Zapped by Zappos!

        If you are a shoe fanatic then you've probably heard about Zappos.com by now.  If you don't know about this website, it's a site where you can find just about any shoe that's on the market.  And now they're not just shoes, but they also sell clothes, accessories, housewares, and I could go on, but why should I when you could go to their website and check it out for yourself.

        My first awareness of Zappos.com was last year when I read founder Tony Hsieh's book Delivering Happiness and gave my review on Tossing It Out.  I was impressed by the story and the company's philosophy.  In the book there was a mention that Zappos was located in Henderson, Nevada which is near Las Vegas and that they gave facility tours.  When I realized that I was going to be staying in Henderson during my recent visit to Las Vegas, I remembered that Zappos was there and made the Zappos tour a priority on my Vegas activity list.  In my previous post I told the story of how I was able to make the connection to get on a special tour.   This was to be a memorable day.

Zappos Henderson, Nevada

        We found the Zappos building in an industrial center not far off the free way that will take you from Henderson to Las Vegas.  If we had not had the address we might have missed it as I did not see any signs identifying the place.  We parked and went to what appeared to be the main entrance.  It was locked, but we could hear laughter coming from within--it sounded like a party and it seemed that a lot of people inside were having a good time.  A delicious aroma of food--what I guessed to be barbecue--emanated from within the building.  We found an open door that led to the kitchen from whence the smell wafted.  A cook saw us at the door and directed us to the other side of the building.

        Upon finding the proper door, we entered and were greeted by the friendly reception staff who had us sign in for the tour and receive our ID badges.  Others joined us who would be taking the tour.  They were from various marketing conventions that were being held in Vegas and had arranged for a special Friday tour.

         As we looked about the reception area, my wife whispered to me, "Everybody looks so happy."

        "Happiness is their specialty here," I told her.  "Zappos delivers happiness and I guess they've done it with this group."

          Once everyone had gathered for the tour we were led to a room where we watched a brief introductory video presented by Zappos culture guide Jon Wolske.  The video explained the short version history of Zappos, but there were probably few in the room who didn't know the story already. I could tell these were avid Zappos fans who were there to learn.   This is one of the primary goals of the Zappos tour--to show other retailers and web site owners how a successful dot com works and teach them how they can apply the knowledge to their own business.  I am impressed by the Zappos willingness to share and to teach others in business.

          We were divided into groups of eleven to make things more manageable for our guides and comfortable for us.  I was glad that our group was led by Jon Wolske.  He was friendly, helpful, and quite entertaining.  We were also accompanied by a department manager by the name of Jessica Davis.  There was not an unfriendly person in the building.

Zappos Henderson, Nevada

         Jon led us through the various departments of the call center.  There is no product in this location as the shipping warehouse is near Louisville, Kentucky.   Everyone is free to dress pretty much as they like so long as it is not offensive.   They can also decorate their work spaces as they like.  Certain work areas had special themes.  Everywhere we went we saw happy employees who looked like they were having one heck of a good time.

         Next we continued to the room from where my wife and I had earlier heard the laughter.  It was the cafeteria.   Most employee food and drink here is free.  Employees also can opt for hot meals for three dollars.  Anyway you look at it, the employees get quite a food bargain.  Jon told us that the only drinks they do charge for are the energy drinks.  We were invited to help ourselves to a snack before we moved on.

         Heading to another area filled with workstations with phones and computers, we could see more employees having a good time at work.  Jon explained that on a Friday there were not as many people working as on the other weekdays, which is why they normally don't have Friday tours.

  

         Zappos attempts to avoid the negative connotations of "customer service" and instead cultivates customer loyalty.  They want customers to come away from their experiences dealing with Zappos feeling good about it and telling their friends.  The intent is to keep customers coming back to become regular shoppers.

         The tour was filled with more information than I'll share here today.  What I will say is that the staff was welcoming and delightful.  This is a company that I would want to deal with because I think they genuinely have an interest in pleasing the customer in order to keep them loyal.  Learning about the culture of the company made me envious that there are not more places like this to work in.  If I lived in the Las Vegas area I would like to have a job at Zappos.com.

