Problem: Article: Your customer is coming to you for knowledge, expertise, and the best shoe they could possibly wind up with. In this situation, you need to be the expert. Don't just show them the shoe, but also help them learn something new about the product. What materials is it made out of? What season is it from? What was it inspired by? This can also help you offer them something else, should the first shoe they're drawn to not work. With an encyclopedic knowledge of everything you have to offer, you're bound to find something that catches their eye. With time, you'll slowly be able to recognize types of customers (generally speaking, of course). You'll recognize those customers with a sense of purpose and those customers who are just browsing, those that know exactly what they're looking for and those that haven't a clue. But beyond this, ask them questions. Get to know them. When you have their information handy, it ultimately saves them time and money! Aim to greet and meet every customer that walks in your door. Smile and get to them as soon as possible, but without pouncing, to start building a relationship. Give them a second to evaluate the store and then ask how their day is going and how you can help. Offer to measure both of their feet to make sure their size is 100% accurate. This will vary by brand a bit, too. While they are sitting ask them what the shoes are going to be used for to help you identify their needs and improve their experience. Run to storage and bring back the shoes requested, possibly also bringing back pairs that are slightly bigger or smaller, just in case (especially if they said sometimes they go back and forth between two sizes). Let's say you have a customer that came in looking for a nude, matte heel. They pick out one and request you to go get their size. While you're retrieving that pair, get a few more nude, matte heels you think they might like. They might not even have noticed the others in their haste to find the perfect shoe. This goes double if you know of any shoes you don't have on display. This is why it's best to know your inventory like the back of your hand there could be a sale in there that you wouldn't otherwise make. Teach them about the quality, fashion, comfort and value of their shoe; that way you can provide solutions and benefits to your customer. If you know of any feedback on that shoe, tell it to your new customer. Let them know that other customers say it's super comfortable, or that one pair tends to outshine another, for example: In today's day and age, we're used to having all the information at our fingertips. There's an app for everything, answering all of our questions. But when it comes to the brick and mortar shoe store, you are the go-to guru. By giving them all information possible, you prevent them from returning the shoe, being unhappy with it and ensure they get what they're looking for out of something they could use daily.
Summary: Understand your product better than your customer. Get to know who your consumer is and what they are looking for. Have the customer sit to try on the shoes. Offer selection. Educate your customer about the product.

Problem: Article: You can find a silly GIF to send via chat or post a cute meme on their social media. Humor is a fun way to share an inside joke or a smile even when you aren't together. You don't always have to try to be "romantic" to stay connected. Sharing laughter is a good way to avoid becoming depressed due to being apart. Pictures are a fun way to include each other in daily life and can be sent instantly. They can also help to keep the other person from getting jealous as they are regularly included in daily life. Celebrate the times you are together and countdown to the next time you will visit each other. A slideshow with a special song can be a fun way to save memories. This doesn't need to be something "romantic", instead a sign that you are paying attention and know him better than anyone else. As a special way to count down to an upcoming visit, you can also send special gifts he can use while traveling or for the visit. If he is flying send him a survival kit for the flight or a new scarf in his favorite color for a winter visit.
Summary: Send a funny e-card. Send a silly picture of yourself. Make a slideshow that features photos of you two. Mail him a care package of his favorite things.

Problem: Article: Point your security camera so the lens is facing out of the small opening in the front of the birdhouse or feeder. Point the feeder or house in the direction you want to monitor. Thick leaves and shrubbery can hide the appearance of a security camera. Place your camera inside of a bush or tree and check the camera's video feed to make sure that the lens isn't obscured. You can purchase a hollowed out garden gnome or rock online. Use a drill bit that's as big as the lens on your camera and drill a hole in the fake rock or garden gnome. You can then place your camera inside of the fake rock or gnome and point the lens of the camera out of the hole. You can also place the camera on the inside of a clay pot. Attach the camera to the inside of the object with electrical tape to hold it in place. Some security cameras are designed to look like other things, like a light or doorbell. Look online for security or spy camera lights or lamps, and find one that fits your budget and need. Hide your camera inside of your mailbox or the mailbox post. Drill a hole through the mailbox so that your camera can record what's happening outside of the mailbox. Leaving exposed or visible wires leading up to your camera will make the placement obvious to other people. If you plan on using a security camera that has wires, you need to dig a trench so that you can bury the PVC pipe that will house the wires. You may need to install a metal conduit or PVC pipe to hide the wires from an elevated camera. You can purchase a fake or "dummy" security camera online or at hardware stores. These will serve as a visible deterrent and will take attention off of your actual security cameras. Put these cameras in an area that people are able to see. Fake security cameras are usually $10-$30 USD per camera.
Summary:
Place your camera inside of a birdhouse or bird feeder. Hide your camera in a bush or tree. Conceal your camera in a fake rock or garden gnome. Purchase a camera designed to look like a light fixture or doorbell. Put your camera inside of your mailbox. Use PVC pipe to hide the wires on a wired camera. Install a fake camera to take attention off your real camera.