The Boys
Welcome to "The Boys" podcast, where business partners Jeremy, Stuart, and Dwayne come together after two decades of collaboration to share their expertise and passion for all things decor, home design, business, and floral design. Join this dynamic trio as they delve into the world of aesthetics, offering valuable insights, practical tips to elevate your living spaces, and a few laughs along the way.
But it's not just about design; it's about spreading joy and making the process enjoyable for everyone. The podcast is infused with the camaraderie and humor that comes from years of friendship and collaboration. Expect lively discussions, entertaining anecdotes, and a genuine passion for creating spaces that bring happiness and comfort.
The Boys
S1:E13 Retail Then and Now...and us trying to keep up!
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What a mess.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Alright.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Godzilla with him. Oh, bless their little heart.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:What I thought we would talk about today is, you know, retail in its infancy. in its entirety, I guess it's changed. Lord, I remember when I was like in middle school and high school, like going to stores and shopping, but I feel like how much it's changed so much since then. So I can only imagine like, I know owning a store has completely changed since we've owned house. And then when you had that store, Whatever it was called that you burned down. What was it called?
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:didn't burn it down employee did uh home accents Full disclosure. It wasn't me
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:so before house ever existed Dwayne had a store and it was it was home accessories, right? Like that's that's what y'all did It was before my
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:what i'm doing now the same thing. Maybe not as many flowers, but the same thing i've well you had victorian
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:prints with kittens playing
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:with balls of yarn so I can't say
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:the
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:I was gonna say. It was early Kirkland's.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Design does evolve though I've seen Stewart's house and it may not in his world. Meow
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Oh, wow.ha ha ha hant wow.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:hahahaha No, it evolves. I mean, what, what you sold in 1983 is not what you sell in 2000, um, I think 17 2024. I think that's what it is. And I don't even know what you,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Ha ha ha ha ha.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:I don't even know what year. Well, that might explain my design aesthetics. Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well, so one of the catalysts that I think that's really changed how retail and stores have changed a lot. is, um, well, obviously it's technology, but it all, in my opinion, kind of starts with the websites. So I learned something not too long ago, and I thought it was so fascinating. know had the original first like e commerce site?
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Amazon. Heh
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:No, no.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:No, it wasn't. It was not. It was
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:heh.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:uh, I think it was called Boston exchange or something like that, but they sold computer parts. So that makes sense. Right. Computers like, you
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:kinds of things. Um, it was, it was in the early nineties. I can't remember like mid, maybe mid nineties. but then wasn't like a really huge hit. I mean, it existed and people, you have to remember the internet was really. New then, I mean, we didn't get the internet in my house until I was in like seventh grade or eighth grade
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:you know, of course it was dial up. So, you know, you had to sit there and wait through the,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Lord, I live in Paris. I can't get the internet right now, half the time. So there you go. Welcome to the, welcome to the Country. Yeah. With a OL Welcome, uh, living in the country in Kentucky. So there you go.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well, you know, we'd get the little discs in the mail for AOL to download and
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:browser. And so we, we got the internet and I just remember how it was like, you know, of course I still refer to it, the internet. Um, and,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:got those with your seven CDs for a penny. The disc came at the same time. Heh heh heh heh
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:house or BMG. I still may owe money from I have no idea That was a long time ago But I did not understand how that worked But so, you know, the
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Hey, you, wait a minute. Paying your bills.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:No I mean I was
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:heh.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:who
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mm,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:know This is back when they would give you a credit card when you were 12 Unless you were
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:to have a man co signed for it Which
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:my God.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:you know, that didn't until 74 anyway. Um,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:It's getting returned by the way.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:it's well, that kicker from Oklahoma. He might feel that way. Um, sorry if you're a fan, I don't get it, but what is, um, I mean, I
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Sounded misogynist to me, but that's okay. Okay. Hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:the internet were people in college campuses, like that's really where it was being widely utilized for research purposes, because the only thing that was really put on the internet at that time was information like that, that was being like documented by colleges and stuff. Right. So that sounds kind of boring. fast forward. a girl that was or college, started working for, wait for it, Ty Beanie Babies. And said to the man, you know, at college, we have this thing that we use called or internet. And I think that we could utilize that. And he said, he was, he was kind of like a, I mean, there were all these stories about him, just exactly knowing exactly when he looked at something, knowing what would sell, um, and, um, and what would be popular. So he had a little hunch about this girl and what she was talking about. And he said, fine, you have free reign to go do whatever. So she created their first. and it was really an e commerce store for people to actually order from then it set off It blew up and he was brilliant in other ways as far as like being able to we're gonna use the word brilliant But I think a king of manipulation, ultimately, I think is really what he was at, because he would be able to like, control like inventory make shortages so that there was a higher demand and all that. So he played all those games. Right. that's where we, that's who we really have to think as any kind of retail store that has an e commerce site is Ty cause when
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Fascinating. Hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:figured it out.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Wow.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:remember that, that shit was crazy,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:It was crazy. It's a lot.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Stuart That has
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:has a collection. Still, he still has a collection. Don't you Stewart?
