While you are focusing on customers during National Pawnbroker Week, don’t forget the people who are critical to your success – your employees. Show your appreciation by celebrating them all week. Don’t forget social media! Post plenty of pictures of your employees during the week. People share this fun stuff, so your store is seen as a great place to work and shop. #NationalPawnbrokerWeek #PawnHelpsCommunities
1. Kick-off to National Pawnbroker Week. Bring cupcakes and party food. Make some decorations in your staff areas with balloons and signs. Explain to all your employees that National Pawnbroker Week is about them, as well as your customers.
2. Pizza Party! Food is always appreciated, so order in pizza (or whatever is a favorite at your store). Get creative by bringing in breakfast treats rather than lunch, or take people out for lunch. Don’t forget to do this for every person and every shift.
3. Swag. Load up branded coffee mugs with treats and gift cards or get everyone a new branded shirt. For extra excitement, wrap gifts in identical boxes and deliver to your employees a few days before with a tag that reads, “Do Not Open Until NPW!” This builds a sense of excitement when you do a countdown, and everyone opens their gifts at once.
4. Snap Cup. Decorate a bowl or vase and put slips of paper by it. Ask employees to write a nice thing about every one of their colleagues and put them in the cup. Everyday of NPW, read out a few of the comments.
5. Dress-Up Days. Decide on a few themes such as movies, characters, pajamas or activities and ask your employees to dress the part. Include prizes! If a customer wonders why everyone is wearing pajamas, you can engage the customer by talking a bit about National Pawnbroker Week.
6. Team Building. Use NPW to do short teambuilding exercises every morning.
7. Balloon Pop. Short and sweet way to celebrate your employees. Put a slip of paper with the name of a prize in a balloon. Employees pop the balloon to see their prize. Be sure to give good prizes like store credit, gift cards or a grand prize of a day off. Make sure to have enough so the last person to pick is not getting what is left over!
8. Recognition. Make a poster for each employee. Be sure to include their photo. Hang the posters around the store and encourage customers and colleagues to write messages to/about the employee on the poster. Highlight one employee every day on your social media.
9. Parking Spot. Unveil an “Employee of the Month” prime parking spot. Going forward, award this spot every month to a deserving employee.
10. Boss for the Day. Hold a drawing (or let everyone take turns) for Boss of the Day. That person will shadow you and take on all the things you do in a day. By experiencing the Boss Life, your employee will gain insight on what it really takes to run your store, including long hours, paperwork and staff management.
For resources, tips and official logo for National Pawnbroker Week, click here.
Mary Katherine is the NPA Director of Marketing and Communication and has many years of developing and marketing membership organizations. She was instrumental in developing National Customer Service Week, which is still going strong.
