From handshakes to hard work, understanding the nuanced differences between the American and Latino cultures can lead to a more productive workplace.

This was the message during the webinar “Lost in Translation: The Five Things Businesses Must Understand About the Latinx Culture.” The education was sponsored by the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA) and went live earlier in November. Given that Spanish-speakers and Latinx employees make up an enormous amount of the green industry’s workforce, understanding ways to bridge cultural gaps became imperative to speaker Bernie Carranza, the manager at Lotus Farms Chicago.

But before Carranza told attendees some of the lessons he’s learned as both a manager and member of the Latino community, Donna Vignocchi Zych, ILCA president, opened up the webinar.

“I deeply believe that this seminar isn’t just about getting more performance out of our teams,” she says. “It’s about bridging an essential gap and how our different cultures interpret words, actions, gestures, hierarchies and traditions. When employees feel safe, they have the ability to excel and better their collective lives.”

Here’s some of what was discussed during the webinar:

Diverse cultures

First, it’s important to understand exactly what demographic of people you’re referring to when you say “Latino.” In this case, it’s anyone from a Spanish-speaking country. Latinx is a more recent term that replaces the “a” or the “o” in Latina and Latino to make the term gender-neutral. And in his experience, Carranza says people who were originally born in one of these Spanish-speaking countries identify themselves as Hispanic, while those born in the U.S. with familial ties to other countries label themselves as Latino. He made it clear, however, that they can ultimately determine how they’d like to be identified.

The presentation was more geared toward Latinos who had not acculturated to American culture. Many are from Mexico; the complicating factor is that their experiences and cultural influences are different depending on what area of Mexico they’re from.

“The employer, when appropriate, should discuss with their Latino employees the cultural differences that exist and how to make everyone comfortable,” he says. “There are differences in simple, everyday interactions. The more we become familiar with these, the better communication we have.”

As it pertains to showing these employees respect, simple things like hand gestures and body language go a long way. Directly looking at someone’s eyes during serious conversations can be viewed as a challenge to his authority, and handshakes for Latinos are supposed to be soft to the touch rather than firm and rigid. Greetings in American culture are brief and to the point, while in Latino culture, they’re more warm, welcoming and expected.

Employers should talk about those differences and clarify with the employee that they’re not trying to upstage them with direct eye contact, for example.

Education

Latinos prefer cooperative learning environments rather than competitive. As an example, Carranza recalls helping other cousins through school lessons growing up rather than trying to outdo them. This carries into the workplace, as training at a company should be done in more of a group setting than individually.

Carranza recommended allowing for smaller meetings to go on during larger meetings for those who learn most comfortably in a communal way. In his experience, these smaller groups lead to more productivity from his Latino workers as they explain to one another what they’ve learned. This is particularly important should language barriers exist at the company.

Another challenge is understanding that Latinos “don’t know,” even when they do, Carranza says. This means that they’d rather not embarrass somebody leading a meeting by upstaging them with the correct answer, even if it means sitting on vital information. This can be avoided by encouraging them to speak up often.

“We should encourage them to ask questions,” Carranza says. “Our style is more formal. What that means is that if you’re the presenter, if you’re the authority of the person presenting, there is this tendency to not interrupt you.”

Understanding ambition

Latinos often credit their achievements to fate or religious circumstances rather than their own ability, Carranza says.

“We look down at our shoes — we downplay our successes,” he says. “When something good happens to us, we don’t credit our own hard work.”

He said because of this humility, Latinos are often labeled as unambitious. Some miss out on raises or bonuses because of this trait. Their politeness can lead to Americans viewing them as subservient.

As Carranza put it, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and sometimes, people with bad manners get what they want. Latinos’ ambition for career progression is demonstrated quietly, he says, and “the key for you is recognizing that ambition and directing it.”

Carranza says sometimes, Latinos struggle to speak up when things get difficult because they have adopted a culture of hard work and pride in their company. He said it’s up to employers to listen to employees and ask them proactively how the work is going.