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:No.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:That's part
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:I do not.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:and part of your dowry. That's part of
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:It is.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:what it is.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:It is. It's in the Hope chest.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:it's
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:All the Beanie Babies. They're right next to the Cabbage Patch Dolls. hahahahahahahaha
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:eah Well,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:she and I would like go to like the places that we're getting. I mean, I remember doing this, like I was probably. Senior, junior in high school. No, I was a little older than that, but like I had nothing else to do, you know, whatever that up. So we'd go and she'd be all excited about her time being a baby. So who knew, who knew that that's what we had to come. So, because before, I guess at that point, like businesses would have a website and they would have information on it. basically like this is who we are. This is what we do, but there wasn't this kind of like transactional. for someone to go home and purchase something. And then of course, after that, then Amazon, uh, started coming across then eBay, I mean, you know, then it just, you know, totally blew up as the internet became much more widely available. So, but yeah,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Very cool.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:yeah, there's no, there's no slowing that one down.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well, and then you add, well, so like when we used to work at the company, we used to work for, we, you know, we had our website, we didn't have a, uh, online site or e commerce site or anything, but we'd have these grand events. Did you, did you have like big events? That's your old store doing like, did you do like
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:no, no, no, no. no,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:no, so you were just like normally open, just like, just come shop where you were at a
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well, I was in a
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah, they're in the mall.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:open. open. Uh, no, no, the stores were, uh, both of them, there's two, I moved, um, they were both too small. Your, your real estate in a mall is so expensive, you don't have the luxury to have, uh, spaces to do seminars or events or anything. It's just too tight.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:So I'm gonna say this and I don't mean I just I don't know when did malls come around when did those like was that the 80s or were they before that
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:was really, it's, you know,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:want to sound
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:eh.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:but I
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mid 70s probably.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:yeah,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mid 70s.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:the 80s. I always think of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, you know, because everybody works at the mall. And I think that was this epitome of, uh, that's when it was the most popular. Because the economy was booming, and people had money, and it was shopping excess. And more, more, more, more, more. Uh, and, uh, Neon and mall,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Right.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:in the eighties, a hundred percent. I mean, it was, you're right, sir. It was starting really probably earlier than that, but truthfully, but seventies got its good push, but eighties was the time to be in the mall and truthfully, a nostalgia for that is, it was just wonderful experiences because, you know, it's when you, you went to, you went to hang out and, and, and you saw everybody and it was just, uh, It was just a really cool experience. I have to admit, I had kind of waning for that a little bit because we're, that's what we're saying way into what we're, how things were changing, but it was really fun at the time.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Um,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:anyway.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:first mall opened in Edina, Minnesota in 1956
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:What the
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:56.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Adena, Minnesota?
