Don't Kid
Would you consider banning little ones from your location?
Customers are seeking an escape in your upscale store or
restaurant. But their solitude is interrupted by a screaming
toddler. If you're lucky, mom scoops the little noisemaker up
and leaves. If they stay, well, your other customers get to decide
whether to stay or go.
Now, some businesses--mainly restaurants and coffee shops--are
creating "no kids" sections, scheduling hours when
children are welcome, or banning kids altogether. "A lot of
parents have this laissez-faire discipline policy, which means kids
go crazy," says Robert R. Butterworth, a Los Angeles
psychologist. "This [trend] is part of a backlash."
But is it good for business? Banning kids could offer a
competitive advantage, but weigh whether it's worth losing the
mom market. Companies "have more to gain by making it more
pleasurable for parents to shop with their children,"
says Maria Bailey, author of Marketing to Moms. She mentions Best
Buy's "Jill Stores," which have kid-friendly areas
with Leapfrog toys and Playstations. "They found moms shop
longer in those stores than in regular Best Buy stores," says
Bailey.
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Butterworth suggests surveying customers to see if starting a
no-kids zone is a good idea. "You could have your regular
customers vote on it," he says. Ultimately, it's up to you
whether your business needs to be quiet, clean and kid-free.
"The verdict is still out," says Butterworth, "on
whether this will be a good business move."