Mean Mallard in Jackson

[BirminghamAttorney]

Here is a good article about Mean Mallard relocating in today's Clarion Ledger.
www.clarionledger.com/news/0207/23/b01.html

[MSDuckmen]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

"I'll save $50,000 a year in rent," he said.

Wonder if he'll share that with his customers in cost savings for them?

I sure hope his service is better at the new place.

Nice guy works hard just had way too many bad encounters there.

[Duck Nawteek]

You beat me to it duckmen. I hope with all that extra money he saves he can hire some good help. [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

[RB]

I hope Jeff Speed does well at his new location. I spoke with Jeff the other day for the first time since he moved to this location and I believe he will do well here too. Jeff has never been nothing but nice as he can be, dropping whatever he is doing to speak to me everytime I come into his business. I've run my own business for 15 years now just around the corner from where the Mean Mallard was located and I can tell you the demands of the trade. You must realize that if the owner took the time out to just chat with everybody that came in the store (which alot of the time that's all people want to do) he/she wouldn't have time to do much else. I know that the customer is always right but put yourself in a busy businessman's place and try to understand his point of view. Jeff is trying to provide central Mississippi with a great outdoor store where one can go to get supplies instead of ordering them from out of state, so let's at least try to support his efforts. I know for a fact that if he doesn't have what you need he'll at least try to get it for you.

[ July 23, 2002: Message edited by: RB ]

[Big Lou]

From the prices I saw already he has passed it on to his customers. He has trail cameras for a really good price right now. If you guys want a chance to meet Jeff and speak with him in detail here is a good oppertunity. He is rigging decoys for sale at the wildlife show and anyone who wants to show up and rig a few could probrably get a good early bird deal and a chance to talk with Jeff. His new catalouge is huge! take some time and stop by for a visit. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Wildfowler]

I hope this doesn't turn into another bash the Mean Mallard topic.

If Jeff Speed has found a way to be sucessful in the hunting industry, I think it's a great thing. I wish I knew how to do it.

I for one am delighted to have access to such a nice store in my area.

[RedEyed Duck]

Is it just me our should the manager not be so giving with his financial #'s. I could understand if he were just giving percentages. Just one man's opinion but I think that pretty asinine to give out that information. Sounds like this store is a bit like good old Buck N Bass here in Memphis and then along came Bass Pro Shops. If you don't take good care of your customers (i.e. service and price) someone else will!

[jstanard]

I thought it was a little strange too. Actually I'm most surprised that the specific figures made it past editing.

If only we could get the publicly traded companies to be so generous with their expenses and losses.

[ July 24, 2002: Message edited by: jstanard ]

[Hammer]

I agree with all of the above...

A- Jeff got a little loose in the lips on his finances...but a quick review of his numbers indicates it is very unlikley that those numbers were legit anyway...For example, loosing $1MM in sales from 9/11 to Christmas would mean that he lost roughly $100,000 in sales PER WEEK during that time...That is very doubtful...

B- Also I hope he signed a long term lease on the building cause if he did not and i was the building owner, his rent would go up $50,000 the day the lease expired!

C- Mean Mallard is a great store....Jeff definitely knows what he is doing and provides good service himself but most of the kids working there leave much to be desired... They are not very knowledgeable and sometimes you just cant get one of them to wait on you...

On the other hand, Van Allen has a manager for the sporting goods store just like he has a manager for his deer processing business...These managers make sure the help helps and Van steps in for back up and PR with his customers...Jeff would do well to adopt a similar concept...

In conclusion let me say this...I think Jeff is real smart about this business...My guess is that he has a reason for saying the things he said in the paper and that he hires kids because they are cheap and thus far the lack of service has not hurt him.

QUESTION: Now that Mean Mallard has moved to North Jackson, does that open up an opportunity for a new Madison County based operation? Alternatively, should Don Brazil move Sportsmen's Exchange from Hwy 51 in Ridgeland to the old Mean Mallard location?

Sportsmen's Exchange not only has used/consignment goods but has stocked a bunch of new goods, primarily from sporting goods stores that are going out of business...He has a lot of inventory and good prices but seems to have little traffic in the store...Would a change of location help?

HAMMER

[Duck Nawteek]

Hammer I agree with you 100% I think that the sportsman exchange store would do more business if he got big enough sign to let people on hwy 51 know he is where he is. Hwy 51 gets way more traffic in the mornings and afternoon than old canton rd. A lot of people in madison and ridgeland don't even know where his shop is that's why he needs a sign. just my 2 cents. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[BirminghamAttorney]

Where on 51 is the sportsman exchange? (He does need a sign.)

[webfoot]

There are three key principles that every retailer, regardless of size or line of business, could learn from the concept of power retailing:

One, there must always be a "game plan" for the firm that is outlined in advance.

Two, the retailer's focus must always be on consumers and how to best satisfy them.

Three, to be most ef- fective in the marketplace, a firm needs to be dominant in at least one aspect of its strategy. In the broadest sense, power could result from having the longest store hours, the best delivery policy, and so on. As a result, a small firm could be a power retailer by serving an unfulfilled consumer need.

At the same time, every retailer must also recognize consumers' minimum expectations for each element of its strategy (such as the store hours, product assortment, and customer services).

Working "people" expect stores to have evening hours; this is a minimum requirement. Even if a firm dominates in other areas of its strategy, it must still satisfy the minimum standards set by consumers.

Here are six very different ways for a firm to act as a power retailer. Two or more of the approaches could be combined to yield greater power:

1. Be price oriented and cost efficient to appeal to price-sensitive shoppers.

2. Be upscale to appeal to full-service, status-conscious consumers.

3. Be convenience oriented to appeal to consumers interested in shopping ease, nearby locations, or long store hours.

4. Offer a dominant assortment with an extensive selection in the product lines carried to appeal to consumers interested in variety and in-store shopping comparisons.

5. Be customer service-oriented to appeal to people who are frustrated by the decline in retail service -- as they perceive it.

6. Be innovative or exclusive and provide a unique method of operations or carry products/brands/services not stocked by other stores to appeal to customers who are innovators, bored, or looking for items not in the me-too mold.

Retailers will probably not be able to succeed in the long-run if they are mid-level in all of the six areas just identified; they must do a superior job in at least one area.

The amount of competition will be too intense for them to do otherwise.

It should also be kept in mind that a price-oriented strategy may be the easiest for competitors to duplicate, at least in the short-run, and that price-sensitive shoppers often have little store loyalty.

[Duck Nawteek]

Sounds like Jeff needs to hire you webfoot [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[peewee]

I didn't even know Don had a store until I saw yall post about it.

I think the new Mean Mallard location will help, alot more traffic and easily accessible from 55. I had a business teacher who told me the 3 keys to a successful business is LOCATION, LOCATION, AND LOCATION.