Bringing customer service culture to life

MOSCOW — Liza Harwood ran into a couple she knows on a Friday night at Tri-State Outfitters, the Moscow store where she is the manager.

The pair told her that any time they have a date night, it’s not complete until they browse through the aisles at Tri-State.

Put a different way — they shop at Tri-State to have fun, something they share with a huge portion of the store’s customers regardless of what winds up in their carts, Harwood said.

People purchasing firearms could be preparing for a hunting trip, she said.

College students might be splurging on a pair of shoes made by UGG or Birkenstock, two of the upper-end brands Tri-State carries. Someone stopping by on a lunch break from work might leave with an inexpensive, small luxury like a bag of Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels.

That dynamic is one of the best parts of the job she took seven months ago, Harwood said. Bringing even more joy to the shopping at Tri-State has been one of her priorities in her new role, she said.

“This is (the customers’) extra money and we want them to have that experience that’s just awesome,” said Harwood, who has held management positions at Safeway, Bed Bath & Beyond and Bath & Body Works.

“That’s just what I try to do as a store manager, is to foster that relationship with employees so that they can deliver that level of service to customers,” she said.

I spoke with Harwood about the vast inventory TriState carries, how the store functions, and the work she and her employees do with the business.

Here are edited highlights of the conversation:

Elaine Williams: You have a great story about a product you discovered at Tri-State. It’s interesting because your employee was engaging with you the way you encourage staff to interact with customers. She did so well you broke your own rule about not shopping during the work day. What can you share about that?

Liza Harwood: I was talking with the manager of the apparel department and she was like, “You’ve got to try these Vuori pants on.” I said, “I don’t know.” She convinced me, though. I tried them on and I fell in love. They were expensive. If I’d seen them in a catalog or online, I wouldn’t have bought them because I would have thought the price was too much. They are navy blue. They fit perfectly. I could bend over. I could squat. I could move freely in these pants. They had this wonderful fabric that felt so good. They have four pockets, which is a win for me because I carry a lot of things on my person. The way they had them tailored, they weren’t pleated in the front or anything, but they were very slimming for me and I really liked that.

EW: The line of Vuori pants, shirts, jackets and tank tops is just a small part of the inventory in your 59,000-square-foot store. For people who aren’t familiar with Tri-State, could you describe it?

LH: It’s a collection of almost everything. We have a hardware section of the store where we sell paint, tools, building supplies and barbecue equipment. We have a housewares section where we sell small kitchen appliances, pots, pans, utensils, linens and decor. Our outdoors section is immense, with fishing, hunting, camping and climbing gear. We sell all of the elevated shoe brands such as UGG, Birkenstock, Hoka, Brooks, Nike and Merrell. We carry North Face, Patagonia, Kuhl, Prana and Carhartt clothing for men and women. In every category, we have a better and a best. We have a good in most categories, but I don’t want the good all the time, because the good is already at big box stores. We have food, drinks and gifts.

EW: Hoka’s strong position in the market seems relatively new. What do you think is behind the trend?

LH: A lot of medical professionals are wearing them. My daughter is a nurse. She’s like, “Mom, they’re fantastic. All of the doctors wear them.” She’s on her feet 16 hours a day and she says it’s no big deal if she’s wearing Hokas. Doctors and nurses tell their patients about them.

EW: What are some popular products right now that might surprise our readers?

LH: Sponges from Scrub Daddy, and stuffed animals from “The Petting Zoo.” Scrub Daddies are plastic cleaning sponges that don’t scratch surfaces. They have smiley faces cut into them. You can store kitchen utensils in the holes for the eyes and mouths. They cost $4.99 and they have a great margin. They were a Shark Tank item. The TV has already done all the work for us. All we have to do is carry it and merchandise it well.

Petting Zoo stuffed animals are made from recycled bottles and cost less than $15. They’re so cute. They’re so soft and squishy.

EW: How are you shaping the store’s culture to help it perform even better?

LH: I encourage the staff to ask customers about what they’re going to do with the products they buy. If someone is buying bullets, they might have plans to go target shooting. I encourage employees to engage with the customers. That’s what brings them back. I give department managers an opportunity to talk about employees who have provided excellent customer service at my daily morning huddle. One employee helped a customer who came in at the end of the night. He needed a pair of Bogs boots. We didn’t have his size on the display. She went upstairs. She dug and dug and dug and dug. She found it in the last stack. She came down with his size 11. He was so happy. It was 7:58 p.m. just two minutes before we close. He shared his praise for her as he walked all the way from the shoe department to the cash registers. His feet weren’t going to be wet at work the next day. Everybody looks forward to my meetings because they’re going to hear something cool.

EW: Could you talk a little about how the store’s appearance is different?

LH: I’ve changed how a lot of the inventory is displayed. The stickers, for example, were moved to be next to the Hydro Flask section. Everybody decorates their Hydro Flasks with stickers. We had apple peelers on five different racks. I put all of the types of each kitchen tool we sell into the same place. That’s how people shop. They want to see what the options are and make a choice. The best sellers are at eye level on the shelves. We made the shelving shorter, so customers can see over the tops of the racks. It makes the store feel more open.

EW: After so many years at large chains, what is it like working for Crown Enterprises, which has four stores including Tri-State in Moscow?

LH: I went to Kalispell, Mont., and trained with the president, vice president and all the buyers in April. That was a really fun experience. They have a flagship location of Sportsman & Ski Haus in Kalispell. I came back, had the weekend off and I started here. It’s been great. They believe in me. They trust me. I appreciate that. It’s easy to contact them to get tasks done in a timely manner. The team at Tri-State in Moscow has a lot of experience. One of my assistant managers has been here for 10 years. My other assistant has been here for 12 years. Our marketing manager has been here 39 years. The employees in receiving together have more than 100 years of service. That is what makes this store operationally sound. What I was tasked to do when I got here was to come in and be light and breezy, bring the customer service culture alive.

EW: What can customers expect to see at Tri-State in the future?

LH: We are phasing out children’s clothing and are considering expanding sporting goods. A lot of athletes are already buying their shoes at Tri-State. We may become a one-stop shop where they can get mouth guards, footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, baseballs and bats, whatever they need for their sport. We are working on plans to add more University of Idaho and Washington State University gear. We may also introduce more prestigious brands in women’s apparel.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.