and it affects both positive and negative reviews. It's important to note that these reviews are not deleted (they are always shown on the reviewer's public profile) and may reappear on your business page in the future."

It is true, they do "stay" in cyberspace. Another thing we like about Yelp is the ability to bookmark the reviews so that folks can see them all, even when not posted on our page. We've place an "Announcement" (yet another thing we like) that supplies the link on the Yelp page for our customers to peruse.

Part of the controversy about Yelp stems from the idea that Business Owners don't like having bad reviews and want them removed and are told they will be removed if they become a "sponsored result" advertiser. Of course, no business really wants a bad review, and we will admit to feeling like we were raked over the coals after our first less than stellar review, which we received a few months ago. In a panic response to seeing our brightly 5-star rating dwindle down to 4.5 (gasp!) stars, we called upon some of our favorite customers to write honest reviews in the hopes of bringing our average back up. Two more folks spoke up (but one has "disappeared") and, coincidentally, Yelp "pulled" the bad review at the same time, and our glowing 5-star rating returned.

Our viewpoint now, however, is that negative reviews actually provide some legitimacy to the many positive reviews previously posted. No business is ever going to be able to please all of the people, all of the time. But we feel that the way in which a review is worded or written speaks for itself as to the authenticity of it's reviewer. The aforementioned review, which in hindsight we should have bookmarked as well - but who wants to keep track of negative stuff? - was all about a person's observation of another customer's experience, not even their own.

Recently, yesterday, to be exact, an "unsatisfied" customer, took the time to write a not-so-pleasant-and-would-have-left-no-stars-if-they-could-have review about our business. No, we did not bookmark it, as it is still on the Yelp sight. Upon first reading it, my first thought, of course, was to respond to it (another "plus" for Yelp - Business Owners are allowed to publicly "respond" to reviews), to apologize for her negative experience. But, then I thought to myself, if I were looking at a business review page myself and came across one scathing review amongst many positive ones, what would I do?

So I proceeded to read the other reviews that this person posted which, coincidentally, included of all the other resale shops in the area. They were all bad, save one. At that point, I figured, if folks are going to take the time to find out about us on Yelp then they are going to go through the same process I just mentioned, and would "read" exactly what I did. And, interestingly enough, some folks came into the store yesterday for the first time and mentioned that they read about us on Yelp. The woman in the couple said she doesn't even look at the "sponsored results" because she knows they are "paid for." She said she only goes by the reviews, good and bad, that people leave, and you can tell which ones are legitimate. All this before we even saw the latest review.

Finally, we'd like to say that we believe that Yelp offers a beneficial service to the community, even if not entirely on the up and up (the jury's still out on that one). And, at this point, we at GROVE STREET kids would just like to take the opportunity to, again, thank all those people who have taken the time to spread the good word about us. We greatly appreciate your patronage!

Honesty is the best policy.

I love meeting new people everyday. I love talking to folks. I love seeing my regular, neighborhood families come in and tell me how much they enjoying shopping at GROVE STREET kids. These are just some of the many pleasures I derive from running my own business.

Some of the things I don't love are picking up after someone else's kids or finding unwrapped or damaged merchandise after the the customer has left. But for a small business, especially a retail business, these things are part and parcel of running a store that caters to kids and their families.

One thing that I dread dealing with, and have yet to actually confront someone about, is shoplifting. I know it's happened, in one form or another: tag-switching, returned items that have been used and claimed not to be, or just down-right walking off with something without paying for it. I've never actually seen it happen at GROVE STREET kids, and even if I were to, I'm not sure how I would handle it. Can you imagine having to walk up to a five or six year old child, after seeing him or her surreptitiously putting a little toy or purse I have for sale in his or her pocket and saying "I'm sorry, honey, but before you can take that home, Mommy or Daddy has to pay for it." Frankly, I hope that day never comes.

So imagine my surprise when, upon my arrival to work this morning, I opened the front door to find a little leather bracelet that I sell on the floor, next to an envelope with the words "I'm Srreey" scribbled in a child's hand on it; obviously dropped through the mail slot by the "culprit's" parent. It took just a moment for me to realize what had happened and, upon closer inspection, I noticed the envelope was actually sealed. I opened it to find a lovely drawing of rainbows and sunshine on one side of the paper,
and a letter of admission of guilt and an apology
on the other.

It read, roughly: "Dear Store. I stole this bracelet yesterday. I'm Sorry."

It was very clear to me that this child probably had no idea that what he or she did was wrong- "what does 'stole' mean, mommy?" Or maybe s/he didn't know just how wrong it was. Who knows? S/he simply saw something that sparked his or her interest and helped themselves. What warmed my heart about it, aside from the hearts and the butterflies, was that the parent saw fit to recognize that the misdeed had to be corrected and had the child not only return the bracelet, but apologize for taking it. I'm certain the child learned a valuable lesson. But what is more important, in my view, was the example that was set. In my business, it just doesn't happen enough.

Cleaning out your closets?

It's that time of year. Some folks are über organized and get their closets cleared in time for the holidays, in order to make room for all the new stuff to come. Most people wait, however, until after the holidays have past to do it. GROVE STREET kids has been hit hard this week with the fruits of their labor - which is great, it allows us to peruse the gamut of styles, sizes and seasons that make their way through our doors. However, some folks walk away disappointed when they take the time and expend their energy hauling multiple bags and/or boxes and still leave with multiple bags and/or boxes.