“Working hard is in our culture, it’s in our DNA,” he says. “What can we do? We encourage them; we empower them.”

Jimmy Miller is assistant editor at our sister publication, Lawn & Landscape magazine.

As IGCs and other small businesses forge into 2021, many are reporting record numbers of job openings, which retailers are finding difficult to fill.

According to the National Federation of Independent Business' (NFIB) latest jobs report released on Dec. 3, an uncertain economy is presenting a slew of hiring challenges.

“Small businesses are doing their best to end the year on a good note, but the economic recovery remains uneven with some industries near full recovery and others still struggling,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg in the report. “Finding qualified workers for open positions has only gotten worse as the pandemic caused an even tighter labor market. A surge in the labor force participation rate would be welcome news to small employers.”

We gathered some of the key findings from the report examining the month of November.

People who work in retail have all read the common advice about handling angry or uncooperative customers. It’s recommended that we stay calm, and show that we are truly listening to a client’s complaints. This is good advice, although it’s not always easy to do. Human nature is to mirror the attitude of others who are confronting us. It’s increasingly more challenging in the time of COVID-19, when people are feeling generally cranky and on edge. It’s also problematic when any customer, no matter how out-of-line or unreasonable, can post one-sided, scathing reviews online and on social platforms.

Recommendations to keep calm and listen still hold true, of course, as does the practice of repeating back to a customer the gist of what they’ve said. This response shows that you’re actively listening and trying to understand. Some IGCs hold preparation sessions during staff training days, where employees take turns being an irate customer while others practice smiling and responding with composure.

Yet, even after rehearsals for acting with restraint, some situations are especially difficult. IGC employees often benefit from suggestions of useful language for specific situations.

Customers without masks

Even with pending COVID vaccines, it’s estimated that we may need to wear masks in public places into the fall of 2021 or beyond. Retail establishments are becoming accustomed to asking some customers to get a mask or pull one up over their nose. One approach to lighten these situations is to have a box of colorful, disposable masks at the entry or service counter. These are now widely available and affordable in assorted designs that can be offered to an unmasked customer. “I see you’ve forgotten your mask. Well, I’ll save you the trip back to your car, and look! I’ve got one that’s tie-dyed, or are you more of a basic-black kind of guy?”

Repeating the same phase calmly, and making it personal, not political, can help. “My mask is for your protection, and yours is for my protection. We’d be happy to give you one, because it’s a requirement for shopping here.” Be sure that the signage about mask wearing is prominent in your store, so that your customers can point to it as they speak. One of our local stores has signage that reads, “In this store we wear masks over our noses.” Keep it simple and clear. Employees should know to call a manager for reinforcements if the client gets argumentative or refuses.

Spillover

When working in retail, it’s common to deal with people who are rude and unreasonable because something fairly small has pushed them over the edge. That dry and wilted hanging basket that the customer wants a refund for isn’t just an un-watered plant…it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. This is especially true as we enter nearly a year of dealing with pandemic fears and restrictions.

For these situations, phrases like, “This is such a difficult time,” “I know that a thirsty plant is the last thing you wanted to deal with today,” or “I’m so sorry you’re upset” can be useful. While sticking to your normal procedure and policies for resolving customer complaints and requests, sympathize with the complainer human-to-human.

Some years ago, I dealt with a rude customer whose tree had died. After commiserating with her she broke into tears well before we started to discuss why the plant might have failed. “I’m so sorry you had to come in about this today,” I said after she yelled at me for selling her a tree that “clearly came from a bad batch.” I knew nothing about her, but I continued by saying, “It sounds like this is the last thing you needed right now.” At that point she backed down and listed all the hardships that had come her way lately, from the recent death of her husband to a nasty neighbor who was mad at her garbage pails being put in the wrong place. We ended up giving this woman 50% off of a replacement tree, but more importantly, she was given an opportunity to be heard and somewhat consoled.

