A sense of normality returned to Brad Sangster’s life last week for the first time since the April super storm.
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The store reopened a month ago with a whole new look, but the Good Guys franchisee said he hadn’t really caught up on tasks, such as paperwork, until the past week.
“I think everyone here is only just getting back into their normal routine,” Mr Sangster said.
“I’ve been able to get back to the gym for the first time.”
At the height of the storm, Mr Sangster could only watch and imagine what damage the water would do when he was cut off from the store.
From the highway, he could see water lapping at the front door about 1.5 metres deep.
The next day he found mud through the whole store and a tide mark 30 centimetres high.
Electrical items were either sent back to the distributor or recycled.
It took staff two days just to clean up the mud.
The floor coverings, plasterboard walls and chipboard trade stands were destroyed.
“I was a bit emotional tearing it all apart,” Mr Sangster said.
“You put your life into these things.”
The savvy businessman realised the store would be closed for some time, so he seized the opportunity to knuckle down with staff and revamp the whole shop.
Such redesigns are usually co-ordinated on a national level, but the Maitland team formed a clear and functional plan for the shop.
The showroom gave some of its space to the storeroom in the revamp, but changes to the ceiling mad the store look bigger.
The showroom was time divided into three clear zones – cooking, technology and televisions.
The large new kitchen appliance section is the centrepiece of the store and reflects the national love affair with renovation and gourmet home meals.
“The biggest reaction is when people walk in and say ‘wow’,” Mr Sangster said.
“Our staff has responded positively to the changed layout too.”
Customer satisfaction the key
Balance sheets are only one measure of a successful business.
Good Guys franchisee Brad Sangster is equally attuned to community sentiment.
“Since we’ve reopened we’ve had a lot of support from the community,” he said.
“I think we’ve bred a bit of loyalty in the past seven years.”
Some customers have told staff that they had put off purchases until the store reopened.
Mr Sangster said that sort of feedback was an important measure of the store’s success.
“It’s customer satisfaction,” he said.
“It’s the feedback you get when a charity says ‘that donation helped us raise $3000’, that’s what satisfies me.”