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:revolutionary. Uh, Southdale was the first modern indoor mall in the U. S. Eventually became the national symbol for the car centric commuterist. Hmm. Interesting. So 1956 was the first one.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:So it's, everything's, it's always, it goes, everything's like a slow roll. It takes a while to
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Right.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:but it gets there.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:well then I also think that it's kind of like the demise of the malls too because I remember when Like when I was in, you know, high school, I guess, like we went to the mall, but it wasn't like a crazy place. Of course, you know, I was from a small town. So then we would go to Richmond or which was a small town, well, bigger town, uh, 15 minutes away. And there was a mall there, but there wasn't a ton in it, but we'd want to come to the big town of Lexington where
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:because that was the big city compared to where we were. And that's where they had three malls. one of them was hanging on by the thread then anyway, and then they're all gone except
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Um,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:And Duane was right. By the, by the mid 1980s, malls had become the center of American social life and accounted for bulk of all retail sales.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. Isn't that crazy? I mean, you see all those, like those movies where like that's where everybody was. They were just shopping
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mm hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:BC BG bags,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:And drinking at Orange Julius.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Oh Yes.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I mean, you know, I've never had one of those. I
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Ooh, they're so good.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:God.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:like the
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:They so good.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mm-Hmm.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:so good. So good. So good. It
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I. We didn't have that kind of like, or at least I didn't experience that kind of like, love for the mall. Does that make sense? Like that was some place that we, we went with our parents. I didn't, we weren't, that wasn't someplace I went with my friends. Does that make sense? Like it was, we were kind of after that cause it wasn't there.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:was interactional for you as opposed to social.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:it was interactional. Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:um, so I, I hate the mall. It doesn't matter which mall it is. It doesn't matter if it's still to this day. I hate going to the mall. If I want to go someplace, I just want to go someplace. And I'm interested to know, like, did Jor El's mentality change? did Jor El, when do you think, like, I know you all don't care to go to the mall now. Well, Sergio, do you still go?
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:I go to Macy's. I don't walk around the mall.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Right.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:I go to Macy's. I leave.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:What would you do?
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:A long time ago, truthfully, and it's probably 20 years ago and it wasn't, I won't even say the mall because I don't want to put that energy on it. It's more about just, uh, shopping for because what people don't know, or maybe they do know, and it's just funny, what our jobs are, um. A lot of it is continually shopping, right? I am, it's a, it's a different way. It's not looking for a pair of pants, but I am looking for a piece of art, a lamp, wallpaper, so I'm continually having to find and think and look for stuff. And so. That's a really wonderful job and there's no complaint in that. But if that's what you do for a living, that's the last thing you want to do is just go schlepping around looking to buy more stuff, right? And the fact is the also part for me is feel overwhelmed with how much stuff I have in my house already. just really resonant about buying anything else. And, um, you know, I can't go in to somebody's house and preach to You know by quality, by less, by what you love. Minimalize it because again it goes back to the 80s. It was more about excess, right? More is more is more is more. You know, you can, how many, how many shirts can you have? How many can, how many swatch watches can you have, right? You collected everything.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Right.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:It was collecting of the Beanie Babies, right? It's collecting the precious moments. You were collecting. You were acquiring. right? Well, I have so much