The world’s foremost authority

Even before the pandemic, garden center staff have dealt with self-appointed experts who are willing to argue about plants. I remember the day when a customer was shopping for summer squash seedlings at my IGC, and was unhappy at what he saw. We had flats of newly sprouted squash in three-packs, fresh from the grower, but some of the cells in these packs had only one seedling, while others had four or more. Clearly, the machine that the grower had used to plant the seeds had done an uneven job of it. The customer informed me that the latter was how normal, “healthy” squash should grow, convinced the one-seedling pack was defective. He wanted a three-pack where each cell had four stems, and he ended up yelling at me when I told him the singles were normal and the multiples were the result of too many seeds in one place. “I’m a Master Gardener, and I know how plants should grow!” he huffed.

As a master gardener (lowercase, since it’s not a title but a volunteer position) myself, I cringed, but I wasn’t about to argue with him. I’ve found that treating these foremost authorities with at least seeming respect is the percentage play, even when they’re wrong. “Since you’re an experienced gardener, I’m sure you can make any of these squash seedlings thrive. So pick the best three-pack you see, and I’m sure you’ll be sharing your excess zucchini with your neighbors very soon.” Try to show that argumentative expert that while you honor his or her expertise, you still need to stick with store policy. “I know you have a green thumb and more experience than I do, but it’s our policy that annuals can’t be returned three months after purchase.”

Can I fire a customer?

Even with a calm, sympathetic attitude and reaching out on a human-to-human basis, there are occasions when a customer just won’t be mollified or satisfied. For some people, even expressions of concern just make them more unhappy or angry. When a situation is escalating to that level, the first response is to remove yourself temporarily. “I’m going to get the store manager,” you might say, or “Excuse me for a second so I can have a word about this with John.” Your client doesn’t need to know who John is, or if he even exists. The point is for you to be able to break away from their emotional state and energy.

There are some people who, even when given sympathy, respect or time to calm down, remain bad-tempered and unreasoning. These are the times when we must weigh the potential damage that they can do online against the need to preserve our sanity, support the rest of our staff, and provide a pleasant shopping environment for other customers. A peace offering of a $25 gift card might just be worth it. “This is just a small apology for your trouble,” or “I know that we haven’t made you happy today, but I’m hoping that you’ll take this card and come back another time when things might be better,” are possible responses.

When all else fails, admit to your rude, righteous or unreasonable shopper that you’ve done your best but, “I just don’t think I can make you happy here,” or “Maybe we both have to admit that this isn’t the store for you right now.” Make a calm statement that says that you’re letting them go as a customer.

Then take a deep breath, and carry on.

C.L. Fornari is a speaker, writer and radio/podcast host who has worked at Hyannis Country Garden, an IGC on Cape Cod, for more than 20 years. She has her audiences convinced that C.L. stands for “Compost Lover.” Learn more at www.GardenLady.com 

Stuart Leventhal, owner of Down To Earth Living, got into the home décor business sideways. It developed as an adjunct to the Pomona, New York, IGC’s successful patio furniture business. Leventhal has long considered his IGC an entertainment business, competing for customers’ leisure dollars not only with other garden centers but big box stores. As such, he has strived to create a reputation for his store as a purveyor of high-end furniture, and for marketing and presentation purposes, décor became a necessity.

“We had to dress the tables,” he says. “So as a result, we added tableware into the business.”

As its customers purchased tabletop items in addition to the furniture, Down to Earth began to delve into the broader spectrum of home décor.

“By having the furniture to the extent that we do and having the accoutrements that go with furnishings, that led us to a full-blown home décor presentation,” Leventhal says.

This doesn’t mean that Down to Earth Living is neglecting the green goods side of the business. Quite the opposite, as Leventhal says the IGC built out a section of a greenhouse to accommodate the home décor items. As a result, customers shopping for interior plants or containers inevitably will encounter Down to Earth’s home décor offerings. It’s by design, as the company aims to provide the total experience for customers looking to furnish their homes.

