Month

November 2019

On the biggest shopping weekend of the year, Small Business Saturday falls in between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Relatively new, Small Business Saturday was started by American Express in 2011 to encourage the support of small businesses and local economies. While creating your holiday gift list this year, consider shopping at the small businesses in your community. In addition to helping a small business grow, you will see many benefits as well!

Find Unique Gifts

Small businesses offer a diverse array of products that you can’t buy anything else. From locally made art to handmade home goods to delicious treats, purchasing products from a local business will ensure your gift is unique.

Support Your Community

When you support a local business, you’re supporting your town. Businesses pay sales taxes to the city and state the business is located in, which is then used to support economic development and public services. In addition to tax dollars, local businesses provide jobs within your town, utilize the services of other nearby businesses and are more likely to support local charities and organization than chain stores.

Have a Better Shopping Experience

Shopping at a small business is a much more enjoyable experience than visiting a big box store. Store staff (or even the owner) are more likely to personally greet you, make gifting suggestions for that hard-to-buy-for person, and assist you in finding the products you are looking for.

Whether you’re holiday shopping on Small Business Saturday or buying products any other day of the year, try a small business the next time you need to make a purchase!

We are excited to announce the launch of Keeney’s newly designed shopping website: store.keeneys.com! Our goal with the updated website is to create a better browsing experience for our valued customers and business partners. We hope the sleek design and new tools will make the site easier to navigate and more user-friendly. Here are a few new features you may enjoy:

Easy Browsing

To make your shopping experience faster and easier, we have added a few helpful features. Users can now hover over drop-downs on the site to view additional products within that category. Shoppers can also click on any of the navigation buttons to view a complete list of products in that category, complete with product pictures.

One Stop Shopping

All the information you need is now located in one central location. From custom stamp requests to online return forms to scheduling a furniture consultation, you can get what you need quickly and easily.

Communications

From the new website, you can easily access Keeney’s social media accounts by clicking on the Facebook and LinkedIn icons. Our social media accounts are updated regularly with business updates, articles and installation photos. You can also sign up for emails to ensure you are up-to-date on company announcements and weekly sales.

Customer Support

As always, our customer service team is ready to help! You can reach out to them via chat on the website, phone or email. For video tutorials of the new site, step by step instructions for resetting your password, or more details on the update, visit our Information Center.

We are excited about the new website’s look and functionality and hope you have an enjoyable shopping experience. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or would like to provide feedback.

While the season of giving offers plenty of fun and merriment, it can also create stress and overwhelm many people. So how can you help keep your team merry and bright? Studies have shown that giving to others- in form of time, gifts or money- lifted the givers’ happiness an makes them feel more connected to their community. Helping your people help others during the holiday months can boost employee engagement and provide a great opportunity to showcase your values as a company.

Need inspiration? Here are a few ways your company can help your team give back this holiday season:

Collect Donations
Organizing a food drive or toy collection is a great way to give employees the opportunity to help others in the community. You can also connect with local organizations to be involved in holiday specific giving campaigns. Keeney’s partners with Lake City Holiday Project each year to “adopt children” and fulfill their holiday wish lists.

Volunteer as a Team
Not only does volunteering give back to the community, it is also a great activity for team building. Contact a local food bank, shelter or non-profit organization to setup a time for your team to come in. If you don’t have a chance to volunteer before the holidays, King County United Way’s MLK Day of Service in January is a great opportunity to get involved in the community and is the Keeney’s team’s favorite volunteer day.

Donate to Local Charities
There are many different organizations to give to in the community and various causes that each employee is passionate about. A great way to spread the cheer and let team members decide which organizations receive their support is to give employees charity gift cards. Another way to support your staff’s favorite organizations is to set up a matching program for monetary donations.

Whether you plan to host a giving event, organize volunteer opportunities or donate to local organizations, your team (and community) will appreciate your generosity during the holiday season!

With the holiday season quickly approaching, now is a great time to start thinking about your business gift list. Whether you’re shopping for customers, vendors, service providers or employees, gifts are the perfect way to show gratitude for all the support they give to your business throughout the year. Keep the following in mind when selecting gifts this holiday season:

Year Round Use
When choosing gifts, consider items that will keep your business on your customer’s mind year round. A nice notebook to take meeting notes, headphones to listen to music or a desk plant are items that your customer will use every day and remember your thoughtful gesture.

Industry Related
Look for items that relate to what your business does. For example, a pet groomer can give out logoed chew toys or leashes while a brewery can create custom pint glasses or bottle openers as gifts.

Support Local Vendors
Supporting a small, local business is a great way to say thank you while giving back to your community. Pick up homemade treats from a local bakery, desk décor from a local artist or handmade candles from a local boutique.

Holiday Treats
When in doubt, spread some holiday cheer with edible gifts! Logoed mugs with hot chocolate mix, confections in a custom box or candies in your brand’s colors will put a smile on everyone’s face.

Personalized Cards
Keep in mind that some customers are unable to receive gifts due to company policies. Instead of leaving them out, send them a holiday card with a hand written thank you for their support.

Since many custom items take time to manufacture, make your gift decisions well ahead of time to ensure gifts are delivered in a timely manner. For more gift inspiration, take a look at our Holiday Giving Idea Book.

“Dog Friendly Office” is becoming more and more common on the list of benefits companies provide to employees. Animals add a sense of happiness and playfulness to an office and have been shown to defuse stress and improve moral. While many companies are interested in becoming pet friendly, creating a work environment that is accommodating to dogs and while still remaining productive can take a lot of planning. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Survey Your Space
Before you make the announcement that everyone can bring their dog to work, make sure that your space accommodates your new furry co-workers. You will need an outdoor space that is easily accessible for bathroom breaks throughout the day. A large common area with dog gates or offices where dogs can be contained will also help to keep distractions to a minimum.

Get Everyone On Board
If you are leasing a space, get approval from your landlord before inviting dogs into the building. You should also make sure all of the staff is okay with dogs being in the office and make accommodations for anyone who is uncomfortable around or allergic to dogs.

Establish a Pet Policy
Take the time to collaborate with your team on pet policies to implement in the office. Establishing rules with keep everyone happy and safe in the office. This should include pet health requirements, designated dog areas, clean up policies and grounds for banning certain pets.

Stock Your Office with Supplies
While employees should be expected to bring their own pet supplies, keeping some essentials on hand will be helpful. Have water bowls, waste pickup bags and extra leashes available for pet owners. You should also stock up on lint rollers, carpet cleaner and air fresheners to keep the office fresh and clean.

While setting up a dog-friendly office has some initial challenges, your dog-loving employees will thank you and it may even help to attract new talent. Once your dog-friendly office policy is in place, make sure to order some treats to welcome your new furry co-workers!