Newish Leslie's Pool Supplies Assistant Manager - Breaking a Stigma?

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M

Monsieur_Woods

0
In The Industry
May 6, 2018
3
Westminster, MD
Hey ya'll, my name is Dustin and I'm currently the Assistant Manager of a Leslie's Pool Supply store, and have been for a little over a year. I've been so enthralled with learning about pool chemistry, equipment, cleaning; it's by far my favorite position I've had in my work career. There's just something that clicks with me about pool chemistry that I find fascinating and want to do my best to help anybody that comes into my store. It's not really about sales for me either, my store already crushes that aspect, I just love when people come back to either me or my store manager and are ecstatic when their pool is crystal clear from the stuff I recommend for em.

Basically, I was curious of ya'lls opinion of the store chain. What were your experiences, what was done right, what was done wrong, etc. Honestly I just stumbled across this forum while researching recent feedback folks have had about Leslie's products and thought I'd ask directly.

I know this probably sounds stupid or like shilling, but I really want to garner more knowledge on any pitfalls I can avoid. From some of the comments I've read from the past it seems like folks say the stores and chemicals are a bunch of schlock, but I want to be the most knowledgeable and helpful pool person evER.
 
Here in Florida, Leslies came into the market years and years after Pinch A Penny (PAP) pool store chain. After having been a PAP customer exclusively since I was a toddler, Leslies has won 90% of my yearly business thanks primarily to ... being less expensive for me.

Leslies pros:
Saves me money over PAP on 2.5 gallon liquid trade bleach refills (more frequent and better sales, loyalty card, rewards)
bleach is amazingly fresh year round
Friendly employees (but not as friendly as PAP)
Free water test bottle that has a wider mouth than PAP - I actually use this as my sample bottle with my home test kit so I only have to visit pool once - it only goes to the store when I get a $5 rewards certificate to let them test my water...
Awesome selection of goggles and they let me try them on before buying
carry water test chems if I am ever in a pinch
excellent parking at both locations in my town, plus decent locations
carry cellulose fiber not just DE
push slightly fewer unnecessary products to clean up a green pool than PAP
cute blue floor

Leslies cons:
store too full and cluttered - less items would be better - all you really ever need is good-better-best (with two color options of best)
CYA much more expensive than Walmart (this is my biggest gripe hilariously enough... I really would rather give them the business)
Chems not as fresh as TFTestkits.net
The give me inaccurate PH readings (probably because my FC is always over 10 or because they are 15-20 minutes away and water sloshes during transit)
CYA testing typically off enough to cause problems if I trusted it
Generally only one employee working at any given time, even busy after work shift
Chain pushes the DPD test kit instead of the FAS-DPD test kit. If they would just carry the FAS-DPD test kit in stores (and keep them fresh) then we could send people there who were in a hurry and could not afford to wait for a shipment from tftestkits tf100 or tf50
they think tds and phosphates matter
they do not make sure all customers understand [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]
they ask people what their water looks like (good!) and then when people say green they let them leave with green or yellow out, clarifier. and yet only 5 gallons of bleach or a couple packs of shock. Their money would be way better spent on more FC
Float prices are just a tad high for me to buy all my floats there
Corporate is stingy with raises for managers - and holds them accountable for average receipt amounts - yet gives them no authority to arrange their stores, no authority to set prices, no authority over sales, and has the audacity to make all the very best sales on high prices items online only most of the time

Leslies neutral:
even doing roughly the same thing, they seem a little less ... used car salesmen-y than PAP and feel like the slightly-upscale pool store (but non-sale prices are about the same)
 
I will follow Battle's outline. Here in OH, we dont have PAP, mainly other independents, Walmart, box stores.

Leslie's pros:
multiple locations near me.
wet chemistry test methods (except FAS-DPD, and salt)

Leslie's cons:
generally higher prices on whatever i might be interested in.
no FAS-DPD FC test, but no other pool store that i know of does either.
inconsistent ability to conduct tests.

When i first started using TFPC method, i went to various pool stores to see how my results stacked up. I was happy to find that Leslie's used wet chemical methods, and my first experience found a young worker that seemed knowledgeable. unfortunately, the next visit found a harried manager with no help, frustrated because he was missing his lunch. a year later i went back (to check a wacky salt result) to encounter a clueless, but very friendly, youngster manning the store all by himself. Must have just started, because i had to tell him how to do the tests. He even read the wrong scale on the conductivity meter for the salt test. I'm sure it will be many more years before i set foot back in that store, IF it is still open.

ps. i was using the aqua check salt test strips and wasnt sure if they were still good. i do not have a swg, was trying to drain/refill to get salt level down. that's a longer story.

So, good luck, Dustin.
 
Might visit "why all the hate on pool store testing" in the agree to disagree section of the forum.