        At the end of the tour our group was gathered at the Throne of Royalty to have our photo taken.  It's the photo you can see below.  That's me sitting on the throne.  The other tour members encouraged me to sit in the throne.  I guess because I looked the oldest.  My wife is the beaming lovely lady standing in the center forefront of the photo.  Don't we look like a happy bunch?  Our hosts sent each of us on our way with a copy of Tony Hsieh's book and another book about the employee culture.  Every one of us left satisfied.  Once again Zappos delivered.

Our tour group at the Throne of Royalty

If you're interested in taking a Zappos.com tour you can find more information at:

http://www.zapposinsights.com/main/experiences/tours/ .

Here's a video with testimonials about the Zappos experience:

         One final note:  I do not work for Zappos nor was I given any remuneration for this blog post.  This is all based on the fun time I had visiting and for the valuable information I received on the tour.  It was something I wanted to do.

           Have you dealt with Zappos.com?  If so, how was your experience?    (My sister told me she has purchased several things from them and has always been pleased.)   Are there any other company tours you have taken that were special experiences?






----------

An Unexpected Trip To Vegas

         A trip to Las Vegas had not been in my travel plans last week, in fact I thought I was done with traveling for the summer.  However, one of my daughters was visiting us for the week and was going to meet up with her future sister-in-law who was visiting Vegas with some of her friends.  Originally she was going to drive by herself, but my wife wanted us to drive her there and have a mini get-away at the same time.  That was okay by me.

Welcome Sign as you enter the Las Vegas Strip
(photo credit)

         If you've been to Vegas I don't have to tell you how cool it is.  Well, not cool in temperature--we sizzled in temps of 108 degrees Fahrenheit and with scorching wind that took our breaths away--but cool in sheer dazzling spectacle.  Let me put it this way:  It's like an adult Disneyland with booze, gambling, top-notch entertainment, and buffets big enough to feed all the starving people of the world.   Las Vegas is maybe not for everybody, but it is a place that will leave you goggle-eyed when you first encounter it.   It's sun, sin, and spectacle all in one big city, and you can have a pretty good time and stay within a reasonable budget if you avoid the sin.

         I've been there enough times now where it's not such a big deal anymore, but I still enjoy popping in now and then.  And even while I was still at home making my travel arrangements, I realized that this trip was going to be somewhat different than my previous visits.  First of all, I realized that there were some pretty big conventions in town and that fact, combined with the summer tourist season, meant hotels were going to be booked up and the value prices I am usually accustomed to getting were not going to be available.

          This was a correct assessment.  Harrah's, the hotel where we usually stay, only had rooms that were $200 per night or more--not for me.  Likewise, up and down the Las Vegas Boulevard Strip--the most happening part of town to be--hotels were totally booked or at prices I was not willing to pay.  Other nearby hotels of a dubious nature were available at cheaper rates, but my finicky nature doesn't like to take chances on places where I'm going to be taking my suitcases into and sleeping for the night.

         I finally decided to book our room at the Springhill Suites in Henderson, which is about 15 miles from the Strip.  This was no longer going to be as much of a Vegas experience as it was going to be a Henderson experience, and that was fine with me since it would be a new experience.  As I pondered some of the things we might do in Henderson, it occurred to me that this was the home of Zappos.com and I had read where they gave facility tours.  Now that was something I could get into more than the usual Vegas shenanigans.

         Upon investigation of the Zappos.com site I discovered that tours were available Monday through Thursday, but they had to be booked ahead of time and there were no openings available until July 7th.   I was disappointed. Still, I planned on going there anyway just in case there was a cancellation.  More about this later.

         On Thursday morning we got a later start than I had originally thought.  The trip to Vegas from our house is three and a half hours as long as everybody is speeding, which is usually the case.  I like to stay with the flow of a traffic cluster as I prefer not to get speeding tickets.  The trip went smoothly.  Once we had negotiated the Las Vegas traffic and gotten our daughter dropped off at the Imperial Palace, where she would be staying with her new friends, it was twelve-thirty--lunchtime.

