Nature’s Food Patch is a 14,000-square-foot natural products retailer in Clearwater, Florida, the leading organic food store on Florida’s west coast. And when it comes to bringing natural health to the population at large, they take their jobs seriously. Their mission statement reads, in part: “Through teaching about natural lifestyle and holistic health, we help to contribute to your personal well-being and, ultimately, to planetary healing.”
As one might expect from reading the above statement, this store has found customer education in nutritional supplements to be vital. “It’s very important,” says general manager Rich Packman. “The more customers understand their own bodies, the more they know what it is they need in the way of supplements. Everyone has their own particular needs, and our staff can be expert on products or a range of products, but my personal take on it is that we’re all our own primary medical practitioners. Nobody knows better than me what my body needs; and I consult with medical professionals, I consult with nutritional experts, but ultimately it’s my body and I’ve got to be the gatekeeper here.”
In educating customers, Nature’s Food Patch has found that over 50 percent of their patrons do not know that calcium, in order to be absorbed by the body, must be properly balanced with magnesium. “People hear that calcium is the bone builder,” Packman says. “They need calcium to prevent osteoporosis. But largely they’re not familiar with the required balance needed between calcium and magnesium.”
It comes as no surprise, then, that a highly recommended product at Nature’s Food Patch—and one of their best-selling supplements—is Natural Calm® from Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality. The store reports that it not only sells quickly but generates repeat customers along with word-of-mouth advertising.
And the word has spread far and wide. “We have customers coming in all the time looking for it,” says Beryl Rose, vitamin manager at the store. “They hear that there’s something that can help them sleep, called Natural Calm. And then they keep coming back. It also helps with constipation.”
Beryl points out to customers the vital need for magnesium in their bodies. “We’re so depleted of magnesium because we just don’t get it from our foods,” she says.
Beryl has heard a great deal from customers about Natural Calm. In one example, a store team member had someone come in who was suffering from severe muscle contractions caused by multiple sclerosis (MS). The customer reported becoming greatly relaxed with Natural Calm and has been a repeat customer ever since.
A woman came in who was having trouble with nervousness and, as a result, with sleeping. Beryl recommended Natural Calm and she returned a short time later, saying that it had “just worked beautifully.” Another repeat customer.
“But,” Beryl laughs, “the best customer feedback I get about Natural Calm is the shelves are empty!”
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