“You’re furnishing your home with plants; you’re furnishing your home with furniture; you’re furnishing your home with décor and we believe that’s all one piece,” Leventhal says.

Home décor benefited from the same pandemic boost as gardening, maybe more so.

“If you’re stuck at home for three months, you might say, ‘I don’t like that painting,’” says Candace Moffatt, gift and holiday buyer for Al’s Garden Center in Oregon. “With people being more indoors and the focus on that, our business has been incredible.”

Home décor has been a growth area for Al’s Garden Center, especially in 2020. And there are no signs of slowing down. In fact, Moffatt says her indoor area has seen double-digit growth through the first few weeks of 2021.

Leventhal says the home décor segment has grown steadily at his business as well. “As time passes and people respect our offerings, it becomes more and more obvious to them that even if they’re just going to someone’s home for dinner and they want to bring a little gift that we’re a logical place to come to acquire that extra little bowl or set of glasses or a wall hanging.”

Themes and trends

One of the toughest parts of the home décor segment is deciding stocking levels. Unlike the plant side of the business, where an IGC knows how many hundreds of thousands of a particular plant it needs to stock, there’s more uncertainty with home décor. which responds to fashion trends that tend to be more volatile. At Down to Earth Living, Leventhal tries to be careful not to get caught holding a ton of items that were last year’s style. He cautions IGCs to not stock deeply and to stock only to the level that they can afford.

“As quickly as people fall in love with green, they can fall out of love with green,” he says. “And then everything you have in green and any green shades, you might as well just dump in the garbage.” The furniture market is very color-sensitive, Leventhal says, and it usually lags the fashion market by about a year. He says green was the hottest furniture color years ago, then it was supplanted by brown, which remains strong but has been displaced to an extent by gray. Leventhal also expects gray’s popularity to continue as Ultimate Gray joins Illuminating (yellow) as the Pantone Colors of the Year.

At Al’s Garden Center, Candace Moffatt breaks the area down into themes, then by color within the theme. Clustering items together that share similarities makes it easier for the customer to shop. The 2021 theme is ‘indoor oasis,’ which Moffatt describes as a natural modern feel with a color palette that includes lots of greens, blacks and taupes. It utilizes natural woods and highlights succulents.

“Once you cluster that together, I do think it’s very enticing for the customers,” she says. “It’s very easy for them to shop. If you just don’t like green, you don’t go to the green section.”

Another theme at Al’s Garden Center is called ‘South of Province,’ which has pops of green, white, lemon and orange for more of a citrus feel. Moffatt developed that theme around lemon, which has been particularly popular for a few years now.

With Illuminating, one of the 2021 Pantone Colors of the Year, being yellow, Al’s Garden Center is anticipating even more interest in that theme from shoppers.

“When you really break down the themes, it’s color,” she says. “So yellow is a Pantone color of the year. So within it for the home décor, we have a lemon wreath or lemon candles, yellow silk, a yellow table runner. There are house pillows with little sunflowers with a pop of yellow, and pots too.”

From items that have the yellow color to items that are related to the citrus fruit by scent, the idea is to have a one-stop shop for customers.

“For gift giving, it’s really nice,” Moffatt says. “If you need a quick gift, it’s all in one area, so you can kind of get that look all in one place.”

Monica Holst is the merchandising and floor manager for Wallace’s Garden Center, in Bettendorf, Iowa. Whether it’s art, pillows, vases, or other home décor items, Holst also arranges her sections by theme. When a customer sees the section you’ve painstakingly designed, not only will they be convinced to shop that look, but they will be more willing to buy multiple items because you’ve shown them how they can work well together.

“I like people to look at that and say, ‘Hey, this could be my whole living room. I’m buying 20 of these pieces,’” Holst says.

The trendsetters

Moffatt and Leventhal both tout the Atlanta Market, but this year much of the shopping has been done virtually. Holst also shops multiple vendors and credits HGTV for pushing several trends forward.