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:moments.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:precious moments. So I have so much stuff and there's memories attached to it and I love it. I just don't need a lot more. So everything I buy now is very purposeful, right? And it's very specific. So it even comes to Clothing. Like I first, I, I, I dress like a Jake, right? Y'all, you know That's right. It's a T-shirt and a pair of jeans or a pair of$7.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Farm,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Jay.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Jake.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:like jakey, jakey, like not good, right? If you look at me and you're like, oh, fat boy isn't, that can't be a designer. There you go. Right? And, uh, so I just don't like to shop, uh, for clothing in particular. And it's like, so the other backstory is I wasn't. I didn't get access to the malls truthfully, um, here or there until I moved to Lexington was 21. everything in my shopping was based from ordering online. So I'm kind of ahead of the game a little bit from the, the Sears and the JC Penney's. And I was always required to have to, because of my body's shape, uh, that I always had to buy, uh, Huskies, right? was Husky. I was husky.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Huskies
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well, and I think, I think what you said, you didn't,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:you didn't order from Sears and JC Penney online. You looked at the catalog and you called your order in and then it was mailed to you. So there was that step in between shopping and online, you know, you call the catalog and put in your order with that operator and then it is mailed to you.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah, I
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:So that's kind of what, so, but the thing of it is, I don't go to the mall just because I just don't want stuff. And then I, I always feel like if, for me, if it's presented to me, then I'll just end up buying it. Right. And I was like, no, I'll just, rather now having a good dinner. So I love beautiful decor at home and I'll, I'll buy a really, really nice lamp before I'm going to go buy another, you know, I don't want to say any specific places, but I'm not going to go buy another, uh, 12 t shirt or a 9 t shirt. Right. I'm going to buy a good shirt and just use it and wear it a lot.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:it Montgomery Ward? Was that one of those places
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:it
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. Yep.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. Mm
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:that.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:it made it so much easier because you'd have to worry about like trying to find a size or like you could just order whatever and then it would show up there. And of course we had, you know, no idea at the time how easy it was going to end up becoming that you could just order from, you know, this little,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:No, no, you had no idea. Right. Yep.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:yeah. So I know like mom did a little bit of that. Um, and then at some point, and I guess it had to happen when. iPhones or when like the smartphones came around that then that changed even more because then you were able to shop at Amazon or wherever you were going Walmart or you know whatever whatever place you were you could shop 24 hours a day that's really For me, it's changed my experience because, I mean, there are certain stores I love to go to, but for the most part, I don't want to walk any place. I don't know if it's just because I'm tired, or, I think, I think it also could go back to what you said, like, you look for stuff all the time, so you're just tired of looking.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:And it's edited and I think it's, if you really soul search yourself and it's like, why, why do, why do I not go looking for stuff? I have the stuff that I want, so I don't need to add to it. Right? I just don't.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:know, people still like to Ahead, I just don't want to look at all the bullshit. Like, I don't need to look at all the shirts with wolves and moons on them. I don't need, I don't need that in front of me. we've get that, then we get the iPhone and then every, then they never goes to the websites. And then it's crazy. Now, if you think about that, you could order something and it doesn't, it's not just Amazon, I hate to keep saying that name I'm sure in some algorithm, it'll screw something up. But, um, but like almost any store, like how fast you can get things. I mean, we're, I would like to brag and say that we try to be like that as well. I mean, I can't guarantee it's there in two days, but we can almost guarantee it ships out the day it gets ordered. Um, but then it started changing to where people, I don't know if you remember this, but when, when, um, when smartphones came out and then people, companies were immediately trying to start creating apps and then people would create apps for their businesses and they were horrible. Like there was no use to doing people just kind of stuck to going to the website. Right. They just kept going like, well, this is much easier. they knew they had shopped on it. They knew how to figure it out. And then apps have gotten so much better, I guess, the development of it, and they've understood everything. So that happened several years ago. Um,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:we, we have an app, right?
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:yeah.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Okay. So you, you, you developed it and you created it. What was, how useful is our app truthfully? And why do you, is it, is it a good one? Is it, is it necessary to have it?
