Handling the Pan

Retail establishments everywhere are experiencing relatively slower traffic these days and business (or the lack thereof) for some retailers can even put business on the verge of painful.  And not just because it's the first quarter of the year either (retail's slowest time of year).  No matter what business strategists say about how business owners should change with the tide or roll with the punches in order to survive the recession, the truth is that many businesses will not survive through the end of this week, this month or this year.  Which brings me to the point of this blog entry.

As a retailer in a Downtown neighborhood (across the street from a pot dispensary no less), I've grown accustomed to the unique and colorful personalities that make their way up and down the street everyday.  But what I can't seem to get accustomed to are the aggressive pan handlers that harass people (think potential customers) while begging for a handout.  Not only can an intimidating pan handler encourage people (mostly women) walking down the street to walk down a different street (so as to avoid any discomfort; oh yeah and my store), but having pan handlers regularly hang out can change the vibe of the neighborhood.  So as you might be able to gather by my rant, I don't think Slow Traffic + Pan Handlers = An Increase in Store Traffic.

I hope, of course, that I don't sound terribly unsympathetic, but I'm trying to increase my odds of success (and the odds of the other merchants on this street) by shoo-ing the pan handlers away every day.  And if that means calling on the local Security Ambassadors to get them to move on every time I see a pan handler making a person uncomfortable as they walk down the street, then so be it.  I'm just hoping for a new equation that might have a more positive impact.  Who knows?  Maybe No Pan Handlers + Business Owners That Actually Care might even = An Increase in Store Traffic.