In the aftermath of the Sun-Times editorial and subsequent dismissal of Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, I, for one, would like to thank McCarthy for his service to our city. In a mostly thankless position, in a culture where a portion of his constituency has little or no regard for life or the law, in my opinion he has gone above and beyond the call of duty to the citizens of this city.
Perhaps now the talking-head politicians who called for his dismissal can come forward with their cure for what ails the city. They seem to have all the answers. Let’s hear them.
Bob Hall, Mount Greenwood
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Mayor should resign
If the injustice of Laquan McDonald’s murder was really Rahm Emanuel’s motivation in firing Police Supt. Garry McCarthy and announcing the formation of a Police Accountability Task Force, he would have taken these steps months ago, before the video of McDonald’s murder became public. We can only conclude that McDonald’s death is an issue for the mayor not because he sees it as an injustice but because the public was made aware of it. Any mayor who protects his job and his image at the expense of a single life under his jurisdiction is not fit to remain in office. For this reason alone, Rahm Emmanuel should resign.
Erik Gardner, Northbrook
Secret to success
The other day I was in a suburban branch of a department store. This is what I found: a cracked floor in the elevator, salespeople who couldn’t answer questions, either because they couldn’t speak English or didn’t know the stock, and sloppy appearances. I did eventually get the help I needed from two good clerks in two separate departments. and I made the purchases.
Before she married, my mother was an executive secretary at Wieboldt’s, a now-defunct local chain. During the holidays, the office staff helped out on the sales floor. One day. she wore a navy dress when she was called to the floor to help sales. She was told that navy wouldn’t do, after that day she should wear black. My Macy’s experience saw the other extreme in clerk’s appearance: from rolled-up jeans to a ridiculous hat.
When I was a toddler, Marshall Field’s State Street store offered a nursery to occupy the children of mothers shopping, puppet shows in the toy department, postal services, dry cleaning services, ticket purchase services, a coat checking room, a place to meet, and a toy train at the holidays for children to ride.
If department stores today want to bring back customers, there are two things that will do it: service and appearance. If they make it a place people want to be, they’ll have customers.
Case example of success: Abt, the appliance store in Glenview. Their service is so good that if people have questions after purchases are home, they take the time to answer them. Their help are courteous, knowledgeable, and neat. They have a huge fish tank that makes an interesting visual focal point. They offer cookies on weekends. Last, but not least, their prices are also very good.
So, to reiterate, steps to take to improve store sales: better training and appearance for staff, better physical maintenance of the facility, and something as simple as cookies to make it inviting.
Alice Marcus Solovy, Highland Park