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well, I, okay. So I think that, um, The whole reason why we, we started with the app was I wanted to cut out some of the noise in between us and our relationship with the customer. because when you're trying to send an email to somebody, gets lost in the middle of everything, right? You see something, I
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Right.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:time I see an email and I think I'm gonna go back to it or text message. I never go back to it. but it was also about trying to personalize it in a way that would make it make sense for them and that they also felt like they had a direct connection to us. Aside from having to go to, you know, the website's not a barrier, but it's something that they can click on. And then it's immediately like it's us. Right. Um, is it, is it perfect? No. Um, but you know, we're trying to make it better, trying to work on it and, and do, but it's, it's, I've heard from lots of people that it's really easy to shop from, so that's good.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Good.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Is that really the ultimate tools you're using is? I've wondered why, I mean, have a business and business partner creating the app and I'm like, we have an app and like, what's that for? And I'm like, I don't know. So I'm trying to, I'm, I'm learning. I'm not being silly. I'm learning. Yeah. I don't know why we have it. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well, two things. So, well, it's really, it's really one thing. Okay. So looking at how people used to shop in stores, they'd come, they'd come with their friends, they'd go out and make, you know, girlfriend days. And then of course, you know, then COVID happened. And then if people are like me, I don't want to go nowhere. I mean, I'm not as bad as my mom. I actually leave the house, but like, I don't want to go. Um, once you get home from work, you're tired. I remember this. Look at my dad when he was 43. It's like, dad, you're just 43. Why are you tired? I'm like, I am tired. Anytime we went on
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mm-Hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:as we got wherever, and he was the one having to drive us there. The first thing he wanted to do was take a nap.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mm-Hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:like, and like, now we get wherever we're going. And
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:No,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:could also be a couple of cocktails on the plane on the way down. I don't know, but by the time I get to the hotel, I'm like, I'm gonna take me a little nap. And then we can do whatever you want to do. So I have become a father. Um, So, but the other reason why is because I do ultimately believe that shoppers are like people who like to shop want to shop at any time they want to have access and that's really access. I think is like the key word for me for the whole thing for like why we did the app and the rest of it because it doesn't matter where they are. They can shop and I know that that sounds the same as the website, but the other thing that. biggest thing for in the app is that we have our live cell videos, the feed, so we can actually get on you know, they may not be able to get here if they're trying to come to our storefront, they can't get to us between 10 and five, because that's the only times that we're, you know, that's the time we're open. So instead, if they're sitting at home, they've had dinner and they're watching TV, they're sitting on the sofa, watching some horrible show that their spouse wants to watch. And they're just sitting there in boredom. They can pull up their phone and they can watch our live sales from there and
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Like Blue Bloods. You ever heard that show? Blue Bloods?
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I've never watched that.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:I've never watched it. I've seen it previewed, but
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:the one that's got Tom Selleck in it?
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. They're taking it off. Bye.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:You know, I don't remember what it was I may have misconstrued this in my memory, but I remember he wasn't very nice to Rosie O'Donnell. Now listen, I realize that she is an extremist and she has gone also partially crazy. Uh, maybe in the future. I'm not really sure. I do love Rosie still. I still love her. But there's, it was when she had her show on and I can't remember what it was, like he wasn't very kind to her. And I was like, yeah, I'm done with you. I don't, you, you, you weren't my thing anyway, so.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. I can't speak to any of that. I don't know. I just know he's on this show. That's hmm. Bye.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:All right.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:okay.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:so, but the, the app was being able to build a way for us to be able to get that live feed and that live set, like being able to have that live between us and the customers, no matter where we were at all times. So people can communicate that way. If we're doing a live feed, they can chat with us. They can actually ask questions about the product. And I think that that's really useful. That's just like the start of the next frontier, I think, for
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Right. It lets somebody be involved basically.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:them be involved in the way that they want to be. So if they want to ask the question, they can ask the
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Right.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:they like something, you know, they can do it. But I think that,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Does it pop up on your computer instantly or do you have to look at it?
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:if you have, if you have the app and you have to have the notifications turned off, but if you have, um, app, it will, you'll get a little push notification. So like, you know, when you get like a little beep on your phone, you look down and it's something trying to tell you something, it'll say,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:so if I'm, if I'm on our app and I see this lum flower and I think it's beautiful, but I think it's pink, but it says it's purple. I can text you or I can email you and it'll show up on your computer instantly and you'll answer my question or pretty quickly.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Okay. Okay, okay. Okay.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Unless I'm asleep.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:But during the live feed, yes.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Oh yeah, during the light. Yes.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:interactional, just because, you know, with, with the phones and how all that's Changed like, you know, people want to be able to, I just had a little webinar over this, like a couple of weeks ago, but it was talking about like customer service customers want to be able to communicate with you wherever they are it's the easiest for them. So we've got some customers, if they have an issue or if they have a question, they're gonna reach out to us on Facebook. We have other customers if they're on Instagram and that's where they are at. And they need to have, ask you a question. That's where they're going to reach out to you. some of them are going to be like the standard, like they're going to go to the customer service email. Other people are going to want to call the 800 number, which we do have an 800 number somewhere. Um, uh, eight, eight number. Um,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:you don't use it a lot.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:1 888 306 6, oh Jesus, I don't,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:See? Mm-Hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:don't know, I don't know. Look,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:See,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:it, I don't call it!
