MR. GREENS "FRESH TIPS"
June 15, 2001
Our last PRODUCE MAN PUZZZZLE dealt with summer melons: Which melon was named after a farmer's daughter? Who would name their daughter Cantaloupe? Or how about Casaba? Honeydew? No, but there is one melon named for a farmer's daughter. This melon originated in Persia, what we call today, Iran. Its original name was quite long, and very Persian. In the 1980s, a famous actress was in France filming a moving when she ran across this melon for breakfast. It was the best tasting melon she had ever eaten. Very juicy, full of flavor and very sweet. It melted in her mouth. So she took a bag full of seeds back to the United States and gave them to a farmer friend of hers in Florida. He began growing the melon, but asked what its name was. She couldn't pronounce the long Persian name, so the farmer decided to name this new melon after his daughter. Well, actually, after his two daughters. One daughter's name was Sharon and the other was Lynn. He named the melon…Sharlyn. This week's PUZZZZLE still deals with melons: Do melons ripen after they have been picked? See next week's "Fresh Tips" for the answer.
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HOW TO STAY SAFE…IN A BLACKOUT: California State officials say we could see as
many as 300 hours of rolling blackouts in the state this summer. So if the lights
do go out, if you work in a restaurant, are you prepared? How will you protect your
employees, yourself? What about the property? How would you protect your customers?
Your Produce Man recently spoke to Bruce Anderson, a personal safety expert seen on
television with his "Smart & Safe" reports. Bruce was one of two personal safety
experts called in by Colorado Gov. Bill Owens to discuss safety issues at schools.
He has these ideas:"A blackout is an ideal time for a 2-11, an armed robbery," Anderson says. "Do you have an Emergency Action Plan, as a business? It doesn't have to be a blackout from an energy crisis. It could be an earthquake, a flood, any emergency that requires you to know what you're going to do to keep your employees, your property and your customers safe. If you don't have an Emergency Action Plan, then get one. Now."
"Are you prepared to perform in adversity? We're not taught to deal with a crisis. Everyone remembers the Good Guys hold-up," Anderson says. "If you do your planning ahead of time, you can help minimize a Good Guys blood bath. And you can minimize the calls you have to make to the family of one of your employees if something bad goes down."
"When the lights go out, keep a cool head," Anderson says. "Train your employees to stay cool and calm. When everything is over, you want your customers to remember how cool you and your staff behaved. Make the hour or two a time for public relations for your business. Instead of a "Happy Hour," why not have a "Gray Davis Blackout Hour?" Maybe a free drink to every customer. Maybe a free appetizer to every table. How about a free desert? Face it. Chances are you may only experience one or two blackouts, so it won't cost you a ton of money. But I can guarantee that your customers will remember how well you treated them. What great customer service. The last thing you want to ever say to your staff or customers is, "Don't panic." If you've trained your staff to remain cool, your customers will too. It's not about paranoia. It's about customer service."
"Concerning your business and property," Anderson says, "Secure your money immediately. Get rid of it quickly, into a lock box. Are your cash registers electronic? What about your alarm system? Will electronic locks work? Key cards? Check with your power company, but it may be wise to shut-off all non-essential equipment, so that when the power does return, you don't have such a large surge into your building."
Because your phones and alarms may not be operating, Anderson says that you should have at least one cell phone available on site at all times. "And also get a couple of personal "shriek" alarms," Anderson says. "These are manually operated, but would come in quite handy as a potential deterrent."
"Once you have reminded your employees to stay calm, and once you have gathered your emergency kit of cell phone, shriek alarms, flashlight, now, you need to consider the safety of your business," Anderson says. "You may not have a lot of time. When the lights go out, the bad guys turn on. If they see a quick easy target, you may not have time to react, so plan ahead. Station one of your management staff at the entry door. This way, you can let incoming customers know that your power is out, apologize, blame it on Gov. Davis, and then invite them back later. Perhaps give them a coupon for a free desert or appetizer. This lookout should also be scanning the parking lot for anyone suspicious preparing to come in. Gee, if you see two bad guys getting out of a car, and one's carrying a gun, lock the door and call the police immediately. Even if there is no gun, but the person or persons look very suspicious, call the police. It's much easier to call the police back then to call a family member of dead employee. It's much easier to apologize to the police then to have a nightmare go down. Because once the bad guys get in, it's all over."
One technique Anderson uses in group settings, is to come up with an emergency word that immediately triggers action. Anderson uses the Japanese word, "Teckie." "If that word is ever spoken, your staff, or your family knows that there is imminent danger and they are, without hesitation or question, to scatter immediately as fast as they can, reach a point of safety and call for help."
Anderson spoke to a community group in Eureka, California just a few weeks before the three female tourists disappeared in Yosemite. "I don't know if they were in the audience," Anderson says, "but I do know that if they had used that technique when Staner entered their room, perhaps two of them, if not all, would still be alive today. A bad guy can't shoot everyone at once."
But doesn't that leave your customers vulnerable? "The horror," Anderson says "is knowing that no one knows of the trouble you are in, and that no one is coming to your rescue. Using a code word creates hope in a crisis."
"Chances are, nothing will happen," Anderson says. "The irony of a safety plan is that you don't know it's working. But you sure will know when it's not. If you plan it right, when the lights come back on, your customers will keep their smiles on too."
You can contact Bruce Anderson at AB Consulting at 916-725-9437 or abconsulting@rcsis.com