South Point Hotel and Casino

         My wife and I were both famished, but decided to avoid a buffet.  On the interstate I had noticed a billboard advertising a Steak 'n Shake at the South Point Casino a few miles south of the Imperial Palace.  We don't have this restaurant chain anywhere near where we live, but we have always enjoyed eating at these restaurants on our travels back east.  Also, I figured the parking would be easier and the restaurant would be less crowded than those around the Strip.   I was right about the parking, but there was a line for the restaurant.  We waited anyway and didn't have to wait long.  As always, the burgers and fries were darn good and shakes were about as good as you can get.   I wasn't super impressed with South Point, having never been there before, but I would go back for the Steak 'n Shake if I got that craving.  And what the heck!--If the rates were right I might even consider staying there sometime.

       By the time we had finished our lunch and dawdled at the South Point Casino a bit, I realized it was going to be too late to catch the last Zappos tour for the day.  Since there were no tours on Friday, according to the website, I figured a visit to Zappos.com was not going to be on the agenda for this Vegas excursion.  So we went to our hotel.

        It felt like the middle of nowhere in the middle of the desert.  A panoramic view of the Las Vegas Strip stretched before us fifteen miles away.  There was a lot of residential housing and industrial complexes around us, but there wasn't much in the way of restaurants or stores in walking distance.  Not that this was such a bad thing--we did have a car if we needed to go anywhere.   And the desert view was pretty spectacular.

Springhill Suites in Henderson, Nevada

        Springhill Suites is a Marriott owned property.  We typically stay at Marriott Hotels when we can.  They are consistent in quality and value.  They are also smoke-free, which makes for a better smelling place.  And in addition to all of that, I get points for my stays and that usually awards me some free rooms every year.  Like most of the Marriotts I choose, this hotel also offered a complimentary breakfast.

         When I arrived at the front desk, I was greeted by a charming young lady by the name of Natasha.  As I was checking in, I mentioned about how I had wanted to tour Zappos and had missed that day's tours.  She told me to wait a moment and that the hotel's sales manager might be able to help me.  The sales manager was Annie Clark.  She came to the front desk and I told her of my interest in Zappos.  She said that she had connections there and might be able to help me and would get back to me.

          My wife and I unloaded our suitcases into a comfortably air-conditioned room.  With the 108 degree temperatures outside, that room was a welcome retreat.  As soon as we were settled into the room the phone rang.  It was Annie Clark.  She said we were on for a tour at 12 noon the following day and that we should get there by 11:45.   I was thrilled and I was grateful for Annie's superb handling of my request.  I must give my kudos to Annie, Natasha, and the entire Springhill staff for a delightful stay while we were there.  And now we had an activity planned for our Friday.

        That afternoon we slept some in that refreshingly cool room and then I blogged for a while.  I had recently acquired a wireless mouse for my notebook computer and it made my activities so much easier than that pad thing on the laptop.  Later we decided that we should probably have something to eat and went out to look for a restaurant.  Signs of dire economy were all around us as we came upon one closed restaurant after another.  There were some Mexican restaurants, but I'm overdosed on Mexican and just wasn't in the mood.     We decided to head in the opposite direction from where we started and it was a good thing.  A few blocks from the hotel we found something that sounded good--and it was.

Metro Pizza in Henderson, Nevada

      Metro Pizza looked inviting from the outside.  It also looked crowded.  We only had to wait a few minutes so it wasn't too bad.  Once we were seated the service was fast and efficient.  We wanted to eat light so I ordered a personal size pizza and my wife asked for the fried mozzarella.   I got a 24 ounce microbrew honey porter.  It really hit the spot on such a hot evening.   My pizza was incredible, although next time I will probably get a different topping than the ground beef.  The beef was crumbly and seasoned like taco meat--not what I would have preferred.  Otherwise, the crust, sauce, and cheese were about as good as it gets.  One of the best things on the table was the bread they served before the meal.  We asked for more it was so good.

       After dinner we took a bottle a wine back to the room and relaxed.  It was such a comfortable room and we wanted to take advantage of our stay.  After all, we didn't need to go out and gamble or hang around the strip.   Chilling out--and I mean chilling in the air conditioning--was good enough for that evening.  Besides tomorrow we had our tour for Zappos set up.  More about that on Friday.

       Have you been to Vegas?   If so, what do you think about it?   Do you have a favorite place to stay while there?   Is there any particular hotel chain you prefer to others?   Are you familiar with Zappos.com?