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:that's, that's funny. Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:it's down in the show notes, it's on the emails, it's on everything. Um, but
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:For those who want our 800 number, you got to figure it out yourself.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:It's 1 888 306 6169. I knew that it was a combination of those numbers, but you know, um, but so that's like our, uh, where you can leave voicemails after hour and all those kinds of things. Um, but then there's also customers who don't want to, would never call. And I think this is probably like the younger, younger, um, customers. They would never call, but they'll text you. And so having all of those,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Okay, so stop.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:on. So now you can
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Nope. Nope.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:service. Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Not stopping. This is all about Stuart and Jeremy as business partners, who are wonderful. Suck sometimes. So I will send you a text and ask you something and want a prompted answer or I would think I'd get a thumbs up. I get a yes. I get a response. I get something. I get nothing. And I'm like, well, did they get it? Did they respond to this? Do they want this? yeah, oh yeah, we got it. And I was like, can you not give me a thumbs up? Can you not give me a yes? for the younger folk, and I'm going to lump you into this Stuart, say thank you.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mm. Ha
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:folk, you know, for the older ones like us, I just would like to be an acknowledgement that I sent you something and you saw it. You can give me a little heart, a thumbs up. Yes. Got it. Okay. Because if you send something, it's just laying out there. I don't know if you saw her, you didn't see it. And if you're going to do it or not going to do it. it really is just for young folks, acknowledge us older ones that we sent you something and say, got it, got it. Okay. Now you can go.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:All right. Well, I'm looking, um, from now on, anytime you text me, you're just going to get the double exclamation point.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:I love it. Love it.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:ha
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:sent it
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:ha ha ha ha ha ha.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I see it, I'll do it, but I'm not responding.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Love it. Done. I got it.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Oh lord.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:told you this in person, that when you send me something, I'm, cause it can be, um, 10 o'clock at
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:It, it, it very well can be. It can be 7 AM. It can also be on, on the three days a week you're not here that we're doing other stuff and I don't carry my phone around the store and I gotta get back to my phone in a fuckin hour. And then I'll respond. So,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:just
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:patient because the world is not instant.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:well, that's what we're talking about, wrong ass, is
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Right. I know. I know.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:want instant answers, but, well, I
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Understood. 1840.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Bye.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:well, have told you that I will, um, if there's, especially if it's I am of the generation. So you all were, you had your adolescence college, all that probably pretty well before you had a phone, right? When did you have your first cell phone? I
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Stop. Oh. I don't know. It's something. I don't know.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:was 19.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:22, something like that. Because I had the, I had the business. I owned
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah, I was about the same. I was maybe 21. So, yeah. About 30 years ago.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Oh, okay. Well, I didn't have my first one till I was 19.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:I own the, well, I'm the business that by 21, I owned the business and there was people already trying to get ahold of me and duh, duh, duh, duh. So yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:explains why you're so damn, uh, attached to that thing with them texts. That explains, you've lived so much of your life, well anyway. Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:back to my little tirade with you too. It's like, um, I don't know, I kind of see this weird thing as customer service and respect and give me a proper answer. And I get, I get what you're all coming back to, and it's like, why don't live with it like you live with your phone? And I get it. I was like, I don't need an answer in five minutes. I just need an answer a day. hours, right? Um, but if I, and this is a family beef so you never put that phone down. I was like, if I don't respond soonish, right? First, it's easier. You have to understand this. If somebody sends you a text, If you can respond in the next few minutes, you know that that it's in their hand that you that they're going to respond quicker and you're going to get an answer and get that resolved as opposed to I look at it and move on and don't respond to it for three hours. Well, then they might not look for three hours and this four days later, I finally get an answer. So you kind of move the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the pendulum. right? And you get an answer and you get that resolved. And, but it's also, um, you know, if you, I get so many texts and questions and stuff, if I don't do it relatively quickly, it piles up and I'll never get all the answers, right? It's like the person that has 722, uh, emails. I'm like, that would drive me crazy. That would drive me crazy. It's like, if the, this is my flaw. It's like, if the mail comes in the house, I literally don't bring it in the house if it's garbage, I throw it in the garbage can. Outside the house, because if it, then it lays on the kitchen island. So I like, my mindset is just give me an answer. I'm okay with the answer and let's move on. So I'm like this, I am like this instant, um, little, little rat with these little, like, give me the answer, give me the answer, give me the answer. And you know, that's a flaw with me. Right. But also don't know that it's a negative because it works from how my mind works. I can get quick answers and you usually know you're going to get an answer quickly and move on. Right. You don't have to wait for it. So there you go.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:how many unanswered texts do you have, Stuart?