So we thought we'd offer some tips for making your selling experience at GROVE STREET kids the most successful, for everyone involved:

1. Check our website first: www.grovestreetkids.com. We do our very best to keep it updated as to the particulars of what season we are looking at and buying, what sizes we are in need of and accepting, and what we are not accepting. In addition, there is helpful information like, our buying hours and our trading and drop-off policies.

2. We wash everything (with the exception of new items with tags still attached) before it is placed on the floor for sale, whether or not you wash it before bringing it in. However, we do not purchase items, purposefully, with stains, tears, missing buttons etc. Items with stains (only) that are of the size and season we are in need of, will be purchased for a $1 selling price. This is because, if we can't get the stain out, we send it straight away to our $1 rack or bins. What this means for you: the better condition your items are in, the better price you will obtain for them.

3. If you decide to bring in your child(ren)'s wardrobe from the age of 2 until 7, you will be asked to drop the items off (be sure and read our drop off policy!), as to allow the buyer to peruse them at her convenience. In addition, you will likely receive a volume price for your items. We simply do not have the capacity to purchase everything from everybody. It is in your best interest to bring in items periodically instead of all at once.

4. Call ahead to make sure the buyer is in. Like most people, and especially people with young children, life's little emergencies sometimes arise and the buyer is not always available at the specified buying times. If you call and you don't get to speak to a live person, please leave a message. It is our policy not to answer the phone whilst we are helping or assisting our customers in the store. If you leave a message, we will call you back.

5. Please don't take the "rejection" of your children's clothing personally! Items are chosen primarily on two factors: supply and demand. We often don't buy certain items of clothing that we personally like, simply because they don't sell. On the flip side we do buy certain items simply because there is the demand for them (can anybody say "sweatpants"?) As a general rule, GROVE STREET kids doesn't buy "character" items, however, there are simply some characters (ie. Hello Kitty or Thomas the Tank Engine) that would just be poor judgement not to buy, as they do sell, in almost any condition.

We hope these tips help you to sort things out and make your selling and/or trading experience at GROVE STREET kids to be the most successful it can be. We certainly do appreciate your business!

GSK is giving thanks.

In retail, the holiday season can prove to be stressful and hectic to say the least. In years past, I have had a difficult time wrapping my head around the notion that people are already Christmas shopping when Halloween costumes are still on the racks. And usually, I have waited until "Black Friday," on which we have always been closed, to change the windows out and decorate for Christmas. This year, however, I didn't wait, and Christmas is already up and sparkling throughout GROVE STREET kids.

So why is this year different? I wish I knew the answer to that, but for the last couple of months, GROVE STREET kids has been so busy that waiting just wouldn't have been prudent. And for this, we are so thankful! In these challenging economic times, GROVE STREET kids feels exceedingly fortunate that our business is growing and flourishing. Honestly, there is a part of me that is waiting for the other shoe to drop... that it's going to slow down. But for now, at least, let us just send abundant thanks to all of our customers and friends that have helped make the last year one to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Donations... where do they go?

A lot of folks ask us where we make our donations to when they come into the store. In the past, GROVE STREET kids has donated to national organizations such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army but also local organizations such as A Safe Place (Domestic Violence Services) in Oakland and Harrison House, a shelter right here in Berkeley. GSK also accepts requests for shelters and/or organizations of their customers' choice.

Recently, with the combined efforts of our neighbors at Positive Motion Training Studio, Grove Street Kids was able to send a large amount of used clothing and shoes to the children and families of AHOPE Ethiopia, extending their efforts internationally. Positive Motion's co-owner Laura Lambert delivered the items personally.

AHOPE is a non-profit organization that helps the orphan children of Ethiopia, with an emphasis of helping children living with the HIV-virus.

We received a letter from the director of AHOPE thanking us for our donations. We are at once pleased and humbled at the opportunity to be a service to this wonderful organization.

Introducing... oishii

GROVE STREET kids is pleased to announce the latest addition to our family....oishii modern knits. Beautifully hand crafted knit caps for babies on up are now available in our store. Hand-knit with 100% natural fibers (cotton, modal, wool) by designer Erika Kemp and her team right here in Berkeley. Come check out our selection. Don't see what you like? We can special order!

Previously available at the former O Baby Baby and Waddle & Swaddle, oishii (meaning "delcious" in japanese) designer and owner Erika Kemp makes beautiful, oh so soft baby hats, blankets and ponchos. She also does custom orders in colors and yarns that you can choose from, in the combination you would like.

We are very excited about this new partnership, and hope that you will be too!

Read more about oishii here.

Back to... Ghoul?

Is it just me, or are the seasons out of order this year? It seemed like all summer long, it was winter, and now that fall is vast approaching, we are now having the summer sun and heat! I guess that's why us locals refer to this time of year as "Indian Summer" or the "Dog Days" of summer. But because of our particularly cold, actual summer having been so long, I'm just now starting to get used to the warmth and sunshine, yet people are coming into the store requesting... Halloween Costumes!

Rest assured, GROVE STREET kids will have a great selection of used and new Halloween Costumes. Everything from Fairies and Firemen to Pirates and Pixies. Superheroes. Goblins and Ghouls.



Truth be told, Halloween is one of my favorite occasions to celebrate and I love decorating the windows for it. Check out our slide show to see Ghouls and Goblins Past. But for now, we'd like to let our customers know that the costumes are coming... we'd just like to soak up a little more sunshine first. Look for costumes on the racks by the end of next week, and in the windows the first week of October.