“If the customer is wrong, pretend,” Bob Jackson says regarding his store’s approach to customer service. Jackson is the founder of Jackson’s Home and Garden, a longstanding home and garden supply store in Dallas. For 35 years, Jackson has sold a variety of fixtures, plants, furniture, and grilling fixtures to the Dallas community.
“People come from all over Texas, as well as other states, just to shop here,” Jackson says. “They love the unique patio furniture and different grills we carry. They also love our customer service compared to that of other stores.”
In order to ensure that Jackson’s Home and Garden is providing customers with the best customer service, Jackson will sometimes send his employees on “secret shopping” missions to competing retail chains.
“We look to see how friendly their employees are to their customers,” Jackson says. “We also look to see how knowledgeable they are about the products they are selling. Over here, we train our people. We want them to know everything about what we sell and we don’t like to let them go once they’re trained.”
In Jackson’s office sits a placard that reads “Treat employees like they make a difference, and they will.” Jackson believes that the key to good customer service is to prioritize those providing the customer service.
“We love our employees,” Jackson says. “We like to retain them as long as we can, so we do all we can for them in terms of pay, insurance, holidays, and vacations. We care more about their success and happiness than we care about how much they can do for us.”
With good employee morale comes a positive customer experience. Apart from providing customer service with great fervor, Jackson keeps people coming back by offering unique and high-quality products. He has traveled to 36 different countries as a means of finding inspiration for the store and its product offerings.
“The chandeliers we sell are handmade in Florence, Italy,” Jackson says. “The works of art are by artists from all over the world, and we buy them at trade shows throughout the country.”
The Jackson brand is one that is associated with quality, therefore he is making sure his family carries on the legacy for generations to come.
“My son Forrest is the Chief Operating Officer,” Jackson says. “He runs the wholesale and manufacturing and has an overall view of the retail aspect. My son Hunter does all the photography for the website and the catalogs. He used to be the general manager, however, he now does photography for us and for his own clients.”
Maintaining a home and garden store with multiple departments and floors takes hard work, but even after 35 years in business, Jackson shows no signs of slowing down.
“We will continue to do just what we do,” Jackson says. “I enjoy working and I am thankful to be in good health. I will soon be 73 years old, but I continue to work every day except for Sunday.”
Jackson’s Home and Garden is located at 6950 Lemmon Ave. in Dallas. They are open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Be sure to drop by on March 31 for Spring Open House! Come early for cooking demonstrations, food sampling, and Diamond Jim the Magician.