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Unanswered text?
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:hmm. The ones that's unread.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Not for me,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Um, right now my phone shows 18. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:I can't, oh,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:gives me the ulcers, makes me nervous.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:no, no. I will say, I don't understand. Um, you know, it is what it is. I got it down to like 474 one time. I was so proud of myself. Uh, but you know, a lot of them are like group texts and things that you just don't have to look at, but I'm also not that way about emails, but anyway, nonetheless, Lord, that was a long tirade off to the subject. But my point I'm telling you is that was that. Yeah. We especially through our app and through even our website people can communicate with us. However, they want to so it's just trying to be able to bring
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Gone play
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well promptly, but I mean probably is the goal, but there's only so many I would say But it's also just to be able to be like here. We're reachable, right? And so I think
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:can accept are accessible to
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Look at that. Learning from me. I have, I I have been your catalyst. That's what it is that you've learned from me. Mm-Hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:seen how far the eyes rolled back in my head.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:I love it. I love it. so funny.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:okay. So we have started doing, um, well the plan, I think, and unless I'm wrong, is that we're going to try to start doing more live sales, like on Wednesday evenings. Is that correct?
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah, that's correct. Yeah, there, well, you said to me that there needs to be a consistency, right? And I was like, okay, let's just, the only thing that I have to say this, uh, is I picked Wednesday nights just because that's my design day and I can manipulate my schedule and I can be in town because who don't know, I live through Wednesday nights. out in the country and I'm 35 minutes from the store. So, uh, you know, it's not an easy little schlep to, you know, come back and forth. So I need to manipulate my schedule and to do it when I'm here in town. Uh, so I did Wednesdays because I knew I could do that. And, but then I started thinking about the only thing is like people do go to church on Wednesday nights. No, I don't know. I guess that's the only thing I'm worried about, but we're just going to keep rolling with it. So you, you people at church, it's, you can, um, it on our app. And it's, you can go back and revisit it after you get home. There you go.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:watch it. You can watch it after it. It'll, it'll be there. It's there to do
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well, maybe this, maybe ask, we started at seven, right? Uh, the church is over, uh, at seven. So just ask the preacher to wrap it up real quick and so you can get home.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:There was a lady, Lord rest her soul. Um, her name was Mabel and I loved her more than anything. She was an alto in the church choir. And, um, she was just, she was one of those people like that when you saw her and she smiled at you, it just felt like a hug, I don't even know how else to explain it to her, um, but she died of brain cancer many years ago, but, um, she would get real, like, you could tell she started getting antsy. At the end of charts, right? She'd start you know, just adjusting how she was sitting on her butt. And
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:She ready to go.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:She was ratty.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:the preacher was just like, he's like, Mabel, are you okay? She goes, my beans are burning. My beans are burning.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Ha ha ha beans. Ha ha ha ha ha. Cool.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Bless her heart.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:So anytime everybody's talking about getting out of charts, that's always where I think of Mabel and her beans are burning. Um, but yeah, okay. So we're as of right now, I think it's going to be Wednesday nights, but we're going to try to be much more consistent and do them every week. And we're going to be doing live sales of, um, stems and also home accessory items. We're going to drop new items that have just come in. You'll see them first there. I think I, I, I really believe in the bottom line. This is where the next frontier, as far as like retail, this is where it's going to really be. And so that's why I just want to jump on it now. Cause I think that this
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Oh, it's definitely a layer, right? It's definitely a layer. Um,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:you know, we've got people locally, like we know
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:mm
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:of the names that popped up that were on
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:that were local names. And then there's the names that popped up that were chatting with us that are all over the country. And I think
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Mm hmm.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:for people who aren't here, that can't just walk in the store. This is another way for them to do it. to be able to talk with us and chat with us and, and do all those
