There’s about 75 of us on this tour of Southeastern Pennsylvania and beyond. We’re split into two buses, and GCA’s Shanan Molnar wasted no time informing us that we were on the official “fun bus.” With Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer playing on the radio, the tour’s very first stop started at Waterloo Gardens in Exton.
To the right of Waterloo’s front entrance, I noticed two things right away. First, before you even step through the doors, there’s an easy-to-read map of the grounds. Second, they had this week’s savings flyer framed and at eye level (I’m not sure if it’s sent out in the local paper or not). It lets the customer know right away what’s on sale this week. Both eliminate some FAQs upfront.
As we piled into Waterloo’s, a manager mentioned a few tidbits about their Christmas layout, one of which was half-trees. Waterloo removed one side from a handful of the artificial Christmas trees used in the displays. This lets the tree lay flush against the wall, preventing wasted space. It’s one of those, why didn’t I think of that (if you haven’t already) concepts.
Overall, Waterloo was a bit overwhelming for me, but a huge hit with almost everyone else on the bus. The garden center received loads of praise for their ability to merchandise a high volume of product.
There were rooms upon rooms with unfathomable amounts of Christmas goods. Ornaments and ornaments. They are all well thought out, and plenty of them carry themes. One garden center owner and tour member said the sheer volume alone would keep her up at night.
As we drove off, Dave Williams of Williams Nursery in New Jersey told us that Waterloo’s employees are trained to listen for no music. If they are walking through the storeroom and aren’t hearing anything, they need to seek out a music box and wind it up. “Customers can’t experience quiet music boxes. It only takes a few seconds.”
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