Honestly the best thing you can do is do a fas-dpd test correctly and make sure all your other employees do the same, stop pushing anything with copper or bromine products for pools, completely ignore TDS and don't push phosphates or algaecides as that does get people sick when their pool is not safe and they don't know it. Learn about bleach and muratic acid and push that instead of ruin your equipment dry acid or drain your pool triclor or Cal hypo
 
OH YES! They do sell full strength, regular MA by the single gallon. That's a pro! Good catch. My Lowes/HD only sell in 2-pack, which is fine, it never really expires, but I prefer only having to store one.

Another pro - 2.5 gal jugs are cuter than PAP...
 
First, I admire your excitement to learn so much and sounds like you want to pass that along to your customers.

next, I would say the two most important thing to learn, know and understand yourself and then pass on and teach to customers is 1) the relationship between FC and CYA and 2) the relationship between pH and TA

these are the two main things this forum deals with. Mainly green pools typically caused by low FC/CYA ratio and constantly changing pH due to improper TA
 
Monsieur_Woods said:
Hey ya'll, my name is Dustin and I'm currently the Assistant Manager of a Leslie's Pool Supply store, and have been for a little over a year. I've been so enthralled with learning about pool chemistry, equipment, cleaning; it's by far my favorite position I've had in my work career. There's just something that clicks with me about pool chemistry that I find fascinating and want to do my best to help anybody that comes into my store. It's not really about sales for me either, my store already crushes that aspect, I just love when people come back to either me or my store manager and are ecstatic when their pool is crystal clear from the stuff I recommend for em.

Basically, I was curious of ya'lls opinion of the store chain. What were your experiences, what was done right, what was done wrong, etc. Honestly I just stumbled across this forum while researching recent feedback folks have had about Leslie's products and thought I'd ask directly.

I know this probably sounds stupid or like shilling, but I really want to garner more knowledge on any pitfalls I can avoid. From some of the comments I've read from the past it seems like folks say the stores and chemicals are a bunch of schlock, but I want to be the most knowledgeable and helpful pool person evER.
Click to expand...

Well. THIS is interesting. And I applaud you for reaching out. I use my local Leslie's to buy bleach and acid, and nothing else. And their sample bottle is just about the perfect thing for my home testing, so thanks for that! ;) I am really turned off by my local store's constant badgering about phosphates. Since I would never buy any products to address my phosphates (and don't need to), their efforts only serve as a reminder that that particular set of employees doesn't care anything about me or my pool, and is blatantly trying to sell me something I don't need. And because I know that, I can't trust them, ever, for any advice, about anything, because they have zero credibility (in my mind). So that's something you could work on...

The problem you may find by polling this site for advice about how to improve your service to the pool-owner community, is that the goals of TFP and Leslie's are at odds. I won't say 100% in conflict, but way closer to 100 than zero! TFP is teaching how to care for your pool by testing properly, often, and dosing with as few chemicals as possible (simple, inexpensive chemicals). Leslie's business model, it would appear, is to sell product to anyone that walks through the door, whether it's actually good for their pool or not. Product that is often the same simple chemicals recommended by TFP, but grossly marked up. They don't provide adequate knowledge to their employees about the proper way to maintain a pool, in terms of both sanitation and pool surface longevity, and they don't seem to bother much in teaching how to properly, consistently test pool water, because by far most Leslie's (most pool stores) do not offer proper, consistent test results. (Another thing you can work on.)

If you were to adopt TFPC methods for your customers, and train all your employees there to do so as well, I think you'd find yourself out of a job! Because once you got your customer base all setup properly, all you'd sell is liquid chlorine, a little MA and the occasionally bag of CYA. (OK, exaggerating a bit, but just a bit!)

But good luck, and, again, thanks for attempting to be better at what you do. It seems fewer and fewer retailers care about such things anymore...
 
Dirk said:
The problem you may find by polling this site for advice about how to improve your service to the pool-owner community, is that the goals of TFP and Leslie's are at odds. I won't say 100% in conflict, but way closer to 100 than zero!
Click to expand...
This is even more apparent at Leslie's because employees are compensated on a commission/spiff basis.

The employees are incentivized to make a sale, any sale....
 
Spiff!?! I've been spiffed (just didn't know there was a term for it)!! That's my "learned" for the day. Ha, no wonder I have that pair of shoes. I can't be seen with them in public. But I sure thought I had to have them while I was at the shoe store!! She was so pretty. And she said that they really looked great on me!! You mean... you mean... uhg.

Does Leslie's spiff? I figured the commission thing. Poor Mr. Woods. The right soul at the wrong company, perhaps... Sorry, that's not for me to say, I suppose...
 

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tim5055 said:
Almost any company that sells on commission adds a spiff now and then. Even places where it's not commission do it. Remember that waitress who said you needed that pie or recommended a specific bottle of wine?
Click to expand...

No, that's different. I really did need that pie!

I wonder what Mr. Woods has to say about commission and spiffs...
 
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