Hello again and welcome to part two of our "Sandboxing 101" blog series. We've been super busy this month with stock arriving daily and attending buying shows for next Spring and Summer. So as we mentioned in our last post, we are constantly busy with "other tasks" (both in and out of the store) when we’re not assisting our customers at the dressing rooms.

Customers are ALWAYS number one, so please interrupt us if you need assistance! That is why we are in this business. On that note, here is PART TWO!

How We "Staff"

Our current Sandbox Crew consists of seven full time staff, two "almost full time" staff, one "casual" part time staff, and about a dozen "please help us" staff. What our customers may not know is that not all of our staff assist at the dressing rooms. Why? Because they are either not trained to do so, are better at other duties within the store, or they just don't feel comfortable doing so.

Our philosophy in business is to place people in positions that we feel they excel in. That is not to say that they don't also have to do the "daily grind" duties such as cleaning, steaming and unpacking, however their main role is based on who they are and where their strengths are. Have you ever been placed in a job role that you literally struggle with everyday, you're just not good at, takes way too long accomplish? It really SUCKS! Sandbox owner Juanita would always stress about doing "updos" when she was a hairstylist, because it would just take her tooooo long and wasn't what she was best at. Now "colour" was a totally different ball game — bring it on.

So because of own life experiences, when we hire people needed for specific roles, we want them to feel comfortable with whatever that particular job entails. Sometimes those roles evolve over time and we uncover a "new" talent — bonus for us! Part of the job is being able to be on your feet for 7.5 hours a day. We are walking, bending, reaching, steaming, and cleaning all day, everyday — it's the nature of what we do. (That’s why sometimes you’ll see us with coffee in hand, to keep us going!)

Based on this philosophy, we feel that we have assembled a group of expert staff, responsible for maintaining their own area of the business.

Introducing the Sandbox crew:

JUANITA ~ aka Wawa or Swannie (Full Time/ Owner)

Juanita does dressing rooms, scheduling, blog, events, buying and almost everything (probably eveything except payroll lol).

MEGAN ~ aka Smeagol (Full time/ Co Owner)

Megan does day to day management, personal styling, marketing, photography, Sympli expert, reorders, her own jewelry line, Software/POS troubleshooting and more.

Manjot ~ aka MJ (Full time)

MJ is a full-time stylist and the holder of all positive energy! If you stop into the store, chances are she'll be the first person to greet you. She absolutely loves helping women find the perfect dress, but her styling talents extend far beyond that. Whether you're looking for something casual, dressy, or anything in between, MJ has a knack for helping women find pieces that suit their style, lifestyle, and destination.

Maria ~ aka Maaaaaarrrrriiiaaaaa (Almost full time)

Maria is a stylist and the multitasker behind all things that need to get done. She attended fashion school and has even designed and created her own clothing—some of which has been sold right here in the store! Maria also happens to be one of our favourite models, bringing outfits to life with her creativity and confidence. If you don't see her smiling, dancing, or tackling three projects at once, chances are she's not in the store that day.

MITCH AKA Moochie (Full Time/ Co Owner/ Go-To-Guy)

Mitch is a man of few words and far too many talents. A journeyman electrician by trade and the fastest pricer in the West, he came in to help during COVID and never left. These days, he's an essential part of the team. If you don't find him buried behind a mountain of boxes processing new arrivals, he's likely out running store errands, fixing something that mysteriously stopped working, or changing a flat tire for one of our almost all-female staff members. No matter what's happening, Mitch is usually the one quietly making sure everything keeps running smoothly.

ERIN AKA EEEERRR-OOONNN (supposed to be part time, but steps up when we need extra staff)

Erin first came to us as a customer. After retiring from her career as a pharmacist, she took up jewelry making as a hobby and approached us about carrying her line, Trade Winds, in the store—a collection we are still proud to carry today.

Then, one season, Megan accidentally ordered a few thousand dollars too much jewelry and called Erin in to help price it all. Long story short, she never really left, and now she's officially part of the team.

Erin is our multitasker extraordinaire. On any given day, you'll find her styling customers, pricing product, merchandising the jewelry department, or keeping the store spotless. In fact, if you see someone swiffering with the enthusiasm of a person filming a Swiffer Sweeper commercial, it's probably Erin. Her energy, attention to detail, and willingness to jump in wherever needed make her an invaluable part of The Sandbox family.

GLENN (Part time/ Always on call)

Glenn (Juanita's husband) works full-time in sales outside of the company, but somehow still manages to be an important part of The Sandbox team. He's responsible for accounts receivable, and if you've ever seen the amount of inventory we carry, you can probably imagine how often he's getting a phone call asking him to pay an invoice, track down a receipt, or keep our records in order. While you may not see him in the store very often, there's a good chance he's working behind the scenes to help keep everything running smoothly. (Sorry, no photo of Glenn at this time!)

ANGELICA AKA ANGEL-EEEKKKAAA (Part time)- Angelica is the newest member of our team and Megan's personal sidekick. Wherever you find Megan, there's a good chance Angelica isn't far behind, helping keep her on task and pointed in the right direction. Since joining The Sandbox family, she's jumped into everything with enthusiasm, a great attitude, and a willingness to learn. Whether she's ringing in purchases, tackling projects behind the scenes, or assisting with the countless daily tasks that keep the store running, Angelica is quickly becoming an invaluable part of the team. (Sorry, no photo of Angelica at this time!)

"Please help us staff" ~ Consists of friends, family, and customers that assist us with everything from special events to moving stuff. We count on these people A LOT! So thankful for them!

So when you, our customer, asks one of our staff for assistance, often we will grab another staff member to assist you, based on their role and expertise. Or if you call the store, we will connect you with the person that can best answer your question or have them call you back. We want to make sure that you get the most accurate response the first time!

We also want to you to know that the time of day and the actual day that you shop will determine how long you may have to wait to get into our dressing rooms or get the one-on-one assistance you may require. Although we strive to be "available" all the time, every day, it's just not always humanly possible. When we are at full staff, with no one on holidays or off sick, we have 6 people on the floor on Saturdays, 6 on Fridays, 4 on Thursdays, 5 on Wednesdays, 4 on Tuesdays. So if you come into our store when we are have limited staff available, you will likely have longer wait times to get one-on-one attention. (Although we have been know to literally "run" back and forth between dressing rooms to help as much as we can.)

We recommend that if you are requiring a lot of wardrobe revamping or style advice, call ahead to let us know when you would like to come in. That way we can ensure we have the team member that is the best fit to work with you. (Especially if you are new to the Sandbox and aren't familiar with how we do "things".) We feel that that our staff is to credit for the longevity and success of our business, and that is why the entire PART TWO of our “Everything Sandbox” blog is dedicated to staff!

Stay tuned for Part Three in the upcoming weeks. We knew this would be at least a three part series — maybe more!

Sandboxing 101 Part Two: Meet Our Staff!