We were looking for parking in West Hartford so we could try
a Mexican restaurant that came highly recommended. West Hartford is a very
popular upscale neighborhood with great restaurants but limited parking. We
happened upon a parking garage a few blocks from the restaurant and I pulled
in. Chip indicated several front row places to choose from and I pulled into
one only to encounter THAT sign. Unbelievable exclaimed Chip!
Think about the symbolism of this. Why would the parking
garage staff need to park close to the entrance/ exit area? Try as we might we
could not come up with a good reason for these reserved spots. We feel sure the
Barnes & Noble across the street would rather their customers get those
prime spots. And so would the other merchants and restaurants whose customers
end up in that parking garage. Dinner was great but what signals does this send to area patrons about
how they are valued when they see 4 prime spots empty because they have THAT sign
posted? If you polled the retail operators in the area who would they vote
those parking spots for?
Signals like this provide a peephole for customers and
employees into the true values of organizations. Customers make choices based
on those signals. We don’t know who put the garage staff in first place but we think
they made a BIG mistake. What signals is your organization sending to customers
and employees? Who comes first in your company?
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