Cha-ching! (2-16)

Everyone knows garden centers need to take care of the customer, who at various times might be queen or king -- and who is almost always dictator. But have you given a lot of thought to the customer who is on your staff?

Indeed, the internal customer plays almost as big a role in a store's success as the people who walk through your doors. Consequently, your ability to take care of your staff can greatly enhance your bottom line in the long run, especially when you consider the various costs involved with turnover, training, payroll upkeep, etc.

At The Garden Barn in Vernon, Conn., one of the priorities among the managers is making sure the staff feels appreciated. "I hear my friends talk about how miserable they are at their 8 or 9 to 5 office jobs, and it just doesn't compare to the feeling I get coming to work with my family and the family we have created here at The Garden Barn," said Kim Gliha, who along with brother Shawn, helps manage the business owned by their parents Dennis and Kathy. "We have countless employees that return to us year after year, even with the seasonality of our business,  and we have in turn created a Garden Barn family as well."

The moral of the story: Happy employees are good employees, and good employees are valuable employees. Cha-ching!

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