The manager, when he's there, is very attentive to me and acknowledges me
with valued customer treatment. I've told him several times, though that
he
should ask for pictures of his most valuable customers so he can make a
board to go behind the counter. It would have customer pics and names ...
maybe even a little data like, "serious roadie" or something ... so that
the
brain-dead college kids who he hires might also be able to acknowledge a
valued customer.

It just doesn't seem like it would be that hard a thing to do. And I
don't
really blame the college kids so much as I do the manager. How are they
supposed to know? But the manager should see that they know.

Wouldn't fly with me. My opinion is that all customers are special, and the
one who hasn't yet spent $30k or even $500 in the shop is perhaps the one
who hasn't yet been properly helped, maybe because too many people were
"hanging out" with the dudes who have their photos on the wall. The irony
is that I have about the world's worst memory for names, so, for me, it
would be great if there was a way I could quickly remember who's who in the
zoo! I've thought about mandatory name tags for customers as they come in
the door...

But seriously, if I were a customer whose name wasn't on the wall of fame,
and yet I felt like I'd been a pretty decent customer, I might decide it's
time to go someplace else. The more people you list on something like that,
the more you offend who aren't. And if you keep it to an extremely
selective few, then it's not doing that much good for your staff anyway.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com