The Duck Soup Philosophy…
according to the Head Duck
I
think above all, the philosophy of Duck
Soup is to stay loose. Be flexible. Fly
low and be able to listen to our customers.
I know, I know ... sounds kind of existential.
But it is really how Pierre and I have
built this business into what it is. Oh,
yeah: Have fun. Work must be fun...or
we don't work at all.
27 years ago (this was written in Spring, 1999), I named the business Duck Soup so that we could always be flexible with our merchandise and our merchandising... thus keeping in league with the demands and needs of our customer and community. We have never sold out... expanded... or franchised. I am not too keen on wavering on my commitments! It has always been important to stick to the original mission of the store, and I can safely say that we will always do that.
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We have built a unique retail environment where everything is customer-driven. We buy what sells. This has always made sense to us. Even our sales clerks, lovingly referred to as “Ducksoupians,” are not traditional sales clerks. All staff members are responsible and individually accountable to our customers' needs. Our buyers sell... and this ensures an environment where product or service information is always at hand for any customer.
When you work at Duck Soup, you are given the opportunity to specialize in whatever area interests you. We figure that people perform better when they are doing something that really interests them. Duck Soup is a composite of people doing what they like... and customers shopping where they truly enjoy shopping.
This simple philosophy has always paid the most wonderful dividends: customer and employee loyalty. It is the principals' principles, if you will... creating a retail environment that is one of a kind. Unique. Fun. A bit wacky. Really Duck Soup.