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:So how do we get the app that's at this continual? Well, uh, what about your app? How do we get your app? So tell, tell the world how we get the app.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:notes below, the link is right there, okay,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Okay.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:on it and it'll take you, or you can always find it and download it straight from our website, HouseFloral. com, and it'll have both iOS and Android devices. But yeah, there's going to be some, hopefully we're launching some other new exciting things on there. say relatively soon. as technology, i. e. me figure it out.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Fair enough. Well, you've got the base started and then we're, then we're going to build upon that.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I just tell you that we had my 25th I score union this week, uh, this weekend. And we went, and I'm only going to say this because I know they're not going to listen. Um,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:looking old, aren't you?
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:No, you know what? There, there's like, I don't remember how many showed up. There's only like 25 or something. Some of the girls showed up. Oh, most of the girls actually showed up. And I said, or most of the girls that showed up looked exactly like they did in high school.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:why they showed up.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:And I
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:you,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:fuck you bitches.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah, if it looked like you've been drug over and your face has been ran over four times. I ain't going to that I look I ain't going all the pretty skinny people showed up. That's what it was. It's like look at me
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:they were
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Were they were they were were the shallow ones that showed up were really nice ones
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:No,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:mix
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I loved all, no, everybody was there, I was really happy to see. But, um, my, my, um, oh shoot, what were we talking about before this? I've already lost where I was going with this.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:The app and
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:The app, and you said your 25th reunion.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Oh, now I remember, okay, sorry. So, this is another example of where I was going with this. sitting there, and people be like, Oh, you remember when this happened, and this happened, and this happened? And I'm like, looking at them, like, No, I don't even remember being in that class. And I know I was. And they'd be like, well, yeah, don't you remember us doing this? And this happened and this person did this. I'm like, no. then there was one girl that was there. I don't know who she was. And then they pulled out the, they pulled up the yearbook and they said, this is her. And I went, yeah, no, there's no memories of her.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Wow
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:there was some, there was some kind of like drama that happened evidently when we were in school, of course, you know, it's high school drama. So it's not real drama. And like, they, somebody brings that. And I'm like, yeah, no. And I'm like, evidently I only have so much room up in this brain to hold. stuff and whatever it was was not important for it to stay. Evidently, I think that little, that little filing cabinet up there is getting a little smaller and smaller and I can't, I try to still learn, but it ain't gonna stick. Okay, well,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Okay, we good with all
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Well good.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Oh, I did get, I just got a text message, by the way, um, from,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:respond?
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:On the hotline.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Thumbs up.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I'm going
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Exhalation
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I'm going to
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:point.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:you. It's from Jan, who we talked about in our last podcast about, um,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:and Herbie
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:goes, Oh my gosh, I'm just now listening to this week's podcast. I'm now podcast famous.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:She's so sweet. She really is.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:I love her to
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yeah. Okay.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:All right. Well, I think that's it for today. How's that sound guys?
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Sounds good. Get the app, kids. And,
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Get the app. Do the thumbs up.
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Do the thumbs up, send Dwayne a double exclamation point.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:yeah, yeah,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:him the
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:Yes, please.
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:See, yes, please,
jeremy_1_05-16-2024_090811:Alright,
dwayne_1_05-16-2024_090811:Love you Stewart.
stuart_1_05-16-2024_090811:You too.
