A top Guy says goodbye
PUSH button televisions and hi-fi systems may have fallen by the wayside but Ross Parke says old fashioned service never dies.
The veteran Geelong retailer is calling it a day as head of the city’s Good Guys outlet after 17 years at the helm.
Mr Parke got his start in retail at his father David’s auto parts business in the late 1970s before heading off into the wholesale sector with Phillips and Sony.
His work during the 1980s and 1990s with the two com- panies brought him into close contact with retailers such as Billy Guyatts, Brashs, Myer and Chandlers.
“As my father said, if you don’t handle customers with golden gloves you may lose the sale,” Mr Parke said.
“It’s a motto I’ve always lived by. Customer service is so important and to be successful in business, you need to know how to communicate your product and know it inside out.”
Mr Parke remembers when just buying a television set was a complex business.
“People had to wait for television sets in the old days. You had to put a deposit down, it was a major household purchase.”
When he opened The Good Guys in Fyans St in May 2001, digital televisions were a rare commodity with big screens presenting a weightlifting challenge.
“We had a lot of glass picture tube TVs in those days. I remember lifting a big 36-inch widescreen Sony TV up on to the shelf and honestly it weighed about 45 kilos. They were so heavy.”
He said The Good Guys had been going for about seven years nationally when he considered setting up a business.
“We were in Berwick at the time and the opportunity came up to open up a store in Geelong. I’ve got links to the Geelong area, so I came down to the area, checked out the site with my wife Corrine, and we said ‘yes, let’s give it a go’.”
Mr Parke is not retiring from commerce. He plans to take a break for the next few months before jumping back into a new business venture later in the year.
“It’s in the planning stages, so I’m not making an announcement yet, but it’s set to be really exciting,” he said.
Incoming store manager George George paid tribute to Mr Parke’s work ethic and said he was looking forward to his new role.
“We have a fantastic team at the Geelong store,” Mr George said.
“I can’t wait to get to know the local faces and I encourage everyone to come in and say hello to me and the team.”
As my father said, if you don’t handle customers with golden gloves you may lose the sale. It’s a motto I’ve always lived by.” ROSS PARKE