“Even last year, yellow was such a nice little pop,” Moffatt says. “Here in Oregon today it’s super gray and rainy and yellow is such a happy color. It does make a big pop of spring in your house, and outside too, if you’re planting.

As far as other trends, Holst says the industrial look is hot in Iowa. Gold is the top trending color, although the neutral palette and the “greige” look is still very popular. Anything to do with houseplants is selling, even pillows with houseplants stitched onto them.

Moffatt runs reports every Monday to see if she needs to reorder items. Al’s Garden Center has four different stores and she always tests new and trendy items at the Beaverton store first.

It’s the largest store, and the closest to metro Portland, and the most receptive to trends so it serves as the bellwether. If it does well there, and the sell-through numbers look good, she’ll roll it out to the smaller stores.

One important metric to track with home décor items is price point. At Al’s Garden Center, Moffatt says you have to know your market. At her more rural stores, she encounters more price resistance. She can test items in the high-to-elite tier at the Beaverton store where customers are willing to spend more.

“Because they’re looking for something very special and unique, price isn’t an issue,” she says.

In the home décor market, once an item hits that $80 to over $100 price point, it’s a tougher sell. Even if it’s a beautiful and well-made container. However, there are examples of items at that elite price point that can still be successful. Moffatt purchased a series of kinetic spinners that ranged from $100 to $300 depending on size. They sold well initially, so when it was time to re-order, she tested them in all of her stores.

“It was just a win all around,” she says. “That’s something I initially probably wouldn’t have bought for everybody.”

Display: the silent salesperson

Make sure you have someone on your staff who is very attuned to color, shape and display.

“Presentation is the coin of the realm,” Leventhal says. “You must make the displays a gravitational point for customers in your store. Without display, you can present the finest goods in the world and you won’t sell them.”

Holst agrees that presentation is key to increasing multi-item spend. Around Christmas, a customer came into Wallace’s Garden Center looking for a loveseat. She ended up buying two chairs, the matching dining set and some of the accessories as well. “She said, ‘This is how I want my home to look,’” Holst says.

That sort of multiple buy is a triumph of presentation. It makes the work that goes into building a themed décor section worth it.

By design, the home décor market contains many types of items. It can be overwhelming for shoppers. But the thematic layout can make it easier. Instead of shopping for a specific small item, stores can break it down to lemon or citrus, for example, then go from there to help customers achieve a more cohesive look.

To make that happen, Al’s Garden Center has an in-staff visual team and contracts designers to showcase it, especially at Christmas. The goal is a cohesive theme that is consistent across stores that does not look like it’s just tossed out onto shelves.

“There’s a thought process, there’s a plan behind it,” Moffatt says.

And when it’s done right, you can see the results. Customers go straight to the section they’re interested in, and it results in more multiple sales.

Another important factor to presentation is be cognizant of what your competition provides. Then, make certain you’re presenting goods that are reflecting the uniqueness of your store and what you perceive the taste of your customers to be.

Holst suggests IGCs should devote a section near the front of their store to home décor — too close to the greenhouse and your staff will be spending a lot of time cleaning dust and dirt from your merchandise. As you move back in the store, you can weave in garden accent décor pieces, items for which a little dirt won’t hinder a sale.

One pitfall Leventhal cautions IGCs to avoid is sacrificing quality for price. If you make that compromise at your store, you’re competing with box stores, outlets and anyone else that sells home décor goods.

Currently, the top trending items at Down to Earth Living are candles and candlesticks. After two booming years, succulents have cooled off.

Popular items at Wallace’s Garden Center include pillows, picture frames, candlesticks and furniture. Holst never uses any items in her displays that aren’t for sale.

As Wallace’s sales of dining sets and sofas has increased, it’s become easier to merchandise around those items. Instead of glass shelves holding all the items, she uses the larger home décor items themselves to showcase the littler pieces.

“It’s more work, because you’re selling a cabinet, then you’re taking everything out of it, but you’ve got a sale that you never would have had for a thousand dollars,” she says.